When I was a kid, I loved those old posters for epic movies. They couldn’t scream loud enough about the spectacles that awaited you on the silver screen.
SEE – A Cast Of Thousands!
SEE – The Clash of War Elephants!
SEE – The Forbidden Dance of The Concubines!
It was more than any small town Saskatchewan kid could imagine. And a whole lot more than what you’d been told went on anywhere in your own country.
Canadians aren’t big about tooting our own horns. We just kinda do stuff and don’t much talk about it. And our newspapers would much prefer to keep you up to date on the Royals or the Kardashians (I know, I know, what’s the difference?) than see what one of us homeboys is doing down the block.
Which means few of us and hardly anybody on the rest of the planet has heard about a Vancouver company called Urthecast.
Part of that is because Urthecast is involved in designing a project for the International Space Station and anytime anybody in Canada talks about Space, the only things they mention are a handful of astronauts and the Canadarm –- which is, basically –- an arm.
But we’ve all heard about Google Earth and streaming video and Urthecast is about to install cameras aboard the Space Station which will stream live video of what’s going on below, down to a single meter in detail.
Tired of waiting to see how much damage some storm did, or have to watch the CNN version from as close to the destruction as the satellite truck can get? You don’t have to anymore.
Bored with the perspective of CBC News correspondents Skype calling from Jerusalem hotel rooms to report on events hundreds of miles away in Syria? Now you can see what’s happening for yourself.
Just want to show friends what your house looks like from space while you wave from the back deck? Well, you can do that too.
Before Spring, live video of Earth will be available to internet and smartphone users, allowing us all to watch events unfold in real time and even zoom in on the action if we want to.
App developers will have access to the data, meaning faster response to natural disasters and crimes. Teachers can show students exactly what it’s like to live on a farm in China or go to school in Malawi. And all of us can take a good look at that tropic resort whose online prices just seem too good to be true.
Urthecast’s system has the potential to revolutionize countless industries and give us more first hand knowledge than we’ve ever had before.
Plus –- there will be a “Cast of Billions”!
Enjoy your Sunday.
1 comment:
So much for privacy and civil liberties.
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