Technology Information: October 2010

Philipp Geist: Blending the Physical with the Digital; Google TV/Leanback, Vimeo's new Couch Mode, oh...and ViewSonic's 3D (glasses-less) pocket camcorder...

Philipp Geist: Blending the Physical with the Digital; Google TV/Leanback, Vimeo's new Couch Mode, oh...and ViewSonic's 3D (glasses-less) pocket camcorder...

Philipp Geist: Blending the Physical with the Digital; Google TV/Leanback, Vimeo's new Couch Mode, oh...and ViewSonic's 3D (glasses-less) pocket camcorder...

Posted: 30 Oct 2010 08:53 AM PDT

I'm thinking about getting one of the new "internet ready" TVs.  I have a serious reason to do this. I'm working on some interactive video projects, and a couple of my projects are geared for teens and young adults who have autism.*   My hunch is that many of my students would like to watch- and interact with-content optimized for Google TV and Vimeo's Couch Mode.  The content is designed to look good on larger high-resolution flat-screen displays, and I'm sure it would be great on my school's newer SMARTBoards.  I need to learn more about  developing applications for this purpose.

(Currently I use my HP 22-inch TouchSmart PC to view web-based video content, and to evaluate websites that provide "touchable" and interactive content that might work well on interactive whiteboards.)

At any rate,  I've been looking for great videos that have the potential for use at work with older students who have autism. I'm also looking for effective ways that the students can use to interact with multimedia and video content. This is important, since the students have minimal verbal communication skills, have limited reading ability- if they can read at all.  They learn about their world through visual means, and are capable of learning much more - but not through traditional means.

Since our school is focusing on globalization and learning about the cultures of other countries, I've been on the lookout for some interesting videos that might appeal to our students.  

Today I came across a great find- Philipp Geist.  Who is Philipp Geist?  According to his bio, Philipp works internationally as a light and multi-media artist in the mediums of video, performance, photography and painting. Some of his work focuses on architecture, history, and cultural heritage.  A good example of his work is the installation he created for a festival in Thailand in 2009:

"The one-hour show is the central part of the celebrations and will be seen by thousands of visitors.  It interprets artistically the king's life and his work dedicated to public welfare. The art installation combines images of the kings and his social projects in the past and present with 3D animations of Thai natural and cultural heritage and abstract painterly passages." (from the Vimeo site)

Phillip Geist's Showreel

HIGH-RES MULTIMEDIA WEB CONTENT ON LARGE PANEL HD TV!
This might boost holiday gift sales and in turn, give a little jolt to the economy. To do my duty for my country, I will continue to research Internet TV as I narrow down my selection for my new Internet-ready TV.... Below is some Information about Google TV, Google Leanback, and Vimeo's Couch mode that I've recently gathered to share with my IMT followers:

GOOGLE TV:  "The web is now a channel"

"With Google Chrome and Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Google TV lets you access everything on the web. Watch your favorite web videos, view photos, play games, check fantasy scores, chat with friends, and do everything else you're accustomed to doing online. Plus, the world's best websites are now being perfected for television -- check out our Spotlight gallery for examples."  "The worlds' favorite websites are being tweaked and perfected for the television." -Google TV


I'm not too excited about the design of the application that transforms your Android phone or iPhone into a remote control.  I hate most remote controls.  According to Google TV, multiple phones can control the same TV, and you can use your voice to search, which seems like it would be a good thing...  I wonder if they tested this out with real families, not just families of Google TV techies .

















GOOGLE LEANBACK Video (Integrated into GoogleTV)


Google Leanback 
When I visited the Leanback website, I encountered the following screen with a suggestion that I type in what I was looking for.  I typed in "lynnvm", the name of my YouTube channel.  Apparently Google provides you with a randomly generated featured video that appears in the background that has nothing to do with what you are looking for.  


In this screen shot, my YouTube channel offerings are in the foreground. "Maleficent Halloween Tutorial" is what played in the background: 

VIMEO INTRODUCES COUCH MODE
Vimeo's version of Google's Leanback is Couch Mode.  It is optimized for use on Google TV, so that makes things less complicated in the world of videoviewingland.   According to Ryan Hefner's article on the Vimeo staff blog, "Couch Mode is a special new section of Vimeo that allows you to watch collections of videos (such as Staff Picks, your inbox, your videos, etc.) completely uninterrupted like a TV channel."
Couch Mode works on computers, but since it relies on HTML5 and CSS3, without Flash, it only works with Chrome and Safari browsers.  For more information, see the video below:



RELATED
"A few of our favorites include Net-A-Porter, which lets you watch runway videos and shop for high fashion; Meegenius, a place where you can read and customize children's books; TuneIn, a personal radio for your TV; and The Onion which always gives us a good laugh." - Google TV Blog
MeeGenius If you are a teacher, parent, kid, or lover of children's books, visit this interactive website ASAP. It is optimized for Google TV and works nicely on touch-enabled screens and devices.

As I was wrapping up this post, I came across information about Viewsonic's new 3D, glassesless pocket camcorder.  I'll update information about this new gadget when I have a chance to learn more about it. !



Comment: The idea of developing interactive multimedia apps in 3D intrigues me. At this point, the technology is too new for an "armchair technologist" like me to pursue with my incredibly busy work obligations.  I don't have the money to buy a 3D video camera.  But I might try this out, if it is true that it only costs $238.00!

Viewsonic introduces 3Dv5 3D pocket camcorder, no glasses required
Darren Murph, Engadget, 10/20/10
Film Videos In 3D for Under $250 With Viewsonic's 3DV5
HotHardware, 10/28/10


* About me:  
I presently work full time as a school psychologist at a high school and at a program for students with more severe disabilities, including autism.  The students I work with have made amazing gains through the use of interactive multimedia applications, and also have responded well to video presented on the large IWB screens.   


I went back to school to take computer courses, initially so I could make interactive multimedia applications and games. I continue to blog about interactive multimedia,  emerging/ new technologies, and topics related to post-WIMP HCI/UX/ID/IA.  Although my "spare time" is limited,  I try to keep up my technical skills whenever I can by working on projects that can support the students I work with.  
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

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Raymond.CC Blog - Scan your Network using SoftPerfect Network Scanner

Raymond.CC Blog - Scan your Network using SoftPerfect Network Scanner

Scan your Network using SoftPerfect Network Scanner

Posted: 31 Oct 2010 12:00 AM PDT


Network scanning is an exercise for identifying active hosts on a network, either for analyzing purpose or security assessment, you may need some tools to help you on performing such exercises. There are lots of network scanning tools out there, some of them are free, some of them are chargeable and some of them are [...]

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Raymond.CC Blog - Having Problems With Video Card? Stress Test Its Memory!

Raymond.CC Blog - Having Problems With Video Card? Stress Test Its Memory!

Having Problems With Video Card? Stress Test Its Memory!

Posted: 30 Oct 2010 12:00 AM PDT


If you get blue screen or automatic restart while playing games, recording using CCTV or using any intensive graphics software such as AutoCAD/Photoshop, very likely you have a faulty graphics card. There can be other reasons as well but the first thing you should check is your graphics card. It is obvious that when playing [...]

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Interactive Timelines using Timemap.js (via O'Reilly Radar)

Interactive Timelines using Timemap.js (via O'Reilly Radar)

Interactive Timelines using Timemap.js (via O'Reilly Radar)

Posted: 28 Oct 2010 01:38 PM PDT

I've been gathering information about interactive timelines and I'm happy to share a link to TimeMap, a Javascript library to help use Google Maps with a SIMILE timeline. Basically, TimeMap helps to display time series datasets on maps.


Timemap.js Examples


Here is the description of Timemap from the Google Code website:
"Timemap.js is a Javascript library to help use Google Maps with a SIMILE timeline. The library allows you to load one or more datasets in JSON, KML, or GeoRSS onto both a map and a timeline simultaneously. By default, only items in the visible range of the timeline are displayed on the map."



"This version includes several new features, including the ability to load arbitrary data elements using KML, GeoRSS, and Google Spreadsheets; a progressive loader to load data based on the timeline location; templating support for the map info window; improved code documentation; and more. See the changelog for more details.
If you like the code documentation style, you can also get the jsdoc template for use in your own projects."





Thanks to Nat Torkington, of O'Reilly Radar, for sharing this link.  Nat also shared a link to Google's website, Exploring Computational Thinking- "educational materials to help teachers get students thinking about recognizing patterns, decomposing problems, and so on."
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

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Transmedia Storytelling, Interactive Multimedia, & Video Content Funded by 27 Million in Grants

Transmedia Storytelling, Interactive Multimedia, & Video Content Funded by 27 Million in Grants

Transmedia Storytelling, Interactive Multimedia, & Video Content Funded by 27 Million in Grants

Posted: 27 Oct 2010 04:00 PM PDT

Press  Release:  Education Secretary Arne Duncan Announces $27 Million for Three Ready-to-Learn Television Program Grants

Here is information from the release:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced three awards totaling $27 million for projects to improve educational opportunities for young learners through innovative technology. Grants will be used to develop and deliver high-quality, age-appropriate, educational content to increase the early literacy and mathematics skills of young children age two through eight years old. The current cycle of awards will provide early learning content through the well-planned and coordinated use of multiple media platforms, commonly known as transmedia storytelling.

"It is critical that we focus our educational improvement efforts on the earliest learners and those most at risk of educational failure, including our children living in poverty," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "We know that children of all ages are engaged when given the opportunity to learn with new technologies. These grants will surround young children with a variety of innovative media to equip them with early literacy and numeracy skills to prepare them for success in school."

The five-year grants were awarded to three public telecommunications entities that will offer services across the nation. In addition to programming content, the grantees will provide outreach materials and resources to families, child care providers, preschool and early elementary teachers and others whose work addresses early learning. Each grant includes a strong research component. According to Jacqueline Jones, senior advisor to the Secretary for Early Learning, "These projects represent a critical investment in moving the Department's early learning agenda forward and ultimately improving outcomes for young learners. We are particularly excited that through accessible media and technologies, these projects will encourage families, caregivers and teachers to interact with and engage young learners in both formal and informal settings."

"Window to the World Communications (WTTW) will partner with W!ldbrain, an entertainment and animation company, to deliver a multiple-platform, media-based, mathematics curriculum for children that will provide corresponding support materials and digital resources for families, caregivers and teachers. The project will allow children to use multiple entry points to a virtual world of mathematics principles through cell phones, computers, handheld video game systems, television, books and trading cards."

"The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) will deliver transmedia content in literacy and numeracy that is aligned with rigorous academic frameworks and research. Through a multi-level partnership, CPB will develop video, interactive online games (3D-rendered collaborative challenges and immersive games), mobile applications (augmented reality games) and interactive white board applications."

"The Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN) will partner with Callaway Arts and Entertainment to develop and evaluate three transmedia properties that will cross multiple platforms using the inherent benefits of each to engage early learners. One such property, Learning Apps Media Partnership (LAMP), focuses on English Language Learners and immerses them in literacy and mathematics curricula that draw on real-life situations and encourage the expression of diverse perspectives where children freely use their native language or dialect."

The following list of grantees, by state, reflects 2010 funding:
 ILLINOIS Window to the World Communications; Chicago; Reese Marcusson, (773) 509-5408 or rmarcusson@wttw.com; $6,623,475

NEW YORK Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network; New York City; Linda Hernandez, (646) 731- 3601 or lhernandez@hitn.org; $6,000,000

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Washington, D.C.; Debra Sanchez, (202) 879-9784 or dsanchez@cpg.or; $14,627,354
 
RELATED
Partnership with Calloway Digital Arts and Michael Cohen Group LLC Will Create Educational Media for Reading and Math Targeted at Closing Achievement Gap    PR Newswire 10/18/10 -Excerpt Below:


"Project LAMP targets next-generation learners including children from low-income groups. The content will be largely available as an open educational resource and use a transmedia storytelling approach through books, iPAD/Touch Screen applications, mobile device and phone applications, console and hand held gaming applications, sing along DVDs and CDs, an interactive Website, and television. The USDE, in 2010, expanded the Ready to Learn grant program to include transmedia storytelling."


Project LAMP will leverage the existing characters of Callaway's Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends (ages 2-5) and Nova the Robot (ages 5-8).It will also create a third new ELL property produced by HITN. Content in all three properties will align to the 2010 Common Core State Standards in Math and Reading and promote the essential skills defined by the National Early Literacy Panel and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.  


An essential component of Project LAMP will be the ongoing use of research and evaluation. Dr. Michael Cohen, President of the Michael Cohen Group and one of the co-Principal Investigators of the project said, "As the project activities move forward, we foresee new forms of educational media being developed. As a result, new assessments will be required to provide the producers with useful information on children's learning and comprehension. This is an exciting process for evaluators because research findings will aid in product development, determine if goals are met, and contribute to our general understanding of the role and impact of media in young children's lives." Cohen added, "Our plan is to evaluate the applications at different stages of development by testing with children, teachers, and parents. Research will help ensure that the curricula, design, and narrative are age-appropriate, appealing, and result in student learning." 


The 2010 Ready to Learn grants include outreach monies in addition to program funding. Project LAMP outreach activities will leverage wireless network technology, social media, and community-based organizations to engage children, parents, caregivers, and teachers in New York, Connecticut, and Texas the first year alone. Over the life of the grant, Project LAMP will partner for exchange of ideas, opinions, and results with: 1) persistently low achieving schools, 2) a media production program at an accredited postsecondary institution, and 3) a teacher preparation program at an accredited postsecondary institution focused on early childhood education.
Callaway Digital Arts (CDA)
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

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Raymond.CC Blog - 48 Hour Promo For Anyone To Get Panda Cloud Pro For Free

Raymond.CC Blog - 48 Hour Promo For Anyone To Get Panda Cloud Pro For Free

48 Hour Promo For Anyone To Get Panda Cloud Pro For Free

Posted: 27 Oct 2010 07:30 PM PDT


I’m aware I’ve been swamped with classes, hence why I haven’t written all that much for the blog. But today is a special case, because not only is it my day off from classes but it is one of the days I don’t have anything due either. I’m going to be having a lighter course [...]

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Raymond.CC Blog - Analyze Event Logs using Excel Pivot Table

Raymond.CC Blog - Analyze Event Logs using Excel Pivot Table

Analyze Event Logs using Excel Pivot Table

Posted: 27 Oct 2010 12:00 AM PDT


If you want to troubleshoot a Windows system, definitely you will think about analyzing the event logs from the Event Viewer. Instead of looking at the event logs using Event Viewer, it is advisable that we save the log files as CSV format. After that insert the table in the CSV file, then we can [...]

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Raymond.CC Blog - Apply Hardening on Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 using Command Line

Raymond.CC Blog - Apply Hardening on Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 using Command Line

Apply Hardening on Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 using Command Line

Posted: 26 Oct 2010 12:00 AM PDT


Remember in the previous post I mentioned about how to simplify the system hardening process for Windows Server 2003 & Windows XP Professional system using Security Configuration and Analysis in Microsoft Management Console, you can easily locate those security templates inside MMC console, but if you try to do the same thing in Windows 7 [...]

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Augmented Reality Eyeglasses: I AM geeky enough to make this fashion statement!

Augmented Reality Eyeglasses: I AM geeky enough to make this fashion statement!

Augmented Reality Eyeglasses: I AM geeky enough to make this fashion statement!

Posted: 24 Oct 2010 12:09 PM PDT

THE AR WALKER, from NTT DoCoMo
AR-walker
Jason Sosa tweeted about the latest trend, the AR Walker, augmented reality for your glasses. This technology from NTT DoCoMo allows you to instantly access location-based information about the things around you. This would be very convenient for people walking about in urban areas, or for tourists. The system also provides easy access to other kinds of information. For example, if you look up towards the sky, you'll get weather information...beyond what you'd figure out on your own.

Of course, the fashionable get-up is in the prototype stage, so you won't be able be seen in public with the newest type of shades anytime soon. For more information, see the video below:


AR WALKER


RELATED
Total Immersion's Partner Success Story: Demo Reel of AR&Co in Indonesia

Cross posted on The World Is My Interactive Interface blog.
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

Technology, Entertainment, Design, and More: Videos of Recent TEDx Presentations in Charlotte, NC

Posted: 24 Oct 2010 06:11 AM PDT

What is TED?


"TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize" -TED


If you haven't heard,  the original version of TED "Ideas Worth Spreading" has spread around the world.  Charlotte's home-grown version, TEDx was held on September 24, 2010. What is TEDx?    "TEDx is a program that enables local communities such as schools businesses, neighborhoods or just groups of friends to organize, design and host their own TED-like events." 


Unfortunately,  I wasn't able to attend  TEDxCharlotte.  Fortunately, the presentations were captured on HD video and uploaded to the  TEDx Charlotte YouTube channel.  (I haven't watched them all, but as I learn more about each presenter, I'll update this post.)


The following TEDxCharlotte videos were organized in the order of presentation by Justin Ruckman and shared on his blog post, Video from TEDxCharlotte!


Tracy Russ (CEO, Russ Communications)& Q  (Founder, OnQ Productions) 


Roger Baumgarte, Professor Emeritus (Psychology), Winthrop University

 "Mid career, he made an abrupt change in the focus of his professional research, from short-memory to cross-cultural psychology as a result of personal experiences he had with close friendships while on a year-long sabbatical teaching at the American University in Paris." -SEITAR NC
John Silvia, Chief Economist, Wells Fargo

Patrick Dougherty, World Renown NC Sculptor

Nature of Man

Rich Deming, Co-Leader, Slow Food Charlotte
Randy Powell, Senior Researcher, Vortex-Based Mathematics Project
 "Math is the Voice of God"  The Rodin/Powell Solution: A New Approach to Vortex Based Mathematics
Irina Ly, Founding Co-Director, Community Education Project

 Tim Will, Executive Director, Foothills Connect Business & Technology Center
Robert Kosara, UNC-Charlotte, Department of Computer Science (Author of Eager Eyes)
Note:  I learned nearly everything I know about information visualization from taking Dr. Kosara's graduate course, Information Visualization and Visual Communication,  following his blog, and also following his links to awesome related research and ideas percolating amongst those in the infovis community.   Although I took the course in 2008, keeping up with infovis and visual communication an on-going process, since this field is rapidly growing and transforming.

Katie Wyatt, Abreu Fellow (TED), Founder, KidzNotes

Tom Low, Architect at Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co
Doc Hendley, Founder, Wine to Water 
Herb Jackson, Douglas C. Houchens Professor of Art, Davidson College
John Boyer, President and CEO, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
FYI: My only connection to the Bechtler is my daughter, who spent a little bit of time during one of her internships photographing what she described as "awesome" works of art, helping out with a cataloging project for the Bechtler museum before it opened.  She now works as the coordinator of development at the Light Factory: Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film.
Plug: The Light Factory's educational program provides courses in photography and film including offerings for adults.   
Molly Barker, Founder, Girls on the Run

"Girls on the Run is a non-profit international program that inspires girls to Honor Their Bodies, Celebrate Their Voices, Embrace their Gifts and Activate Their Power. Our program is currently in over 150 cities across North America". Molly Barker's blog
John Love, Interdisciplinary Literary and Performance Artist

Below is an excerpt of an interview of John Love, posted in 2006 on the Weird Charlotte blog.  Given the de-evolution of Charlotte's banking industry and the long-lasting grip of the economic downturn,  his words are worth heeding, especially if our region's community wants to avoid following down the path of my birthplace, Detroit Michigan. (FYI: I left the Detroit area with my husband and two small children to make a new home in Charlotte in 1990.)

WC: What would help make Charlotte a more vibrant cultural city?
John: The pursuit of living poetically.
WC: What can we do right now to make Charlotte a more vibrant cultural city?
John: Be a player who creates the game, owns a piece of the game, and shares the game with the rest of the world. In fashion, art, theatre, film, music, design, and all things that define a culture, support the creation of the product here, create the product here, use the product here, value the product here, evolve the product here, and sell the product to everyone else. Don't just be a consumer or an interpreter. Be an originator and make it all so exquisite that everyone wants a piece.
Artists at TEDxCharlotte 2010

More info to come!



SOMEWHAT RELATED
Just in case you were thinking of hosting your own local TEDx event:
TED's advice for creating effective multimedia presentations of TEDx talks
http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com

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