Link - Women in Tech: Building Confidence and Visibility, via the Glass Hammer, by Melissa J. Anderson

 
Women in Tech: Building Confidence and Visibility
Melissa J. Anderson, the Glass Hammer, 6/15/10


The Glass Hammer is an on-line community "designed for women executives in financial services, law, and business."   I recently came across the Glass Hammer website when I followed a link to an interesting article written by Melissa J. Anderson, about women in technology.  Melissa Anderson, the author of the article, is the associate editor of the Glass Hammer, and is completing a Master's degree at NYU in Media, Culture, and Communication.

Nicki Gilmour, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, is the woman behind this organization, with a background in the media industry. She is also the CEO of Evolved People Media.

You can follow Glass Hammer on Twitter, Mixx, Digg , Delicious, become a Glass Hammer friend on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/theglasshammer)  or join groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Contributing writers at the Glass Hammer at the time of this post:

- Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)
- Elizabeth Harrin (London)
- Andrea Newell (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
- Liz O’Donnell (Boston)
- Natalie Sabia (New York City)
- Caroline Shannon (Dayton, Ohio)
- Jessica Titlebaum (Chicago)
- Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)
- Gigi DeVault (Munich)

RELATED
Women in IT: The Facts
(Downloadable from the National Center for Women and Information Technology website)

Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 Offers Full-Body and Gesture Interaction: No controllers or remotes!

Project Natal was the code name for the Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360. For $149.99 you can pre-order your very-own system from the Microsoft Store that will allow you to interact with video games with your body alone. No need for controllers or 'motes!

Presentation about the fitness benefits of the Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360:



This video is a preview of a dance game for the Xbox using the Kinect Sensor:


It would be great if I could do my Zumba moves with Kinect Sensor system and a great Xbox application!

Here's another video that explains the system in more detail, with brief interviews of innovators from Microsoft:


Here is a copy of my previous post about Project Natal:

How It Works: Microsoft's Project Natal for the Xbox 360 video from Scientific American


Microsoft gathered a wealth of biometric data to recognize the range of human movement in order to develop an algorithm for the next generation of controller-less gaming. "Natal will consist of a depth sensor that uses infrared signals to create a digital 3-D model of a player's body as it moves, a video camera that can pick up fine details such as facial expressions, and a microphone that can identify and locate individual voices."


The technology behind Natal has the potential for a range of uses beyond gaming.

Scientific American article:
Binary Body Double:  Microsoft Reveals the Science Behind Project Natal for Xbox 360

iRiS: iPhone Remote Interaction System, Newly Updated

"We used Touch Projector to paint on a multimedia facade (here: Ars Electronica Center, Linz, Austria). Users simply aim their device at the facade causing the viewfinder to show the facade locally. In this local image, users can now draw with the selected color. The building then changes its color accordingly as if users directly painted on it."


iRiS Team:

Sebastian Boring (lead) (LINK:http://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/team/sebastian.boring/) 
Sven Gehring

Alexander Wiethoff  http://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/team/alexander.wiethoff/
Magdalena Blöckner
Johannes Schöning http://www.johannesschoening.de




Info about the iRiS team members - (will be updated)
Johannes Schöning works at the Innovative Retail Laboratory of the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Saarbruecken.  His research interests include new methods and interfaces to intuitively navigate through spatial information, and ways new intelligent interfaces can help people to solve daily tasks more effectively.  Johannes recently completed his Ph.D. at the Saarland University.  He runs the multi-touch Google group. (LINK: http://groups.google.de/group/multi-touch) Johannes is involved in a range of interesting professional activities.  He's currently looking for new opportunities.


Sebastian Boring started his Ph.D. thesis in April 200 6 at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and expectes to graduate July 2010.  He's a member of the Fluidum. His research interests include user interfaces for ubiquitous computing and instrumented environments, especially in interaction techniques for multiple devices and displays. He is also interested in 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling and animation, and computer vision.  (Sebastian has worked on projects to benefit assisting young people with autism).



Alexander Wiethoff is a passionate interaction designer committed to developing and implementing visionary strategies that support architectural, industrial and interaction design objectives. He works as a researcher in the field of Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Munich. Currently his key research focus is the analysis of design processes in the area of pervasive computing, the creation of work process tools that support communication of multidisciplinary teams and the design of usability testing methods in this domain.

FYI: RELATED PUBLICATIONS


SOMEWHAT RELATED
Urban Screens Conference and  Exhibition:  Calls for Interactive Media and Video Art (2010) 
More Urban Screens and 3D Media Facades
Book:  Media Facades:  History, Technology, and Content (M. Hank Haeusler)
3D Projections on Buildings: A distinctive way of communicating
Communicating Through Architecture:  Media Facades and the Digital Infrastructure  The Rathous (Contains an assortment of videos and pictures)
Art and Commerce Meet on Building's Interactive Media Facades
Kelsey Keith, Fast Company, 10/2/2009

3D TV Post, Are we there yet?

Here is the link to my post, part of a series about 3D TV, on the Innovative Interactivity (II) blog:

3D TV: Are we there yet? 

Quick Post: iPad and Mobile Learning - mLearnCon June 15-17, San Diego

Sorry for the delay in posting this.  I've been more than busy lately!

Here is the plug for the mLearnCon conference, currently taking place, June 15-17 2010 in San Diego, CA:


"Join the mLearning vanguard as we explore the potentials (and pitfalls) for mobile learning!
mLearnCon is where every aspect of mobile learning including management strategies, platforms (SmartPhones, PDAs, iPods, Tablets, etc), operating systems (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone OS X, Palm, Symbian, Windows Mobile, etc.), authoring tools and technologies, content design & development, and best practices will be explored. Whether you are working in an academic, corporate, government, or military setting ... mLearnCon will give you the ideas, information, and community you and your organization need to succeed."

Link:  http://www.elearningguild.com/mLearnCon/content/1603/


RELATED
Marc Rosenberg's article provides a good overview of the game-changing issues surrounding e-learning, m-learning, and recent technological advances such as the iPad:

Marc My Words:  Thinking About Mobile Learning in the Age of iPad

3D TV on YouTube -- and the World Cup in 3D, too!

3D Update:  3D TV: Are we there yet?   (My post on the Innovative Interactivity (II) blog)

3D TV has been available on YouTube since mid-2009. For a brief overview, watch the following video from Epic Fu:

-jetsetshow

Grab your 3D glasses!

Peter Bradshaw's overview of YouTube in 3D: Go out there and make some 3d!

Nearly a year later, this short video clip has over 1,440,000 views. A sign of a meaningful trend?

YES!


UPDATE:  Links to information about the World Cup (Soccer) broadcasts in 3D:



-3dvision blog



-Graphic from Box Office Football:  Sky 3D-Will you watch the world cup in 3D Vote


AT &T U-Verse TV Launches ESPN 3D Channel for 2010 FIFA World CUP(TM)
(Auto-Mobi.Info)


ESPN 3D officially launches with FIFA World Cup coverage:  Live from Bristol
(Ben Drawbaugh, 6/11/10)
 "As for the tech side of things, ESPN was taking in the 1080i50 side by side 3D signal and converting it to the US-friendly 1080i60 side by side, and since DLP sets expect the checkerboard 3D format, a RealD POD was used to make the link between the cable set-top-box and the TV. The glasses were supplied by XpanD, but not the same universal shutter glasses that we expect to be available at retail soon."

Engdget Interview:  Chuck Pagano talks ESPN 3D, mobile streaming
(Darren Murph, 6/12/10)
"Chuck stated that ESPN first started taking the whole 3D idea seriously around four years ago, and while the FIFA World Cup feed isn't being shot / directed by ESPN, it's hard to turn down 25 live events in 3D that the entire world will take interest in. He noted that while DirecTV, Comcast and AT&T are signed on at launch, deals are in the works with "all available options" in the US; outside of America, he confessed that the company "isn't looking at anything internationally right now."'

RELATED
I'm Sold on 3D TVs...And I Kind of Hate Myself For It

(Mark Wilson, 1/11/10 Gizmodo)

"I wouldn't buy anything but a BIG 3D TV.

Without fail, the bigger the 3D, the better the illusion. Anything under 50 inches is basically a joke, unless it's your computer monitor or something. And I will say, even though Vizio's XVT Pro television wasn't my favorite experience (it's an LCD and thereby less smooth), the fact that it was 72-inches meant that a plane's wing almost hit me in the nose."

What's next on your 3D TV?  Get ready for 3D videogames!
(John Gaudiosi, Reuters/Christian Science Monitor 6/10/10)

-Newscom/Christian Science Monitor

PlayStation 3 to Soon Get Stereoscopic 3D Support in Firmware 3.3
(3D Vision Blog: A Normal User's Look Into the World of 3D Stereo Technologies)

Note:  I'll share more about 3D TV and related technologies in a post on the Innovative Interactivity blog this week.  There is a lot to learn!
 
 -XpanDX103 3D glasses universally compatible with 3DTVs, but not all wallets
(Richard Lawler, Engadget, 3/17/10)