Posted on 12/12/2004 6:22:15 PM PST by Sub-Driver
French plan for perfumed Windows AFP December 13, 2004
THE first pioneering steps have been taken in France to add one of the most emotive of the five senses - the sense of smell - to desktop PCs.
Life and art already jostle for our attention through myriad Internet sites, DVDs and video games with often richly layered, high-definition images and videos.
Now, following the efforts of an engineer from his offices on an industrial estate in the picturesque northern French port of Saint-Malo, we may soon be able to smell the action, too.
"The French are ahead of the rest of the world in olfactory multimedia, probably thanks to our traditions in gastronomy and perfumes," said Yvan Regeard, 33, who has just launched the first company of its kind in the country.
"Unlike images or sound, smells can trigger previously forgotten memories and emotions. We are talking about Proust with his slice of Madeleine cake," he mused.
In his novel "The Remembrance of Things Past", French novelist Marcel Proust describes his reaction after drinking a spoonful of tea in which a piece of cake has been soaked.
The experience brings back an intense memory of his family triggered not by the sight of the cake, but by its taste and smell.
Regeard, an engineer at France Telecom who has been given leave of absence....
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
I just hope none of the characters in any games they make are smelly French guys.
Imagine what a visit to Democratic Underground would smell like...you'd have to scrub off with tomato juice and dust yourself with baking soda afterwards.
God willing, this will be the first area of computing technology in which the porn industry are not the pioneers.
Won't these French innovators be surprised when it triggers allergic reactions in some individuals as well. I think it was Minneapolis already has some bans on perfumes in public places. The Frence are so 19 century..
The smell of soap will be an additional charge outside France.
This is a set-up piece, right?
It's too obvoius that if there is any nation in need of drowning out their own foul scent, it's got to be either france or Saudi Arabia
Of course:
Eau de B.O.
Yeah and dogs have a super sense of smell but it doesn't keep them from licking their own butts.
Scratch and sniff porn sites?
My dad told me that back in the 20s or 30s they tried this in movie theaters. Problem they wound up with was that the smells all blended together after a while.
Is this something we really want to know? Hint: Ever drive past a sewage treatment plant?
Does anyone have Chirac's email addy? We should fill his inbox with high quality genuine American farts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.