The View From Above: In Hard Focus Round-Up (August 3, 2011)

110 Stories: On Village Voice today, a new app is enabling users to put the Twin Towers wherever you remember them. According to the article, the app "...will allow users to render the silhouette of the Twin Towers onto the skyline from whichever vantage point they view the site. From that, users can take a picture, manipulate the image, add personal stories or memories about the Towers, and submit it to the forthcoming site, 110stories.com." Check out the full interview with creator Brian August here and the video about his inspiration above.  

Reunited at Last. Well, Maybe Someday: While North Korea and South Korea still are at odds, it hasn't stopped augmented reality artist Mark Skwarek from imagining what might be someday. Today, TechCrunch posted a video displaying his new AR project meant to "“tries to heal the scars left by years of conflict in the Korean peninsula by removing the Korean Demilitarized Zone [DMZ] and returning it to its natural state before Korea was divided.” 

Coca-Cola Integrates Online Experience with Real Life: In Israel, Coca-Cola is hosting a number of summer activities to bring teenagers together – both in-person and virtually. According to Digital Buzz, "...at the events, they introduced FaceLook, an app based on Face.com, using facial recognition technology to create Facebook posts. Users can post comments and pictures to their Facebook wall using only their faces as identification." Of course, the teenagers had to register through Facebook before opting into the FaceLook machine on-site, but yet another interesting way in which Coca-Cola is engaging its younger audience. More than just a Facebook fanpage or Twitter handle, FaceLook looks to bring the online and virtual experience together.