Google Lens AR shows Stranger Things 3 newspaper ads in all their 80s glory

[Cal Jeffrey]

Through the looking glass: Machine learning technology Google Lens has evolved quite a bit since its inception. It started out identifying objects, then making restaurant menu recommendation, and now it’s making AR ads in newspapers.

In Thursday’s New York Times print edition, there are three ads for Netflix's Stranger Things 3 that come to life with Google Lens. The ads feature promotional spots for the fictional Starcourt Mall, a location that plays heavily in the third season. The promos are intentionally campy with 1980s hair and neon video production stylings, which are totally fitting to the theme of the show.

The idea of embedding AR ads into the newspaper is somewhat gimmicky. After all, not many are going to be reading the paper with their phone’s camera, but the effect is cool and futuristic-looking nonetheless.

When Google introduced Lens in 2017, it was a novel way to identify everyday objects with your camera. By 2018, the AI had learned to identify more than a billion common and not so common objects ranging from dog breeds to vacuum cleaner brands. At this year’s Google I/O, it was shown giving meal information and recommendations on restaurant menus in real time.

Creating virtual interactive ads is a natural evolution for this technology. While it is not very convenient since it requires one to take out their phone and point it at the ad space, it will definitely play a role when smartglasses or smartlenses become a thing. For now, you’ll need Google Assistant on Android or the Google app for iOS, and of course a copy of today’s New York Times. However, I doubt this is the last time we’ll be seeing such promotions.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80914-google-lens-ar-shows-stranger-things-3-newspaper.html

 

[kmo911]

Was born into the 1981 year. it was just the start of pc eria. and so on. transistors was big and you got am fm radio tuned in on fa(w)vorite channal. no back to the future DAB -+ fiber optical line and 192 000 sound quality. radio cassette was in low quality too. then boomblaster came into our lifes. still using 11000 quality cassette .vs 192 xxx (48 000) STUDIO quality.

 

[psycros]

God, I miss the 80's and early 90's. Not just because I was younger, although that's certainly a big part of it, but because the world seemed a lot more SANE. In most areas racism had been pushed almost to the point of irrelevance. Jobs were fairly plentiful and you could still afford insurance if you shopped around. CEOs cared about more than just stock price because it wasn't the main factor in how much they made. You almost NEVER heard R-rated language in public places. Kids who acted like animals got their rear ends smacked in front of strangers and they straightened right up. You could still get most soft drinks in environmentally-friendly glass bottles and it tasted much better. Heck, EVERYTHING tasted better because it wasn't made with pink slime and GMO cardboard poison. I knew it was all about to change when I first saw the shows on Fox and was exposed to gangsta' rap. A lot of us realized the standards were about to disappear and a generation of kids would be raised with no concept of decency or class. Sadly, we were right..and many of their kids are even MORE clueless. The jobs were sent to China and our self-respect was sent out to pasture. Is it any wonder we have this sudden burst of nostalgia in pop culture? I actually get told by college-age kids all the time how surprised they are at the simple decency they see in the old TV shows and how kid-friendly most of the music was 30+ years ago. Their amazed when I tell them how nobody in the public eye would have disrespected the flag or not stood for the Pledge of Allegiance..and their response is always, "That's how it should be, really." The kids today who actually care about what's happening in the world are generally better informed than we were back then - again, IF they care. Yes, the corporate media is more agenda-driven than ever but their not the only voices able to reach the masses now. They can't twist and repress ALL the facts, and that - along with younger Americans growing more curious about recent history - just might be what ultimately saves us.

 

[loki1944]

God, I miss the 80's and early 90's. Not just because I was younger, although that's certainly a big part of it, but because the world seemed a lot more SANE. In most areas racism had been pushed almost to the point of irrelevance. Jobs were fairly plentiful and you could still afford insurance if you shopped around. CEOs cared about more than just stock price because it wasn't the main factor in how much they made. You almost NEVER heard R-rated language in public places. Kids who acted like animals got their rear ends smacked in front of strangers and they straightened right up. You could still get most soft drinks in environmentally-friendly glass bottles and it tasted much better. Heck, EVERYTHING tasted better because it wasn't made with pink slime and GMO cardboard poison. I knew it was all about to change when I first saw the shows on Fox and was exposed to gangsta' rap. A lot of us realized the standards were about to disappear and a generation of kids would be raised with no concept of decency or class. Sadly, we were right..and many of their kids are even MORE clueless. The jobs were sent to China and our self-respect was sent out to pasture. Is it any wonder we have this sudden burst of nostalgia in pop culture? I actually get told by college-age kids all the time how surprised they are at the simple decency they see in the old TV shows and how kid-friendly most of the music was 30+ years ago. Their amazed when I tell them how nobody in the public eye would have disrespected the flag or not stood for the Pledge of Allegiance..and their response is always, "That's how it should be, really." The kids today who actually care about what's happening in the world are generally better informed than we were back then - again, IF they care. Yes, the corporate media is more agenda-driven than ever but their not the only voices able to reach the masses now. They can't twist and repress ALL the facts, and that - along with younger Americans growing more curious about recent history - just might be what ultimately saves us.

Spot on. Basically raising a generation of spoiled sissies in majority. Average kid today hasn't gotten enough belt or moral compass to be anything more. Country is leaning towards a precipice with its own people turning against what has made it the greatest nation on earth.

 

[pcnthuziast]

Everything comes full circle, it always does. The disheartening part is getting to an age where you know you won't be alive to see it reset and have to live out and then die during the downward spiral portion of the cycle.