Earthquake in Canada: Did You Feel It? USGS Interactive Earthquake Website

Today there was an earthquake in Canada on the Ontario-Quebec border region.  It was felt around the region, including Michigan.  Curious, I took a look at the United States Geological Survey interactive website about earthquakes to learn more: Did You Feel It?  The Science Behind the Maps

Here's some info about the earthquake from the USGS website:

"This earthquake occurred near the southern edge of the Western Quebec Seismic Zone. Earthquakes within this zone are mostly small. They tend to cluster in a wide area that is slightly elongated northwest-southeast. Historically, earthquakes in the Western Quebec Seismic Zone have caused damage roughly once a decade. Three or four smaller events each year are felt in the region but are generally too small to cause damage. The largest earthquakes known in this part of Canada occurred in 1935 (M6.1), about 250 km (150 miles) to the northwest of todays event, and in 1732 (M6.2), about 150 km (100 miles) to the east. The 1732 earthquake caused significant damage in Montreal" -USGS


Here are a few videos uploaded to the web regarding the earthquake, which provide the human side of the story:






EARTHQUAKE IN QUEBEC: "I think we DID have one"


For some reason, I like this one. The man is narrating a video clip about the BP spill, pretty boring, and at 1:15 or so, he notices that the ground is shaking. He tells someone in the background to go outside. I like the Canadian accents.

Updated: Coding for Multimedia Interaction On ( and Around) Screens of All Sizes - with some interesting links

The last time I created an application for a mobile device was about four years ago.  It was in the olden days when most of us knew nothing about multi-touch interaction on any size or sort of display.  Soon after that, I focused my work on large displays, and tried not to get too distracted by the iPhone when it was introduced.

I can't ignore the iPad, as I think it holds a ton of potential for education and supporting people with special needs.

I can't ignore Android, since I have an Incredible. (I'm tethered to a never-ending family contract with Verizon.)

I have to figure things out during my summer break, right?  Brushing up on my "old" coding skills won't move me forward. Soooooo.......

On top of everything else* I'm trying to pack in,  I plan to take a peek at Sencha Touch  http://www.sencha.com/products/touch/, an HTML 5 mobile application framework that allows for Apple iOS and Google Android touchscreen devices.

I am searching for the magic solution that will allow the development of applications that allow for smooth interaction across screens of all sizes, from smartphones to huge displays.

Summer is a great time for dreaming and searching, but it is so short.  Time-saving advice from my readers would be greatly appreciated!  I'm also looking for good information about programming for stereoscopic 3D games for my series of posts about 3D innovations.

*What I'm trying to pack in:
Volunteering for the Society for Information Display, working on a SMARTTable app, exploring ideas for a multi-dimensional  interactive timeline, etc.

RELATED
Parallel Timelines


SOMEWHAT RELATED
FYI:  Recent posts on The World Is My Interface blog
WSJ's Interactive Graphics:  China's Housing Markets, via Innovative Interactivity
The First Self-replicating Cell with a Computer for a Parent:  Synthetic Life
More TED Talks:  Chip Conley's discussion about measuring what makes life worthwhile
Fractals in our world:  "I'm a mathemetician and I'd like to stand on your roof" - Ron Eglash on African Fractals

Coding for Multimedia Interaction On (and Around) Screens of All Sizes

Here is the updated version of post:

http://interactivemultimediatechnology.blogspot.com/2010/06/updated-coding-for-multimedia.html

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