One of the regular stops on our journeys around the US is Future In Review, a futurist event held in San Diego. It has a long standing relationship with the CalIT2 group at the University of San Diego - and the result is usually a tour of their facilities. Each year we see something new, and often something truly amazing.

This year's highlight was CalIT2's work with NASA. It's developed an open specification for a multiscreen wall, where off the shelf hardware gives you a relatively low cost multi-HD display. NASA is using it to help plan missions for its Mars rovers, with a 1:1 view of just what the rover is seeing, in order to help planners decide where to send the rover next.

We had a feed from one of their images servers:



It's just like looking out a window, a window that opens out onto the rolling hills and plains of Mars. It's an empty cold place, but beautiful.



Have I ever said that I love my job?

San Diego, California
May 2009