DXT compression aware UV unwrapping

When compressing DXT textures you usually compress the whole texture at a time. The goal in recent research areas (http://www.sjbrown.co.uk/squish/ for example) has been how to choose the end-points of the color line. There is a limit to this research area and some configurations of colors will still produce bad results, even using brute force methods to search the entire problem space.

There are some cases however where texture compression quality can be improved even further (which typically appear on sharp color discontinuities for example).

What if you had more data than just the input image?
Such as in the case of a UV unwrapped model. You can also input/output the triangle mesh that goes along with it. This will allow you to move pieces of the texture around to get better texture compression quality.

For example, a UV unwrapped model on the texture is built up of "islands" of triangle meshes. These islands are disconnected from each other and can move around freely.

As such, we can adjust the location of the islands in the texture, moving them 1 to 3 pixels to the right and 1 to 3 pixels down to see if the texture compression for those blocks improved.

Because they can move freely, we can also re-order and re-orient them in order to take better advantage of color coherency between island borders, as well as to line up the sharp color discontinuities with DXT block borders.

Its also technically possible to warp the islands's meshes themselves to line up the texture problem areas better with the DXT blocks.

Devices with screens on both sides

iPhone 5 -- your next.

What would you use gigabit internet for?

I just got upgraded to a new 50Mbps Docsis 3 internet connection. Its just awesome....

This brought up an old question for me. With google building a gigabit fiber to the home internet connection, what would you or could you saturate that bandwidth with? As in what applications could possibly use it all up with nothing to spare?

1) Cloud/cluster computing
This one's a bit obvious I think. Computing clusters require massive bandwidth with very fast response times.
2) Direct Brain Communication
Having nano machines communicate with all the cells in the brain would require some pretty hefty bandwidth. This sounds crazy and probably is, but you never know I suppose what crazy things the future might hold around the corner.
Blogspot = blogging
Twitter = micro blogging
? = nano blogging (via direct brain communication?)
3) ?

Any ideas on what could saturate a gigabit internet connection?

Additional info for +1% dropped calls with the iPhone 4

One of the big key points Jobs hit home again and again, was that its about 1 more phone call dropped per hundred. So how is it that this is such a big issue that people are experiencing if its clearly not a big issue.

Quite possibly lefties.

People who are left handed and making phone calls with the iPhone 4 will have greater signal loss than people who are right handed.

7% to 10% of the population is left handed.

If 7-10% of those dropped calls are from lefties, and that 1% additional dropped calls is from those lefties, then 1 out of 7 to 1 out of 10 of every left handed iPhone 4 user has experienced the problem.

They would also experience it more regularly. Which is why its such a big issue.

Apple might be making TVs

I called that one. ;)

http://gizmodo.com/5578591/apples-redesigned-apple-tv-might-be-a-tv

The next battleground is apparently TVs with integrated consoles.

Long-term view of Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox

What makes Apple and Nintendo so special? Why do they both consider each other competition? Its because they control everything on their mobile consoles. They control the hardware, the software, and the display. This control of the display allows them to innovate much faster than any other console system. The hand-held market will quickly outpace and become the de-facto standard in gaming, simply because they will be two or three steps ahead of the rest of the console market. It also takes less time to develop hardware when every device is uniform. You don't have to support multiple resolutions, different refresh rates, and so on. You have one thing to support. Developing the hardware and software becomes much simpler, which further improves the rate of innovation. Nintendo and Apple will always have the best displays with the latest technology. They will leave everybody in the dust.

or will they?

Microsoft is likely going to have a hard time keeping up, however Sony on the other hand might have an advantage. Sony also makes TVs. Sony can control the whole package, the display, hardware, software and so on. They do have the disadvantage of the PS4 having to support other displays and the displays themselves must be backwards compatible with old input streams, but the advantage of being able to ship an entire package TV + PS4 is provocative. If they can meet their goals of being the biggest TV supplier, they may also be able to take the world by storm with the PS4. I think you will see the PS4 being bundled with TVs, built-in. Not right away keep in mind, maybe a year or two after launch.

Microsoft would likely respond by making deals with other manufacturers of TVs, however they will be far behind the curve having to coordinate between two different companies. Sony's advantage is to be able to put out new technology TVs faster than their competitors and pair them with interactive software made for that technology. A similar advantage to Apple and Nintendo.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Owning an iPad makes you a minor celebrity.

Seriously. You bring it around with you and girls hit on you, random people walk up all the time and say "Is that an iPad? wow!"

Apple 1up

I bought more Apple stock.