Tech and Stuff shared by my FB friends.

It seems that the weekend is ripe for sharing interesting things on Facebook, judging from what I've seen from my FB friends.  These are just a few that came my way:


This picture below is from the World is Beautiful FB page. Where?  The  Igloo Village of Hotel Kakslauttanen, in Finland.  The igloos are made of glass, and according to the description, provide views of the Aurora Borealis:



In case you missed this--- at about 1:45 the dolphins appear.  Beautiful!

The Blue from Mark Peters on Vimeo.

17 minute video from LEGO about the history of the company:

Context-Aware Computing, by Albrecht Schmidt:


iGlass, shared by Pixelonomics:


Patent application for "peripheral treatment for head-mounted displays", for the above device.

Michael Husted's post:


Shared by Barbara Bray, via Smart Apps for Kids, via Success in Learning: 



My comment:
"It doesn't hurt to take a few self-defense classes.  I took kickboxing for the exercise and I do not feel defenseless.  As adults, we encounter criminals who are beyond the bully stage, who don'e care if they hurt (or kill) when they want to engage in illegal activities.  It makes sense to do the things that make us strong, healthy, fit, and safe.  This means having the strength to help others during a crisis, such as the shootings at the movie theater and other seemingly "random" acts of local terrorism."

I shared the following picture on Facebook:  
I set up the XBox 360 and the Kinect in the Activities of Daily Living room (it is also the music room), and when I went to take a picture of my rafting adventure, the system took a picture of me!


Shared by World Sepsis Day - the German delegation's presentation at the Project Fair of the International Federation of Medical Students Association August meeting.



RELATED
Albrecht Schmidt's blog
Interaction Design Foundation:  "Free educational materials - made by the world's technology elite"
Mashable

Interactive Technology: Take a look at Corning's "Day Made of Glass 2: Unpacked" Video !

The videos below tell it all:

"Watch and share "A Day Made of Glass 2: Unpacked," to see how Corning's highly engineered glass, with companion technologies, will help shape our world. Take a journey with our narrator for details on these technologies, answers to your questions, and to learn about what's possible -- and what's not -- in the near future." -Corning Incorporated





Here is the first "Day Made of Glass":



RELATED
A Day Made of Glass 2: Same Day. Expanding Corning Vision

RENCI Update: Combining Gaming and Visualization Technologies to Support Efficient and Effective Decision-Making

        RENCI stands for the Renaissance Computing Institute.  It is a multidisciplinary collaboration between UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University, with Engagement Sites at UNC Asheville, Duke University, Eastern Carolina University, North Carolina University, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, and the UNC Costal Studies Institute.  
        According to the mission statement, "RENCI develops and deploys advanced technologies to enable research discoveries and practical innovations."  Much of the work of RENCI focuses on large-scale information and data visualization.
        Why is this important?  It provides an effective visual-cognitive means of understanding complex data from a variety of disciplines, and also supports the collaboration of researchers across a variety of disciplines.   It has the potential to support larger-scale decision-making and problem-solving in our technology-dependent, interconnected world.  

Take a few minutes and explore what I've posted below:
       
Press release from RENCI about the interactive dome, pictured below (photo credit: RENCI-UNC Asheville):  "To understand human-induced global changes, there's no place like dome" Nancy Foltz, 10/12/11

RENCI: Gaming the Future
        The video below provides an overview of how innovative interactive visualization tools support decision-making across many disciplines.

RENCI: Unity 3D game engine to support immersive information visualization applications:

RENCI Situation Room Multi-touch Table, UNC-Charlotte:





RELATED

RENCI pioneering the visualization industry with innovative interfaces
Tracy Boyer Clark, Innovative Interactivity (II), 2/8/10
RENCI Visualization Center Update
Lynn Marentette, Interactive Multimedia Technology, 2/9/10
RENCI Tutorial: "Beautiful Code, Compelling Evidence: Functional Programming for Information Visualization and Visual Analytics" (pdf)  J.R. Heard
RENCI: Data to Decisions
Recent Publications from RENCI:

Y. Xin, I. Baldine, A. Mandal, C. Heermann, J. Chase, and A. Yumerefendi. “Embedding Virtual Topologies in Networked Clouds.”The 6th International Conference on Future Internet Technologies (CFI). Seoul, Korean, June 2011 
Y. Xin, I. Baldine, J. Chase, T. Beyene, B. Parkhurst, and A. Chakrabortty. “Virtual Smart Grid Architecture and Control Framework.” 2nd IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications (IEEE SmartGridComm), Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 2011 
X. Ju, H. Zhang, W. Zeng,M. Sridharan, J. Li, A. Arora, R. Ramnath, Y. Xin. “LENS: Resource Specification for Wireless Sensor Network Experimentation Infrastructures. ” The 6th International Workshop on Wireless Network Testbeds, Experimental Evaluation and Characterization (WinTECH), Las Vegas, Nevada, Sep. 2011
RENCI's Facebook Page
Twitter: @RENCI

Emerging Interactive Multimedia, New Models of HCI for Museum Exhibits (Course offered by Ideum's Jim Spadaccini, plus info about the MT55 multi-touch table)

Jim Spadaccini, the director and founder of Ideum, will be teaching a course on exhibit development through the University of Victoria, "Emerging Exhibits: Exploring New Models of Human Computer Interaction (HCI).  The excerpt from the course description provides a glimpse of how emerging technologies are beginning to change the museum experience:


"Computer-based interactive exhibits are undergoing a major transformation. The lone, single-user kiosk is now being replaced by multitouch tables and walls, motion-capture spaces, networked installations, and RFID-based exhibits. Advances in augmented reality, voice recognition, eye tracking, and other technologies promise even more radical change for exhibits in the near future."


I've been following Jim's journey with Ideum, a multimedia design firm that collaborates with museums and related non-profits, for many years, and I am impressed with the work of this company.  In addition to his work at Ideum,  Jim serves as the Principal Investigator of a National-Science Foundation sponsored open-source exhibit software project, Open Exhibits, which provides a free software development kit that supports the creation of multi-touch and multi-user software applications for museums and educational settings.


I'm happy to put in a plug for Ideum's latest product, the MT55 Platform Multi-Touch Table. It incorporates a range of features that I'm sure will meet the needs of museum visitors.  In my opinion, this table would be a fantastic resource for all types of libraries, including those in K-12 settings.

The MT55 Platform Multi-touch Table, from Ideum

The MT55 Platform Multitouch Table from Ideum on Vimeo.  (Note: This video features music by Moby, the track "Sevastopol" on his current album, Destroyed. The music was used with the artists' permission. Learn more at: moby.com") - Ideum

"The thinnest, largest, most powerful multitouch table available.The MT55 Platform multitouch table houses a powerful computer and a 55-inch interactive LCD display that responds to 32 touch-points, inside a rugged aluminum body."

"The bright 55″ 1920×1080 HD display has a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. A wide 178-degree viewing angle accommodates multiple users around the table. The optical multitouch system supports 32 simultaneous touch points for collaborative interaction. The system is multitouch-enabled from start-up, and runs Windows 7 64-bit professional edition."


"The integrated computer is packed with power. It contains an Intel® Hyper-Threaded DualCore i5® which runs at 2.66 GHz, 8GB of RAM, and a 128 GB solid-state drive (upgradeable to an i7®)."


"The table comes complete with WIFI, Bluetooth, and Ethernet connectivity. It also has multiple HDMI outputs that allow you to easily mirror the table's display, extend the desktop, or connect to and display from another computer or HDMI device."

"Convenient, but secure ports: CAT5, HDMI, and USB 2.0 are available on both the side on bottom the table."

"The MT55 Platform includes blue LED under-lights to illuminate the area beneath the interactive surface (custom LED colors are available). Every MT table includes a sophisticated internal cooling cell to maintain operating conditions that exceed the optimum environmental specifications for the internal components."

"The interactive surface of the MT55 Platform protected by a sheet of hardened, crystal clear, low-iron 5mm tempered glass surface...As an option, we offer Sevasa HapticGlas®, produced exclusively for Ideum. Micro-etched HapticGlas® provides tactile feedback, reduces fingerprints, increases scratch resistance, and directs user focus." -Ideum
 
RELATED
High-res photos of the MT55 Platform

GestureWorks Software
Open Exhibits
Ideum
Open Exhibits Tuio Kinect

Update from #CHI 2011 - much more to come.

I've been attending CHI 2011 for the past few days and have been impressed by the depth and breadth of the conference.  In addition to attending a number of interesting, high-quality presentations, I had the chance to interview several key contributors to the HCI field, explore a variety of awesome interactive applications,  and participate in an interactive musical multimedia performance.  Below is a video taken of part of the performance, taken by someone at the conference:


I also had a chance to explore Bill Buxton's exhibit of his historical archive of input and interactive devices.  To see the interactive online version of the exhibit, take a look at  Buxton Collection.  You won't be disappointed.

I will be sharing my "take aways" from the conference in a series of posts on this blog over the next couple of weeks. I meantime,  take a look at some of the CHI "Madness" videos below. The video clips are about 20-seconds long and are created by CHI presenters as previews to help conference attendees plan their schedules, since there are many sessions that are held concurrently. 

Gamification: Using Game Design Elements in Non-Gaming Contexts


CHI 2011 Accessible Games SIG




Games for your cat:


Don't forget Grandma!

Newspaper Biz and 21st Century Tech: Great post by Tracy Boyer (Innovative Interactivity)

My solution to the failing newspaper business plan
Tracy Boyer,  Innovative Interactivity  (11/10/10)


Take some time to read Tracy Boyer's thoughtful post on the Innovative Interactivity blog covers some of the key issues facing the newspaper industry today, even if you don't read the newspaper.  She brings up some points that are worth thinking about, no matter what your field, since technology is rapidly changing the way everyone does business--and life.


I read the printed newspaper every day, but I also scan an assortment of "news widgets" I selected for my browser's home page.  I get much of my new news from tweets.   


My morning paper delivers old news, but that's OK, since it satisfies my addiction to newsprint.   But that's not all.  It brings up fond memories of my childhood when I looked forward to the Sunday paper so I could use it to build forts around the coffee table with my brother. 

xXtraLab's Multi-touch Projects

xXtraLab is an interaction design firm located in Taiwan. The xxtralab team has been working on some interesting multi-touch projects. Take a look!

Multi-touch wall for briefing and real-time info sharing
Multisensory iTea-table

LIVING 3.0 - multi-sensory i-TeaTable and briefWall from xxtralab on Vimeo.

NIKE 6453 TPE Multi-touch Table

NIKE 6453 Interactive Table from xxtralab on Vimeo.

"xXtraLab Design Co. is one of the leading multimedia company in Taiwan, focusing on the design & engineering of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) interfaces in museum, exposition, and showrooms (client lists here). Members of xXtraLab come from diversifying fields such as visual design, digital media, architecture, interior design, information engineering, design computing, industrial design, and fine art. we respect different cultural views and work as a multi-disciplinary team to offer inclusive design services."

Softkinetic 3D Gesture Recognition for Games and Rehabilitative Play

Taking 3D interaction further, Softkinetic has developed middle-ware that uses a 3D camera to support full-body gesture interaction with games and other applications. No controllers or devices are needed!



The following video is narrated in Portuguese, I, think, but you can understand the content in any language. I you love the Wii, you'll probably like this!


Here is a video that demonstrate how Softkinetic and Silverfit paired together to develop rehabilitative games for the elderly and others:


The following table is from the Silverfit website:

Game	Movement trained
Puzzle	While sitting down, bend whole body left and right, and stand up. Cognitive/visual component.
Mole	Balance exercise by stepping with one leg while standing.
Catching grapes	Walking movement left and right.
Walking	Walking in place, while avoiding obstacles and thresholds. Activity of Daily Life (ADL) component.
Arm exercise	Arm stretching and reaching in all directions with one or both arms. ADL component.
Picking flowers	Walking backwards, forwards and sideways. Optionally, bending down.
Memory	Arm stretching left, right, forwards and upwards. Cognitive component.

RELATED

Softkinetic and Silverfit Introduce Senior-Targeted Gaming
(Danny Cowan, Gamasutra, 12/19/08)

Softkinetic's Gesture-Based Interactive TV Action:

Mind, Brain and Emerging Technologies: Andrea Gaggio's Positive Technology Blog

Andrea Gaggio has an intensive background in technology and psychology. His blog, "Positive Technology Journal" has a wealth of information and links, updated regularly.