RedTacton

"RedTacton is a new Human Area Networking technology that uses the surface of the human body as a safe, high speed network transmission path.

-RedTacton uses the minute electric fieldemitted on the surface of the human body. Technically, it is completely distinct from wireless and infrared.

-A transmission path is formed at the moment a part of the human body comes in contact with a RedTacton transceiver. Physically separating ends the contact and thus ends communication.

-Using RedTacton, communication starts when terminals carried by the user or embedded in devices are linked in various combinations according to the user's natural, physical movements.

-Communication is possible using any body surfaces, such as the hands, fingers, arms, feet, face, legs or torso. RedTacton works through shoes and clothing as well. "

Computerized Conference Room and Training Tables

"Computers integrated with conference tables brings interactivity to a new level.

The CTinteractive Conference Tables provides the traditional image and practicality of an elegant conference table combined with individual computer stations capable of linking users to the corporate database, internet or distant conferees. The CTinteractive modular system offers a better solution to maintaining a training classroom and a conference room for small to medium businesses who need both but are only able to dedicate a single space."

What Kind of Web Writer are You?

"From my own experience, particularly with larger companies, web writers are divided up into two groups: content writers and copywriters.
This division reflects the old demarcation between editorial and advertising in traditional print media.

But...the web is not a traditional print medium

This division of writing roles in traditional media may make sense in the offline world, but it doesn't make as much sense online."

Visualization of complex data

"A friend / client pointed be to the Baby Name Visualizer (requires Java), which has been making the rounds recently. It is an amazing tool to visualize a large, unwieldy set of data. In this case it is the the historical popularity of names in the U.S. since 1900. Use your mouse to highlight any given name to see its popularity through the century. Click on a name and get its popularity graph. Type in a partial name, and see the names in a group.

For example, 'Jack' was most popular in the early part of this century, falling out of the top 100 in the 60's. But it has made a resurgence, along with Jackson, in the last decade. (And my father thought 'Jack' couldn't be a name on a birth certificate. Harrumph.) 'Jonathan' wasn't much more popular, though combined with 'John' it has a lot of adherents. 'Jonathan' has become much more popular since I showed up on the planet.

You can even look at the first letter to see that 'Y' names, while never popular, are more prevalent in the last few decades than previous, similar with 'X' and 'Z' names. But 'W' names show the reverse. And 'R' names showed a large hump in the middle decades, though they are still quite popular, while 'E' names showed a drop in the middle decades and have rebounded somewhat. Sadly, you can't do wild-card searches or combined name searches that don't start with the same letters to account for variants like 'Jon' and 'John.'"

Stop the Presses! User Experience Owner Found!

"For years the question of "who owns user experience?" has been a topic of serious debate in our field. Frankly it's getting to be a bit silly, so this week I've decided to end the debate by just answering the question. And in the interest of making the answer understandable to all, I've decided to explain it in the simplest way I know how - this of course would be through the use of N-dimensional optimization theory.

Alrighty. So making products is hard. No surprise there. It is hard primarily because there are so many design dimensions that must be grappled with before any useful product can be created. For example, for any given electronic product we can choose from a wide variety of interaction metaphors, information architectures, visual design directions, market positioning, etc. Each of these areas by themselves is a complex N-dimensional space, and when we take them all together - well, we have a real problem."

Third Eye Interfaces offers enhancements for EyeToy

"If you're a fan of the EyeToy camera for the Playstation 2 but would like to see it more accurately interpret your movements in three dimensions, Third Eye Technologies may have the answer. Their system projects multiple images at the camera, allowing it to better interpret angles and depth, making it more suitable for games that depend on fine control, such as flight simulators and first-person shooters. Of course, the technology requires a dedicated controller, undoing the EyeToy's best feature - the ability to use your whole body to interact with the game - but if you want to do more with your EyeToy than dance and jump around, this could be the way to go."

Google's Tool Bar Links Stir Debate

"Google introduced a feature called AutoLink in a beta of its next tool bar version. AutoLink inserts links into Web pages where an address, package tracking number, publication ISBN (International Standard Book Number) or VIN (vehicle identification number) appears in the content.

In the case of the address, the links connect by default to the recently unveiled Google Maps service. The others take users to third-party sites.

While Google billed the feature as an easier way to gather related information, some Web publishers and technology analysts were quick to criticize AutoLink. They compared it to Microsoft Corp.'s Smart Tags technology that unraveled amid widespread criticism in 2001, saying AutoLink similarly changes Web content to the potential benefit of Google. "

As as a color, orange could one day become the legal property of Orange

"This is really wild. As a color, orange could one day become the legal property of Orange, the British mobile phone company, according to the The New York Times.

'Orange said yesterday evening that it would sue easyMobile, a wireless start-up founded by the entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who also founded the easyJet discount airline. Orange wants to keep easyMobile from ever using its signature color in advertisements.

The crux of the argument is that ads for Orange prominently feature its namesake color. Its shade of orange is similar to the one used by all the easyGroup brands, and to the one that easyMobile plans to use in advertisements of its own.

Suing for the rights to a color is not as unusual as it may sound, lawyers said. United Parcel Service, for example, has a trademark on the shade of brown that decks its uniforms, its logo and its trucks.'"

A Smarter Smart Cart?

"With a craving for broiled salmon, Jane quickly sifted through her spice cabinet only to find that her bottle of dill weed was nearly empty.

With a few clicks on her Bluetooth-enabled PDA, she updated her Web shopping list with the dill, and a window opened onscreen suggesting a new salmon recipe. It looked good, so she approved the recipe and her shopping list was instantly updated with all of the necessary items, omitting those that her kitchen already had in stock.

Jane drove the half-mile to her local supermarket where she grabbed a smart cart, scanned her loyalty card and saw her updated shopping list appear in front of her. It had been categorized by aisle, and the cart directed Jane to each item. While she was checking for brown spots on broccoli heads in the produce aisle, her cart signaled the pharmacy to prepare a prescription refill and sent an order for lunch meats to the deli. "

Thin-slicing user interviews

"One of the core ideas in Malcolm Gladwell's new book Blink is thin-slicing, our ability to make accurate judgements about people or events in a very short time frame.

Early in the book Gladwell describes an experiment where strangers made surprisingly accurate assessments of students' personalities based only on looking at their dorm rooms for 15 minutes. On three of five measures used in the experiment--conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to new experiences--the strangers made better assessments than the students' friends.

This got me thinking about my appoach to user interviews, which normally involves a getting-to-know-you interview to understand how a person thinks about a problem, application, product or whatever."

A piece of IA pie: little, micro, lite or guerrilla?

"First we had 'little IA' versus 'Big IA' from Peter Morville's column 'Big Architect, Little Architect' back in 2000. Then last month, implicitly we had to to adopt 'micro IA' as opposed to 'macro IA' because that's Andrew Dillon's new term for Big IA. And now there's 'IA lite' (vs. 'IA classic'?), Dave Rogers' nickname for the IA that a webdesigner could learn easily, according to Joshua Kaufman.

The first two adjectives ('little' and 'micro') refer to the same activities: deep IA work focussing on structures, search, semantics, metadata, ontologies, taxonomies, or controlled vocabularies.

The third one ('lite') is new, and well chosen I think. I shudder when I think of Lite Beer and similarly so when I think of Lite IA or IA Lite. But part of that is snobbery: Lite Beer has its place in the spectrum of beers and so may IA Lite find a place as well. "

IA Lite focusses on these shallow subjects, like navigation, labeling, and layout. Maybe IA Lite can morph into the IA version of what Jakob Nielsen called Guerrilla Usability.

Building Trust for Safety

"My friend's father was a plant electrician before he got hurt. Highly skilled guy, very bright and motivated to excel at whatever he puts his hands on. But that's the problem. He can't easily put his hands on anything. He has no ability to torque/twist his wrist, due to cumulative injury to small carpal bones in his hands. After corrective surgery, he was supposed to be on light duty to heal but his supervisor changed his job title and had him work his old job. He wound up permanently hurt. His employer denied his long-term disability claim on a technicality. He ran out of savings trying to hire an attorney to fight his case. He can't work - can't even help his daughter install a fan in her new house. He feels terrible, and all his co-workers know about this and remain angry."

Prioritize Usability Testing and Web Analytics

"If you've performed usability tests and tried to reconcile those results with your current site metrics, you've probably been left scratching your head. Usability respondents find something wrong on a particular page, yet the same 'problem' isn't evident in the site analytics.

This leaves you with a rather big question: How do you justify Web analytics and usability, and what role does each play in the conversion equation?

Although both attempt to measure a site's ability to convert, Web analytics and usability testing actually measure two entirely distinct aspects of a site.

Web analytics measure visitor intent and persuasive momentum, as well as the site's ability to move visitors through a conversion scenario. Usability examines the site's interface and process barriers that keep visitors from accomplishing a conversion task. "

SanDisk Revitalizes eBooks with BookLocker

"SanDisk has increased the potential of the eBook by developing a new flash drive called the BookLocker. With a user-accessible partition for storing term papers, and a secure partition for copyrighted books, students can access the books on any PC, and then highlight, search and add notes to the text. Connecting to the internet initiates automatic updating of the texts which are downloaded directly to the flash drive.

The benefits of using such a system are numerous, most notably less back strain from heavy books, and the DRM enabled books can be obtained on a per semester lease to save college students money. Just hope you have access to a LCD screen when studying."

HP Expands Digital Photography Offerings

"Stylish new line of digital cameras offer quality and simplicity: HP's new line of cameras, including the HP Photosmart R717, M417, M22 and M23 Digital Cameras with HP Instant Share, offer users quality, simplicity and style at estimated prices ranging from $149 to $349. The HP Photosmart R717 Digital Camera, with durable, stainless steel construction, and the HP Photosmart M417 both feature a unique ergonomic grip."

A parent's primer to computer slang

"While it's important to respect your children's privacy, understanding what your teenager's online slang means and how to decipher it is important as you help guide their online experience. While it has many nicknames, information-age slang is commonly referred to as leetspeek, or leet for short. Leet (a vernacular form of 'elite') is a specific type of computer slang where a user replaces regular letters with other keyboard characters to form words phonetically�creating the digital equivalent of pig Latin with a twist of hieroglyphics.

Leet words can be expressed in hundreds of ways using different substitutions and combinations, but once one understands that nearly all characters are formed as phonemes and symbols, leetspeek isn't difficult to translate."

A few examples ...

• Characters of similar appearance can be used to replace the letters they resemble. For example, "5" or even "$" can replace the letter S. Applying this style, the word "leetspeek" can be written as "133t5p33k" or even "!337$p34k," with "4" replacing the letter A.

• Letters can be substituted for other letters that may sound alike. Using "Z" for a final letter S, and "X" for words ending in the letters C or K is common. For example, leetspeekers might refer to their computer "5x1llz" (skills).

• Rules of grammar are rarely obeyed. Many leetspeekers will capitalize every letter except for vowels (LiKe THiS) and otherwise reject conventional English style and grammar.

Brain study points to 'sixth sense

"Following the Asian tsunami, scientists struggled to explain reports that primitive aboriginal tribesmen had somehow sensed the impending danger in time to join wild animals in a life-saving flight to higher ground. A new theory suggests that the anterior cingulate cortex, described by some scientists as part of the brain's 'oops' center, may actually function as an early warning system -- one that works at a subconscious level to help us recognize and avoid high-risk situations.

While some scientists discount the existence of a sixth sense for danger, new research from Washington University in St. Louis has identified a brain region that clearly acts as an early warning system -- one that monitors environmental cues, weighs possible consequences and helps us adjust our behavior to avoid dangerous situations.

'Our brains are better at picking up subtle warning signs than we previously thought,' said Joshua Brown, Ph.D., a research associate in psychology in Arts & Sciences and co-author of a study on these findings in the Feb. 18 issue of the journal Science.

The findings offer rigorous scientific evidence for a new way of conceptualizing the complex executive control processes taking place in and around the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain area located near the top of the frontal lobes and along the walls that divide the left and right hemispheres."

Prioritize Usability Testing and Web Analytics

"If you've performed usability tests and tried to reconcile those results with your current site metrics, you've probably been left scratching your head. Usability respondents find something wrong on a particular page, yet the same 'problem' isn't evident in the site analytics.

This leaves you with a rather big question: How do you justify Web analytics and usability, and what role does each play in the conversion equation?"

English lessons...in a phone txt msg!

"Adrian Finnegan and Janine Dunnigan have set up their own company to harness thumb power.

Besides sending endless messages to pals, children aged eight to 16 will now have a new use for the ubiquitous mobile phone.

By signing up to edu-text, they will be sent a challenging word every day to their phones, complete with its definition and example of it used in everyday context.

'The service can be incorporated into any child's learning programme,' said Adrian, 34. 'Edu-text's strength is that it is such a simple idea. "

Random House to Enter Phone Text Market

"Over the past couple of years, the cell phone has emerged as a sound system, a video game player and a TV screen. Now, it could become the latest outlet for books.

Random House, the country's leading trade book publisher, announced Thursday that it had purchased a 'significant minority stake' in VOCEL, a San Diego-based company that describes itself as a provider of 'premium-branded applications for mobile phones.'"

Peekaboo intimacy chair

"In their selection, I spotted Peekaboo, a wing chair in moulded felt which comes with a Plexiglass cover/visor. The chair was designed by Stefan Borselius so that in a time when we are pulling down existing barriers to promote encounters and a sense of community, a separation can be easily created. "

Is this what we need for airlines that plan to permit cell phones inflight?

Virtual Keyboard

"VKB's products, which are licensed to OEMs, are based on unique, patent-pending optical technology that uses standard, low-cost components. The first application of the technology, a virtual keyboard, consists of a projection system and a detection system.

The projection system (custom laser technology) projects the image of a full-size keyboard on any nearby flat surface. The detection system (IR Beam and CMOS sensing unit) allows complete detection of user finger movements and keystrokes.

For the initial standalone keyboard accessory product, the keyboard can connect to a handheld through a serial, USB, IrDA, or Bluetooth interfaces. The Driver is compatible with Windows 98/XP/NT/2000, WinCE/PocketPC, Linux, Palm and Symbian operating systems. "

Motorola SLVR V8

"It took a bit of doing, but Sid managed to get a few moments with a SLVR V8 while at a Motorola sponsored dinner at 3GSM in Cannes, France. We don't have an awful lot to show you since the lighting conditions were less than ideal (yes, that is a table cloth the phones are sitting on), but the photos are still worth taking a look at."

For one, you can get a real feel for just how tiny the SLVR V8 is. Thinner than even Motorola's RAZR, and not all that much longer than a closed RAZR, the SLVR is really a very slight phone - one you are sure to forget about after you place it in your pocket.

Keyscan keyboard with integrated scanner and USB2.0 hub

"Integration of scanner in the PC keyboard brings truly zero-footprint scanning functionality to the user's desktop and makes interactive scanning with all related applications such as paperless office, fax, paper document email, copier and OCR available in front of the user when needed. "

Magic Pencil Powers Early Learning

"Educators agree that early exposure to holding and using a writing tool is important for a child's motor skill development plus their ability to learn to read, and moving from finger-touch learning to holding a pencil is a major milestone, especially those entering preschool and kindergarten. That's why Leapfrog has created the LeapPad 'Plus Writing' system which has been turbocharged with the ability to recognise handwritten letters and numbers with a 'magic pencil'."

Peugeot Design Competition Winners

"The 3800 contestants in the third Peugeot Design Competition all gave shape to the Peugeot of their dreams. The winning 'Moovie' concept of a small 2 seat electric city car was the vision of young Portuguese designer, Andre Costa. Costa's winning project will now be built into a concept car and exhibited at the next Frankfurt Motor Show. Australian based Englishman, David Dewitt took second place with the 607 Arabesque and 21 year old Zhonghuayi of China placed third in the competition for his ZCC project."

The front of the vehicle is supported by two spheres, with the large rear wheels driving the vehicle independently, (making one electric wheel go faster then the other), enabling up to 360º turns on the spot, ideal for parking and narrow city streets

Web color selection: Nature and interface design

"One might say that this uniformity makes web browsing easier by virtue of a standardized interface, but the reality is such sites create boring experiences for their users and fail to make a positive connection with their audience. Arvind Krishnan, Art Director at Impact Proximity, discusses the importance of color selection in creating a positive user experience.

One primary cause of such drab design is color. No other design element has as much influence on how we feel in a space (a website, a home, etc.) as color.

Colors can easily and effectively change our moods and alter our opinions. They can make us comfortable, put us in a state of awe, or get us excited. In the case of interface design, color combinations found in nature are especially useful."

Brain controls robot arm in monkey

"Reaching for something you want seems a simple enough task, but not for someone with a prosthetic arm, in whom the brain has no control over such fluid, purposeful movements. Yet according to research presented at the 2005 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, scientists have made significant strides to create a permanent artificial device that can restore deliberate mobility to patients with paralyzing injuries. The concept is that, through thought alone, a person could direct a robotic arm -- a neural prosthesis -- to reach and manipulate a desired object.

As a step toward that goal, University of Pittsburgh researchers report that a monkey outfitted with a child-sized robotic arm controlled directly by its own brain signals is able to feed itself chunks of fruits and vegetables. The researchers trained the monkey to feed itself by using signals from its brain that are passed through tiny electrodes, thinner than a human hair, and fed into a specially designed algorithm that tells the arm how to move."

Cellphone calls on Airbus, drunk dialing continues to know no bounds

"Airbus SAS announced Tuesday that their super-jumbo model jet, the A380, would have the option of voice and data systems to support passenger cellphones and laptops. The addition of this equipment may increase the time needed to certify the 21st century Spruce Moose that is the A380, also the service will become a revenue opportunity for the helpless air travel industry with international calling costing upwards of $2.00 per minute, according to the systems provider OnAir. Perhaps more important however are the social implications. Etiquette is a big part of cellphone usage, and knowing when to take a call, when to put your handset on vibrate, and when to just dump people to voicemail is critical. If airline passengers are able to use their cellphones in the next couple years, we had better learn to put off those 45 minute "So what are you doing?" calls."

Google soups up search toolbar

"Available free in beta at Toolbar.google.com, the downloadable software lets people search the Web from a static box on the Internet Explorer Web browser and block annoying pop-up ads.

Version 3 of the software also lets people automatically check their spelling in Web forms; translate words in English into several languages; and add Web links to certain plain text. For example, an address could be enhanced with a hypertext link to its location on a map, with the click of a button on the toolbar.

'All these features add up to less cutting and pasting,' said Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer Web products."

New Eight Megapixel EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR Adds Resolution, Speed and Creative Control to the Imaging Infantry

"The Canon EOS Digital Rebel(R) camera that rocked the world of consumer digital SLRs little more than a year ago now has a new, faster, even smaller, big brother. Sibling rivalries aside, the 8.0 megapixel Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT SLR, which will be showcased at PMA 2005, February 20-23 (Canon Booth #3503), in Orlando, Fla., adds resolution, speed, an extra dollop of creative control and enhanced comfort in the hand, to one of the smallest and lightest digital cameras in its class. Despite its advancements in ergonomic design and technology, this easy to use EOS digital camera is compatible with all of Canon's EF lenses including the EF-S lenses and still retains the sub-$1,000 price point, proven crucial to entry-level digital SLR consumers.

'As we have with the Digital Rebel's 35mm film-based cousins, we are expanding the line-up of Digital Rebel SLRs, offering consumers a wider variety of features and price points based on their needs and budgets,' said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc, a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ). 'Even though we have increased the resolution, speed, responsiveness and energy efficiency on the new EOS Digital Rebel XT camera, we have decreased its size and weight, making it more comfortable to hold and use. Indeed, it is nearly three ounces lighter and more than a half-inch smaller than the original EOS Digital Rebel model.' "

Information Architecture as an Extension of Web Design

"Both information architects and Web designers can be too presumptuous about what the other does. They're continually putting each other into little boxes, trying to define each other's role.

On one hand, many Web designers don't understand information architecture's role within Web design. Designers think that information architects are the people who keep trying to organize everything. On the other hand, many information architects underestimate the Web designer's role within a project. Information architects think they should write the site specification and that designers should code it."

Web designers have been led to believe that they’re restricted to doing what they’ve always done and should leave the information architecture to the information architects. This does not have to happen.


Interface Culture: How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create & Communicate

From Arial to Wide Latin

"We see Times New Roman in the newspaper, Verdana on our e-mail, and Comic Sans is the popular choice for a party invitation. We instantly recognise the fonts used by the world's biggest brands.

As computers have made thousands of fonts available to us, designers, newspaper editors and advertisers have used type to manipulate the choices we make - from the products we buy to the music we listen to.

Horror writer James Herbert has sold 50 million copies of his books. One of his early novels was pulped and reprinted - at his request - because it was not in the font he had asked for.

Ian Peacock explores how the fonts we choose are sending secret subliminal messages about who we are. The fonts we dress our words in are arguably as much of a fashion statement as the clothes we wear."

Audio presentation...

On Locative Media's European Reception

"I'm pleased bring you this, the first installment of my weekly column, exclusively written for the MUSE project, on 'what's hot in locative media'. The idea here is for me to provide MUSE's researchers with a brief summary of the state of the art in wireless, location-aware technology, referring the reader to events, projects and sites of interest that I have also catalogued for the site. The most recent event of interest is the PLAN (Pervasive and Locative Arts Network) event at the ICA (Institute for Contemporary Art) in London, England, which I was very fortunate to have been invited to attend. "

Opinion Radars: a quick and easy way to aggregate bloggers' opinions ?

"How can we easily gather bloggers' opinions about specific topics? How can someone get the blogosphere's view about 'Iraq' or 'Michael Jackson'? Or at least, of those bloggers who want to clearly state their opinions on such issues?

Now there are some cool tools around (Blogpulse, Technorati, Feedster, etc.), but they are not accurate enough about any given topic. And even if we carefully select and verticalize the RSS feeds, we risk to have in the same RSS flow both stories about software patents and posts on 'Sex Gandam' images.

Maybe a mixing of Folksonomy approach (Folksonomy is 'a practice of collaborative categorization using simple tags') and the Technorati TAG could do the trick."

Where are all the information designers?

"Information Design has arguably been around since man could first scribble on cave walls, but the term has only gathered recognition within the last 25 years. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the Society of Technical Communication (STC) Special Interest Group on Information Design provides the following definition:

'The field of information design applies traditional and evolving design principles to the process of translating complex, unorganized, or unstructured data into valuable, meaningful information. The practice of information design requires an interdisciplinary approach which combines skills in graphic design, writing and editing, instructional design, human performance technology, and human factors.' "

Alaskan Town OKs Mini Nuke

Toshiba offered their new miniature nuclear reactor to the small Alaskan village of Galena back in 2003, and after much deliberation it looks like the project is finally moving forward. The city council has voted unanimously to allow construction of the reactor, which Toshiba calls the 4S ("Super-Safe, Small, and Simple"—see how reassuring that is?), and if the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approves, it could be up and running by 2010. The Galena reactor would be the first built in the US since the 1980's, when that little faux pas at Chernobyl had everyone ducking and covering under their school desks.

The 4S reactor will be the smallest reactor ever built, measuring about the size of a large spruce tree. The reactor core itself will be underground and encased in a concrete housing, making it "as safe from immune to attack or theft as a missle in its silo," according to Toshiba reps. Nice analogy, guys. The village of 700 will only have to pay for the reactor's operational costs, making the 4S not only a clean but cheap alternative power source that even some environment groups can (cautiously) get behind.

Where is that control panel?

Improving Learning Through Understanding of Brain Science Research

In his book, Intelligence Reframed, Howard Gardner noted, “The challenge of the next millennium consists precisely of this: Now that we know about the enormous differences in how people acquire and represent knowledge, can we make these differences central to teaching and learning? Or will we continue to treat everyone in a uniform way?

Researchers in the brain sciences and cognitive psychology have uncovered remarkable new findings on how the brain learns. After studying this work and the theorists interpreting this new science research for education, we developed a model that encourages the creation of meaningful learning experiences guided by valuing the unique learner, creating a learning-centered environment, and facilitating the construction of individual meaning.

A New Model Army Soldier Rolls Closer to Battle

"The robot soldier is coming.

The Pentagon predicts that robots will be a major fighting force in the American military in less than a decade, hunting and killing enemies in combat. Robots are a crucial part of the Army's effort to rebuild itself as a 21st-century fighting force, and a $127 billion project called Future Combat Systems is the biggest military contract in American history.

The military plans to invest tens of billions of dollars in automated armed forces. The costs of that transformation will help drive the Defense Department's budget up almost 20 percent, from a requested $419.3 billion for next year to $502.3 billion in 2010, excluding the costs of war. The annual costs of buying new weapons is scheduled to rise 52 percent, from $78 billion to $118.6 billion."

"As machines become more intelligent, people will let machines make more of their decisions for them," Mr. Joy wrote recently in Wired magazine. "Eventually a stage may be reached at which the decisions necessary to keep the system running will be so complex that human beings will be incapable of making them intelligently. At that stage, the machines will be in effective control."

Inflatable hotel rooms for space tourists

"Popular Science has a cover story about Robert Bigelow project to build a 330-cubic-meter orbiting space hotel. Bargain-basement room rate: $1 million a night. "

Announced last year, the full-scale mock-ups of the Nautilus space-station module features two 22-foot-diameter inflatable modules.

Developed at NASA as part of a project called TransHab, inflatable space-station modules weigh less, and they launch in a compressed state which allows them to use less-powerful launch vehicles and makes for roomier space stations. After a rocket fires a Nautilus into space, explosive bolts will release the girdle securing the compressed hull, and then the station’s life support system, housed in the core, will inflate the structure with breathable air. Power comes from solar panels.

Heidegger and Technology Links

"This page contains links to items on the internet about technology and the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976). The links below are ordered chronologically with the most recent additions at the top. "

This is a nice bibliography on what might be loosely termed the philosophy of technology. Heavy reading.

Developer Spotlight: Jakob Nielsen: Builder AU: Web Development

"Recently renowned Web usability guru Jakob Nielsen visited Australia to preach the word of good usability practices. We caught up with Nielsen to talk about the Web, open source software, the future of 3D interfaces and mobile devices. "

Wacom announces 21-inch Cintiq

"Wacom has unveiled its next-generation high-end professional graphics tablet, the Wacom Cintiq 21UX.

The product combines full graphics tablet abilities with the added use of acting as a large format, high-resolution 21.3-inch display. It's also compatible with Wacom's Intuos3 range of tablets, so an Intuos can be used in conjunction with a Cintiq. Wacom describes its Cintiq as 'setting new standards for digital pen-based imaging'."

The company has also introduced a flat bezel around the screen, making for more natural hand and pen movement when drawing (as your hand doesn't hit the bevel). The product also carries an accurate ICC profile for colour management.

To Hear Visitor Feedback, Remove Your Hands From Your Ears

"Why is it that usability seems to be in the forefront of any discussion about web design and search engine marketing? Is it because in general, we're past the early education stage in our lessons and now into the advanced stages, where we're more aware of our surroundings? Have we just realized that not everyone uses our web site the way we do?

Can You Read Me Now?

I love studies in human factors, user experience, usability and search engine usage. I can never know enough about how people will react to a web site, no matter where they found it, or what it looks like. Some studies are very surprising.

One of them is the Reading Online Text with a Poor Layout: Is Performance Worse?. It seems as though people are willing tolerate more than I gave them credit for when it comes to reading content online."

Collaboration is the future of hyperlink creation

"The following post is submitted by Dr. Alex Primo of the University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

Alex writes: My research group and I have been working since 2003 in a project that allows the collaborative creation of multidirectional Web links. We suppose this new concept can be a new step ahead in Web hypertextuality.

Today, associative Web links (the ones within paragraphs) are unidirectional vectors, that is, they take users to a single predetermined destination.

Co-links project proposes a new concept that surpasses that limitation, allowing the creation of multidirectional links. And more: it allows users to collaboratively create new links, and to add new destinations to a pre-existing link (transforming it into a one-to-may link). Link creation, thus, does not depend on knowledge of any coding language and is permitted to any Web surfer, not just the programmer or owner of the page.

During 2004, we have presented some papers at important conferences about the project and its impact on reading, cooperation, hypertext and education"

Astronauts use Ultrasound, too

"When you hear the word 'ultrasound' you probably think of pregnant moms and their babies. Add one more to that list: astronauts. "

Nobody's pregnant in space, but astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) are using ultrasound, looking inside themselves as part of a NASA project called ADUM, short for "ADvanced Ultrasound in Microgravity."

Here on Earth, doctors can look at broken bones with an x-ray machine, they can look for tumors with a CAT scanner, and they can examine your brain with an MRI. None of those bulky instruments is available on any NASA spacecraft.

Time to write off pen computing

The last Switched On discussed the shrinking PDA market. Indeed, in the graveyard of failed technology products, the pen computing section is overrun with tombstones — GRiDPad, Zoomer, PenWindows, Momenta, CreuisePAD, Newton, Envoy, Marco, Magic Link, EO, Avigo, Clie, CrossPad, TransNote, Clio, Qbe, Audrey, and Smart Display, to name a few. From innovative startups such as GO Corporation to some of the world’s most successful consumer technology companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Motorola and Sony, pens have consistently yielded red ink.


"Advocates have traditionally countered that pen interfaces can be operated using one hand, freeing the other one to cradle the computer or hold the handheld. However, as the millions of active mobile text message users in Asian and European countries have shown us, consumers are willing to input text even with primitive keypads. Such text entry, while slow, trumps the pen in convenience in that it can be accomplished with the same hand that is holding the device.

Surveying the current crop of mainstream pen-based products reveals that they aren't doing much to move pen computing toward prominence:"

Google Maps UI - Some thoughts

"This post will be more critical of the application, particularly of its interface.

One of the biggest challenges Google Maps faces is introducing a radical departure to how people interact with online maps. Such innovations are a huge interface design problem -- how do you provide people with cues, so they know what to do, but enable new, more powerful means? People use best what they use most -- which can mean that user-centered design, when taken to some extremes, inevitably stagnates. This is particularly problematic with the Web, because people develop assumptions on how the web works from *all* the web sites they use -- they don't do a lot to distinguish one site from another, they pretty much expect them to all behave the same.

So how does Google Maps do?"

MountMap Pop-up Topographic Ski Map

"The world's first 3-Dimensional topographical ski map.

Ski areas are massive spaces and it's hard to visualise all that's on offer using the existing ski maps. Many people get lost and some places look harder to get to than they really are.

MountMaps offers the skier or boarder a practical and smart alternative. A convenient and tough little product made out of 100% recyclable plastic, each MountMap shows the key topographical details of the mountain in a simple fold-out form."