On the subject of iWatch

Just checked out some iWatch design predictions 

Apple iWatch Design Predictions from divadwg

Like the talk - here are some thoughts. 

Acceleration 
We have been doing research into physical interfaces. One important possible interface element is that you get orientation/movement which you can use for a lot of  interface activity. Myo ( MYO - The Gesture Control Armband https://getmyo.com/?goback=%2Egde_753787_member_217567055) incorporates nerve   sensing technology to give finger/ hand shape position. With this your interface becomes more like Harry Potter hand waving. Imagine pointing to the TV palm out like a policeman to stop it. Finger flick to carry on.

Accelerometers means you could have a simple fitness app - if you could measure pulse then you could save about 80,000 US lives a year by detecting early signs of cardiac arrest. Sleep apps for phone are very popular this might be another early big market for iWatch apps. 

Our research work 

One of our experiments was helping to people learn to practice violin ( getting arm/body position is important). So the use of a vibrotactile element (vibrator)  is very important ( helps get your attention sent info back). You could program these things to help with learning drumming or ballet or other physical skills. Some people done good work with relearning to walk after strokes - a bit specialised but shows the potential for novel interaction with iWatch. So the iWatch could be the Wii Fit of the mobile gaming world.

As far as the you identifier - you could make it use body electricity to modulate a unique signal to each device you touch. Basically if your wearing your watch your system knows it's you the moment you touch it. No long in screens just touch. Same goes for the 3 card reading locked doors you have to pass in order to just go to the loo. Could be replace by pressing the flat plat as you push the door.  

In Reality 

Personally I'm expecting the iWatch to be a small upgrade to the old IPod with multi-touch. little more than iPod mini + bluetooth and apps would be a huge achievement for Apple now. 

Introducing the // DUO

Introducing the // DUO - YouTube:  - Like the kinect but much more accurate able to track small finger movements. I do have problems that at this distance you might as well be touching the screen.

Neurodiversity HCI article now in ACM Interactions

Wow my article about Neurodiversity is in Interactions Magazine. For some reason  I didn't think it would ever get appear (for some vauge reason). 

so click on the link right away. 

Neurodiversity HCI |�ACM Interactions

This is a very pleasant feeling of achievement for once. 

Paper accepted for Pervasive Displays

Just got the email saying that our paper to Pervasive Displays (http://www.pervasivedisplays.org/2013/) was accepted!!! 
Go Paul Marshall go me! 


http://www.pervasivedisplays.org/2013/

Android programming

 I've been offered some free Android mobile hardware. I'm not impressed with Android for many reasons but it does has some ideological benefits and being Java I thougth it might be fun to experiment.


As for books I have gone for    

Is it just me or do books on programming got cheaper ?

Fully Funded PhD Studentships - Open University - jobs.ac.uk

Fully Funded PhD Studentships - Open University - jobs.ac.uk

Yes if you wanted to study for a PHD at the OU. Now is the time to apply.
Every HCI staff member has put out a person call so I thoguht I would do mine

One thing you might not have considered is moving on to a PHD in human computer interaction. It would cover you for about 3 years of funding. You should end up exploring something you might be passionate about for that period and getting support and challenge to  reach the limits of human knowledge. A PHD is necessary if you want to carry on working in academia or in one of the many research labs (such as Microsoft Research labs). If an academic life is not for you then you should be able to spend your time building up contacts in the industry and be able to move into non-academic work at a higher level (some of our students have done this already). Our labs are 35 mins from London by train and we encourage contact with industry (if that's your thing). Also as a PHD student you get to go on trips to other parts of the world such as Boston,New York to attend academic conferences and meet global employers.

So what is a PHD ?  well its like the Masters you do a 'project' in a rigorous way and try to add to the sum total of human knowledge by finding out something unique, but you have 3 years to do it.

I'm in the department of computer science but many of my best students have come from Architecture, Graphic Design & Music. I have included a few pictures including an experiment that a Graphic design student of mine did in our state of the art ambient laboratory. He was building a physical recommender system  ( you know people who bought this also bought... ) but in a physical wine  shop we built in the labs.

So if you're interested what do you have to do?

Firstly  you need to think about what you might like to do for a PHD project then contact me to discuss it.  I live near  Newcastle and can probably make a face to face meeting in Newcastle. I'm looking for big ideas, something digital that's big enough to fill a room. 

The IOS world is strange

The world is getting very small and strange, I was at an IOS developers meeting last night in a city called Newcastle ( English city near Newcastle) and a woman there was from Hong Kong China looking for developers due to the shortage there.

Useful links to crash apps. 

 Apprently the lack of crashed apps reports is not due to them not crashing. 

https://testflightapp.com

http://www.bugsense.com/
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/ios/v2/
http://hockeyapp.net/
https://testflightapp.com/

Some cool Arduino stuff

a nice sheild with new Bluetooth 4 link ( low enegry). Talks to your IPhone...

http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/

My Neurodiversty talk at ALT.CHI

The CHI sessions are scheduled! You can find the preliminary schedule here: http://chi2013.acm.org/program/by-day/

I'm taking 4th on Thrusday 

SPIRIT AND MIND

THURSDAY 11-12:20

Embodying Neuroplastic Change

Danielle Wilde

PIXEE: Pictures, Interaction and Emotional Expression

margaret morris

Beyond the Basic Emotions: What Should Affective Computing Compute?

Rafael Calvo

Neurodiversity & HCI                                                                                                

Nick Dalton ( ME )                                                                                                       

Mediated Meditation: Cultivating Mindfulness with Sonic Cradle

Jay Vidyarthi

Spirituality: There's an App for That! (But Not a Lot of Research)

Elizabeth Buie

Marissa Mayer's No-Working-From-Home Rule Is Stupid — Or It Could Save Yahoo | Wired Business | Wired.com

Marissa Mayer's No-Working-From-Home Rule Is Stupid — Or It Could Save Yahoo | Wired Business | Wired.com

In case your wondering - all this wailing and gnashing of teeth is caused by Yahoo's director saying she wants no more working from home.

Surly the problem is really the failure of architecture urban transportation and economics.

1. The open plan office experiment has failed. Time to get over it and think of new ways to house people at work. The big new is programming and other intellectual tasks is not like being a secretary or multi-tasking project manager the same space won't work for them. Time to tell your office manager/ facilities manager the cost per worker per sqr foot is not the only cost. 
2. Urban transport - people can't get to work in a reasonable time frame time to start getting creative and find paradigm changing urban transport solutions like PRT. 
3. Economics and transportation - Its no longer serious to think of a worker being where they are because of 'his' work. People live as families.  Universities have been ahead of the curve by offering employment to couples rather than individuals. Industry needs to catch up with best practice. 
1. The reason Google offers in house laundry, is the same reason they should offer in house child creche. Because the urban design got so bad people have to commute to get their laundry done  ( and the US culture that you can't run a washing machine in your flat). 
2. This is an extreme challenge to urban design - how to design a city when families live and work a wide degrees of separation. 

Working from home is a symptom with a moderately green solution (I say moderately because if people who don't travel people still heat/cool their flats more).