C.C. Challenge #3 (123K animation)

[Soquili]

So many great images! I love them all.

Soquili

[Ross Macintosh]

The future of the smart card will be a unit that gets permanently embedded under your skin. As You can see in the image below, I agreed to be in a product trial. The big corporation has informed us that thanks to our contributions, the next generation of units will be so small that they won't be visible after the embedding procedure. (Focus groups responded unfavorably to pics of those of us in the trial - although they found me remarkably attractive they were still statistically adverse to the 'lump'. The big Corporation is now focusing monumental resources on miniaturization of the technology. With focus group results suggesting people were bothered seeing the lump on someone as beautiful as me, they relized the product wouldn't have a hope in hell on folks of average looks). The unit I have is rather large because I'm in the group testing the transactional telemetry. As a result, my unit incorporates cellphone technology allowing the big corporation to download, and test, new programming quite efficiently. When the units are on the market they won't need the cellphone capability so they will be much smaller.

The current transactional model I'm testing is kind-a neat. It envolves winking. - yes, winking! Anytime I want to buy something I just have to direct the orientation of the lump towards the product's universal bar code (the remarkably advanced reader 'sees' through skin) and wink. Upon winking the unit will audibly emit a 'cur-ching' sound reminiscent of old cash registers. This transaction model is proving to be less than ergonomic - but I'm not at liberty to discuss that aspect of the project.

In conclusion, stop thinking about credit cards, debit cards, phone cards, and 'smart' cards - their days are numbered. Before you know it the big corporation will have a chip in your head. (The butt will be an no-cost option).

I'm sorry but I can't answer any questions. I've already said too much.

Regards, Ross

<a href=http://www.designstop.com/>DesignStop.Com</a>

[This message was edited by Ross Macintosh on January 29, 2002 at 20:19.]

[RAMWolff44]

And I thought I was wacked. You are one funny man Ross [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

I'm a little concerned though for you [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

RAMWolff [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[ashwinjain]

That a good idea Gary. The credit card from the sto ... err wood age!

Here's my attempt for an alternate credit card that's a little bit out of the box:

The 'Xara Loose' is a "credit card" that uses infrared technology for small amounts of money like when you want to make a call from a payphone or buy a news paper or magazine, pay for your train or bus ride, buy gas or a can of coke.

It's totally secure as it works only when it finds your thumb on its screen. All you have to do is beep the money to the receiver at the other end and it gets debited from your account. It uses a simcard and button cells.

Now you don't have to carry loose change anymore! Very convinient.

Q
[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif[/img]

[ashwinjain]

I am not letting anyone embedd anything inside me! but then no-one can stop the march to the future. Maybe the BIG CORP will put in the chips in the babies right after birth.

heh heh. then you will have people doing chip surgery apart from facelifting and cosmetic surgery. "I just put in the latest Nokia or Xara Chip"

Ah there is another worry, I have. Whith all the great designs everyone has been making around here, maybe someone should invent a "particalizer"

The "Particalizer" will look like a printer once you've sent your design tto it instead to the printer, you get a readymade prototype in a couple of minutes.

Q

[ashwinjain]

Why don't you try your animation in flash.
It will even keep the file size down and look great besides. Animated gifs do get heavy.

Q

[gwpriester]

Quaker -- Your two images are awesome. I think you are getting the hang of Xara, yes? The large ring in your last example is exceptional. Way to go.

Ross -- I thought that thing was supposed to keep you from wanting a cigarette ;-)

Gary

Gary Priester

Moderator Person

<a href="http://www.gwpriester.com">
www.gwpriester.com </a>


XaraXone

[wfcentral]

Quaker-

the portable gizmo that electronically zaps your account is a great idea. As a matter of fact, Palm computers were on the verge of releasing that capability when NEC stepped up and threated them with a lawsuit. It appears that dozens of years ago NEC got a patent for "any technology that uses a beaming type system to electronic transfer funds from point A to B" - even though they have not produced any such device, no one else can now...are patents great sometimes? So, I wouldn't start produce your keychain unless you want NEC knocking on YOUR door (grin).

Egg-

Loved your electronic ink bank notes. Checked out the flash animation. Found it interesting that your system appears to take the money out of the account only after the person returns to the bank...what if I don't take it back? I like the new shopping debit cards that are out now. You go into Walm*&t and charge up $30 on your shopping card. Then you can use it for gas, groceries, whatever and the amount automatically gets subtracted from what you have. Of course, you better not loose it because it truly is like "cash" now...

Robert

[RAMWolff44]

As for your 'flash' suggestion. I don't know anything about flash as of yet. I have the KoolMoves prog. but haven't had any time to look at it yet.

Something that I did try. Thought maybe this would work similarly to what Egg did on line (his HTTP:// example, by the way Egg, thank you so much for taking the time, I'm sorry I seemed to be ignoring it, I was just processing the info, then I came up with this idea....)

I created a directory with all the "creations" I have done for the past couple of months. Then went the fills gallery and did a "disk fills" dialog and got it all set up. I scrolled to the card image I wanted to use. Hit the 'backgroud' button. I then had to resize the page (is there a way to have the page NOT tile any filled background?? If not, another suggestion for a future release!!) so it only showed one of the tiled cards. Then I imported my first frame and the background dissapeared.

It was my intent to use the background image and place the frames over it. I looked at the first one and it WAS really low in size (9 K's). So I think that if XaraX were to allow for "controlled backround fills" in animations as well as other projects (as in 1 of the image instead of tiled) then placing the pasted frames on top of it, that may help keep the file size down allot. What does everyone think about that???

Thank you

RAMWolff [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Bob C.]

Very funny image Gary. It inspired the one below:

This archeological find was thought to be the earliest example of what experts think to be the first ever Xara Credit Card, so early, it is thought, that they were not yet certain how to spell Xara! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]


Bob C.