Fast Forward Calgary

UrtheCast Announces New Space Venture

UrtheCast will supply video data and imagery of Earth collected by two HD cameras on the Russian module of the Space Station. This data and imagery will be down-linked to ground stations around the planet and then displayed in real time on the Internet and distributed directly to UrtheCast 's exclusive partners and customers.

The UrtheCast web platform will allow Users to constantly track the location of the Space Station, anticipating when it will pass over a particular geographic location. Users will be able to search for videos of a particular location, type, or theme and will have the ability to interact with the HD video feed from the UrtheCast servers. They will be able to zoom in and out, virtually steer the camera from side to side, rewind, and fast forward as they check out areas and things of interest on Earth. UK based Rutherford Appleton Labs is building two high definition cameras. A medium resolution camera will provide a three colour image with a swath of 45 kilometers and a resolution of 5.5 meters.  The high-resolution camera will offer a video image with a frame rate of 3.25 frames per second with a resolution that is comparable to much of Google Earth. This will allow Users to see man-made objects and groups of people.

As a result of all this unique functionality, the UrtheCast web platform will spark a great deal of awareness, creativity, and unique user events from around the world. The UrtheCast website will feel like a blend of Google Earth with the video playback and search functionality of YouTube. The UrtheCast web platform will combine a consumer centric website, mobile application for smart phones, and an open Application Program Interface (API). The API enables third party developers to create their own applications and upload them to the UrtheCast web platform.

"Users will be able to view Earth from space. It will operate seamlessly with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter," explains , President of UrtheCast . ISS is a low orbit, human-inhabited satellite. The station travels at 26,000 km/h, orbiting Earth sixteen times per day, at an altitude of approximately 350 km.

FFWD - Calgary Arts - Theatre - Androids, cyborgs and robots, oh my!

, Version 1.0, was ready to dazzle Calgary audiences by May 2010. At the time, the group was located in the factory-turned-artist-haven known as the Seafood Market, and with a custom-made performance they revelled in the expansive performing space the venue provided. Except for one minor detail. In the final hour, Swallow-a-Bicycle had to pull the plug when the building was assessed as a fire hazard for large groups of people (like, say, an audience). Given all of that — what’s it like to get inside the head of a robot? Knoll, who plays Cat, a builder-bot tasked with creating the next iteration of his own kind, says that the headspace is a bit different, but the process is basically the same. “As an actor you’re always looking for signposts within the language, listening to other actors to ensure that the only possible thing your character could respond with is the next line,” he explains. “Instead of finding emotional signposts, you’re hearing statements and evaluating them logically, thinking about what is the math of the language.

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