Over the summer I spent a few days in Chicago; I knew a little about the windy city by the lake, with the impressive architecture. What I didn’t know was that Chicago has a world-renowned collection of public art, which seems to abound particularly in downtown Millennium Park.

The park pretty much doubles as an outdoor gallery and concert hall with plenty of impressive stuff on display! Day or night the place was always crawling with visitors of all ages who came for concerts at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, to laugh and pose in front of the Cloud Gate sculpture, or gawk at the massive Crown Fountain glass block towers at each end of a shallow pool, while waiting expectantly for a burst of water to spout from the mouth of the Chicagoan up on the massive screen.

Granted, Crown Fountain is pretty fantastic as is, but I couldn’t help wondering how much more immersive it would be if there was a way of displaying the grinning faces of the folks actually looking on, in real-time. Ok, call me narcissistic but yes, I would’ve gotten a kick out of having my “mug” plastered on the giant glass block, and admit it, you probably would have too.

Besides heading one of the company’s most ambitious projects – the development of new interactive surfaces – Inês Henriques is now also a prized author.

Inês was recently distinguished with the notable Rudolfs Medal from the Water Environment Federation (WEF), an international not-for-profit technical and educational water quality organization, for a paper she co-authored focusing on the effects of shock loads of several organic and inorganic industrial chemicals which could disrupt the operation and performance of biological treatment systems if discharged in shock pulse patterns.

The award will be presented at ceremonies during the WEF’s 81st annual technical exhibition and conference – next month in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit www.weftec.org.

Kudos to you Inês!

SXSW Interactive 2009 is already gearing up and we’ve got some YDreamers applying for panels. Though not as widely popular as its Music counterpart, SXSW Interactive is one of the most conceited interactive media festivals around. From March 13 to 17, Austin will be buzzing with media entrepreneurs, curious geeks, technology evangelists and any other interactive aficionado variants you’d care to make. We’d really appreciate it if you’d give us a hand by voting for our panels.

Marta Vieira has two submissions for the Mobile / Wireless category. Since her early days at the company, as an Account Manager for our Entertainment division, Marta has amassed a profuse knowledge on location-based systems and gaming, both panels propose to put some perspective into current state-of-the-art and future trends.

Ivan Franco, our Research & Development Director, is set for the New Technology / Next Generation category, where he sets to share his expertise in new interfaces, DIY concepts and his own musicianship (check out Ivan’s blog for more info).

More info and voting links below:

Inches vs Miles – What Makes Location-Based Games Fun? (Marta Vieira)

Is accurate location what makes a location-based game “real”? Or can we broaden the concept of location until it fits our idea of what a fun game design would be? In this panel experts will discuss location-based gaming, its present and possible evolution.

(click to vote)

Location-Based Applications – Dead on Arrival? (Marta Vieira)

Location based applications have long been hailed as the wireless industry’s “next killer app”. But will they disappear before they’re ever big? In this panel the experts will discuss if location is likely to emerge as a powerful genre or be used as a feature boost for applications.

(click to vote)


New Interfaces for Performance (Ivan Franco)

Realtime computation allowed new media artists to develop interactive performances but typical computer interfaces don’t offer appropriate interaction models for these contexts. In the DIY generation artists learned new techniques to build their own instruments. Novel interfaces have surfaced and this presentation is a reflection on New Interfaces for Performance.

(click to vote)

“Straight from the mouths of babes”

An original member of Ocean’s Eleven, João was forced to abandon the gang when told he had to lose the headlamp

When asked what his dad does for a living, 5 yr. old André Serpa beams proudly and answers “Daddy does magic!” 34 yr. old, YDreams Project Manager João Serpa laughs as he recalls his son’s reaction to watching him set up some of the cool apps, which João personally had a hand in developing, for the Braganza Science Center.

Before coming on board in January 2005, João and YDreams went back a long way. He first met company CEO, and co-founder António Câmara while getting his undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering at the New Lisbon University. “Prof. Câmara encouraged most of his students to take part in GASA, a research group he helped found in the early 90’s”, recalls João, “I joined GASA in ’95. The place was a little “geeky”, slightly anarchic, and given it was the mid-90’s, had an almost primitive access to the Internet, but it was an exciting place to be, and perfect for working on my mathematical modelling and delving into the brave new world of physical interfaces”.

In the meantime, João left GASA to pursue other projects, but late in 1999, Prof. Câmara encouraged him to apply for scientific research projects. He received funding, returned to GASA and embarked on research for EU projects and his PhD thesis in numerical modelling and tangible interfaces applied to environmental simulation.

Between 2001 and 2005, João lent a helping hand by collaborating with YDreams on proposals, brainstorming sessions, and programming for interactive installations that led to the Virtual Sightseeing scenic viewer and I-Garment. Taking on the role of Project Manager at YDreams seemed like a natural progression in his career given his history. But that wasn’t the only reason; turns out João loves working with people, as much as he enjoys ubiquitous computing and interactive interfaces, so Project Management seemed like the natural course.

As far as free time goes, João can be found ‘tinkering’ with the project he is most proud of: his son André. He also makes time for reading, music, sports and loves partying hard and travelling to off the beaten path locations!

We say, do as the kid says, and “keep making magic”.

Wired’s June issue featured an inspirational letter by Louis Rossetto, one of the magazine founders, addressed to his children. The letter ends with this note:

[…]we were often accused during my time at Wired of being overly optimistic. But optimism is not false hope, it’s a strategy for living.

It’s interesting to think of optimism as a strategy for living (and, why not, business). We live in times where some people regard optimism as some kind of delusional behavior or, on a different angle, relate it to an esoteric outlook on life.

It’s important to realize that being optimistic doesn’t mean that you won’t fail. Nevertheless, if your long-run strategy is built on optimism, it means you will keep on trying and, eventually, increase your chances of attaining success.In this article about Top Gun Salespeople, based on Psychological studies, optimism is listed as one of the three critical elements that make a great salesman. And if you conceive “selling” as something larger than getting people to buy products or services, while also encompassing the promotion of ideas, values and yourself, well, a good chunk of optimism (and hard work, of course) can prove adamant to your success.

YDreams has occasionally been described as a company far too optimistic for its context. Well, we’ll take that compliment.

Last Wednesday, YDreams held the 2008 in-house summer party. This was the perfect opportunity for YDreamers to let loose from all their hard work, and welcome the summer with open arms. It also showcased the flexibility of the new YBuilding.

The sunset on Wednesday afternoon was everything anyone could ask for. Everyone was basking the ambiance, lounging around in bean bag chairs while the YBand was already warming up for their great series of performances.  This was topped off by a delicious barbeque, a variety of drinks and our traditional relaxed atmosphere. As the night progressed, the YBand treated us to wide diversity of musical styles entertainment, from hip-hop to funk, cheesy eighties pop to hard rock.

It wouldn’t have been a YDreams party without a spoof surprise. We were treated to a hilarious pimba*-style music video. All in all, a great excuse for YDreamers to have fun together, enjoy good music, better food, and the best company. It won’t be long until we’re all out on the deck again, celebrating the winner of the Battle of the Corporate Bands. And by the winner, I mean the YBand.

For more pictures, check out our Facebook page at here

*Pimba (noun, adj) - Type of Portuguese pop/folk music. Lyrics usually have double meanings. Beware.

Antão Almada and the Luso-American (Y)Dream

Eight years ago, Antão Almada was sitting in his cubicle as a Senior Software Engineer in Palo Alto thinking, “what next?” He was already happily married and had begun venturing into the world of fatherhood when he received a call from António Câmara asking him to come on board a new project, which would eventually become YDreams. Knowing from the start of his Silicon Valley adventure that he wanted to return to Portugal, he also knew that working with Professor Câmara could be an even greater experience than Paraform, and the laid-back environment he had become accustomed to would certainly be maintained. Eight years later, Antão is the Strategic Software Development Director at YDreams R&D unit, YLabs, where he is responsible for investigating and keeping up-to-date with up and coming technologies, and then applying them to YDreams products. Most of his day is spent on his computer, applying the most recent technologies to keep YDreams in the technological vanguard. All this is done using his ergonomic keyboard - a living relic from his Silicone Valley days.

His quiet and reserved exterior can fool the mere onlooker. When I arrived at YLabs to chat with Antão,, he was sitting behind a computer, surrounded by five YLabers while he cracked some sort of complex code using C#, his favourite computing language.

Antão has been at YDreams since its founding, has many prospects for the future and accomplishments from the past. To date, his favourite project has been the development of YDreams proprietary platform, in which all of our latest interactive installations are based. The development required a great amount of teamwork, and the result was an extremely innovative platform. Antão hopes YDreams continues to innovate in the field of reality computing and become a world leader in augmented reality. Projects that are underway are obviously top-secret, however, Antão assured me that we haven’t seen the last of Flapi yet. “Flapi is only a stepping stone for greater things to come.”

Computers aren’t everything for our Strategic Software Development Director. When I asked him what his main hobby was “Family” immediately shot-out. Having two small children is a full time job. Collecting miniature cars also captures his attention when he’s not out riding his BMX.

UM is one of Portugal’s first experimental and mixed media art festivals. The International Festival for Experimental and Mixed Media joins national and international artists under one roof. All of these artists are interested in creating different forms of media where interactivity and liveliness are the protagonists. The theme for the 2008 edition of the festival is Gesture and Movement.

Not only is YDreams sponsoring the event, but Ivan Franco, YDreams’ Research and Development director, will be one of the main speakers of a panel that focuses on gesture and movement based interfaces.

The Festival is going to be held throughout the city of Lisbon from the 19^th to the 22 of June, 2008.

For more information, check out: http://www.1um1.net

In January 2006, YDreams closed a round of venture capital funding led by ES Tech Ventures somewhere in the neighborhood of 8.5 million Euros, which provided the company with the boost it needed to go to the next step. Most of you already know this, but I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane and share with you some of the months that led to Alfredo, our Director of Finance (most probably accompanied by his four-legged friend Bones) walking into our bank branch, wearing one of his trademark t-shirts, with a check for 8.5 million Euros in his pocket. I would’ve loved to have seen the look on that teller’s face.

The month’s that preceded January 2006 were grueling to say the least. We’re talking endless bureaucratic procedures such as scary legal due diligences and extensive financial audits. I personally recall a few all-nighters, buried under mountains of paper, crunching numbers and trying to figure out exactly what went where, when and how. I wasn’t alone of course. All us Jurassic YDreamers were in it together – just ask anyone who was around then – unless of course they’ve blocked it out entirely.

“Multi-tasking” was the word of the moment with everyone pitching in, doing pretty much anything from mounting projectors and preparing impactful presentations to scrambling for caterers willing to come to the FCT campus at the spur-of-the-moment for potential investors who seemed to pop in every other day. It was nerve-wrecking, often tiring but also extremely exciting. We were all sure something good was about to happen - it was almost palpable.

Darius Mahdjoubi, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, believes that YDreams is a “gazelle” type company: one that, after years of consistent development of intellectual property and products, will grow “explosively” in the global market. Darius will actually follow our development in the coming years to verify his research hypothesis.

YDreams founders are determined to contribute towards Darius’ research success. Like many “gazelle” companies before us (most historic tech companies were once “gazelles”), we have a strong vision, superb research and international class products and project development. YDreams intends to be the world leader in the creation of unique interactive objects and environments. References such as NOKIA, Vodafone, Adidas, Nike, Coca-Cola and Portugal Telecom in over fifteen countries have provided YDreams with the required credibility to claim such leadership.

A few months ago we realized we needed the help of a senior manager to take YDreams to the next level. We could not be happier with the person that is now our new Chief Operating Officer: Victor Centeno. Victor brings a wealth of management and marketing experiences from his tenures at companies such as Johnson and Johnson and Diageo in several countries. He will be instrumental in setting the environment for the success of the new YDreams products that will be launched in May 2008.

Not long ago YDreams had to suffer through cramped Portuguese offices located in Lisbon and Caparica. Today we are very happy with our new headquarters located on the campus of the New University of Lisbon in Caparica. The 2000 square meter building houses all YDreams divisions and displays most of our past and current work. YDreamers are also able to use the facility to support extra-curricular activities: our rock band will have a studio; we will have locker rooms for our surfers, bikers, tennis, basketball and football players. There will be also a bio-agricultural field for those inclined to cultivate it.

YDreams has entered a new era.

*[editorial featured on the fourth edition of our quarterly Newsletter]

Most of us have heard of South by Southwest but think of it exclusively as a music festival. SXSW is that and much more. It is a 2 week long event that takes Austin over and it’s starting on Friday!

The Wikipedia description:

“South by Southwest (SXSW) is a set of interactive, film, and music festivals and conferences that take place every spring in Austin, Texas. Originating as the Austin Battle of the Bands, SXSW officially began in 1987 and is centered around the downtown Austin Convention Center. Each of the three parts run relatively independently, with different start and end dates. SXSW is one of the largest music festivals in the United States, with more than 1,400 performers playing dozens of venues around Austin over four days in March. Though it is an industry-based event, SXSW Music links locally with events such as the annual Austin Music Awards show. SXSW is the highest money-making public event for the Austin economy, bringing in more revenue than the Austin City Limits Music Festival or the Texas Longhorn home games.”

Music is cool, and we all love Film but this year Interactive is the place to be at – especially because YDreams will have a special say in how it turns out. I’ll be a speaker at one of the panels on Saturday, “Location-based Entertainment, Animating Overlooked Spaces” (learn more about it here).

I expect to take advantage of my Gold Pass as much as possible over the next week and will try to report back frequently.

Wish me luck!

One of the Portuguese artist’s famous robot “Swarm Paintings” is the cover image for the first 2008 issue of Artificial Life magazine (published by MIT Press). The Swarm Paintings by Leonel Moura are created by a computer running an ant algorithm that is connected to a robotic arm. More info about Leonel Moura here.

Below, the cover image:

Just a reminder to all you art aficionados that ARCO 2008 is right around the corner. This year’s edition of the contemporary art fair, starring Brazil as the special guest nation, is underway in Madrid from February 13th - 18th. But take note, it only opens to the general public from the 15th onwards.

The place is huge and covers everything from historical vanguard art to modern masters, contemporary classics and high-tech art using the latest advances and techniques in painting, sculpting, installations, photography, video and new media.

In the past I’ve seen some pretty amazing stuff at ARCO. Last year I remember coming across a Fogscreen projection from the Finnish company that partnered up with us last May for ECSITE Lisbon 2007.

At ARCO, art and new media technologies come together in some really spectacular ways. Overall the ARCO puts on a good show for art and tech aficionados alike - an excellent suggestion for a weekend escapade, I’d say.

Our colleague Sérgio Estevão won the Forum Nokia November contribution award with his Blog “MIDP Adventures“. Sérgio is one of the most outstanding software engineers I’ve ever come across and also a good friend. He’s been working with YDreams since 2002 and was involved in almost all our games: Undercover, Undercover 2: Merc Wars, LexFerrum and spooks:mobile among many many other projects.

On the past 6 weeks i have been on the road a LOT.

7 countries: Portugal, London, Paris, USA, Mexico, London (again) and Germany! So what i thought i would do is share…..So let me start with the really interesting.

On the second week of November we were invited to present at the WPP Store Latam forum in Mexico City.There were many cool people presenting, among them: Chris Borek – Senior Manager In Store Digital Marketing, Target, Juan Carlos Contreras – President, JWT Glue/LATAM, Atus Palomo – Trade Marketing Director, Whirlpool, Alex Norman, CEO, LiveWorld-WPP among many others

Now the cool thing about these events is that not only do we get to present but you also get to watch other people’s presentations Mac guys note: i used Keynote which is MUCH cooler than ppt. Also find a couple of pictures of the stuff i saw in Mexico: