Really - Thing 11

Thing 11 is Augmented reality. AR is the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device.

I first encountered an AR app in 2012, with the National Trust's ' 'Lost! 100 lost buildings of Melbourne' the Trust's iPhone app. The interactive 3D app enables users to "ghost" - visually overlay buildings from the past onto the present, by augmenting the iPhone's existing camera function. A history, photos and stories of these often long-demolished buildings is also available. 

On the left is the Fire Brigade Tower at the rear of 447 Little Bourke Street, built in 1882, it was the 6-storey lookout tower of Melbourne's first fire station. 

Playing underwater with the AR screen at The Dock library in Melbourne

Then recently on a visit to the new gee-whiz Library at the Dock in Melbourne's Docklands we got to see and play with their interactive screens, including the underwater themed one in the kids section (though the little girl in the green gumboots was the best prepared), and the time-lapse of the development of Docklands (what they are calling the greening of the precinct, as it changes from industrial to shopping and residential).

And finally I came across this YouTube video at Weburbanist on augmented sandbox real-time 3D topographical landscaping.
 

Library related applications of AR, include a LibraryThing “overlay” for the mobile phone app Layar. It draws on LibraryThing Local to show you the closest bookshops and libraries. Then how about "Virtual bay-ends" using the Aurasma platform -Pointing a mobile device at a particular image overlays directional arrows to where that type of resource is located – giving users an initial idea of where to find what they are looking for.

Maybe similar to this?

 Among the Thinking Points, I liked the idea of utilising AR technology to "overlay local history film and audio clips into your local environment using an AR app".

10. Reading socially

Tools to support reading and keeping track of social media, looking at

1. tools to read social media and RSS
2. tools and apps to interact with other readers (Goodreads and LibraryThing are popular options)
3. activities like online book clubs

As I'm still getting over the loss of Google Reader, and yet to find a suitable substitute, I was very interested in this Thing.
I checked out Pulse which aggregates blogs, magazines, social networks and newspapers, but is part of LinkedIn - so no.
I've tried Bloglines (now sadly discontinued), Keeeb and a couple of others, but prompted by the 'Discover' section I'm trialling Feedly which will draws together your RSS feeds, Tumblr blogs and Youtube channels. Building it up, but so far so good.

I followed GoodReads on Twitter - they are the people who filled my timeline with innumerable tweets - now gone.I hadn't followed LibraryThing's Talk, however on checking it out the second thread was "Off Topic: Who wants to talk about their cats (or other pets)?" uurrhh online cat lady, so maybe not.
 And the 'Thinking Point' question: follow blogs etc. in a reader or rely more on Twitter for current information? I'm thinking blogs (not just 'cos this is a blog, but) they have greater scope, and more to perk your interest than a tiny-URL.

A sting in the tale

"After the crash" the first novel by Michel Bussi, has a wonderful premise -

On the night of 22 December 1980, a plane crashes on the Franco-Swiss border and is engulfed in flames. 168 out of 169 passengers are killed instantly. The miraculous sole survivor is a three-month-old baby girl. Two families, one rich, the other poor, step forward to claim her, sparking an investigation that will last for almost two decades. Is she Lyse-Rose or Emilie?
Eighteen years later, having failed to discover the truth, private detective Credule Grand-Duc plans to take his own life, but not before placing an account of his investigation in the girl's hands. But, as he sits at his desk about to pull the trigger, he uncovers a secret that changes everything - then is killed before he can breathe a word of it to anyone...

Winner

Sunrise on Heron Island

What a way to reach 200. I've just logged my 200th geocache.

It was a virtual cache on Heron Island, placed by Bundyrumandcoke. 

What I didn't realise until messaged by Bundy -
"You are a winner. You can now log the oldest unlogged unfound GCA cache in Qld. "
I was the FTF First-To-Find the cache which was the oldest unfound GeoCacheAustralia cache in Queensland, seems that not many cachers make the journey out to Heron.

Pleased to for Bundy who must have been despairing of anyone actually searching for his cache (it had been released back in February 2008).

So if you are holidaying on Heron Island take some time out to do a bit of searching and see if you can find "No, no, don't do it"

End of the day - Heron sunset