Ear temperature

I was talking to someone who wanted a ubicomp device which was able to measure the temperature in each ear. I asked if one would do.She told me that ear temperature was a good way to measure positive and negative feelings of enjoyment ( in all mammals apparently).  

No references but I am highly intrigued.

sheep

 

The command line is back

On the subject that no user interface is ever lost. The command line returns ( again ).

Humanized > Enso Demo

Again the problem as always is 'how do I know what this program can do for me with out reading the manual?'

They have a learn feature but this just off loads the responsibility for naming memorably on to the user.

Janet's ubicomp talk

I'm listening to Janet's talk about Haptic reassurance. What I am finding intreasting is peoples responses to holding the lotus in their hands. Is this a embodied effect ( holding hand upwards) or is this an effect of holding delicate thing in your hand. I heard and intreasting comment about why people liked the iPod - because you have to stroke it, it is this stroking which is a most intimate act. Does it change people's relation to an object?

Good talk.

more thoughts about programming

I've come across the programming lanauge for text based adventure games at 
http://inform7.com/learn/man/doc61.html


Basically they wanted a language which was english like and able to handle cool amounts of inferanceing. I described it to a college as vernacular programming. Look the kinds of constructs they give. 


A dead end is either secret or ordinary.


This creates just one new property, not two. The names are taken as the two states of a single either/or property: secret means not ordinary, ordinary means not secret


A dead end is usually secret. A room is usually indoors.


A property can be used by several kinds at once. For example, the built-in either/or property "open" is used by both doors and containers, even though door isn't a kind of container and container isn't a kind of door.


Wow imagine if you had this in a typical programming languages or 



The lightest and easiest way to change behavior is with an Instead rule:


Instead of eating the apple: 
    say "It turns out to be made of beeswax, so that's a non-starter."
Instead of tasting an edible thing: 
    say "It's delicious!" 
    rule succeeds.

So basically this is like intercepting a message and redefining it ( but outside the comfort of a class). 

I'm not sure how much good software engineering there is here but that doesn't matter. What matters is how provocative this is in programming terms and I'm very provoked. 

More thoughts about visualisation

http://worrydream.com/MagicInk/


There are few times you come across a paper which changes you life. I think the last time I can truely remember is Writing Solid code by Steve Maguire, the program that changed the way I code. 


This essay - polemic, what ever is the first one which truly changed the way I think about interaction, tradition screen interaction but interaction non the less. The basic guide is that all modern interaction is based in visualisation. You have to read it to get it but the examples he gives are fantastic. 


On the down side one thing you could argue is that this essay is a user interaction argument for the semantic web. Don't publish web pages, publish information and let the user get the formatting they want, but apart from this it's stunning. 


I think the alternative is slightly different - Perhaps what this essay is suggesting is we should have data and presentation ( like the View and Model distinction). If software was designed to create simple flexible well designed visualisations we could reuse both them and the data.


Wonderful paper until just near the end when he proposes the ultimate implementation which is a bit mad but still doesn't detract. I'm stunned by this. 

Nudging or just hearing ?

You wonder about procedure some times.
I was listening to this 'Nudge' program and came across this typcial example of data vs interpretation.
The objective was to get people to turn up on time for approintments.
 Method

1.  Get people to repeat the appointment back (up 7%)
2.  Get people to write it down 

Massively improved people failing to turn up. 

Listen to the example they give. Being forced to write it down the person making the appointment clearly has to ask again. I would conclude she didn't hear the appointment well ( she did have a small child with her). I would argue that repeating  and writing down would reduce the miss hearing by 7%. 

Pear Note for Mac - Useful Fruit Software

Pear Note for Mac - Useful Fruit Software

Looks quite nice. I like the notion of being able to index the entire audio file with text. I think I saw some nice work being done at a university on a system like this.

Good for interviewing people about products and taking notes.

Now mac or Ipad versions... hmmm

Quantified Self | Self Knowledge Through Numbers

Quantified Self | Self Knowledge Through Numbers

A movement about looking at your self through numbers. File under Kinda weird kinda cool.

More cool ubicomp technology( and this time its for xmas)

A new company called "Green goose" is going into Beta about a range of micro sensors as stickers. Certainly looks like Ubicomp is going into the your start up can be the next big thing stage. 

First noticed from oreilly 

Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface

Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface: download the PDF

I came across this and I like the way he thinks of all interaction as basically information visualisation ( at least thats what I take away) . I love the change on Amazon he did get my gut reaction to it.


Example 
BEFORE ( AMAZON ) 

AFTER

Worth a read ( is a bit long)

This Could Be What Apple's iPhone 5 Looks Like - Mac Rumors

This Could Be What Apple's iPhone 5 Looks Like - Mac Rumors

Should be getting on with work so here is a diversion...

What would I like ?

Near field technology - thus your iPhone becomes your creditcards and small change, plus if Apple did banking then they would tell you how much you would have left in your bank account ( on your card). NFT could also act as small change not to mention a set of keys. All easily wipeable and replaceable if it gets lost or stolen.

Keyboard recognition - let the system look down see the fingers on a table and let it track them to make a 'virtual keyboard'. Nice for typing longer messages without dictation.

Pen - some kind of narrow stylus recognition option. Apple don't have to make a stlyus just the option for one.

More sensors - squeezing the case, temperature, magnetic field. Each new sensor generates many new opportunities for new Apps to the as 10 to the power of N where N is the number of sensors.