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November 6, 2008

Help me Obi Wan Blitzer...

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In the millionth case of Sci-fi pop culture coming to reality, (well, sort-of...), CNN implemented "holograms" in its election coverage.

As if the election night hype wasn't enough, CNN brought out the big guns to make remote correspondants seem a little less remote.

cnn_hologram.bmp


Many sites report that the effect was accomplished with a ring of 35 HD cameras surrounding the subject, and a collection of those images were beamed to CNN's studios. The result was a 3D likeness of the person, complete with a trippy blue aura. (Republicans will argue that this was a hidden suggestion recommending voters "Go Blue" with their state's decisions.)

While 35 HD cameras seems a bit excessive, does this seem like a potential future tool for telecommuting? As technology gets perfected, could we have 3D likenesses of ourselves at a meeting while we're across the country?

I have yet to hear reports if Wolf actually was able to see the 3d image of the person he was talking to. Perhaps it was a production trick, done with nothing more than live editing and a green screen. But, it's an interesting idea...

Opinions?