Spotlight: Microsoft – Some emerging innovations and technology

In all the talk about the Googles, Apples and Facebooks taking over the world, some of us often assume that Microsoft is increasingly losing its place as an industry and thought leader. Microsoft is seen as an aging giant, too stuck in its rut to adapt, innovate and amaze us.

This was my impression too, until recently. The Kinect is undoubtedly one of the cooler pieces of technology I have seen recently, and it is also proving to be a commercial hit.

Here’s an interesting application of Kinect that really blew my mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QrnwoO1-8A&feature=player_embedded

Some other interesting research that Microsoft is doing:

• http://research.microsoft.com/apps/video/default.aspx?id=139046
• http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera.html

In a related note, I found this amazingly cool video via a TechCrunch article about one of the videos above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgTq-AgYlTE&feature=player_embedded

How awesome is technology?! I feel blessed to be born in an age where I can witness and appreciate the amazing changes taking place in the world around us, an age where humanity’s quest for an understanding of the world has reached an apex. We are in the golden age of science, reason and progress – and it’s only going to get better.

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