Quantum of Solace: Computer Table and Walls

Hi Damian -- 

this is Ben. Thank you very much for your compliments on our work in the film -- it's much appreciated!

With regards to your question, there actually was a lot of R&D done on the user interface we designed for the smart wall & table, from the shape & placement of nodes to their color & purpose. The nodes themselves serve both as 'information centers' as well as a visual / tactile utility for navigating about. Much like the visual thesaurus project (which I'm sure you're aware of), each node is connected to other nodes of relevant information via tendrils, the proximity and size of which indicate the most relevant information. 

So, for example -- if you recall the scene where M is on the phone with Bond and they're searching for Greene on the big smart wall in her office -- the Greene node is the most prominent, as it's the feature of that session. From that, the computer connects additional nodes to that central one as it finds out more information about Greene, essentially creating a nonlinear cluster of information that's both intuitive for the user and unique to that session.

The color of each node indicates its function (i.e. red for real-time action, green for location, blue for people, etc.), and they're meant to be bright & saturated -- at times to the point of annoyance -- for quick recognition. The idea there is that MI6 agents need to be able to find and react to information quickly, and the human brain responds to color much faster than any other stimuli. 

The foundation of the operating system is based on the principles of radial thinking & mind mapping, which both theorize that the best way to absorb and process information is by organizing it in such a way that it's aligned with how the brain itself process information, i.e. by forming relationships between previously-unrelated material to create a 'web of understanding'. 

As I mentioned, these nodes can then also become utilities, where the user can directly manipulate it to access more data relating to that node (as in using it to scale up a scan of a dollar bill, for example).

Hope that helps!

Best,

Ben

Paralyzed Man Walks Again After Brain Cells Are Injected into His Spine

Back in 2010, Darek Fidyka became paralyzed from the waist down after suffering stab wounds to his back. Now, after 19 months of treatment in which cells from his brain were transplanted into his spinal column, he can walk with a frame. Researchers are calling it a "historic breakthrough."

The new technique, the details of which now appear in the latest edition of Cell Transplantation, involve olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), which come from a part of our brains that deals with the sense of smell. By transplanting them into Fidyka's spinal column, the neurologists were able to construct a "nerve bridge" between two stumps of the damaged spinal column.

"We believe... this procedure is the breakthrough which, as it is further developed, will result in a historic change in the currently hopeless outlook for people disabled by spinal cord injury," noted the study's lead author Geoffrey Raisman in a Reuters article. He's currently a professor at University College London's (UCL) institute of neurology.

Fidyka, who's 38 years old, has recovered some voluntary movement and some sensation in his legs. He's continuing to improve more than predicted, and he's now able to drive and live more independently.

More here:

http://io9.com/paralyzed-man-walks-again-after-brain-cells-are-injecte-1648888164

Boy Gets Prosthetic Iron Man Hand

Three-year-old Rayven "Bubba" Kahae was born with ABS, amniotic band syndrome, which means one of Bubba's hands isn't fully formed. But now he has a prosthetic Iron Man Hand.

$42,000 Prosthetic Hand Outperformed By $50 3D Printed Hand

The Cyborg Beast by Jorge Zuniga is available here:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:261462