Sunday, April 26, 2015

11 must-have Apple Watch apps | Computerworld

Just back from CHI. How quickly we slip from what use is a digital watch ( on the BBC)  to this 11 must-have Apple Watch apps | Computerworld



A reminder if we need one about how we underestimate developer creativity. It's easy to forget how un-imaginative most people (including journalists and those that fill up box after box on user comments) are.  



On the plane back from Korea I watched both Castles in the sky ( English development of radar) The Imitation game ( first computer and enigma code) , and Sambusters  ( first Dam smashing bouncing bomb Barns Wallis). Each of them played on the immense social difficulties that the inventors had to struggle against to get their ideas excepted.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Very cool night in Seoul

Just got back from having a fantastic evening with one of the gods of space syntax Hoon Park.
We went for a traditional Korean dinner in Gangnam (As in Gangnam style). 
I didn't know this but it turns out that Hoon was one of those responsible for this line of inter-active pillars.
You can't see them here but each one has a video display on it. The street seems to be a mix of Oxford Street and Carnaby Street.bustling with young people out to see and be seen.
While the city is astonishingly young it's also surprisingly syntact.
In many ways the mix of living and working reminds me a little of the structure of the Canadian city. However the high pedestrian nature and the layering of space from grade 2 super grid   Bellows about the close relationship between space and society here.

 
This 'Minth '(Media plinth) was so detailed that at first I took it for a backlit photograph. Actually superhigh resolution screen with the numbers representing the depth of queue to get in to the superb Korean restaurant.

Good evening chatting to someone who would have to be on any list of the smartest guy in syntax. It was excellent to sample Korean cooking ( with out the meat sorry guys). 


Arguably best first night at chi ever.

Space matters

Live from chi - 
Interesting paper talk about use of real space in augmented space

Friday, April 10, 2015

Interface Technologies That Have Not Yet Left the Lab





Lots of intreasting indirection technologies. With the quite interesting observation that the image processing people have got to job done, but the interaction people need to begin and develop a lot more non trivial code beyond to make something usable.



Some interesting views on what makes it out of the lab and why. Some lovely demos. I love the notion that if you can't help people  play games or send email no one is going to be interesting technology.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Balls! (2014)

Balls! (2014) | Ruairi Glynn







. "A governing digital model and set of physical sensors allow data to be translated to movement and colour." Remind you of anything ? :-) 

The Best Wearables Will Be The Ones You Throw Away | Co.Design | business design

Back from Tiree



The Best Wearables Will Be The Ones You Throw Away | Co.Design | business design



http://www.fastcodesign.com/3044716/the-best-wearables-will-be-the-ones-you-throw-away



Basic concept is that most of these wearable should really be disposable - people use them long enough to discover something about themselves and then that's it.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Apple's Haptic Tech Is a Glimpse at the UI of the Future | WIRED

Apple's Haptic Tech Is a Glimpse at the UI of the Future | WIRED:



And interesting piece about the Apple taptic engine originally for the watch but also included in the latest MacBook air. It seems like it is capable of simulating more than just clicks.



I remember reading a paper a long time ago about using force in mice to give a sense of touching the surface. There has been some interesting conversation about the way that people tend to stroke the iPhone user interface so the idea of virtual texture becomes incredibly sensible.