Jim Blinn, a Pioneer's View on the Evolution of Computer Graphics, from Voyager to the Open Metaverse
10/24/23 • 38 min
In this episode of the Building the Open Metaverse podcast, hosts Marc Petit and Patrick Cozzi are joined by computer graphics legend Jim Blinn. Blinn recounts his pioneering work in CG, from developing bump mapping while a PhD student at University of Utah in the 1970s to producing animations for the Voyager spacecraft's flybys of Jupiter and Saturn at NASA JPL.
Blinn traces his journey from growing up fascinated by astronomy, animation and education, to falling into computer programming and graphics at University of Michigan. He recounts moving to Caltech and JPL, where through luck and persistence he got to work on animations for Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" series and the Annenberg Foundation's physics series "The Mechanical Universe.”
Along the way Blinn met pioneers like Ivan Sutherland and inspired innovations like ray tracing. He reflects on always focusing on improving images with the tools at hand rather than waiting for better tech. Blinn also looks to the future, discussing the potential and limitations of VR, AI and the metaverse. He emphasizes the need for research to continue advancing graphics and for computer scientists to properly document their work.
Overall, it's a fascinating insider perspective on the birth and evolution of computer graphics from one of its foremost founding fathers. Blinn imparts wisdom and humor drawn from a storied career at the forefront of CG.
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Have any comments or questions? Email the show [email protected]
Want more information? Visit our website www.buildingtheopenmetaverse.org
And make sure you follow us on Linkedin for all of our show updates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildingtheopenmetaverse/
Building the Open Metaverse is a podcast hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit (Epic Games) that invites a broad range of technical experts to share their insights on how the community is building the metaverse together.
#BuildingTheOpenMetaversePodcast #MetaversePodcast #Metaverse
Have any comments or questions?
Email the show [email protected]
Want more information?
Visit our website www.buildingtheopenmetaverse.org
And make sure you follow us on Linkedin for all of our show updates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildingtheopenmetaverse
Building the Open Metaverse is a podcast hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit that invites a broad range of technical experts to share their insights on how the community is building the metaverse together.
#BuildingTheOpenMetaversePodcast #MetaversePodcast #Metaverse
In this episode of the Building the Open Metaverse podcast, hosts Marc Petit and Patrick Cozzi are joined by computer graphics legend Jim Blinn. Blinn recounts his pioneering work in CG, from developing bump mapping while a PhD student at University of Utah in the 1970s to producing animations for the Voyager spacecraft's flybys of Jupiter and Saturn at NASA JPL.
Blinn traces his journey from growing up fascinated by astronomy, animation and education, to falling into computer programming and graphics at University of Michigan. He recounts moving to Caltech and JPL, where through luck and persistence he got to work on animations for Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" series and the Annenberg Foundation's physics series "The Mechanical Universe.”
Along the way Blinn met pioneers like Ivan Sutherland and inspired innovations like ray tracing. He reflects on always focusing on improving images with the tools at hand rather than waiting for better tech. Blinn also looks to the future, discussing the potential and limitations of VR, AI and the metaverse. He emphasizes the need for research to continue advancing graphics and for computer scientists to properly document their work.
Overall, it's a fascinating insider perspective on the birth and evolution of computer graphics from one of its foremost founding fathers. Blinn imparts wisdom and humor drawn from a storied career at the forefront of CG.
====
Have any comments or questions? Email the show [email protected]
Want more information? Visit our website www.buildingtheopenmetaverse.org
And make sure you follow us on Linkedin for all of our show updates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildingtheopenmetaverse/
Building the Open Metaverse is a podcast hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit (Epic Games) that invites a broad range of technical experts to share their insights on how the community is building the metaverse together.
#BuildingTheOpenMetaversePodcast #MetaversePodcast #Metaverse
Have any comments or questions?
Email the show [email protected]
Want more information?
Visit our website www.buildingtheopenmetaverse.org
And make sure you follow us on Linkedin for all of our show updates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildingtheopenmetaverse
Building the Open Metaverse is a podcast hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit that invites a broad range of technical experts to share their insights on how the community is building the metaverse together.
#BuildingTheOpenMetaversePodcast #MetaversePodcast #Metaverse
Previous Episode
Bilawal Sidhu, A Mind Living At the Intersection of Bits & Atoms
Bilawal Sidhu joins the podcast to discuss his background in emerging tech and experiences working at Google. Sidhu became interested in mixed realities at a young age when he saw visual effects being used to blend the physical and digital worlds in movies. This inspired him to learn 3D animation and visual effects software.
Later, Sidhu studied computer science and business at USC while continuing to flex his creative muscles. At Google, he worked on VR media, digital twins like Google Earth, and consumer products like Immersive View in Google Maps.
Sidhu shares lessons on embracing new platforms as a creator and finding viral content market fit. He recommends creators use AI to augment their skills rather than replace them. On ethical AI, he suggests regulating different models differently instead of blanket policies.
For mainstream AR/VR adoption, Sidhu points to the need for more headset install base. He's excited about spatial computing enhanced by natural language interactions courtesy of generative AI. Sidhu wants an all-in-one creative tool combining video, 3D and collaboration. He shouts out colleagues who supported his vision and his parents who enabled his creative pursuits.
====
Have any comments or questions? Email the show [email protected]
Want more information? Visit our website www.buildingtheopenmetaverse.org
And make sure you follow us on Linkedin for all of our show updates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildingtheopenmetaverse/
Building the Open Metaverse is a podcast hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit (Epic Games) that invites a broad range of technical experts to share their insights on how the community is building the metaverse together.
#BuildingTheOpenMetaversePodcast #MetaversePodcast #Metaverse
Have any comments or questions?
Email the show [email protected]
Want more information?
Visit our website www.buildingtheopenmetaverse.org
And make sure you follow us on Linkedin for all of our show updates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildingtheopenmetaverse
Building the Open Metaverse is a podcast hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit that invites a broad range of technical experts to share their insights on how the community is building the metaverse together.
#BuildingTheOpenMetaversePodcast #MetaversePodcast #Metaverse
Next Episode
Liz Rothman, Unpacking the AI Policy & Governance Landscape
In this episode of Building the Open Metaverse, hosts Patrick Cozzi and Marc Petit discuss artificial intelligence ethics, safety, and governance with attorney Liz Rothman. Rothman provides an overview of the key issues being debated regarding responsible AI development and use.
She explains that conversations are focused on three main areas - algorithmic bias and fairness, workforce impacts from automation, and existential risks from advanced AI. On the topic of bias, Rothman emphasizes the need for equity, transparency and privacy protections as AI can amplify discrimination and tracking. She notes that committees globally are trying to assess and plan for the transformative effects AI could have on human labor and jobs. Existentially, questions arise about human identity and agency if AI reaches more generalized intelligence.
According to Rothman, urgent current issues involve building trust, safety and privacy around AI systems, as synthetic media makes determining truth more difficult. She states that maintaining personal autonomy requires responsible innovation. Rothman advocates for transparency standards like documentation methods that expose AI model provenance and training data sourcing. However, she acknowledges commercial interests often prevent full transparency.
The discussion covers intellectual property rules for AI-generated content, which vary between countries. While US law presently requires human authorship, the UK protects some AI output. Rothman suggests IP law could incentivize AI development if adapted with disclosure requirements rather than outright restrictions. However, problematic training data cannot be removed from models once deployed, posing challenges for liability.
Rothman expresses hope in rising international dialogues but concern that regulatory solutions are struggling to match the rapid pace of technological change. She highlights organizations pursuing multidisciplinary cooperation on AI ethics and governance, like XRSI and the Metaverse Standards Forum. While blockchain hype has affected cryptocurrency perceptions, Rothman sees potential benefits for digital identity and content provenance. She concludes AI oversight requires balancing innovation with ethical precautions.
====
Have any comments or questions? Email the show [email protected]
Want more information? Visit our website www.buildingtheopenmetaverse.org
And make sure you follow us on Linkedin for all of our show updates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildingtheopenmetaverse/
Building the Open Metaverse is a podcast hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit (Epic Games) that invites a broad range of technical experts to share their insights on how the community is building the metaverse together.
#BuildingTheOpenMetaversePodcast #MetaversePodcast #Metaverse
Have any comments or questions?
Email the show [email protected]
Want more information?
Visit our website www.buildingtheopenmetaverse.org
And make sure you follow us on Linkedin for all of our show updates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildingtheopenmetaverse
Building the Open Metaverse is a podcast hosted by Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit that invites a broad range of technical experts to share their insights on how the community is building the metaverse together.
#BuildingTheOpenMetaversePodcast #MetaversePodcast #Metaverse
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