Author: Tom Goskar
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Artificial art – or machine dreaming?
I try to keep an eye on the world of emerging AI technologies. It’s hard to keep up if you’re not completely involved in the sector, but some impressive examples pop up more regularly than ever. Some of those are incredibly easy to use by anyone. One section of the AI world that is garnering…
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Painting the past in 3D
In early 2022 we were asked by Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Maritime Archaeology Society (CISMAS) if we could help them with an intriguing project. In the small museum on the island of Tresco, Isles of Scilly, is a large 3.5m high wooden carving from the stern (back) of HMS Colossus which was wrecked in…
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Back to Flickr
I’ve used Flickr since 2005. It used to be the ‘poster child’ of what was then affectionately known as “Web 2.0” – the concept that the web was evolving from a top-down read-only publishing network into a two-way read-write web. Websites were beginning to act like fully functioning desktop software. Forms could update information without…
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Rock art – digital enhancement services
We have just completed a new page summarising one of our many niche services – digital enhancement of rock art. In the past, making rock art panels clearer to study was often an invasive, destructive, and often messy activity. Chalk, paper rubbings, torchlight, mirrors, and even plaster or latex casts have all been used. The…
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Colouring the past – is it authentic?
In the last few years (2018-2021) I have begun to notice more and more colourised back and white photographs and videos. From the full works by big names like director Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old where grainy First World War footage was upscaled to 4K resolution, colorised, ‘restored’ (using Computer Generated Imagery, or CGI) and…
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Impossible views: 3D scanning monuments in West Penwith, Cornwall
How can you make a solid, accurate record of an ancient monument for the archaeological record, whilst also making an accessible digital experience with novel ways to view the site highlighting its construction? We think that we’ve cracked it. Penwith Landscape Partnership asked us to capture 3D scans of four monuments as part of the…
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Click, crackle and hum – the wonders of audio restoration
The history of recorded sound goes right back to the 1850s with the invention of the phonautograph, a machine that used a rotating drum, a feather, some soot, and a funnel to record the vibrations of the human voice. The machine was based upon the construction of the human ear. It could not play back…
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Immersive 3D sound as a tool for curators
Are you hearing my voice in your left ear? Then let’s get started. Visitors to Versailles exhibition binaural audio experience, The Met, New York City, 2018. Sound is a profoundly powerful sense. It can trigger memories, create experiences, and take people to new – and old – places. The philosophy of the Curatorial Research Centre…
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3D scanning at Cornwall’s Regimental Museum
We have been working with Cornwall’s Regimental Museum in Bodmin to 3D scan a selection of their objects. I helped the museum to create a Sketchfab account so that they can display the 3D models online, and use the Augmented Reality (AR) features of the Sketchfab mobile app. This will allow the objects, normally housed…