Evil idea of the day(2)

We watched a demo of the (. Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures!) yesterday. It makes you do pretty extreme motions ( like holding your hand in the air for 3 seconds). Afterwards we got talking about how might do this with jewellery (a ring or bracelet) not image processing.

I realise that Rose's bands she is making for the violin work could be used to prototype some kind of interaction mechanism. High on the low effort stakes but need a good idea

I liked the potter wand
   but would be more impressed if it did Bluetooth or 802.11g or something. So the notion of doing hand gestures to do things ( unlock doors?)  would look cool.

I'm wondering if there is some kind of simple screen? based interaction I could use.

John Frazer had a student Nicola Lefever  who did some great jewellery that you could use to recognise finger movements .

Oddness

Gave talk about architecture and ubi-comp today. Oddly while chatting Afterwards I was accused of being behind the one behind a lot of space syntax theory.
Which is odd this is the second time someone has accused me of this . ( other time was by very knowledgeable outsider at space syntax conference ). Probably coincidence but I am feeling wonderfully flattered non the less.

Pay back

I was reading about how the Kindle is the top selling item on Amazon, people seem not to be able to get enough of them.  I was also saying to Gonzalo how green technology needs to get a new image.

As an example Richard M. started quoting pay back time as a reason not to buy a hybrid car.

But lets look at the Kindle

difference in price between Fellowship or the ring for kindle ($8.76) and  real book ($9.64) so thats negative. Ok bad example. so Gulivers travels Kindle price $3.00 mass market paper ace £3.50 saving $0.5

To make this work you would have to buy (189/0.5) 378 books to make your original investment ( 189) back. Which admittedly won't fill the Kindle but (capacity 3,500 books ie more than your life time or books) but is more than I might buy for my self in a 15 year period ( will the Kindle last that long). In short in terms of pay back I don't think the Kindle is a winner.

But that's not the important part - its still selling "Kindle is our #1 bestselling item for two years running. It’s also the most-wished-for, most-gifted" and I don't blame anyone one
 but I do blame people who use say that they won't by a hybrid car or a solar hot water panel or more insulation or double glazing or what ever because the pay back period is so low.


People are buying Kindles because they want them not because they have the right pay back and so what's wrong with doing that for green technology ? 


Yes usual variations apply ( Kindles cost different amounts , some books are free, prices change according to what kinds of books you buy and yes I still might get one). 

Training should never be a substitute for designing a usable application.

Good article on training (the evils of such), on UXMatters

http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2010/12/its-not-a-training-issue.php

The wineshop progresseth

Not a bad week all told. Interesting talk on using hand recognition. Rose is doing great job with cloud mark II. Wood is being turned into intelligent wine tables. Gonzalo has sorted electronics and painted walls. I am hopeful that should be functioning soon.
Need to remember that parcel is ready to be picked up.
Sensors very quite possibly the quietest day this year.