Tea for a Lot More Than 2
The world’s largest Etch A Sketch was on show last week in Boston at SIGGRAPH 2006, the 33rd International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. Officially endorsed by the Ohio Art Company, the owners of the Etch A Sketch trademark and a possible Guinness World Records entry, the Electronic Theater pre-show allowed the audience to control the two famous Etch A Sketch knobs in realtime and draw interactively on the main projection screen. Each audience member used a two-sided “wand” to signal a preference to the sensor cameras. The configuration allowed the left half of the audience to turn the left knob and the right half of the audience turned the right knob. The two halves attempted to “group think” and trace various graphics on the giant screen by collectively turning the knobs and “shaking” the screen clean. The patented interactive technology and game design was provided by Cinematrix Interactive Entertainment Systems.
SIGGRAPH 2006 brought an estimated 25,000 computer graphics and interactive technology professionals from six continents to Boston for technical and creative programs focusing on research, entertainment, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education and the web. The conference featured approximately 100 films and videos by some of the world’s most creative scientists, animators, VFX specialists, educators, studios, and students from 40 countries. For more information on the Computer Animation Festival click to www.siggraph.org/s2006/main.php?f=conference&p=caf.
Arab Tech Business Plan Competition
The First Arab Universities Technology Business Plan Competition (www.astf.net/bpc) organized by the Arab Science and Technology Foundation is to be sponsored by Intel. This entrepreneurship competition will be open to all students from technology majors across the region. The winning two teams will be selected to represent the Arab world at the global “Intel + UC Berkeley Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge,” set to take place at the University of California, Berkeley during October 2006.
“The Arab Science and Technology Foundation seeks to increase investment in technology and mitigate the migration of qualified Arabs to the developed world by building an atmosphere of excellence, innovation, research and technological development that in turn will promote entrepreneurship in the Arab world and generate jobs for people in the region,” said Dr. Abdalla A. Alnajjar, ASTF president. “The Arab Technology Business Plan Competition is set to provide exposure to entrepreneurs in technology and commerce and cultivate their talents to drive them to the next level of excellence.”
This first pan-Arab contest invites the region’s aspiring young technopreneurs to submit plans for high potential start-up business projects in the sectors of information technology, communications, life sciences, engineering, nanotechnology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, energy applications and related technology fields. The Top 3 finalists will receive cash awards in the amounts of $7,500 (first place), $5,000 (second place) and $2,500 (third place); Intel will also cover all expenses related to the first two teams’ participation at the “Intel + UC Berkeley Technology Entrepreneurship Challenge” (http://www.entrepreneurshipchallenge.org/).
“Our mission in this sponsorship is to spur innovation in the Arab world and to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit to thrive further,” said Bassem Nasir, Intel higher education manager, Middle East, Turkey and Africa. “As part of our Digital Transformation Initiative, we are investing in local entrepreneurship through this competition coupled with targeted seminars and programs in cooperation with the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, so as to inspire technological innovation demonstrated by teams from the Arab world. We are confident based on experiences from around the world that as educators and students shift their focus toward an increasingly entrepreneurial culture, this can encourage technology commercialization and stimulate the knowledge economy in the countries and regions involved.”