Abstract

The 20th century saw the rise of broadcast technologies that allowed us to instantly communicate with large numbers of people. In contrast, the 21st century has been about narrowcasting. The ability to send targeted information on a massive scale to specific individuals via their personal devices has changed how we live and created some of the most successful products and services in human history. However, our addiction to personal screens has had significant downsides. They encumber us and isolate us from each other and our surroundings. Parallel Reality displays are shared displays that can show personalized content to each viewer, even when many people are viewing the same display at the same time. No special glasses are required. This new capability allows us to imagine an alternative future, where the world itself provides the personalized information, services, and entertainment we seek.

Biography Paul Dietz is a prolific creator of new technologies that surprise and delight, and occasionally make the world a slightly better place. He is best known as the co-inventor of DiamondTouch – an early multi-touch display system which helped launch the touch interface revolution. Paul received the ACM UIST 2012 Lasting Impact Award for this work. His career included stints as a researcher at Walt Disney Imagineering, Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs (MERL), and Microsoft Research. He is currently Chief Technology Officer and Chairman of the Board of Misapplied Sciences. Paul holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon. In his spare time, he teaches kids how to make animatronic shows, and is sometimes seen on the wrong end of a flugelhorn.