Chapter 2
Summary
Lauren Slater discusses Stanley Milgram’s shock experiment and its implications. She begins with a narrative describing what the experiment was like for the subject: how they slowly increased the voltage of a shock they gave each time a person in another room gave a wrong answer and how that person screamed in pain. After the experiment, it was found that 62-65% of people when faced with an authority, would follow orders to the point of delivering a lethal shock to another person.
Slater then gives a short history of Milgram and the other related experiments he did to show that “any normal person can become a killer if he finds himself in a place where killing is called for.” She then discusses how others – including Milgram himself – questioned whether one’s personality also played a part in something thought to derive fully from the situation.
Slater interviews both a defiant and an obedient from the shock experiment, both of which were greatly affected by the experiment. Slater also describes the criticism Milgram got for the methods he used during his experiment.
Discussion
This is yet another subject that we discussed in my psychology class though not in such great detail. We discussed his shock experiment but not the barrage of criticism that followed nor the impact it had on the subjects – though I did consider the impact on my own.
This is an experiment that cannot be fully redone today. Rules are stricter about informing the subjects about possible risks prior to the study. As for its results, I do think that the situation plays a part, but I also believe there is more to it. The author puts it best when she says, “…we are not simply the situations in which we find ourselves.”
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Book Reading #9: Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 3
Summary
The focus of this chapter is what the girls learn as they’re growing up. As babies the girls are taken care of by children. They receive a simple education until about the age of five at which point they should, among other things, be housebroken and never address an adult in a standing position. They are then in charge of younger children and learn simple tasks including how to make pin-wheels and break open a coconut. Girls are often pushed aside, but boys are better tolerated and become good at making themselves useful. The girls take care of babies and young children until they are strong enough to work on the plantations. When the girls get older, they can also go on fishing expeditions.
The main focus for girls in the home is to weave, and it is important to be good at domestic tasks, because it will better ensure they will be married later in life. The first few years of a girl’s life is thought to be the worst due to them having to raise children, but her teen years are thought to be some of her best. As it says in the book, “What she loses in prestige, she gains in freedom.” It is also noted that women do not wish to marry young because in their teen years they have few responsibilities.
Discussion
I found so much of this chapter interesting with so many things to report on that I found it difficult to write a summary. I had to leave a lot of interesting facts out like how housekeeping is usually done by children under the age of fourteen, giving birth is not a private matter, and young men don’t wish to associate with unskilled young women for fear they may come to want to marry them. The culture is vastly different from ours and Margaret Mead captures it quite well – though somewhat briefly – in this chapter as she has also done in chapter 2.
Summary
The focus of this chapter is what the girls learn as they’re growing up. As babies the girls are taken care of by children. They receive a simple education until about the age of five at which point they should, among other things, be housebroken and never address an adult in a standing position. They are then in charge of younger children and learn simple tasks including how to make pin-wheels and break open a coconut. Girls are often pushed aside, but boys are better tolerated and become good at making themselves useful. The girls take care of babies and young children until they are strong enough to work on the plantations. When the girls get older, they can also go on fishing expeditions.
The main focus for girls in the home is to weave, and it is important to be good at domestic tasks, because it will better ensure they will be married later in life. The first few years of a girl’s life is thought to be the worst due to them having to raise children, but her teen years are thought to be some of her best. As it says in the book, “What she loses in prestige, she gains in freedom.” It is also noted that women do not wish to marry young because in their teen years they have few responsibilities.
Discussion
I found so much of this chapter interesting with so many things to report on that I found it difficult to write a summary. I had to leave a lot of interesting facts out like how housekeeping is usually done by children under the age of fourteen, giving birth is not a private matter, and young men don’t wish to associate with unskilled young women for fear they may come to want to marry them. The culture is vastly different from ours and Margaret Mead captures it quite well – though somewhat briefly – in this chapter as she has also done in chapter 2.
Book Reading #8: Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 3
Summary
The third chapter mainly discusses how people remember things through their memory and through information presented in the world. Norman discusses the difference between declarative and procedural knowledge and how great precision is often not required in day to day activities. He also discusses the structure of memory and outlines three main categories to describe how we remember things: memory for arbitrary things, memory for meaningful relationships and memory through explanation. Near the end of the chapter Norman focuses on knowledge presented in the world through reminding and natural mappings and concludes by discussing the tradeoffs between knowledge in the world and in the head.
Discussion
Norman does a good job of making abstract ideas more concrete and finding engaging ways to present them to the reader. I enjoyed his example with the penny – I also saw this in my psychology text book last semester – and the short narratives he uses to better explain the different ways in which we remember. I also enjoyed the section about reminding. I jot down notes all the time to help me remember things and will often depend on only the signal aspect of a reminder to help me remember things. Like if I need to remember to go somewhere on my way home after class, I will throw whatever object is available in my car onto the driver’s seat. It may not have anything to do with where I need to go but just seeing it there tells me I need to remember, so then I do.
Summary
The third chapter mainly discusses how people remember things through their memory and through information presented in the world. Norman discusses the difference between declarative and procedural knowledge and how great precision is often not required in day to day activities. He also discusses the structure of memory and outlines three main categories to describe how we remember things: memory for arbitrary things, memory for meaningful relationships and memory through explanation. Near the end of the chapter Norman focuses on knowledge presented in the world through reminding and natural mappings and concludes by discussing the tradeoffs between knowledge in the world and in the head.
Discussion
Norman does a good job of making abstract ideas more concrete and finding engaging ways to present them to the reader. I enjoyed his example with the penny – I also saw this in my psychology text book last semester – and the short narratives he uses to better explain the different ways in which we remember. I also enjoyed the section about reminding. I jot down notes all the time to help me remember things and will often depend on only the signal aspect of a reminder to help me remember things. Like if I need to remember to go somewhere on my way home after class, I will throw whatever object is available in my car onto the driver’s seat. It may not have anything to do with where I need to go but just seeing it there tells me I need to remember, so then I do.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Paper Reading #4: Shape-changing mobiles: tapering in two-dimensional deformational displays in mobile phones
Comments
Evin Schuchardt - http://csce436spring2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-4-shape-changing-mobiles.html
Vince Kocks - http://vincehci.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-4-cross-currents.html
Reference Information
Title: Shape-changing mobiles: tapering in two-dimensional deformational displays in mobile phones
Authors: Fabian Hemmert, Susann Hamann, Matthias Löwe, Josefine Zeipelt, Gesche Joost
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; April 10-15, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
This paper discusses applying two-dimensional shape change to mobile phones for different applications. The three applications the paper focused on were making it more ergonomic through its ability to change its shape, making it display internal contents and pointing to things outside of the device.
The researchers did some tests with users to see how accurately they could determine the angle between the prototype’s front plate and back plate. After a short training phase, they were asked to estimate the angle in fifteen different cases for both the X and Y axis. Between each test, the user had to put the prototype down so that they could not feel it change its angle.
After the tests, the researchers found that the users had a similar amount of error in estimating both the X and Y axis. Based on the amount of error in estimating the angles, they also believe it would be feasible to use the different angles as a means of informational display. Though it took an average of seven seconds to estimate the angle and they had an average error of 5.46 degrees on the X axis and 5.47 degrees on the Y axis, the researchers believe the results would have been better if the users had felt the movement of the plate like they would in real-world situations.
The researchers also compared this prototype with a weight-shifting mobile they have developed and found that the users tended to favor the shape-shifting mobile over the weight-shifting one. There were no major differences between the two devices when estimating the angle though the users seemed to find the shape-shifting mobile more ‘attractive’ than the weight-shifting one.
Though the device is not ready for the market, the researchers point out that shape-changing devices may be influential in the future of human-computer interaction.
Discussion
The paper does a fairly good job of presenting how their prototype works, and what this paper has done better than others I have read is report on the results after doing a user study.
Though the researchers specified their goals with this device, I wish they could have demonstrated exactly how the depth and tilting feature would help communicate more data to the user.
I’m most interested in the ergonomic aspect of their design. I know someone who actually got arthritis in their fingers from texting too much so perhaps this could help prevent that.
Future studies could include taking this to the next level. As pointed out in the paper, they need to incorporate the actual input and output into the device to determine how it would best be implemented to utilize the shape-changing.
Evin Schuchardt - http://csce436spring2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-4-shape-changing-mobiles.html
Vince Kocks - http://vincehci.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-4-cross-currents.html
Reference Information
Title: Shape-changing mobiles: tapering in two-dimensional deformational displays in mobile phones
Authors: Fabian Hemmert, Susann Hamann, Matthias Löwe, Josefine Zeipelt, Gesche Joost
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; April 10-15, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
This paper discusses applying two-dimensional shape change to mobile phones for different applications. The three applications the paper focused on were making it more ergonomic through its ability to change its shape, making it display internal contents and pointing to things outside of the device.
The researchers did some tests with users to see how accurately they could determine the angle between the prototype’s front plate and back plate. After a short training phase, they were asked to estimate the angle in fifteen different cases for both the X and Y axis. Between each test, the user had to put the prototype down so that they could not feel it change its angle.
After the tests, the researchers found that the users had a similar amount of error in estimating both the X and Y axis. Based on the amount of error in estimating the angles, they also believe it would be feasible to use the different angles as a means of informational display. Though it took an average of seven seconds to estimate the angle and they had an average error of 5.46 degrees on the X axis and 5.47 degrees on the Y axis, the researchers believe the results would have been better if the users had felt the movement of the plate like they would in real-world situations.
 |
| The prototype presented in the paper |
The researchers also compared this prototype with a weight-shifting mobile they have developed and found that the users tended to favor the shape-shifting mobile over the weight-shifting one. There were no major differences between the two devices when estimating the angle though the users seemed to find the shape-shifting mobile more ‘attractive’ than the weight-shifting one.
Though the device is not ready for the market, the researchers point out that shape-changing devices may be influential in the future of human-computer interaction.
Discussion
The paper does a fairly good job of presenting how their prototype works, and what this paper has done better than others I have read is report on the results after doing a user study.
Though the researchers specified their goals with this device, I wish they could have demonstrated exactly how the depth and tilting feature would help communicate more data to the user.
I’m most interested in the ergonomic aspect of their design. I know someone who actually got arthritis in their fingers from texting too much so perhaps this could help prevent that.
Future studies could include taking this to the next level. As pointed out in the paper, they need to incorporate the actual input and output into the device to determine how it would best be implemented to utilize the shape-changing.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Book Reading #7: Opening Skinner’s Box
Chapter 1
Summary
The first chapter is mainly devoted to B. F. Skinner, his work, and the impact it had on people. The author, Lauren Slater, discusses Skinner’s early days studying frog reflexes, the days when he worked with variable schedules of reinforcement and his time later on when he took care of his daughters and taught their dog to play hide-and-seek with them. She discusses how many people saw Skinner as “evil” and how his daughters loved him and found him to be a “child advocate.”
Discussion
I learned about Skinner and his boxes last semester in a psychology class, so the part about his studies was not new to me. However, I never heard the rumor about Skinner’s daughter committing suicide after he kept her in a box for two years – probably because it’s all false information anyway. I enjoyed learning about his early years and what he was like when he wasn’t doing his research. Slater paints a fairly complete picture of Skinner, including information from every side.
Summary
The first chapter is mainly devoted to B. F. Skinner, his work, and the impact it had on people. The author, Lauren Slater, discusses Skinner’s early days studying frog reflexes, the days when he worked with variable schedules of reinforcement and his time later on when he took care of his daughters and taught their dog to play hide-and-seek with them. She discusses how many people saw Skinner as “evil” and how his daughters loved him and found him to be a “child advocate.”
Discussion
I learned about Skinner and his boxes last semester in a psychology class, so the part about his studies was not new to me. However, I never heard the rumor about Skinner’s daughter committing suicide after he kept her in a box for two years – probably because it’s all false information anyway. I enjoyed learning about his early years and what he was like when he wasn’t doing his research. Slater paints a fairly complete picture of Skinner, including information from every side.
Book Reading #6: Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 2
Summary
In chapter 2, Margaret Mead describes a typical day in Samoa. She begins early in the morning, describing the men going to work, young boys fishing and girls giggling. She describes the evening as a lighter time when the Samoans dance and wander through the village together. Mead also mentions a couple of superstitions about ghosts and how the women pour water over the fish the fishermen bring back to rid them of their taboos.
Discussion
Mead jumps right into the action. In some ways I feel the chapter assumes we already have some knowledge about the Samoans, but this actually makes for a better read. We are instantly immersed in their typical day. We learn about their distribution of work, the activities they do for fun and the approximate times at which they do everything. I found it interesting to read about the order in which they eat supper: first the head of household, then the women and children, followed last by the boys. In other cultures I’ve read about it’s always been the males first and the females last.
Appendix II
Summary
In this section Mead explains how she went about studying the Samoan girls and what she focused on. She mentions how she spent six months there focusing on sixty-eight girls between the ages of nine and twenty. She also explains her methods and why she chose to go about things the way she did. She interviewed the girls in the Samoan language, questioned them about what industrial knowledge they already possess and gave them makeshift intelligence tests involving color-naming, opposites and substitution. She also discusses what the data represents and reminds the reader that the focus is on the children and things related to the children.
Discussion
I enjoyed reading about her methodology. This section also helped me to better understand what to expect from this book. She uses a couple of the girl’s names in this section which threw me for a moment since I’m not sure who the girls are yet – though I am interested in finding out in later readings.
Appendix V
Summary
In this section Mead presents some of her findings in the form of tables, lists and descriptions. She shows the reader a sample record sheet for each girl, a table reporting information about the girls’ menstrual cycles, sexual experiences and family structure. She reports on the intelligence tests used and some of her findings about the tests and presents a checklist she used while investigating the girls’ experience in activities like weaving, cooking and kava making.
Discussion
Appendix V was a good section to read right after Appendix II. It takes the information a step further by sharing some of it with us through tables, lists and descriptive paragraphs. I did find Table I, the table about their menstrual cycles and sexual experiences to be a little odd, but that area is an area of adolescence that shouldn’t be overlooked. I also thought it was interesting to learn that the girls had a “vivid interest in words,” which made the opposites test an easy one for them.
Summary
In chapter 2, Margaret Mead describes a typical day in Samoa. She begins early in the morning, describing the men going to work, young boys fishing and girls giggling. She describes the evening as a lighter time when the Samoans dance and wander through the village together. Mead also mentions a couple of superstitions about ghosts and how the women pour water over the fish the fishermen bring back to rid them of their taboos.
Discussion
Mead jumps right into the action. In some ways I feel the chapter assumes we already have some knowledge about the Samoans, but this actually makes for a better read. We are instantly immersed in their typical day. We learn about their distribution of work, the activities they do for fun and the approximate times at which they do everything. I found it interesting to read about the order in which they eat supper: first the head of household, then the women and children, followed last by the boys. In other cultures I’ve read about it’s always been the males first and the females last.
Appendix II
Summary
In this section Mead explains how she went about studying the Samoan girls and what she focused on. She mentions how she spent six months there focusing on sixty-eight girls between the ages of nine and twenty. She also explains her methods and why she chose to go about things the way she did. She interviewed the girls in the Samoan language, questioned them about what industrial knowledge they already possess and gave them makeshift intelligence tests involving color-naming, opposites and substitution. She also discusses what the data represents and reminds the reader that the focus is on the children and things related to the children.
Discussion
I enjoyed reading about her methodology. This section also helped me to better understand what to expect from this book. She uses a couple of the girl’s names in this section which threw me for a moment since I’m not sure who the girls are yet – though I am interested in finding out in later readings.
Appendix V
Summary
In this section Mead presents some of her findings in the form of tables, lists and descriptions. She shows the reader a sample record sheet for each girl, a table reporting information about the girls’ menstrual cycles, sexual experiences and family structure. She reports on the intelligence tests used and some of her findings about the tests and presents a checklist she used while investigating the girls’ experience in activities like weaving, cooking and kava making.
Discussion
Appendix V was a good section to read right after Appendix II. It takes the information a step further by sharing some of it with us through tables, lists and descriptive paragraphs. I did find Table I, the table about their menstrual cycles and sexual experiences to be a little odd, but that area is an area of adolescence that shouldn’t be overlooked. I also thought it was interesting to learn that the girls had a “vivid interest in words,” which made the opposites test an easy one for them.
Book Reading #5: Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 2
Summary
The second chapter discusses how people blame their inability to make something work on themselves, the environment or some unrelated cause when the real problem is in the design of the object. Norman gives several examples of this including a product that assigns similar functions to similar locations on a keyboard and a situation involving a man with a poorly designed alarm clock. He also describes the seven stages of action: forming the goal, forming the intention, specifying an action, executing the action, perceiving the state of the world, interpreting the state of the world and evaluating the outcome. The bottom line of this chapter is to help people understand that it is not always their fault when they cannot figure out how to work something. The problem is likely in the design.
Discussion
As in the first chapter, the author does a good job of providing the reader with examples for everything he discusses. I thought it was especially interesting how he broke down the stages of action into seven different stages. I also especially liked what he said about how we often blame ourselves when we cannot figure something out: “It is as if they take perverse pride in thinking of themselves as mechanically incompetent.” We all do this from time to time. I enjoyed reading his encouraging angle on it.
Summary
The second chapter discusses how people blame their inability to make something work on themselves, the environment or some unrelated cause when the real problem is in the design of the object. Norman gives several examples of this including a product that assigns similar functions to similar locations on a keyboard and a situation involving a man with a poorly designed alarm clock. He also describes the seven stages of action: forming the goal, forming the intention, specifying an action, executing the action, perceiving the state of the world, interpreting the state of the world and evaluating the outcome. The bottom line of this chapter is to help people understand that it is not always their fault when they cannot figure out how to work something. The problem is likely in the design.
Discussion
As in the first chapter, the author does a good job of providing the reader with examples for everything he discusses. I thought it was especially interesting how he broke down the stages of action into seven different stages. I also especially liked what he said about how we often blame ourselves when we cannot figure something out: “It is as if they take perverse pride in thinking of themselves as mechanically incompetent.” We all do this from time to time. I enjoyed reading his encouraging angle on it.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Paper Reading #3: Recognizing shapes and gestures using sound as feedback
Comments
Luke Roberts - http://lroberts-tamuchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-3-robotany-breeze.html
Shena Hoffmann - http://csce436-hoffmann.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-3-manual-deskterity.html
Reference Information
Title: Recognizing shapes and gestures using sound as feedback
Author: Javier Sanchez
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; April 10-15, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
This paper describes a technique for recognizing shapes and gestures through sound as feedback, as the title describes. The researcher, Javier Sanchez, begins the paper by giving several real-world examples of communicating information through the use of nonspeech audio including the Acoustic Parking System and Geiger counter.
The system Sanchez has developed can use any of the common pointer devices including a mouse or pen tablet. With the device a user can explore the screen and know they are nearing a shape when a sound is generated. Based on how the user moves the pen and the curve of the shape, the sound changes to give the user a spatial representation of the shape. As the user gets closer to the curve, the sound gets larger. The sound also changes in pitch and timbre as the user moves the pen depending on how they move it. The paper also describes the programming environment used, MAX/MSP, and the parametric curves used.
Discussion
While the idea is an interesting one, I felt it was very rushed. There were a lot of grammar mistakes, which made it a little harder to follow, and some of the earlier pictures looked like they were hastily drawn in paint. I also felt like the researcher spent too much time describing other people’s work with sonificaiton in the introduction.
I did feel this is an interesting idea for people who cannot see, but I’m a little curious about how difficult it would be to understand what the different pitches mean. As for future work, the researcher mentions some applications that researchers are working on, but he did not give any details. I find the last idea about using these techniques in common tasks to be an interesting one. Perhaps it could be used to help someone navigate and interact with a user interface they cannot see.
Luke Roberts - http://lroberts-tamuchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-3-robotany-breeze.html
Shena Hoffmann - http://csce436-hoffmann.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-3-manual-deskterity.html
Reference Information
Title: Recognizing shapes and gestures using sound as feedback
Author: Javier Sanchez
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; April 10-15, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
This paper describes a technique for recognizing shapes and gestures through sound as feedback, as the title describes. The researcher, Javier Sanchez, begins the paper by giving several real-world examples of communicating information through the use of nonspeech audio including the Acoustic Parking System and Geiger counter.
The system Sanchez has developed can use any of the common pointer devices including a mouse or pen tablet. With the device a user can explore the screen and know they are nearing a shape when a sound is generated. Based on how the user moves the pen and the curve of the shape, the sound changes to give the user a spatial representation of the shape. As the user gets closer to the curve, the sound gets larger. The sound also changes in pitch and timbre as the user moves the pen depending on how they move it. The paper also describes the programming environment used, MAX/MSP, and the parametric curves used.
Discussion
While the idea is an interesting one, I felt it was very rushed. There were a lot of grammar mistakes, which made it a little harder to follow, and some of the earlier pictures looked like they were hastily drawn in paint. I also felt like the researcher spent too much time describing other people’s work with sonificaiton in the introduction.
I did feel this is an interesting idea for people who cannot see, but I’m a little curious about how difficult it would be to understand what the different pitches mean. As for future work, the researcher mentions some applications that researchers are working on, but he did not give any details. I find the last idea about using these techniques in common tasks to be an interesting one. Perhaps it could be used to help someone navigate and interact with a user interface they cannot see.
 |
| An image in the paper showing what happens as the user moves the the pen along a shape |
Book Reading #4: HCI Remixed
Chapter 24
Summary
In this chapter Chris Schmandt discusses the “Wizard of Oz” technique in research and how it was used to study some of the first speech-recognition software. In John Gould’s paper, “Composing Letters With a Simulated Listening Typewriter,” he used the “Wizard of Oz” technique, in which “a human manipulates a computer interface under evaluation, without knowledge of the subjects.” Schmandt discussed how the technique has been used in many more areas of research since then. He also discussed how connected-speech dictation systems are still not very successful today likely because so many people are already skilled typists.
Discussion
I had never heard of the “Wizard of Oz” technique, so I enjoyed reading how the technique worked and how successful it was in the study. Having a sister who can no longer type well due to pain in her wrists (first the doctors said it was carpal tunnel, then tendonitis, but now they say it’s early arthritis), I find information on these types of systems to be very interesting. However, I do agree that such systems don’t hold much value to people who have been typing for many years.
Chapter 25
Summary
Steve Harrison describes how a work of art, “Hole in Space,” impacted him and changed his view on video-mediated communication. The artists projected full-size images of Lincoln Center in New York and Century City in Los Angeles. Harrison describes how the crowds reacted and how it helped him and his colleagues realize how much potential their Media Space project had.
Discussion
This chapter demonstrates how inspiration and encouragement can come from unexpected people and places. Harrison found it worrisome that two artists were coming to show him their artwork, but it sounds like he was totally blown away once he saw the video. I also really enjoyed reading how people responded to the “Hole in Space.”
Chapter 26
Summary
Scott Jenson uses the ideas presented in the work, “Envisioning Information,” to strengthen his argument about interaction design. He uses the elevator as an example to describe what “1+1=3” means. Basically, having two buttons - one for close and one for open – creates the requirement of a cognitive load: understanding that there are two buttons and then choosing a button. Jenson discusses design sins and how to fix them by possibly getting rid of the “close” button on an elevator or making the “open” button larger.
Discussion
Jenson does a good job of explaining the design issues and tying in the “1+1=3” concept. I also like his elevator example. I’m sure many of us can relate to the elevator incident described in this chapter. I also liked how he put the common reaction to doing away with a feature: “It usually raises screams of protests” from programmers and product managers.
Chapter 27
Summary
Jodi Forlizzi discusses in detail the Typographic Space System and how it made way for a new area of research within interaction design and human-computer interaction through the addition of motion as a design variable. Forlizzi then discusses her research on kinetic typography.
Discussion
This chapter seemed to focus a little less on the impact a paper had on the writer and more on the topic of the paper, typographic space. Though Forlizzi does mainly discuss the research, she does a good job of explaining the work and its significance in the HCI community.
Chapter 28
Summary
Steve Whittaker explains that one important aspect of A. Kidd’s paper, “The Marks Are on the Knowledge Worker,” was that it made researchers reconsider their focus at the time, storing a lot of information. It also inspired a new focus, sense making. Whittaker goes on to describe how Kidd’s claims are still relevant today and concludes by pointing out Kidd’s two main points about considering how we process new information and considering what is the value of stored information.
Discussion
This chapter seemed to be less about how the paper impacted Whittaker and more of a persuasive/argument kind of paper outlining what was right and wrong in Kidd’s paper. However, it does still outline why it is relevant today and I agreed with many of the points Whittaker makes about folders and information storage.
Chapter 34
Summary
Michael J. Muller discusses how the book, “Ethnocriticism: Ethnography, History, Literature” impacted him in ways he hadn’t expected. He also outlines problems and solutions discussed by the author and shows how similar HCI workers are to ethnohistorians, anthropologists who had to “translate from each Native Nation’s language, culture, history, and claims into the language and evidentiary rules” required by the U.S. Congress. He goes on to lay out three major principles described by the author that can apply to HCI workers.
Discussion
This chapter made for a very interesting read. I enjoyed how Muller took something unrelated to CHI and applied it to CHI. Muller lays out some good concepts that people should consider when working in areas like his.
Summary
In this chapter Chris Schmandt discusses the “Wizard of Oz” technique in research and how it was used to study some of the first speech-recognition software. In John Gould’s paper, “Composing Letters With a Simulated Listening Typewriter,” he used the “Wizard of Oz” technique, in which “a human manipulates a computer interface under evaluation, without knowledge of the subjects.” Schmandt discussed how the technique has been used in many more areas of research since then. He also discussed how connected-speech dictation systems are still not very successful today likely because so many people are already skilled typists.
Discussion
I had never heard of the “Wizard of Oz” technique, so I enjoyed reading how the technique worked and how successful it was in the study. Having a sister who can no longer type well due to pain in her wrists (first the doctors said it was carpal tunnel, then tendonitis, but now they say it’s early arthritis), I find information on these types of systems to be very interesting. However, I do agree that such systems don’t hold much value to people who have been typing for many years.
Chapter 25
Summary
Steve Harrison describes how a work of art, “Hole in Space,” impacted him and changed his view on video-mediated communication. The artists projected full-size images of Lincoln Center in New York and Century City in Los Angeles. Harrison describes how the crowds reacted and how it helped him and his colleagues realize how much potential their Media Space project had.
Discussion
This chapter demonstrates how inspiration and encouragement can come from unexpected people and places. Harrison found it worrisome that two artists were coming to show him their artwork, but it sounds like he was totally blown away once he saw the video. I also really enjoyed reading how people responded to the “Hole in Space.”
Chapter 26
Summary
Scott Jenson uses the ideas presented in the work, “Envisioning Information,” to strengthen his argument about interaction design. He uses the elevator as an example to describe what “1+1=3” means. Basically, having two buttons - one for close and one for open – creates the requirement of a cognitive load: understanding that there are two buttons and then choosing a button. Jenson discusses design sins and how to fix them by possibly getting rid of the “close” button on an elevator or making the “open” button larger.
Discussion
Jenson does a good job of explaining the design issues and tying in the “1+1=3” concept. I also like his elevator example. I’m sure many of us can relate to the elevator incident described in this chapter. I also liked how he put the common reaction to doing away with a feature: “It usually raises screams of protests” from programmers and product managers.
Chapter 27
Summary
Jodi Forlizzi discusses in detail the Typographic Space System and how it made way for a new area of research within interaction design and human-computer interaction through the addition of motion as a design variable. Forlizzi then discusses her research on kinetic typography.
Discussion
This chapter seemed to focus a little less on the impact a paper had on the writer and more on the topic of the paper, typographic space. Though Forlizzi does mainly discuss the research, she does a good job of explaining the work and its significance in the HCI community.
Chapter 28
Summary
Steve Whittaker explains that one important aspect of A. Kidd’s paper, “The Marks Are on the Knowledge Worker,” was that it made researchers reconsider their focus at the time, storing a lot of information. It also inspired a new focus, sense making. Whittaker goes on to describe how Kidd’s claims are still relevant today and concludes by pointing out Kidd’s two main points about considering how we process new information and considering what is the value of stored information.
Discussion
This chapter seemed to be less about how the paper impacted Whittaker and more of a persuasive/argument kind of paper outlining what was right and wrong in Kidd’s paper. However, it does still outline why it is relevant today and I agreed with many of the points Whittaker makes about folders and information storage.
Chapter 34
Summary
Michael J. Muller discusses how the book, “Ethnocriticism: Ethnography, History, Literature” impacted him in ways he hadn’t expected. He also outlines problems and solutions discussed by the author and shows how similar HCI workers are to ethnohistorians, anthropologists who had to “translate from each Native Nation’s language, culture, history, and claims into the language and evidentiary rules” required by the U.S. Congress. He goes on to lay out three major principles described by the author that can apply to HCI workers.
Discussion
This chapter made for a very interesting read. I enjoyed how Muller took something unrelated to CHI and applied it to CHI. Muller lays out some good concepts that people should consider when working in areas like his.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Paper Reading #2: Exploring Interfaces to Botanical Species Classification
Comments
Jaideep Balekar - http://jd-hci.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-2-early-explorations-of.html
Luke Roberts - http://lroberts-tamuchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-2-ifeelim-innovative-real.html
Reference Information
Title: Exploring Interfaces to Botanical Species Classification
Authors: Sean White and Steven Feiner
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; April 10-15, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
This paper describes five user interfaces for identifying botanical species. As explained in the paper, it takes a lot of time and knowledge to identify botanical species, so the researchers have developed algorithms to speed up the process. In developing the five interfaces they used ethnographies of the botanists to determine what would best suit them in the field.
The first prototype they describe uses a Tablet PC, WiFi Camera and Bluetooth GPS Receiver. After taking the picture, the Tablet PC presents the botanist with possible matches and information about the species. It also keeps track on the plant was found using the GPS. The researchers noticed that this prototype encouraged people to collaborate since one person needed to work the camera while the other the Tablet PC.
The second prototype uses Ultra Mobile PC. The camera is a part of the device, which makes the overall device smaller and easier to carry. It also makes use of live video to provide direct feedback about the leaf, making it easier to compare with possible matches. This prototype was preferred over the Tablet PC, because it was easier to use in the field.
The iPhone prototype is very much like the Ultra Mobile PC prototype except that a GPS receiver is integrated into the phone, making it smaller and easier to use. The algorithm used to match the species is either on a remote server or a secondary server in the field, so a network is required for full functionality.
The fourth prototype includes two different augmented reality interfaces that make use of the same architecture as the Table PC and Ultra Mobile PC. Though they both make use of a head-worn display, the first interface uses an orientation sensor and two buttons to give the user control over centering and changing the view. To change the magnification or select a different species, the user tilts his head. The second interface uses a clipboard and a square piece of cardboard. The user places a leaf on the clipboard and matching results are displayed along the right side of the clipboard. To zoom in on the leaf, the user brings the clipboard closer to his eyes.
The researchers found that the augmented reality prototypes made comparison easier for the botanists because they did not have to compare a physical image to one on a display screen. The zooming features were also easier to learn, because they were second-nature to the users - bring it closer to zoom in and pull it back to zoom out.
The final prototype uses a Microsoft Surface that they plan to use in the Smithsonian and not in the field. In this interface the user places the leaf on the surface and matching results are displayed along the top of the surface. By tapping an image, the user can zoom in on it. For this prototype details of the leaf can be more easily lost since the image is captured from below.
Discussion
This research is very important for botanists since the process of identifying plants takes a lot of time and knowledge. I found it interesting that the researchers made use of ethnographies to help them better design these different prototypes. Though all the prototypes make use of the same matching algorithm, it is interesting to see how different each user interface is. I also found this to be a unique area of CHI.
Since the focus was the different prototypes used, I found that they did a good job at presenting the material. However, I’m also interested to see the algorithm they used in matching the different species.
Future work for this area could be basic follow up studies. All the prototypes have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it will be interesting to see which prototypes emerge as the favorites and if any are better suited for specific tasks in the field.
Jaideep Balekar - http://jd-hci.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-2-early-explorations-of.html
Luke Roberts - http://lroberts-tamuchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-2-ifeelim-innovative-real.html
Reference Information
Title: Exploring Interfaces to Botanical Species Classification
Authors: Sean White and Steven Feiner
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; April 10-15, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
This paper describes five user interfaces for identifying botanical species. As explained in the paper, it takes a lot of time and knowledge to identify botanical species, so the researchers have developed algorithms to speed up the process. In developing the five interfaces they used ethnographies of the botanists to determine what would best suit them in the field.
 |
| Tablet PC |
 |
| Ultra Mobile PC |
The second prototype uses Ultra Mobile PC. The camera is a part of the device, which makes the overall device smaller and easier to carry. It also makes use of live video to provide direct feedback about the leaf, making it easier to compare with possible matches. This prototype was preferred over the Tablet PC, because it was easier to use in the field.
 |
| iPhone User Interface |
The iPhone prototype is very much like the Ultra Mobile PC prototype except that a GPS receiver is integrated into the phone, making it smaller and easier to use. The algorithm used to match the species is either on a remote server or a secondary server in the field, so a network is required for full functionality.
The fourth prototype includes two different augmented reality interfaces that make use of the same architecture as the Table PC and Ultra Mobile PC. Though they both make use of a head-worn display, the first interface uses an orientation sensor and two buttons to give the user control over centering and changing the view. To change the magnification or select a different species, the user tilts his head. The second interface uses a clipboard and a square piece of cardboard. The user places a leaf on the clipboard and matching results are displayed along the right side of the clipboard. To zoom in on the leaf, the user brings the clipboard closer to his eyes.
 |
| Augmented Reality Interfaces |
 |
| Microsoft Surface |
The final prototype uses a Microsoft Surface that they plan to use in the Smithsonian and not in the field. In this interface the user places the leaf on the surface and matching results are displayed along the top of the surface. By tapping an image, the user can zoom in on it. For this prototype details of the leaf can be more easily lost since the image is captured from below.
Discussion
This research is very important for botanists since the process of identifying plants takes a lot of time and knowledge. I found it interesting that the researchers made use of ethnographies to help them better design these different prototypes. Though all the prototypes make use of the same matching algorithm, it is interesting to see how different each user interface is. I also found this to be a unique area of CHI.
Since the focus was the different prototypes used, I found that they did a good job at presenting the material. However, I’m also interested to see the algorithm they used in matching the different species.
Future work for this area could be basic follow up studies. All the prototypes have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it will be interesting to see which prototypes emerge as the favorites and if any are better suited for specific tasks in the field.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Book Reading #3 - HCI Remixed
Chapter 1
Summary
William Buxton discusses his experience with a digital music machine. Being a musician perfectly happy surrounded by his instruments, he wasn’t very interested in the machine until his computer-savvy friend told him he would let him drive his motorcycle to go see it. Buxton describes his interactions with the machine. He also notes that the designer’s true objective for the machine was to study human-computer interaction. He also discusses a paper that describes the machine, “Man-Machine Interaction in Creative Applications,” and how it does not do the machine justice.
Discussion
The chapter made for a quick read. I enjoyed the writer’s enthusiasm and his jokes about the motorcycle, Mabel. Based on the Introduction to this book, I believe one of the goals of the book is to have the different contributors describe a work they are enthusiastic about and that made for a memorable paper. Though this chapter focused mainly on the machine and not so much on a paper (I believe the paper is mentioned only near the end of the chapter), it made for an interesting HCI read. It also shows another reason why papers are so important: papers help to preserve current state of the arts.
Chapter 4
Summary
In this chapter Joseph A. Konstan discusses his appreciation for the paper, “Sketchpad: A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System.” He argues that until computer-aided design (CAD), there was no better drawing program available. He then describes several examples from the paper that help to show why computer science and HCI are closely intertwined
Discussion
I like how the writer related the paper to the overall question: “Why should HCI belong in a computer science program?” He outlines important aspects of the paper while still describing why the paper is so important to him. I especially like the quote that goes something like: the paper “loudly asserts that HCI belongs as part of computer science because the needs of innovative interfaces drive forward the science of computing.”
Chapter 5
Summary
Wendy Ju discusses a demo video, “The oNLine System Demo,” as the birth of the mouse and discusses how it has affected her. It made her reconsider what it meant to work with computers and years later gave her something to aspire to. She also points out that though the demo is memorable because of the mouse, the researcher’s actual goal for the demo was augmenting human intellect. Though only few understood the researcher’s goal, Ju points out that his demonstration acted as a seed that has now taken root in computer science.
Discussion
This writer points out several ways in which the demo has had an impact in her life. It reawakened her interest in computers, it encouraged her when she was doing her own demos as a grad student and showed her yet another way in which papers are important. The researcher, Doug Engelbart, had a goal and though it wasn’t met with his demo, years later we’re seeing it in the more current technology. I found the point about how neither of the hot computer science topics of the Engelbart’s time, AI and Office Automation, are the model now. It goes to show that if you have an idea, you should get it out there in the world, because you don’t know who you might inspire.
Chapter 18
Summary
Saul Greenberg writes about “Listening, Drawing, and Gesturing in Design: A Study of the Use of Shared Workspaces by Design Teams” and how it influenced his groupware design and introduced the idea of “group-centered” design. Some of the major findings of the paper included how the designers were more involved when sharing a drawing space and how gesturing played an important part in how the team interacted. Greenberg goes on to describe his own designs for a groupware bitmap sketching system based on what he had learned from the paper.
Discussion
Like the last chapter we read, this chapter shows another example of how you never how something your write will inspire or help another. The paper Greenberg describes sets the foundation for his own work with shared workspaces. I found this to be one of the more interesting chapters so far. The different designs discussed and the different factors that go into designing a shared workspace were well explained.
Chapter 20
Summary
In this chapter, Geraldine Fitzpatrick discusses how the paper, “Taking CSCW Seriously: Supporting Articulation Work” influenced her work and how many of the topics discussed in the paper are still relevant today. The paper defines CSCW as “an endeavor to understand the nature and requirements of cooperative work with the objective of designing computer-based technologies for cooperative work environments…” She discusses the interdependence between people working together and a layer of work called “articulation work” that involves managing how everyone works.
Discussion
Fitzpatrick gives us an overview of the paper and focuses on why it is important to her. Like in several of the other chapters, the writer gives examples of how the paper is still relevant today. She sounds enthusiastic about the work and happy to tell of how it inspired her.
As I’m reading these chapters, I’m finding that some are more interesting and engaging than others. They all go into different depths when it comes to describing the paper that has inspired them. This one is one that I really couldn’t get into. I felt it focused too much on definitions such as “coordination mechanisms,” “groupware,” “cooperative work,” and “articulation work,” and how the researchers worked to better define them. Such a focus did not hold my attention.
Chapter 23
Summary
In this chapter, Brian Smith writes about technology and how it should contribute to face-to-face interactions rather than eliminating them as described in the paper, “Beyond Being There.” He discusses how his mother, going through chemotherapy at the time, would interact with his new born daughter through video conferencing. He compared the video conferencing to using crutches – you only use crutches until you can walk again. Once his mother could see his daughter, that was the preferred way to communicate. Smith goes on to describe how the paper encourages people to focus on creating things that are revolutionary rather than evolutionary. He doesn’t want face-to-face communication to be replaced but enhanced. He gives an example of this with his daughter’s doll, Learning Friend Lily. The doll provided something for Smith’s mother and daughter to do together. It enhanced their time together. Smith ends the chapter by pointing out a goal of computational design: it should “enhance human experiences, both intellectual and emotional.”
Discussion
First, I have to say that I liked this chapter the most, which is probably why the summary is a little longer than the others I’ve done. It’s always touching to read about someone’s love for another family member. I also really appreciate the examples he gave to back up what was described in the paper. While I do agree with Smith, I hadn’t given this topic much thought until now. I do think it is very important to enhance the human experience rather than eliminating it all together.
Summary
William Buxton discusses his experience with a digital music machine. Being a musician perfectly happy surrounded by his instruments, he wasn’t very interested in the machine until his computer-savvy friend told him he would let him drive his motorcycle to go see it. Buxton describes his interactions with the machine. He also notes that the designer’s true objective for the machine was to study human-computer interaction. He also discusses a paper that describes the machine, “Man-Machine Interaction in Creative Applications,” and how it does not do the machine justice.
Discussion
The chapter made for a quick read. I enjoyed the writer’s enthusiasm and his jokes about the motorcycle, Mabel. Based on the Introduction to this book, I believe one of the goals of the book is to have the different contributors describe a work they are enthusiastic about and that made for a memorable paper. Though this chapter focused mainly on the machine and not so much on a paper (I believe the paper is mentioned only near the end of the chapter), it made for an interesting HCI read. It also shows another reason why papers are so important: papers help to preserve current state of the arts.
Chapter 4
Summary
In this chapter Joseph A. Konstan discusses his appreciation for the paper, “Sketchpad: A Man-Machine Graphical Communication System.” He argues that until computer-aided design (CAD), there was no better drawing program available. He then describes several examples from the paper that help to show why computer science and HCI are closely intertwined
Discussion
I like how the writer related the paper to the overall question: “Why should HCI belong in a computer science program?” He outlines important aspects of the paper while still describing why the paper is so important to him. I especially like the quote that goes something like: the paper “loudly asserts that HCI belongs as part of computer science because the needs of innovative interfaces drive forward the science of computing.”
Chapter 5
Summary
Wendy Ju discusses a demo video, “The oNLine System Demo,” as the birth of the mouse and discusses how it has affected her. It made her reconsider what it meant to work with computers and years later gave her something to aspire to. She also points out that though the demo is memorable because of the mouse, the researcher’s actual goal for the demo was augmenting human intellect. Though only few understood the researcher’s goal, Ju points out that his demonstration acted as a seed that has now taken root in computer science.
Discussion
This writer points out several ways in which the demo has had an impact in her life. It reawakened her interest in computers, it encouraged her when she was doing her own demos as a grad student and showed her yet another way in which papers are important. The researcher, Doug Engelbart, had a goal and though it wasn’t met with his demo, years later we’re seeing it in the more current technology. I found the point about how neither of the hot computer science topics of the Engelbart’s time, AI and Office Automation, are the model now. It goes to show that if you have an idea, you should get it out there in the world, because you don’t know who you might inspire.
Chapter 18
Summary
Saul Greenberg writes about “Listening, Drawing, and Gesturing in Design: A Study of the Use of Shared Workspaces by Design Teams” and how it influenced his groupware design and introduced the idea of “group-centered” design. Some of the major findings of the paper included how the designers were more involved when sharing a drawing space and how gesturing played an important part in how the team interacted. Greenberg goes on to describe his own designs for a groupware bitmap sketching system based on what he had learned from the paper.
Discussion
Like the last chapter we read, this chapter shows another example of how you never how something your write will inspire or help another. The paper Greenberg describes sets the foundation for his own work with shared workspaces. I found this to be one of the more interesting chapters so far. The different designs discussed and the different factors that go into designing a shared workspace were well explained.
Chapter 20
Summary
In this chapter, Geraldine Fitzpatrick discusses how the paper, “Taking CSCW Seriously: Supporting Articulation Work” influenced her work and how many of the topics discussed in the paper are still relevant today. The paper defines CSCW as “an endeavor to understand the nature and requirements of cooperative work with the objective of designing computer-based technologies for cooperative work environments…” She discusses the interdependence between people working together and a layer of work called “articulation work” that involves managing how everyone works.
Discussion
Fitzpatrick gives us an overview of the paper and focuses on why it is important to her. Like in several of the other chapters, the writer gives examples of how the paper is still relevant today. She sounds enthusiastic about the work and happy to tell of how it inspired her.
As I’m reading these chapters, I’m finding that some are more interesting and engaging than others. They all go into different depths when it comes to describing the paper that has inspired them. This one is one that I really couldn’t get into. I felt it focused too much on definitions such as “coordination mechanisms,” “groupware,” “cooperative work,” and “articulation work,” and how the researchers worked to better define them. Such a focus did not hold my attention.
Chapter 23
Summary
In this chapter, Brian Smith writes about technology and how it should contribute to face-to-face interactions rather than eliminating them as described in the paper, “Beyond Being There.” He discusses how his mother, going through chemotherapy at the time, would interact with his new born daughter through video conferencing. He compared the video conferencing to using crutches – you only use crutches until you can walk again. Once his mother could see his daughter, that was the preferred way to communicate. Smith goes on to describe how the paper encourages people to focus on creating things that are revolutionary rather than evolutionary. He doesn’t want face-to-face communication to be replaced but enhanced. He gives an example of this with his daughter’s doll, Learning Friend Lily. The doll provided something for Smith’s mother and daughter to do together. It enhanced their time together. Smith ends the chapter by pointing out a goal of computational design: it should “enhance human experiences, both intellectual and emotional.”
Discussion
First, I have to say that I liked this chapter the most, which is probably why the summary is a little longer than the others I’ve done. It’s always touching to read about someone’s love for another family member. I also really appreciate the examples he gave to back up what was described in the paper. While I do agree with Smith, I hadn’t given this topic much thought until now. I do think it is very important to enhance the human experience rather than eliminating it all together.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Ethnography Ideas
Comments
Evin Schuchardt - http://csce436spring2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/ethnography-ideas.html
Stuart Jones - http://stuartjchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/ethnography-ideas.html
These are some ideas for the ethnography project:
1.) Walmart late at night - In my creative writing class last semester we got on the topic of strange people you see at Walmart between 12am and 5am. My professor spoke of a time when he ended up following around a rather large lady being supported by two kids, one on either side. Alternately the children would go and pick up an item for the woman. As one child ran to snatch up an item, the woman would begin to topple over. Then the child would race back and catch her before she fell over. My professor couldn’t help but observe the strange family. Needless to say, the discussion strayed away from the narrative style of some poem we were assigned to read to all the strange people my classmates have seen at Walmart. Interestingly enough, there is a website dedicated to the topic that I never knew about: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com . So perhaps we could study people at Walmart late at night.
2.) People at the dog park – Back when I lived with my sister, we would often take her dogs (one of which is posing with me in my profile picture – his name is Skipper) to the dog park. There I would often see people who treated their dogs as their children. They would proudly showcase their pets and share stories of their dog’s biggest blunders. While I mostly just saw dogs in fancy collars, I believe I did spot a few over the months wearing sweaters or some kind of Halloween costume during October. Perhaps we could watch how they interact and see what patterns emerge.
3.) We could also do some people watching at just about any place in town: different fast food places, bars, coffee shops, grocery stores or the mall. Depending on the place and the time of day, we might pick up on some interesting patterns in the people. At some stores we could see how many people use checks vs. debit cards or how many use coupons or the shopping ad. At the mall we could see how many people are shopping for clothes vs. entertainment vs. other.
4.) Branching off on the Walmart idea, we could also compare the people that go to different places: like Walmart vs. Target or Kroger vs. HEB.
2-1-11(edit)
Two other ideas I have would be to either sit along different roads and see how many people are texting, talking on cell phone, eating, smoking, etc. while driving. The other idea would be to have two team members walking along on campus. One drops something. A third team member would see if anyone picks up what the person dropped and if they make any effort to get it back to the person who dropped it.
Evin Schuchardt - http://csce436spring2011.blogspot.com/2011/01/ethnography-ideas.html
Stuart Jones - http://stuartjchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/ethnography-ideas.html
These are some ideas for the ethnography project:
1.) Walmart late at night - In my creative writing class last semester we got on the topic of strange people you see at Walmart between 12am and 5am. My professor spoke of a time when he ended up following around a rather large lady being supported by two kids, one on either side. Alternately the children would go and pick up an item for the woman. As one child ran to snatch up an item, the woman would begin to topple over. Then the child would race back and catch her before she fell over. My professor couldn’t help but observe the strange family. Needless to say, the discussion strayed away from the narrative style of some poem we were assigned to read to all the strange people my classmates have seen at Walmart. Interestingly enough, there is a website dedicated to the topic that I never knew about: http://www.peopleofwalmart.com . So perhaps we could study people at Walmart late at night.
2.) People at the dog park – Back when I lived with my sister, we would often take her dogs (one of which is posing with me in my profile picture – his name is Skipper) to the dog park. There I would often see people who treated their dogs as their children. They would proudly showcase their pets and share stories of their dog’s biggest blunders. While I mostly just saw dogs in fancy collars, I believe I did spot a few over the months wearing sweaters or some kind of Halloween costume during October. Perhaps we could watch how they interact and see what patterns emerge.
3.) We could also do some people watching at just about any place in town: different fast food places, bars, coffee shops, grocery stores or the mall. Depending on the place and the time of day, we might pick up on some interesting patterns in the people. At some stores we could see how many people use checks vs. debit cards or how many use coupons or the shopping ad. At the mall we could see how many people are shopping for clothes vs. entertainment vs. other.
4.) Branching off on the Walmart idea, we could also compare the people that go to different places: like Walmart vs. Target or Kroger vs. HEB.
2-1-11(edit)
Two other ideas I have would be to either sit along different roads and see how many people are texting, talking on cell phone, eating, smoking, etc. while driving. The other idea would be to have two team members walking along on campus. One drops something. A third team member would see if anyone picks up what the person dropped and if they make any effort to get it back to the person who dropped it.
 |
| A person spotted at Walmart in costume |
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
On Computers
Comments
Miguel Alex Cardenas - http://alex-chi.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-computers.html
Chris Kam - http://chriskam436.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-computers.html
Before I have some fun with this post, I would like to say that I do not think my computer is alive nor have I ever even stopped to consider such an idea. If my computer were alive, then my very typing on the keyboard would likely be causing it great pain at the moment seeing as how I am typing quite furiously in order to get this last blog post done and still have time to study for a quiz in another class.
Though Aristotle focuses on many aspects of the plant in his paper, “On Plants,” such as where they produce their fruit or which part of the plant is aromatic, I’m just going to spend a few minutes exploring the idea that my computer has some portion of a soul just as Aristotle claims that a plant has a portion of a soul near the beginning of his paper,“On Plants.”
Now for the sake of this blog post, let’s say that computers are alive. The computer exhibits some emotion when it gets stressed with too many processes, often works best after a good strike to the side of the tower (not that I’ve ever done such a thing but I’ve seen it done with positive results) as if it fears worse if it does not behave, and tends to get slower over time as if exhibiting some kind of aging process.
My parents have had the same computer for over ten years. I remember watching our first DVD on the thing and playing the original Sims on it back in the day. I also remember it working a lot faster. I often call their computer old and have heard people refer to computers as having a fixed lifespan. Some would assert that computers have a least some portion of a soul since they have “the bloom of youth” when they are first bought and take next to no time to start up and open a program, and “the dissolution of old age” when they get so old that it takes fifteen minutes for the thing to start up and another ten to open Microsoft Outlook (that’s what I see my dad using the most on that old computer).
Though the computer does not eat, it does require electricity to run. One might argue that as a laptop’s battery is depleted, it gets hungry. Once it runs out of energy, it must either be plugged in so that it can recharge or it will “die” while the user is still working with it. To Aristotle, that would mean that the computer has a need for energy and thus feels hungry when it goes without.
To go off of another reading assignment, the one about the Chinese Room, some people claimed that computers can think and understand. To Aristotle, this might be another sign of a living creature.
So there you have it. As you work away on your computer, it’s watching you. It’s aging and fighting to either irritate you with its slow performance or keep you happy as you read this blog. Or at least, that’s what Aristotle might think if he goes by some of the same logic he did back when he wrote “On Plants.”
Miguel Alex Cardenas - http://alex-chi.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-computers.html
Chris Kam - http://chriskam436.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-computers.html
Before I have some fun with this post, I would like to say that I do not think my computer is alive nor have I ever even stopped to consider such an idea. If my computer were alive, then my very typing on the keyboard would likely be causing it great pain at the moment seeing as how I am typing quite furiously in order to get this last blog post done and still have time to study for a quiz in another class.
Though Aristotle focuses on many aspects of the plant in his paper, “On Plants,” such as where they produce their fruit or which part of the plant is aromatic, I’m just going to spend a few minutes exploring the idea that my computer has some portion of a soul just as Aristotle claims that a plant has a portion of a soul near the beginning of his paper,“On Plants.”
Now for the sake of this blog post, let’s say that computers are alive. The computer exhibits some emotion when it gets stressed with too many processes, often works best after a good strike to the side of the tower (not that I’ve ever done such a thing but I’ve seen it done with positive results) as if it fears worse if it does not behave, and tends to get slower over time as if exhibiting some kind of aging process.
My parents have had the same computer for over ten years. I remember watching our first DVD on the thing and playing the original Sims on it back in the day. I also remember it working a lot faster. I often call their computer old and have heard people refer to computers as having a fixed lifespan. Some would assert that computers have a least some portion of a soul since they have “the bloom of youth” when they are first bought and take next to no time to start up and open a program, and “the dissolution of old age” when they get so old that it takes fifteen minutes for the thing to start up and another ten to open Microsoft Outlook (that’s what I see my dad using the most on that old computer).
Though the computer does not eat, it does require electricity to run. One might argue that as a laptop’s battery is depleted, it gets hungry. Once it runs out of energy, it must either be plugged in so that it can recharge or it will “die” while the user is still working with it. To Aristotle, that would mean that the computer has a need for energy and thus feels hungry when it goes without.
To go off of another reading assignment, the one about the Chinese Room, some people claimed that computers can think and understand. To Aristotle, this might be another sign of a living creature.
So there you have it. As you work away on your computer, it’s watching you. It’s aging and fighting to either irritate you with its slow performance or keep you happy as you read this blog. Or at least, that’s what Aristotle might think if he goes by some of the same logic he did back when he wrote “On Plants.”
Full Blog – Chinese Room
Comments
Zachary Henkel - http://zmhenkel-chi2010.blogspot.com/2011/01/chinese-room-blog.html
Miguel Alex Cardenas - http://alex-chi.blogspot.com/2011/01/chinese-room.html
Reference Information
Title: Minds, Brains, and Programs
Author: John R. Searle
Presentation Venue: Behavioral and Brain Sciences; Cambridge University Press; 1980
Summary
In this paper, John Searle sets out to debunk the idea that a computer can understand if it can simulate a conversation. The example Searle describes in the paper describes a machine that can hear a story and make inferences about the story, a work done by Roger Schank and his colleagues at Yale. Searle uses the Chinese Room argument to challenge Schank’s claims.
Searle describes the following scene: He is locked in a room and given a stack of pages with Chinese writing. He doesn’t know any Chinese. He is then given another stack of pages of Chinese script and a set of rules written in English that correlate to the first stack of Chinese pages. Searle can do what the computer does and, in essence, show that he understands Chinese.
Searle argues that formal symbol manipulations do not show any true kind of understanding. He goes on to discus several replies he received from people in the field in regards to his Chinese Room argument.
The author concludes by saying that only true machines, not programs, can truly think. Since the machine cannot truly understand, it cannot truly be thinking when it takes in a story as input and outputs answers about the story.
Discussion
While the paper was interesting, it was also incredibly long. Searle had a casual way of writing – almost as if he was speaking to a friend – that held my interest for a while, but later tended to confuse me. I attribute some of my zoning out to the length of the paper. Searle does go into great depth in making his argument clear, so even with the occasional zoning out, I was able to follow the paper.
It was also surprising to see how some of the researchers responded to Searle’s Chinese Room argument, especially the one who said that even thermostats “can be said to have beliefs.” This earned the researcher a humorous response from Searle that inspired the little picture I have included in this blog entry that my fiance quickly drew for me.
Zachary Henkel - http://zmhenkel-chi2010.blogspot.com/2011/01/chinese-room-blog.html
Miguel Alex Cardenas - http://alex-chi.blogspot.com/2011/01/chinese-room.html
Reference Information
Title: Minds, Brains, and Programs
Author: John R. Searle
Presentation Venue: Behavioral and Brain Sciences; Cambridge University Press; 1980
Summary
In this paper, John Searle sets out to debunk the idea that a computer can understand if it can simulate a conversation. The example Searle describes in the paper describes a machine that can hear a story and make inferences about the story, a work done by Roger Schank and his colleagues at Yale. Searle uses the Chinese Room argument to challenge Schank’s claims.
Searle describes the following scene: He is locked in a room and given a stack of pages with Chinese writing. He doesn’t know any Chinese. He is then given another stack of pages of Chinese script and a set of rules written in English that correlate to the first stack of Chinese pages. Searle can do what the computer does and, in essence, show that he understands Chinese.
Searle argues that formal symbol manipulations do not show any true kind of understanding. He goes on to discus several replies he received from people in the field in regards to his Chinese Room argument.
The author concludes by saying that only true machines, not programs, can truly think. Since the machine cannot truly understand, it cannot truly be thinking when it takes in a story as input and outputs answers about the story.
Discussion
While the paper was interesting, it was also incredibly long. Searle had a casual way of writing – almost as if he was speaking to a friend – that held my interest for a while, but later tended to confuse me. I attribute some of my zoning out to the length of the paper. Searle does go into great depth in making his argument clear, so even with the occasional zoning out, I was able to follow the paper.
It was also surprising to see how some of the researchers responded to Searle’s Chinese Room argument, especially the one who said that even thermostats “can be said to have beliefs.” This earned the researcher a humorous response from Searle that inspired the little picture I have included in this blog entry that my fiance quickly drew for me.
Book Reading #2 – Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 1
Summary
Chapter 1 acts as an introduction to the book that gets the reader thinking about how each civilization affects the people within it. Margaret Mead begins by explaining how difficult it is to study the affects of civilization on adolescents since they cannot be studied and controlled like plants and animals. Mead then begins to describe a culture very different from our own, the Samoan culture, and how studying girls from such a civilization can benefit us due to the major differences between our civilization and theirs.
Discussion
The Introduction does a good job of laying out what is to be accomplished through the book and why it is important. I am very interested to read this book, because I am both curious about their civilization and curious to see how different or similar the girls are in regards to the different aspects of adolescent life.
Summary
Chapter 1 acts as an introduction to the book that gets the reader thinking about how each civilization affects the people within it. Margaret Mead begins by explaining how difficult it is to study the affects of civilization on adolescents since they cannot be studied and controlled like plants and animals. Mead then begins to describe a culture very different from our own, the Samoan culture, and how studying girls from such a civilization can benefit us due to the major differences between our civilization and theirs.
Discussion
The Introduction does a good job of laying out what is to be accomplished through the book and why it is important. I am very interested to read this book, because I am both curious about their civilization and curious to see how different or similar the girls are in regards to the different aspects of adolescent life.
Book Reading #1 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 1
Summary
The first chapter focuses on the design of everyday things and gives several examples of poor design including doors, the author’s refrigerator and office telephones. The author highlights two principles of design: provide a good conceptual model and make things visible. He also discusses the importance of mapping, the relationship between two things, and the importance of feedback, informing the user what has just been done.
Discussion
The author does a great job of explaining the different principles of design through examples. The pictures and the discussion of floppy discs are a little outdated, but the chapter still makes for an interesting read. I found myself agreeing with much of what he said and citing examples in my own life.
Summary
The first chapter focuses on the design of everyday things and gives several examples of poor design including doors, the author’s refrigerator and office telephones. The author highlights two principles of design: provide a good conceptual model and make things visible. He also discusses the importance of mapping, the relationship between two things, and the importance of feedback, informing the user what has just been done.
Discussion
The author does a great job of explaining the different principles of design through examples. The pictures and the discussion of floppy discs are a little outdated, but the chapter still makes for an interesting read. I found myself agreeing with much of what he said and citing examples in my own life.
Paper Reading #1: Rolling and Shooting: Two Augmented Reality Games
Comments
Luke Roberts - http://lroberts-tamuchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/reading-41-liquidtext-active-reading.html
Pape Youm - http://436chi-lounge.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-57-rolling-and-shooting.html
Reference Information
Title: Rolling and Shooting: Two Augmented Reality Games
Authors: Ohan Oda, Steven Feiner
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; April 10-15, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
The paper presents two different augmented reality games in which different tools are used to combine game elements with the real world.
The first game discussed is a single-player game in which the player wears a head-worn display that tracks optical patterns on a game board. The goal of the game is to steer a virtual marble through a maze on the game board by tilting and moving the board. The game makes use of real-world gravity to determine which way is down.
The second game discussed is a two-player first-person-shooter in which the players look at a game board marked with optical markers through their own ultramobile personal computer (UMPC). Each player tries to knock down the opposing player’s virtual dominoes by tapping the screen of their UMPC. By doing as such, they fire virtual balls. They used redirected motion, a technique that transforms the 3D space, to prevent the players from interfering with each other during game play.
Discussion
The authors concisely present two different augmented reality games and provide some background information on how they went about it. Both games seem interesting, and the pictures help the reader to better understand the authors’ methods. Though it’ll be a while before such games are available at the stores, I think they will greatly appeal to parents with young children. It’s an exciting new way to play games that requires no clean up efforts. If the players were launching real marbles at each other in an attempt to knock down the other’s dominoes, it would be a real mess.
The paper was a little short, so a lot of the details relating to how everything works are left out. I would have liked the paper to go a little more in depth on the head-worn display and UMPC, but they do list some useful references that likely go more in depth about the tools they used for their games.
Future work in this area is all about taking it to the next step. They can design more games that would allow them to isolate problems and work out more kinks. They could also focus on improving the appearance of the games or lowering the cost of the head-worn display and UMPC. I personally really like the idea mentioned near the beginning of the paper about shooting zombies at full scale in a game that uses the head-worn display. Maybe they can work on that!
Luke Roberts - http://lroberts-tamuchi.blogspot.com/2011/01/reading-41-liquidtext-active-reading.html
Pape Youm - http://436chi-lounge.blogspot.com/2011/01/paper-reading-57-rolling-and-shooting.html
Reference Information
Title: Rolling and Shooting: Two Augmented Reality Games
Authors: Ohan Oda, Steven Feiner
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010: 28th ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; April 10-15, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA
Summary
The paper presents two different augmented reality games in which different tools are used to combine game elements with the real world.
The first game discussed is a single-player game in which the player wears a head-worn display that tracks optical patterns on a game board. The goal of the game is to steer a virtual marble through a maze on the game board by tilting and moving the board. The game makes use of real-world gravity to determine which way is down.
The second game discussed is a two-player first-person-shooter in which the players look at a game board marked with optical markers through their own ultramobile personal computer (UMPC). Each player tries to knock down the opposing player’s virtual dominoes by tapping the screen of their UMPC. By doing as such, they fire virtual balls. They used redirected motion, a technique that transforms the 3D space, to prevent the players from interfering with each other during game play.
Discussion
The authors concisely present two different augmented reality games and provide some background information on how they went about it. Both games seem interesting, and the pictures help the reader to better understand the authors’ methods. Though it’ll be a while before such games are available at the stores, I think they will greatly appeal to parents with young children. It’s an exciting new way to play games that requires no clean up efforts. If the players were launching real marbles at each other in an attempt to knock down the other’s dominoes, it would be a real mess.
The paper was a little short, so a lot of the details relating to how everything works are left out. I would have liked the paper to go a little more in depth on the head-worn display and UMPC, but they do list some useful references that likely go more in depth about the tools they used for their games.
Future work in this area is all about taking it to the next step. They can design more games that would allow them to isolate problems and work out more kinks. They could also focus on improving the appearance of the games or lowering the cost of the head-worn display and UMPC. I personally really like the idea mentioned near the beginning of the paper about shooting zombies at full scale in a game that uses the head-worn display. Maybe they can work on that!
 |
| The head-worn display shown in the paper: Vuzix iWear Wrap920AR |
Blog Entry #0
I am a fourth year senior in Computer Science and minoring in Creative Writing. I decided to take CHI after hearing from a lot of my friends that it's a really interesting class - some even said it was the best computer science class. I've gained a great deal of my programming experience from classes, but I have also interned at OverNite Software, Inc. for the past 3 summers. While working at OverNite Software, I mainly helped in designing and troubleshooting their CRM system.
I'm not sure what I'll be doing in ten years. While I expect I'll be doing something related to Computer Science, I also hope to find a way to incorporate my passion for writing into whatever I end up doing.
It's hard to say what the next biggest technological advancement in computer science will be since there is so much development in so many areas. In the area of wireless networking, I look forward to the day that I can drive to the mall and find out if they have the item I'm looking for without ever getting out of my car (for the stores that don't already have a "check in stores" feature, that is) and find out about the sales going on at the stores. Sounds totally girly, I know, but I don't really like to shop so when I do, I want to know I'll find what I need fast.
If I could travel back in time, I'd go convince Walt Disney to keep the name, Mortimer Mouse, for his character rather than changing it to Mickey Mouse. Maybe then the name, Mortimer, wouldn't make me think of some cranky old guy I knew as a child.
My favorite style of mustache is no mustache. I don't know why. I've never had to really think about it. If I could be fluent in any language, I'd like to be fluent in Latin. Then maybe I would have a better chance at acing the verbal section of the GRE with all those English words no one ever uses.
Any interesting fact about me: I got engaged to the best guy in the world on our 8 year anniversary, and we're getting married on our 10 year anniversary.
email: cynthia(dot)skach(at)gmail(dot)com
I'm not sure what I'll be doing in ten years. While I expect I'll be doing something related to Computer Science, I also hope to find a way to incorporate my passion for writing into whatever I end up doing.It's hard to say what the next biggest technological advancement in computer science will be since there is so much development in so many areas. In the area of wireless networking, I look forward to the day that I can drive to the mall and find out if they have the item I'm looking for without ever getting out of my car (for the stores that don't already have a "check in stores" feature, that is) and find out about the sales going on at the stores. Sounds totally girly, I know, but I don't really like to shop so when I do, I want to know I'll find what I need fast.
If I could travel back in time, I'd go convince Walt Disney to keep the name, Mortimer Mouse, for his character rather than changing it to Mickey Mouse. Maybe then the name, Mortimer, wouldn't make me think of some cranky old guy I knew as a child.
My favorite style of mustache is no mustache. I don't know why. I've never had to really think about it. If I could be fluent in any language, I'd like to be fluent in Latin. Then maybe I would have a better chance at acing the verbal section of the GRE with all those English words no one ever uses.
Any interesting fact about me: I got engaged to the best guy in the world on our 8 year anniversary, and we're getting married on our 10 year anniversary.
email: cynthia(dot)skach(at)gmail(dot)com
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