Sure, the news might be a little old but having been introduced to this video at lunch time today I figure its worth a blog, if only for me to come back later and watch it again and again. Having been tracking recent Surface developments, I was given a link to this TED presentation on Photosynth (out of Microsoft Live Labs)

Using photos of oft-snapped subjects (like Notre Dame) scraped from around the Web, Photosynth creates breathtaking multidimensional spaces with zoom and navigation features that outstrip all expectation. Its architect, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, shows it off in this standing-ovation demo. Curious about that speck in corner? Dive into a freefall and watch as the speck becomes a gargoyle. With an unpleasant grimace. And an ant-sized chip in its lower left molar. “Perhaps the most amazing demo I’ve seen this year,” wrote Ethan Zuckerman, after TED2007. Indeed, Photosynth might utterly transform the way we manipulate and experience digital images.

The video is a presentation by Blaise Aguera y Arcas, working at Microsoft Live Labs. I figure, if you combine something like this with something like Surface, you’re asking for trouble (in a damn good way).

If you’ve not seen the video already, give it a watch, you might well be impressed. The integration alone with Flickr is quite outstanding.