Do all touchscreen table tops have to be flat like the Microsoft Surface? This is what the folks at Media Computing Group have recently re-defined with their latest technology BendDesk. This is truly cutting-edge stuff. BendDesk is a multi-touch desk environment that seamlessly combines a vertical and a horizontal touch surface with a curve into one large interactive workspace. Before you start wondering whether this is just another never-to-see-day-of-light concept, we can tell you its not only just an idea anymore.

As you will see in the video below, the BendDesk workspace can be used to display any digital content like documents, photos, videos or even play games. The multitouch technology in the BendDesk allows users to interact with the entire surface of the desk using direct physical manipulation as it follows and recognises your multi-touch gestures. Check out the video demo below, might you picture yourself in something like this in the next ten years or so?

[via LikeCool, BendDesk]

When you think you've seen it all, someone else clever comes up with another. This Lego masterpiece was created by Apple software engineer Andrew Carol who managed to use 1,500 LEGO Technic parts to recreate the Antikythera.

The Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest known scientific computer, built in Greece at around 100 BCE. Lost for 2000 years, it was recovered from a shipwreck in 1901. But not until a century later was its purpose understood: an astronomical clock that determines the positions of celestial bodies with extraordinary precision.

In English terms, "each box is its own little piece of computing hardware, crunching one equation per box, and when you input some calender data into it, it should be able to tell you when the next solar eclipse will be." Check out the cool video below…

[via Engadget]

It seems that the gold standard Flash web video player might get replaced in near future, and its successor is coming from DivX. DivX has developed a new technology that will allow DivX to replace the standard Flash video player, but does this latest technology have what it takes to replace Flash web video player?

The latest technology that comes from DivX is called DivX HiQ, and this technology should replace Flash video player with DivX Web Player. This technology already has several advantages over Flash when it comes to performances. Unlike Flash, DivX HiQ uses less processor power so it's faster alternative. Currently, DivX HiQ works on several websites such as Motion, Facebook, ESPN, MetaCafe, Revision3, The Onion, Vimeo, and YouTube, but the positive that the number will increase over time.

So is the DivX HiQ the future of online video? It's early to tell, but with low consumption of CPU resources it might become someday.

[via Ubergizmo]