Two Heads are Better than One!

I will never forget my brother singing "Two heads are better than one ..." in his Fourth-grade play. It must be one of my earliest memories (age 5 or 6?) since it was pre-video. When writing this article, both he and I tried unsuccessfully to figure out what play he was performing in (weigh in if you know). In this week's Loupe, we explore why the song was prescient, and two heads are, indeed, better than one.

Two Eyes

Magic Leap
Technology

I recently revisited Jump into the Light which is a place to try out the latest and greatest Virtual Reality Gear on the Lower East Side. Despite its new location and the latest gear and games, not much changed from when I visited six months ago (surprising!). The truth is that the VR gear (Oculus & Vibe) is expensive and not that exciting (to me) yet. 

Enter Magic Leap! Magic Leap is looking at the virtual reality world and turning it on its head. It is looking to change the virtual reality experience by using augmented reality instead. This means the users' real-world view through the glasses is augmented with digital information. When you put on the goggles, you don't have to check out of the real world, but you have the option. This will be closer to Google Glass, but a more immersive experience. They have raised over 2bn dollars and are expected to ship their product later this Spring. I can't wait for my extra set of eyes! 

Two Ears

Pilot Translating Earpiece
Technology

My Spanish is terrible, and my family always reminds me of that. I can't say what I mean and (apparently) I don't hear (correctly) what people say. They tell a story where I ordered food in a restaurant in Madrid, and we received nothing except every version possible of ham, none of which I thought I ordered. The reality is, my Spanish is worse than knowing none at all! When I heard about the Pilot earpiece, I was instantly intrigued. We frequently travel to countries that don't speak English (or Spanish), and the Pilot earbuds are the perfect solution. They work in combination with the Pilot app to remove and ease all language barriers. You hear exactly what someone is saying in your native tongue and vice versa --- no more lost in translation moments! They currently work for the romance languages (French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, along with English), and by the Fall they anticipate including Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, German, Greek, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Turkish. They also double as regular wireless earbuds. The first Indigogo orders shipped to great fanfare in December. I can't wait for my extra set of ears!

Two Tongues

Rosetta Stone
App

As previously stated, I am terrible at languages. I must apologize for my past language sins in high school language class (sorry Senorita Abreu!)  No more excuses. It is time I learn Spanish the right way. I have enlisted the services of Rosetta Stone. Thier methods are tried and true. If you have the time, you can experience their program in a variety of formats. I use the app, so I can use while on the go instead of playing Candy Crush! Its proven program teaches languages naturally in a logical sequence that builds upon itself. Incredibly, their system listens to your pronunciation and provides real-time feedback. It is the perfect way to learn and grow a second tongue! 

As we've seen above, two heads are indeed better than one; consider Magic Leap's Eyes, Pilot's Translating Ears, and Rosetta Stone's Tongues Found!