Tabletop computing coming to you

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2007-05-29-microsoft-surface_N.htm

This is a very interesting idea.  I can see tremendous usage for this as a better kiosk or anyplace that needs tablespace and information.  Imagine a virtual blackjack (or other card) table.  How cool would that be?

I do want to mention that this is not a new idea.  In my only corporate job, the the person that was at one time in charge of corporate IT (affectionately known as the Iratollah) would sometimes spout some weird ideas.  When I saw this article this morning at the coffee shop down the street, I thought back to him and this idea.  That was back in the early to mid 1990s.  And before you say that flat panel display technology didn't exist back then, I agree it didn't.  However, the Iratollah even admitted that the concept wouldn't work until the display could become a part of the table.

Back on topic now, its nice to see all of this technology get pulled together.  It will be interesting to see it all in one package and workable.