Technology Information: January 2011

A plug for Innovative Interactivity's Top 5 January Posts (Tracy Boyer)

A plug for Innovative Interactivity's Top 5 January Posts (Tracy Boyer)


A plug for Innovative Interactivity's Top 5 January Posts (Tracy Boyer)

Posted: 31 Jan 2011 03:24 AM PST


Tracy Boyer's Innovative Interactivity (II) cover many topics that most likely would interest readers of this blog. She's conveniently listed the top five II blog posts for January.  Take a look!

1. Job opportunities, January 2011
2. NFB and The Goggles launch interactive documentary Pine Point
3. Adam Westbrook publicizes his top media predictions for 2011
4. Multimedia must-see: Climate Wisconsin
5. Selling Yourself: What's your story?


W3C Touch Events Specification! Editors Draft 1/29/11 (quick link)

W3C Touch Events Specification! Editors Draft 1/29/11 (quick link)


W3C Touch Events Specification! Editors Draft 1/29/11 (quick link)

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 08:44 PM PST

Touch Events Specification, W3C

https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/webevents/raw-file/tip/touchevents.html

"The Touch Interface specification defines a set of low-level events that represent one or more points of contact with a touch-sensitive surface, and changes of those points with respect to the surface and any DOM elements displayed upon it (e.g. for touch screens) or associated with it (e.g. for drawing tablets without displays). It also addresses pen-tablet devices, such as drawing tablets, with consideration toward stylus capabilities."



Editors: Doug SchepersW3CSangwhan MoonOpera Software ASAMatt BrubeckMozilla

"Microsoft is Imagining a NUI Future". You can, too!

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 08:10 PM PST





Microsoft is Imagining a NUI Future
Steve Clayton, Next at Microsoft Blog, 1/26/11


"Our research shows that the vast majority of people polled in both developed and emerging markets see great potential for NUI applications beyond entertainment. This is especially true in China and India, where 9 out of 10 respondents indicate they are likely to use NUI technology across a range of lifestyle areas – from work, education and healthcare, to social connections, entertainment and the environment. We believe that taking technology to the next billion can be aided by NUI – making technology more accessible and more intuitive to a wider audience". - Steve Clayton, Microsoft


The people at Microsoft don't own the concept!  I'm a member of the NUI Group (May, 2007) and SparkOn.  Both are on-line communities where you can find people who live and breath NUI, learn about their work, and even share designs and code. If you are intrigued by NUI - as a designer, developer, or user, please join us.


Note: 
I've been an evangelist and cheerleader for the NUI cause for many years.  If you search this blog for "post-WIMP", "NUI", "multi-touch", "gesture", "off-the-desktop""natural user interaction", "natural user interface", or even "DOOH", you'll be provided with an overwhelming number of posts that include videos, photographs, and links to NUI-related resources, including scholarly articles.  There is a small-but-growing number of people from many disciplines, quietly working on NUI-related projects.


RELATED
Microsoft Plans a Natural Interface Future Full of Gestures, Touchscreens, and Haptics
Kit Eaton, Fast Company, 1/26/112
Rethinking Computing (video)
Craig Mundie, Microsoft
Interactive Touch-Screen Technology, Participatory Design, and "Getting It" - Revised
Touch Screen Interaction in Public Spaces:  Room for Improvement, if "every surface is to be a computer".

State of Information Visualization, 2011 InfoVis in HTML5 "how-to", and more (Thanks to Robert Kosara)

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 06:28 PM PST

Take a look at Robert' Kosara's recent post on his eagereyes blog:
 
The State of Information Visualization, 2011

In this post, Robert reviews of some of the important trends in information visualization in 2010, discusses the potential of HTML5 for creating information visualization experiences on the web, and makes a few predictions about the near future.  Robert is pretty sure that the world is ready for "truly interactive, browser-based visualization".  He notes that the Protovis Primers he shares on his website are quite popular.

Most of the following resources and links were taken from the eagereyes website:

Information Visualization, HTML5, and JavaScript Resources (more to come)
HTML5 and Visualization on the Web
Robert Kosara, eagereyes, 12/21/10
Canvas Tutorial (HTML element used to draw graphics using scripting)
HTML5 Canvas Cheat Sheet
Dive Into HTML5 Tutorial (canvas element)
node.js: (How to run JavaScript on a server.)
JavaScript: The Key to In-Browser Visualization
Robert Kosara, eagereyes, 2/11/10
PROTOVIS
A Protovis Primer, Part 1
A Protovis Primer, Part 2
A Protovis Primer, Part 3
"Protovis is a very powerful visualization toolkit. Part of what makes it special is that it is written in JavaScript and runs in the browser without the need for any plugins. Its clever use of JavaScript's language features makes it very elegant, but it can also be confusing to people who are not familiar with functional programming concepts and the finer points of JavaScript." -Robert Kosara

Robert Kosara, eagereyes, 3/10/10
VisWeek 2010
Caroline Ziemkiewicz and Robert Kosara




Thanks, Robert, for sharing these very useful resources!

Quick Post: Google Summer of Code Announced!

Quick Post: Google Summer of Code Announced!


Quick Post: Google Summer of Code Announced!

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 08:10 PM PST


Here is the link:

Google Summer of Code

Close Encounter with Best Buy On, an example of a multi-channel approach that includes "in-store digital media" and an on-line magazine

Close Encounter with Best Buy On, an example of a multi-channel approach that includes "in-store digital media" and an on-line magazine


Close Encounter with Best Buy On, an example of a multi-channel approach that includes "in-store digital media" and an on-line magazine

Posted: 22 Jan 2011 07:53 PM PST

Over the next 9 months or so,  I'll be in the market for a computer, an iPad or something similar, a Kinect, and maybe a mid-size Internet-enabled HDTV.  As a consequence,  I turned in to  a Best Buy on my way home from work Friday to see what I could find.  I didn't want to spend much time at the store, since I'm the type of shopper who goes in, finds the desired item(s), and leaves.  


During this trip to Best Buy, my shopping habits were broken, at least temporarily.  I found myself wandering around, looking at the numerous displays of all sizes located about the store.  The displays distracted me from my intended mission.  


I spend more time in the store than I'd planned, and I left the store empty-handed.  But that is OK, since I think that this strategy, in the long run, will have the power to entice me back to the store and leave knowing that I've made an informed purchase.


According to Gail Chiasson in her Daily DOOH post,"Best Buy's New In-Store Network", Best Buy established an internal advertising and editorial team in 2009, and officially launched a multichannel network called Best Buy On, which extends the in-store network of displays, to the online magazine, also called Best Buy On .   Best Buy On focuses on different theme each month. This month's theme featured all of the cool things that were unveiled at the recent Consumer Electronics Show. 


The bottom line is that customers are provided with with enhanced information about various products in each department, and can access additional information on-line.  In turn, this might lead to better sales and happier repeat customers in the long run.


There is room for improvement.  It would be nice if the in-store network of displays was less disjointed.  I was puzzled by the somewhat inconvenience placement of some of the displays.  The content running on the screens also could be better focused on the needs of the customers in specific departments, including the needs of customers from all age groups. For example, my 80-year-old mother needs a new laptop and would also like to find an eReader that is suitable for someone her age.  I'm not sure what she'd make of the displays that run animated comments about products from Facebook fans!


Although there is room for improvement, the Best Buy On approach is a start.   I would like to see more touch-enabled displays as part the in-store network, given the fact that Best Buy sells touch-screen gadgets, tablets, and all-in-one PCs.  They also need to get the Kinect demo up and running!


RELATED
Below is a slideshow of the pictures I snapped as I wandered about Best Buy:


FAR OUT 1/9/11 (Best Buy On video about products at CES)
video platform video management video solutions video player
What is Best Buy On?  (Description of on-line magazine)
Best Buy Addresses High-Tech Obsolescence
Shirley Brady, Brand Channel, 1/18/11
Buy Back Program from Best Buy Helps "Future-Proof" Today's CE Purchases
Jeremy Baier, Best Buy, 1/10/11
"Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn describes the consumer electronics retailer's just-launched Buy Back program as "a game-changer." The goal: to help customers embrace new technology with greater confidence."

MIT MediaLab's DepthJS: Now your web page can interact with the Microsoft Kinect using Javascript (Link to code, more)

MIT MediaLab's DepthJS: Now your web page can interact with the Microsoft Kinect using Javascript (Link to code, more)


MIT MediaLab's DepthJS: Now your web page can interact with the Microsoft Kinect using Javascript (Link to code, more)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:31 PM PST

MIT Media Lab's DepthJS website

Info from the DepthJS website:
"Navigating the web is only one application of the framework we built - that is, we envision all sorts of applications that run in the browser, from games to specific utilities for specific sites. The great part is that now web developers who specialize in Javascript can work with the Kinect without having to learn any special languages or code. We believe this will allow a new set of interactions beyond what we first developed."


DepthJS is open source under the AGPL license. Code: https://github.com/doug/depthjs

RELATED
Gestures that your TV Will Understand (Features information about PrimeSense)
Tom Simonite, MIT Technology Review, 1/21/11


Hackers Take the Kinect to New Levels
Timothy Carmody, MIT Technology Review 12/2/10


Microsoft Kinect: How the device can respond to your voice and gestures
Erica Naone, MIT Technology Review, January/February 2011






Comment:
I went to Best Buy today and almost bought a Kinect.  Unfortunately, the demo hadn't come in yet, so I decided to wait until I could give it a try.  I'm curious to experiment with what it can do. 

Quick Link: Bill Gerba's Updated Graphic of the Digital Signage Ecosystem, 2011

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:36 PM PST

This might interest readers who are interested in digital signage and DOOH (Digital Out-of Home):


Bill Gerba is the author of Wirespring's Digital Signage Insider blog and his articles are worth taking the time to read.  I especially like the way he's conceptualized the world of digital signage.  He includes a graphic from 2008 and rolls out an updated version that shows how things have changed in the industry over the past few years. 


Visualizing How to Add Value to the Digital Signage Ecosystem
Bill Gerba, The Digital Insider, 1/21/11




As I read Bill's post, it occurred to me that the changes represented in the 2011 graphic are similar to those occurring in other technology-related areas.  Things are changing rapidly and it is not always easy to conceptualize things on the fly.  It is helpful to understand complexity through an ecosystems model, in my opinion.







"Hi, Google. My name is Johnny" Johnny Chung Lee leaves Microsoft. (I still wish I could be Johnny Chung Lee for a day.)

"Hi, Google. My name is Johnny" Johnny Chung Lee leaves Microsoft. (I still wish I could be Johnny Chung Lee for a day.)


"Hi, Google. My name is Johnny" Johnny Chung Lee leaves Microsoft. (I still wish I could be Johnny Chung Lee for a day.)

Posted: 18 Jan 2011 03:30 PM PST

"Hi, Google.  My name is Johnny"  Johnny Chung Lee announced on his Procrastineering blog that he's accepted a position at Google as a "Rapid Evaluator".   I'm not sure what he will be doing in this position, but his title is intriguing!

Here are some of my previous posts devoted to the work of Johnny Chung Lee:

I wish I could be Johnny Chung Lee for a Day!  Tracking fingers with the Wii Remote
Video Clips of Projects Inspired by Johnny Chung Lee
More about Project Natal:  Richochet - Great Gaming for Fitness, Johnnie Chung Lee's Contribution


I STILL wish I could be Johnny Chung Lee for a day!

RELATED
Microsoft Kinect Developer Johnny Chung Lee Jumps Ships and Lands at Google
Leena Rao, TechCrunch, 1/18/11
What Microsoft Kinect Defection to Google Means
Rich Tehrani, TMCnet Blog 1/18/11
Microsoft Loses a Top Kinect Researcher to Google
Tricia Duryee,Yahoo! Finance, 1/18/11

Social Sound Waving: Sound Cloud

Social Sound Waving: Sound Cloud


Social Sound Waving: Sound Cloud

Posted: 17 Jan 2011 09:08 AM PST

One of my Facebook friends recently shared a link to the SoundCloud website, a site that is new to me.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn about it!


"SoundCloud is a platform that puts your sound at the heart of communities, websites and even apps. Watch conversations, connections and social experiences happen, with your sound as the spark." -SoundCloud

Here is the screenshot and the link:

Jurassic Park Theme (1000% Slower)

Yet another rabbit hole for me to follow in the future!

Quick Links: Reasons why we need effective, efficient methods of info and data visualization: "In New Military, Data Overload Can Be Deadly" (NYT article)

Posted: 17 Jan 2011 05:42 AM PST

Reasons why we need effective, efficient methods information and data visualization:


In New Military, Data Overload Can Be Deadly
Thom Shanker, Matt Richtel, New York Times, 1/16/11



Thom Shanker, Matt Richtel, New York Times,   via the Charlotte Observer 1/17/11

Video Interview of 114 Year-Old Walter Bruening: Words of wisdom from the timeline of his life.

Video Interview of 114 Year-Old Walter Bruening: Words of wisdom from the timeline of his life.


Video Interview of 114 Year-Old Walter Bruening: Words of wisdom from the timeline of his life.

Posted: 15 Jan 2011 05:40 PM PST

"Everyday is a good day...and make it that way!" - Walter Bruening



Some quotes from the video:

If you could give one piece of advice to today's youth, what would it be?

"I'd tell them to stay in school, get educated, as much as you can, because if you're not educated today, fully, all about computers and everything like that, you are not going to get a job, because you got to be fully qualified to go to work on any kind of job right now."


Walter Bruening's words to live by:
"Be good to everybody, be kind to them."
"People should be helping other people."
"The more you do for other people, the better your going to help your self."

Interview of Walter Breuning at age 11, includes a multimedia timeline:
(Video starts at the end of the CSI ad)


Idea:
Although younger generations will leave the world digital legacies in some form or another,  the ideas, and views of our elders are not often found online. Wouldn't it be great if we could capture the wisdom of our elders in a broad way and get it on the web?

It would be great if students in schools around the world could work on a shared on-line multimedia timeline project like this, highlighting their elderly relatives and friends of the family!

If something like this exists, please let me know.

RELATED
Centuries of Wisdom From the World's Oldest Man
Aaron Saenz, Singularity Hub, 1/8/11

Gem of a video clip: Joshua Tree Under the Milky Way

Posted: 15 Jan 2011 10:34 AM PST

I'm always on the lookout for videos that work nicely on interactive whiteboards for students with multiple special needs, including autism.  The video below is a time-lapse of the Perseid Meteor Shower and the galactic core of the Milky Way, from Joshua Tree National Park.  It was produced by Henry Jun Wah Lee, of Evosia Studios.

Joshua Tree Under the Milky Way from Henry Jun Wah Lee on Vimeo.


Teachers of studets with special needs might want to incorporate this short video clip into lessons, (in this case, science). It provides a soothing touch through the use of music, and looks fantastic on a large interactive whiteboard. The video isn't too boring if it is looped, making it great for students who require repetition of content.

RELATED
Under the Milky Way in Joshua Tree National Park

Saturday Quick Links: Digital Signage and Digital Out of Home (DOOH), via The Digital Signage Insider, Digital Signage Today, and more

Posted: 15 Jan 2011 07:48 AM PST

The links:

Walmart and Microsoft Talk Up Digital Signage at the NRF
Bill Gerba, The Digital Signage Insider, 1/14/11
Wirespring


NRF: Walmart unveils ROI data for in-store digital signage campaigns
James Bickers, Digital Signage Today, 1/10/11


"C-Tailing" (Converged Retailing)  - NCR
NRF: Convergent technologies on the retail horizon
Cherrhy Butler, Digital Signage Today, 1/11/11

RELATED
Connecting Your Business to Devices and Customers with Windows Embedded

View more presentations from Microsoft Windows Embedded.
Barb Edson, Sr. Director of Marketing, Windows Embedded



Here are a few resources related to this topic:


(LocaModa blog)

LocaModa's whitepapers
Blogs:

COMMENT
Designers and developers need to think about off-the-desktop technologies as a new form of the web/internet.  Information architects who understand interactive media/transmedia, cross-display/device, cross-platform, and interaction design within a broader context are sorely needed in this space.  


The presentation below, by Chris Thorne, Lead Information Architect and User Experience Consultant working for the BBC, provides a good overview about this topic:
Over the past months I've been gathering video and photos of my encounters and interactions with digital signage as a consumer/customer/user during my every-day activities such as shopping, traveling, vacationing, and so forth, which will be included in a post or series of posts in the near future.   


I have content related to interaction with various QR tags,  interactive kiosks, interactive displays and TV on a cruise ship, an interactive touch screen at J.C. Penny, and more.  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that my interests include user experience of DOOH, interactive displays in public spaces, and so forth.  


Note:  Despite all of the technological innovations in this converging field, issues related to context, usability, and accessibility are not consistently addressed from a broader systems point of view.

Saturday Quick Link: Finnish Multi-touch Twitter Wall at CES

Posted: 15 Jan 2011 06:39 AM PST

Today I'm starting something new for this blog, "Saturday Quick Links".  I'll post videos and links.  I'll revisit the topics highlighted in my "Saturday Links" with my comments/analysis/reflections.  There is so much happening now in the converging world of interactive multimedia technology!



Multi-touch LTD

Quick Link: InteractiveTV Today website -lots of interesting things are happening in this converging field!

Quick Link: InteractiveTV Today website -lots of interesting things are happening in this converging field!


Quick Link: InteractiveTV Today website -lots of interesting things are happening in this converging field!

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:22 AM PST

Interactive TV Today http://itvt.com

From the "about us" section of the itvt.com website:

"Founded in 1998 by Tracy Swedlow and co-owned by Richard Washbourne, InteractiveTV Today [itvt] is the most widely read and trusted news source on the rapidly emerging medium of multiplatform, broadband interactive television (ITV).
We provide concise, original coverage of industry developments, technologies, content projects, and the people building the business to our readership, which is made up of hundreds of thousands of executives from around the world..."


Multi-modal Interactive Maps for People with Visual Impairments: Featuring a Stantum multitouch screen with a tactile layer.

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 10:51 AM PST

To learn more about this project, take a look at the video and related publications below. This is a great example of a team that is harnessing emerging technologies to improve the lives of people with disabilities.


Video: "Multimodal Maps for Blind People"


Website


Publications
Anke Brock, Philippe Truillet, Bernard Oriola, Christophe Jouffrai (IRIT CNRS and Universite de Toulouse) Usage of Multimodal Maps for Blind People: Why and How
ITS'10, November 7–10, 2010, Saarbrücken, Germany
Paper: http://www.irit.fr/~Philippe.Truillet/projects/doc/MultimodalMapsForTheBlind-ITS10.pdf
Poster: http://www.irit.fr/~Philippe.Truillet/projects/doc/Poster-ITS10.pdf

Stantum (Multi-touch screen used for the application.)
Ivy Middleware (Used in this application.)

Cross-posted on the TechPsych blog.

Child-Computer Interaction Workshop on May 7th at CHI 2011: Deadline Extended to February 18th!

Posted: 12 Jan 2011 08:23 AM PST

The deadline for submissions to the CHI 2011 Child Computer Interaction: 2nd Workshop on UI Technologies an their Impact on Educational Pedagogy has been extended to February 18, 2011.

The workshop will be held on May 7, 2011, Vancouver, Canada, in conjunction with ACM's CHI 2011 conference. Interested researchers should submit a 4-page position paper in the ACM CHI adjunct proceedings style to the workshop management system. Note that the best 3 papers will be pre-accepted for a upcoming for a theme issue of the Springer Journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing on "Child Computer Interaction".
IMPORTANT DATES
Submission Deadline: February 18th, 2011
Author Notification: March 15th, 2011
Final Version Deadline: April 1st, 2011 
Workshop Date: May 7th, 2011

DETAILS 
2011 Workshop Website
Call for Papers
Workshop Management System

Note:  Deadlines for several other CHI 2011 workshops have also been extended to February 18th. (Pictures and links from the CHI 2010 workshop are located at the end of this post.)


CALL FOR PAPERS
IN CONJUNCTION WITH CHI 2011
Child Computer Interaction: Workshop on UI Technologies and Educational Pedagogy
in conjunction with CHI 2011, Vancouver
May 7th, 2011
Topic: Given the emergence of Child Computer Interaction and the ubiquitous application of interactive technology as an educational tool, there is a need to explore how next generation HCI will impact education in the future. Educators are depending on the interaction communities and to deliver technologies that will improve and adapt learning to an ever- changing world. In addition to novel UI concepts, the HCI community needs to examine how these concepts can be matched to contemporary paradigms in educational pedagogy. The classroom is a challenging environment for evaluation, thus new techniques need to be established to prove the value of new HCI interactions in the educational space. This workshop provides a forum to discuss key HCI issues facing next generation education.

We invite authors to present position papers about potential design challenges and perspectives on how the community should handle the next generation of HCI in education. Topics of interest include:
• Gestural input, multitouch, large displays, multi-display interaction, response systems
• Mobile Devices/mobile & pervasive learning
• Tangible, VR, AR & MR, Multimodal interfaces, universal design, accessibility
• Console gaming, 3D input devices, 3D displays
• Co-located interaction, presentations, tele-presence, interactive video
• Child Computer Interaction, Educational Pedagogy, learner-centric, adaptive "smart" applications,
• Empirical methods, case studies, linking of HCI research with educational research methodology
•Usable systems to support learning and teaching: Ecology of learning, any where, anytime, (UX of cloud computing to support teaching and learning)

Submission: The deadline for workshop paper submissions is February 18, 2011. Interested researchers should submit a 4-page position paper in the ACM CHI adjunct proceedings style to the workshop management system. Acceptance notifications will be sent out March 15, 2011. The workshop will be held May 7, 2011 in Vancouver, Canada. Please note that at least one author of an accepted position paper must register for the workshop and for one or more days of the CHI 2011 conference.

The best 3 papers will be pre accepted for a upcoming for a theme issue of the Springer Journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing on "Child Computer Interaction". Other authors are also invite to submit/ resubmit their work. We will send a separate call for paper for this special issue soon.
Contact: Edward Tse, SMART Technologies, edwardtse@smarttech.com

CHI 2010
NEXT GENERATION OF HCI AND EDUCATION
Join an interdisciplinary, international group of like-minded peers and colleagues.


Brainstorm with thought leaders.

After the workshop, relax, dine, and converse with interesting people.

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