Every year Google comes up with a well thought out April fool's joke which many end up falling for; me included!
Last year (2010), Google announced that its name would be changing from Google to "Topeka" to honour Topeka, Kansas. Topeka had temporarily changed its name to Google in early March to capture a spot in one of Google's projects.
This year, Google came out with "Google Motion - controlling Gmail with your body." I was traveling at the time and was checking my email just before dozing off. I noticed the Google Motion intro video so I decided to watch it (of course I had forgotten it was April 1st and yes, I fell for it)! Although I thought the idea was interesting I felt like it would require a lot of effort, it was almost like learning a whole new language.
Couple days later I was reading online and came across the article "Hackers turn a Gmail April Fool's joke into a reality" in the NY Times. Hackers from U of Southern California used a Microsoft Kinect and their own software to create a replica of "Gmail Motion."
Check out the original Gmail Motion video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu927_ul_X0 - my personal favorite is the part on how to send a message - "lick a stamp and place it down."
My Thoughts:
Although the idea of having something like gmail motion exist seems cool, I don't see much use for it - I find that it is much simpler to use speech to text and send out emails/messages that way. Perhaps the Google April Fool's joke of "Gmail Motion" should have remained as a prank after all.
Last year (2010), Google announced that its name would be changing from Google to "Topeka" to honour Topeka, Kansas. Topeka had temporarily changed its name to Google in early March to capture a spot in one of Google's projects.
This year, Google came out with "Google Motion - controlling Gmail with your body." I was traveling at the time and was checking my email just before dozing off. I noticed the Google Motion intro video so I decided to watch it (of course I had forgotten it was April 1st and yes, I fell for it)! Although I thought the idea was interesting I felt like it would require a lot of effort, it was almost like learning a whole new language.
Couple days later I was reading online and came across the article "Hackers turn a Gmail April Fool's joke into a reality" in the NY Times. Hackers from U of Southern California used a Microsoft Kinect and their own software to create a replica of "Gmail Motion."
Check out the original Gmail Motion video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu927_ul_X0 - my personal favorite is the part on how to send a message - "lick a stamp and place it down."
My Thoughts:
Although the idea of having something like gmail motion exist seems cool, I don't see much use for it - I find that it is much simpler to use speech to text and send out emails/messages that way. Perhaps the Google April Fool's joke of "Gmail Motion" should have remained as a prank after all.
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