Techno Page
By Harendra Alwis
iSmell something on the Net!
Easter Eggs in your PC
iSmell something on the Net!
A fairly large number of us spend countless hours
in front of our computers every day. When you log onto your computer, what
senses are you using? It captures our eyes with its simulated graphics,
and our ears with surround sound and anyone who has played a game like
Need For Speed 5 with a force-feed-back steering wheel or an aircraft simulator
with a responsive joystick would have experienced what would more or less
be the ultimate degree of virtual realism a home PC could offer.
The Internet is a far more boring place as far as realism is concerned.
It is basically made of words and pictures, with a little bit of noise
thrown in here and there. I call it noise because the quality of the sound
is very low due to limited bandwidth. Up to now, the Web has failed to
capture our  senses
in any noticeable way.
Sight is probably the most obvious of the senses we use to collect information.
Since the beginning of the Internet, software developers have chosen to
ignore our senses of smell and taste. However, there are at least two American
companies who are planning to awaken all of your senses by bringing digital
odours to the Internet. (But will they make a stench?)
We have the ability to recognize thousands of odours; and scientists
believe that smell has the power to unlock memories.
Smell adds so much to our experiences. Of course, without smell there
is also no taste, since our sense of taste is almost completely dependent
on our sense of smell. You will soon have your choice of two computer peripheral
devices that will make your nose as involved in your Web experience as
your eyes and ears.
DigiScents, Inc. is developing a digital scent device, called the iSmell.
A prototype of the iSmell Personal Scent Synthesizer is shaped like a shark's
fin, and it will be connected to your PC through a serial or universal
serial bus (USB) port. It can be plugged into any ordinary electrical outlet.
Thousands of smells based on their chemical structure and their place
on the scent spectrum have been mixed. Each scent is then coded and digitized
into a small file.
The digital file is embedded in Web content or e-mail. A user requests
or triggers the file by clicking a mouse or opening an e-mail.
The iSmell can create thousands of everyday scents with a small cartridge
that contains 128 primary odours. These primary odours are mixed together
to generate other smells that closely replicate common natural and man-made
odours. The scent cartridge, like a printer's toner cartridge, will have
to be replaced periodically to maintain the scent accuracy.
DigiScents has formed partnerships with several Web, interactive media
and gaming companies to bring scents to your computer. Real Networks plans
to make DigiScents' ScentStream software available to its more than 115
million RealPlayer users. DigiScents has not announced when the iSmell
will be available or how much it will cost.
TriSenx is planning to take it one step further, by allowing users to
not only download scents, but to print out flavours that can be tasted.
The company has developed a patented technology that allows users to print
smells onto thick fiber paper sheets and taste specific flavours by licking
the paper coated with the smell.
The SENX machine is a printer-like desktop device that will produce
smells based on data programmed into a Web page. SENX stands for Sensory
Enhanced Net eXperience. Users will plug the device into an open external
COM port on their computers, and it will be powered by a rechargeable battery.
TriSenx is already taking orders for their SENX machine, which will cost
$269 and include the SenxWare Scent Design Studio Software.
This digital scent technology will be able to do more than allow you
to attach e-smells to your e-mails. You will be able to plug in this DigiScents
device into your DVD player and actually smell the gunpowder when you are
watching Patriot or the rotten flesh in X-Files. The whole idea here is
to increase the realism and enhance the viewing of your favourite movies
too.
The same type of effect could be created for your favourite video games.
While consoles like PlayStation 2 are designed to enhance the realism of
video game graphics, a digital scent synthesizer could take games to a
whole new level. Imagine smelling the bad guy who is approaching before
you actually see him. Developers of racing games could embed the smell
of burnt rubber or gasoline to make their games more realistic.
Before being attached to movies and games, Internet odours will likely
permeate through Internet advertising.
Consumers may also benefit from this aromatic technology. With online
spending on the rise, shoppers will now be able to sample some of the goods
that they buy, including flowers, coffee and other food products. Soon,
you'll be able to stop and smell the roses without leaving your workstation.
Easter Eggs in your PC
What is an "Easter Egg"? What do you mean 'there are Easter eggs in my
computer'? If I tell you that there are 'Easter eggs in your PC, these
will probably be the first questions you'll ask after concluding that I
have gone insane. But I tell you; they could be in computer software, movies,
music, art, books, or even your watch. There are thousands of them, and
they can be quite entertaining, if you know where to look. Just follow
the instructions below if you are running Microsoft Access 2000 and let
me know what happens. It may not work depending on a particular version
or 'release' of Access 2000, so if you know any more of these secret surprises,
just let the others know by writing in to the address below or email them
to technopage_lk@yahoo.com.
Requires: Access 2000
Easter egg:
Instructions:
1. Either create a new database, or use an existing one.
2. Create a new Macro.
3. Without entering any commands, save the macro with the name: Magic
Eight Ball (case insensitive)
4. Close the macro.
5. Now, drag the macro you just created up to the toolbar. It will create
an Icon that looks like a magic eight ball.
6. Ask yourself a question and click on it! |
