The information below was taken from the website for the 13th International Conference on Multimodal Interaction. I'm excited about the range of topics that the conference will cover. I look forward to sharing more about the work of the members of this group on this blog in the future! (I've highlighted the topics that interest me the most.)
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MULTIMODAL INTERACTION CALL FOR PAPERS
The International Conference on Multimodal Interaction, ICMI 2011, will take place in Alicante (Spain), November 14-18, 2011, just after the ICCV 2011 (in Barcelona, Spain). This is the thirteenth edition of the International Conference on Multimodal Interfaces, which for the last two years joined efforts with the Workshop on Machine Learning for Multimodal Interaction (ICMI-MLMI 2009 and 2010). Starting in this edition the conference uses the new, shorther name.
The new ICMI is the premium international forum for multimodal signal processing and multimedia human-computer interaction. The conference will focus on theoretical and empirical foundations, varied component technologies, and combined multimodal processing techniques that define the field of multimodal interaction analysis, interface design, and system development. ICMI 2011 will feature a single-track main conference which includes: keynote speakers, technical full and short papers (including oral and poster presentations), special sessions, demonstrations, exhibits and doctoral spotlight papers. The conference will be followed by workshops. The proceedings of ICMI 2011 will be published by ACM as part of their series of International Conference Proceedings and will be also distributed to the attendees in USB memory sticks.
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
Multimodal and multimedia interactive processing Multimodal fusion, multimodal output generation, multimodal interactive discourse and dialogue modeling, machine learning methods for multimodal interaction.
Multimodal input and output interfaces Gaze and vision-based interfaces, speech and conversational interfaces, pen-based and haptic interfaces, virtual/augmented reality interfaces, biometric interfaces, adaptive multimodal interfaces, natural user interfaces, authoring techniques, architectures.
Multimodal and interactive applications Mobile and ubiquitous interfaces, meeting analysis and meeting spaces, interfaces to media content and entertainment, human-robot interfaces and interaction, audio/speech and vision interfaces for gaming, multimodal interaction issues in telepresence, vehicular applications and navigational aids, interfaces for intelligent environments, universal access and assistive computing, multimodal indexing, structuring and summarization.
Human interaction analysis and modeling Modeling and analysis of multimodal human-human communication, audio-visual perception of human interaction, analysis and modeling of verbal and nonverbal interaction, cognitive modeling.
Multimodal and interactive data, evaluation, and standards Evaluation techniques and methodologies, annotation and browsing of multimodal and interactive data, standards for multimodal interactive interfaces.
Pardon me for the lack of updates. I would say that currently all of my time is dedicated in taking care of my baby and wife’s needs. My baby is now 2 months old and I am keeping my fingers crossed that she would be easier to take care by the time when she’s three [...]
I was watching a DVR'd episode of NCIS tonight with my husband and noticed Cisco Telepresence video conferencing system was a player in the story line, as well as a Cisco Cius touch-screen tablet. It seems that on TV, laptops, desktops, and old-fashioned cell phones are history. "Emerging" technologies are woven into the story lines of more television episodes, including CSI, NCIS, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, and others.
The original intention of this post was to discuss the concept of emerging technologies and product placement/embedded advertising on television programs and movies, and share a few interesting examples related to his topic. I quickly realized that there is much more to this story. Why? More people access video and interactive multimedia content when they are on-the-go using laptops, smart phones, iPads, and similar tablets. New televisions, such as Sony Internet TV, are internet-enabled, and many people already access the web content on their televisions through devices such as game consoles or Apple TV.
It is a marketer's dream.
Unfortunately, we might not be ways to "opt-out" of all of the indirect (and direct) advertising that will come our way as we access video and related content across multiple platforms. It won't be as easy as blocking pop-up ads or fast-forwarding the DVR!
Below are some examples of ways some emerging technologies are "placed" in television/film, grouped by company. In the "Apple" section, I've included video of Steve Jobs introducing iAds. Near the end of this post, I've included links that relate to ethical legal and ethical issues regarding product placement and embedded advertising.
Food for thought. I'm still digesting what I've found!
Apple iADMobile advertising that delivers interaction and emotion, 1 billion ad impressions a day, within your app. Apple's iAD isn't really product placement. It is about embedded ads in your mobile devices. "Who wants to get yanked out of their ad?"-Steve Jobs
"iAd is a breakthrough mobile advertising platform from Apple. With it, apps can feature rich media ads that combine the emotion of TV with the interactivity of the web. For developers, it means a new, easy-to-implement source of revenue. For advertisers, it creates a new media outlet that offers consumers highly targeted information." -Apple
As I searched for more information about product placement and embedded advertising, I came across a few posts/websites that suggests that in some circles, this is a hot/controversial topic:
Joseph Lewczak and Ann DiGiovanni, WLF Legal Backgrounder, 4/9/10
FIT Media FAQs (FIT= Fairness and Integrity in Telecommunications Media)
"FIT Media is a non-partisan coalition of health, media and child advocacy organizations and professionals supporting transparency and child protection in embedded TV advertising."
This is an interesting website - FIT Media covers topics such as "Advernews", "Embedded Propoganda", "Deceptive Advertising", and ways that embedded advertising might be harmful.
What is Apple's New Privacy Policy? "Amidst all the glitz of releasing a new mobile operating system and iPhone, Apple quietly updated their privacy policy. Why?"
Michael Kassner, Tech Republic, 6/28/10
FYI: If you have an iPhone running iOS 4 and wish to opt-out of iAD, you can do so at http://oo.apple.com
Xerox Patent Filing Make Product Placement Addressable The Media Buyer, 1/12/10 "The patent describes the system (via GoRumors) as having the ability to alter content within a program based on the viewer. For example, if a character on a show mentions Macy's, that content could be shown to general viewers. But that small portion of the broadcast could be "marked," and the content could be changed so that the character instead says the name of sporting goods store Modell's. That portion of the broadcast would be served to viewers who are into sports. Similarly, if the storefront was shown during the program, general audiences would see the Macy's store, while sports fans would see the Modell's store."
This morning I received a message from Thomas Schielke, of arclighting about his recent work. Included in his message was a link to this awesome video, Media Facades: When Buildings Start To Twitter, which is a video timeline of this history of media facades.
Below is a description of the video, by Thomas Scheilke: "The timeline depicts international media facades with their different artistic, social or brand messages up to interfaces like iPhone Apps or brain sensors for public participation. The movie is a shortened version of the lecture, The semiotics of media facades - When buildings start to twitter" that was presented at the Parsons The New School for Design in New York in 2010."
Luminous tweets and retweets "During the day, façade structures with their windows and material combinations grant a specific building image to the public. However, after sunset electrical light is the medium for an architectural image. The light appearance sends an atmospheric signal to the citizens like hang on in front of an asleep structure, look at an inviting but static façade or enjoy a vivid architecture sharing short stories. In the last decade, media facades have become a widespread element for luminous tweets. They establish a network between the building owner and the citizens, sometimes driven by aesthetical debates, other times by commercial intentions to avoid traditional light advertisement." "The pursuit of persuasion by way of big screens gives the impression that size receives a higher relevance than content, comparable with the large amount of trivial tweets in Twitter. Various media facades appear as monumental monologues repeating a fixed animation daily. A few facades use signals from the environment and transform them into a play of light and shadow. Others emerge as urban dialogues when buildings show combined moving pictures. Some even allow people to send messages to the building to receive luminous retweets. They turn the city into a community following the dialogue and with the respective Apps may possibly even gain a following community worldwide." "The historical overview of international projects covers various lighting methods and techniques from lighting designers as ag4, Arup Lighting, blinkenlights, Fusion, LAb[au], Licht Kunst Licht, L´Observatoire International, Mader Stublic Wiermann, Okayasu Izumi, magic monkey, Matthew Tanteri, Onur Sonmez , Qosmo, realities:united, StandardVision, Urbanscreens, Uwe Belzner, Yann Kersalé and architecture like Asymptote Architecture, Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, O.M. Ungers, Peter Cook, Peter Marino, UN Studio, schneider + schuhmacher, Simone Giostra, WOHA architects1. Artists like Doug Aitken, Jaume Plensa, Kurt Hentschläger and Zhong Song are included in the timeline as well." -Thomas Schielke http://www.arclighting.de FYI: Thomas is one of the authors of the book "Light Perspectives: Between Culture and Technology". Lean back and relax to the music as you watch a related video by Schielke: Light Architecture: Luminous Walls
Related info from Schielke's YouTube site: Luminous walls: From clerestory windows via modernist wallwashing to pixelated planes "The movie is a shortened version of the lecture that was presented at the Cornell University in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis in Ithaca/USA (Oct. 18th 2010) and at the Columbia University in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in New York (Oct. 26th 2010)." "Luminous walls belong to the essential repertoire of qualitative lighting design. With light, spaces can be defined and reinterpreted. Illuminated walls allow us to provide orientation and to perceive the form and dimension of space. Further, their glow and play of brilliants could bestow a space with an impressing scenography. The timeline reveals different lighting approaches: From backlit clerestory windows for spiritual enlightenment in the gothic period to modernist uniform wallwashing. Contemporary examples will open the view for pixelated colour changing planes based on LED technology. The movie with an overview of international projects covers lighting methods and techniques for luminous walls and their visual appearance. With a perception-orientated design perspective the designer could use vertical illuminance to create bright spaces and thereby also contribute to sustainable lighting solutions." "The overview of international projects from architects like Antonio Gaudi, Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Kahn, Jean Nouvel, Peter Zumthor, Raffael Moneo, Toyo Ito, Christoph Ingenhoven and Karim Rashid or light artists as Peter Kogler and Erwin Redl covers various lighting methods and techniques for luminous walls and their visual appearance. Note: The image for 1814 needs to be reassigned to Bergisel Panorama in Innsbruck/Austria painted in 1897." RELATED Previous posts: Revisiting Urban Screens: 555 Kubik Facade Projection Video; Info about Media Facades More Urban Screens and Outdoor 3D Media Facades
I came across a link to a recent NY Time's article, "The Pacificer Gets and Upgrade: Apps and Gadgets to Soothe the Baby" on Nat Torkington's "Four short links" O'Reilly Radar post, and thought it was worth sharing, especially for my readers who are new parents or new grandparents! Here are a few of the links from the NY Times article:
iPhone Apps White Noiseby TMSOFT (Rated positive by new dad and NY Times writer Farhad Manjoo) "White Noise provides ambient sounds of the environment to help you relax or sleep. Includes high quality looping noises such as ocean waves, crickets chirping at night, and the soothing sound of rain fall."
The following two apps/gadgets didn't seem to work as advertised, according to Farhad Manjoo: Cry Translator"The iPhone App to Understand Baby Crying" Why Cry Baby Analyzer
Baby Monitors Philips Advent Basic with DECT Technology Angelcare Movement and Sound Monitor "Besides relaying your baby's cries, it has a sensor pad, placed under the crib or bassinet mattress, that alerts parents when a baby has not moved for 20 seconds. It does not go off incessantly (the machine is sensitive enough to detect breathing) and is well suited to parents like me who cannot shake the paranoia that can come with caring for a new human being." -Farhad Manjoo
Farhad discussed monitors that feature web connectivity, such as the MobiCam Digital Wireless Video Monitor and the Home Digital Video Monitor. These systems enable parents to watch the monitor's video of the baby via a smartphone. To make this work, the baby monitor must be connected to a laptop or computer, which in turn must be turned on continuously, something that might not bee too convenient for busy parents. He suggested that new parents take a look at the Lorex Wireless Easy Connect Network Camera, which has a built-in Wi-Fi chip that enables it to connect to a wireless network without a computer. The Lorex isn't a baby monitor, but since it doesn't require a computer to work, it might be useful to anxious parents on-the-go who might want to see if their baby is being treated appropriately by a caregiver in their absence.
Farhad Manjoo's comment about babies and gadgets is worth heeding: "... but babies are a fickle, ever-changing lot, and what works one time seems hopeless the next. As a gadget fiend, I'm used to evaluating technology in controlled settings, but there is nothing controlled about life with baby."
