Interaction Design

2009-05-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

GDM was set up in 1998 as a specialist security company providing security services. In 2001, GDM set up it's specialty security and training branch, GDM Close Protection to carry on the same quality in a new field of security. Safety in the work environment.

GDM Close Protection's main aim is to provide tailor-made safety solutions for it's clients, using the skills and expertise of it's specialist team. This allows GDM Close Protection to set up practical safety solutions that exceed expectations..

Please visit GDM

Technorati Profile

2007-06-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

Really Cool Image Technolgy

Ridiculously Cool Technology - Watch more free videos

2007-05-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

Giant Girl Doll

How realistic and freaky is this video? Great effects!

2007-05-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

Doll Face

A machine with a doll face mimics images on television screen in search of a satisfactory visage. Doll Face presents a visual account of desires misplaced and identities fractured by our technological extension into the future.

2007-05-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia And Education

Well I finished the essay for Sarah's hand in which is to be handed in today (it's after midnight) and it got me thinking.

Ok, we can't use Wikipedia as it isn't liable information and authors are unknown, but why isn't it credible? Yes there's quite a bit of false information on there, but slowly slowly it seems to be getting corrected. Most entries in Wikipedia now include References, so what separates it from an essay? Just because the authors are unknown? So are the real writers of the Bible, but people have no problem referencing that.

Go on Wikipedia.com and edit something. Just add in any sort of crap and save it. Now, keep refreshing the page and I bet within minutes it would have been deleted. There are many many nerds shall we say, that actually spy on Wikipedia, keeping maintanance on it and trying to keep all the information correct.

2007-05-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

MOBILE IMPROVEMENT

I thought I'd post the essay I did for Peter Kelly's Mobile Technology module as I think I did quite well with it.

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Introduction

“New mobile devices show a huge improvement over precious generations, but they’re still not good enough to score a real win. To get there, we need both PC-integrated applications and specialized mobile services rather than repurposed website content.”
- Jakob Nielsen (2003)

On this essay, I will argue whether or not the above quote is true. I will try to prove that people are more and more using their mobile devices like a personal computer, whether it is the interface or the features themselves. I will provide facts to back up opinion that to create the perfect mobile device, pc integrated ideas should be implemented. The factual data I will use will consist of sales figures and user statistics, which will show than mobile devices close to, or use pc features are on an increase, proving that people think of them as the best there currently is.

CHAPTER 1. Mobile Phones

The current state of mobile devices has come a long way since the first mobile device, the calculator to the most known, the mobile phone. As time has evolved so has the users preference on what a mobile device should have and what utilities are available for it.

The first mobile phone simply was used for a means of interaction between two users who wished to communicate via speech or text messaging. Text messaging, or its official title of Short Message Service (SMS) wasn’t an instant hit with customers in 1995 sending on average only 0.4 messages per SMS customer per month (Internet, GMS World, 28/3/07). This however has changed over the years and in 2006, 41.8 billion text messages were sent (Internet, Text.it, 28/3/07) proving how much of a success texting has become.
Once mobile phones became popular, manufactures’ started competing for sales by adding a new utility, thus the camera phone was born in 1997, . The camera phone, invented by Philippe Kahn and made by Sharp Corporation, didn’t become available for retail ‘till 2000 (Internet, uSwitch.com, 28/3/07). But when it did, the trend took off and in 2004, it was estimated that 150 million camera phones were to be sold worldwide (Internet, InfoTrends, 28/3/07) all with MMS (Mixed Media Service) that is the ability to send friends and others what photographs you have taken.

The next big thing for mobile phones was the ability to record video and sound and the ability to access the internet via WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). This gave people the ability to communicate via video conferences to family members they don’t see much that live across the globe, making it a big selling point. As for mobile internet, “we are let down at present by the number of platforms that fail to interoperate between small-screened mobile devices and standard PCs.” (Internet, Total Telecom, 28/3/07).

CHAPTER 2. PDA’s

Personal digital assistants or PDA’s as there are commonly known as, started life in the 1970’s in the form of a calculator. Since then they have evolved, now able to store mass amounts of data such as meetings, logs, telephone numbers and articles and more advanced features like sound, wireless link capabilities and large memory. Descendents from the Personal Information Managers (Internet, BBC, 30/3/07), the PDA’s popularity is on the decline, falling 22.3% in 2006 from the previous year (Internet, IDC, 30/3/07). This may have something to do with their 85% accuracy, meaning 15% of user input is misunderstood. (Internet, BBC, 30/3/07).
Another cause might be that we have simply
outgrown the technology as it can not cater to our needs. This can be backed up by the fact that smart phones, a form of PDA but with telephone combinability, outsold PDA’s 5:1 in the year 2006 and by 2011, estimates say it will be more than doubled, outselling 11:1. (Internet, Mobility Suit, 30/3/07).

CHAPTER 3. Smart Phones.

A technological combination of the mobile phone and PDA, the smart phone, in theory is a great idea and a useful invention that everybody couldn’t live without. In practise however, it fails. One major reason is that the designers have decided to mimic a Windows environment, which is pointless because the Windows interface was designed to be navigated with a mouse, which Smart Phones do not have. This makes it hard and confusing for the user to navigate. Many do not implement the pointer design of the PDA, one feature which made the PDA enjoyable.
Smart phones do however have software that can be found on Personal Computers, such as Word which is a plus. The downside is that the keyboard controls of Smart Phones are static and laid out for use as a telephone keypad and a computer keyboard, which can be tricky to use and isn’t always suited for the software (Internet, Smart Device Central, 30/3/07).

CHAPTER 4. MP3 Players

A popular invention, invented in 1998 has boomed in popularity. Market research predicts a revenue of $58 billion by 2008, as an increase of 20 per cent compound annual growth rate over five years starting at 2004. What tells us more as to why the MP3 Player market is to leaning towards PC integrated ideas is the industries leader, the Apple iPod. (Internet, TMO Reports, 30/3/07).
What separates the Apple iPod from the competition is its user interface and it being the first MP3 player that took into account what matters to consumers, battery life, form factor and connectivity back to a Personal Computer. The Click Wheel, innovation which gives an uncluttered, minimalist interface, makes the iPod very user friendly and it’s sliding graphics gives the feeling of a Personal Computer interface without the confusability that the PDA and Smart Phones have. This can be argued because the iPod is only used for music, but the latest designs now have the ability to download video games and movies.
Mobile phones have already started trying to cash in onto the MP3 trend, many new models having the ability to download and listen to songs.

CHAPTER 5. A Matrix

After reading through research and feedback from consumers, a pattern can be seen with all mobile devices. The most successful utilise features already found on Personal Computers and have been for the past 10 years or so, whether it be sliding windows, simple interface, easy control, audio, video capabilities and communication and internet access.
To build a perfect mobile device, or as close as possible to it, it needs to be accepted that people more and more treat their devices as portable computers. They have been exposed to the abilities of a Personal Computer and Notebooks and won’t be happy until one can be made palm sized. The biggest selling devices have started combining all of the features written above onto one device, the most recent being the iPhone by Apple and consumer interest proves that they are on the right track. (Internet, MacNN, 30/3/07 – Red Herring, 30/3/07).
One thing that Apple also adds to the equation is the idea that mobile devices should have a universal Operating System, making it easier for consumers to transition between models, because at the moment, mobile phones, PDA’s, Smart Phones and what ever else there is have different OS. This is a drawback to designers as well as consumers because many don’t want to read through a 100 odd page manual on how to use a small device.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I have to say that I agree with Jakob Nielsen. The perfect mobile device should have Personal Computer influences which will make transitions from mobile devices easier and also more appealing due to its familiarity from past experiences. The perfect device is a wanted device designed by consumer needs and as pointed out from the research. The best of both worlds.

Bibliography

“GSM World” (2007)
http://www.gsmworld.com/news/press_2001/press_releases_4.shtml

“Text.it” (2007)
http://www.text.it/mediacentre/press_release_list.cfm?thePublicationID=351A37F2-C5A0-881E-03C5B18AAC2AE745

Kahn, Phillipe audio interview, 1/6/07,
http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/programs/2007/01/06/father_of_the_camera.html

uSwitch.com (2007)
http://www.uswitch.com/Mobiles/Your-Mobile-Camera.html

InfoTrends (2007)
http://www.infotrends-rgi.com/home/Press/itPress/2004/3.11.04.html

Total Telecom (2007)
http://www.totaltele.com/View.aspx?ID=88556&t=4

BBC (2007)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2284229

IDC (2007)
http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS20145306

Mobile Suite (2007)
http://www.mobilitysite.com/2006/03/smartphones_to_outsell_pdas_by_51_in_200.php

Smart Device Central (2007)
http://www.smartdevicecentral.com/article/The+Key+to+Smart+Phone+Failure/201113_1.aspx

TMO Reports (2006)
http://www.macobserver.com/article/2003/12/30.1.shtml

MacNN (2006)
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/03/08/iphone.spurs.search.surge/

Red Herring (2006)
http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=21821&hed=1+Million+Calls+on+Apple+iPhone§or=Industries&subsector=Computing

2007-05-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

TERMINATOR 2 3D

I saw a documentary the other day about how they went about making the Universal Studios ride, Terminator 3D.

Terminator 3D Site

"The initial mock-up and motion picture projection effects were developed by Digital Domain in a Playa Vista airplane hangar built by Howard Hughes. The unique 3-D film format of the mock-up utilized six, solid-state Electrosonic projectors that were electronically interlocked to run 70mm film synchronously, at the high speed of 40 frames per second. The image was projected onto a triptych of adjoined silver screens. The effect of the six projectors running simultaneously was to produce one, contiguous, 3-D image across the three screens, accomplishing a wrap-around effect reminiscent of Cinerama.

"This 12-minute short featuring much of the cast and crew of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) cost $60 million to produce, making it the most expensive venture per minute in movie history.""

Here's a sample of the movie they show;

2007-05-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Nintendo

After making games with Peter Kelly in Mobile Technologies, I got nostalgic and started thinking about the video games I used to play as a kid, so I started looking on the net and found this site where you can play old Nintendo games.

CLICK HERE

2007-05-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

The Vodafone 905sh, Watching TV

As I posted an iPhone vid before, here's an option the Japanese prefer.

2007-05-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

According To Asia, iPhone Sucks!

All this hype about the iPhone. I mean seriously, it sounds like a great concept, I wonder why they didn't think of it before. Well, they kinda did, which is why the Japanese aren't impressed with it.

2007-05-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

A Great Flash Portraying The Time

CLICK HERE

It shows the seconds, days by name and number, months by name and number and year and it's real time, meaning it shows the current date and time regardless of your location.

2007-05-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, Lorem Ipsum

I used to use this alot when I did BTEC Graphic Design.

What Is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Here did it come from?
Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source. Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance. The first line of Lorem Ipsum, "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..", comes from a line in section 1.10.32.

The standard chunk of Lorem Ipsum used since the 1500s is reproduced below for those interested. Sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 from "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" by Cicero are also reproduced in their exact original form, accompanied by English versions from the 1914 translation by H. Rackham.

Why do we use it?
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).

Where can I get some?
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour, or randomised words which don't look even slightly believable. If you are going to use a passage of Lorem Ipsum, you need to be sure there isn't anything embarrassing hidden in the middle of text. All the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary, making this the first true generator on the Internet. It uses a dictionary of over 200 Latin words, combined with a handful of model sentence structures, to generate Lorem Ipsum which looks reasonable. The generated Lorem Ipsum is therefore always free from repetition, injected humour, or non-characteristic words etc.

The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."

Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC

"Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?"

1914 translation by H. Rackham

"But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?"

Section 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC

"At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat."

1914 translation by H. Rackham

"On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammelled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains."

2007-05-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Free SMS

As we were doing mobile technologies, I thought I'd throw in a site I sometimes use when in dire need to send a text, lol.

CLICK HERE

First one is guarnteed to get sent. After that, it takes longer to get there.

One draw back is that you can only send 137 characters.

2007-05-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Apologies but I haven't been updating this blog digitaly, but I have been keeping notes in a pad. So here they are.

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Touch Ups

I saw this website a while ago. It shows how professionals touch up photographs of models etc to create a more aesthetic look, according to them.

CLICK HERE

Here's an entire gallery of touch ups and it suprises me how much they actually touch up.

CLICK HERE

2007-05-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Spiderman 3- Vemom CGI

Well, I saw Spiderman 3 the other day. What a disapointment. A $258 million buget, which makes it one of the most expensive film ever made, and they came up with THAT for Vemon? Where's the size? Where's the tongue? Where's the saliva???

I mean ok, the Sandman CGI was great, but why change the character from the comics? Topher Grace is small yeah, but why not CGI him bigger when hes Vemom?

"You want to kill the spider, I want to kill the spider." "I"? "I"? Vemon never said "I", he always said "WE". Also where's the scary voice? I mean for crying out loud, $258 MILLION and they couldn't add some bass to his voice as Venom?

Venom is seen here around the 25 second mark...

This is the best they could come up with?

2007-02-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

L.A.S.E.R. Tag graffiti!

This is some cool stuff!

Here's how they did it
CLICK HERE

Here's some pics from the show.

2007-02-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

Love the way video gaming is being proven to be more useful than once thought!

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Surgeons who play video games more skilled - U.S. study
Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:50 AM IST

By Andrew Stern

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Playing video games appears to help surgeons with skills that truly count: how well they operate using a precise technique, a study said on Monday.

There was a strong correlation between video game skills and a surgeon's capabilities performing laparoscopic surgery in the study published in the February issue of Archives of Surgery.

Laparoscopy and related surgeries involve manipulating instruments through a small incision or body opening where the surgeon's movements are guided by watching a television screen.

Video game skills translated into higher scores on a day-and-half-long surgical skills test, and the correlation was much higher than the surgeon's length of training or prior experience in laparoscopic surgery, the study said.

Out of 33 surgeons from Beth Israel Medical Center in New York that participated in the study, the nine doctors who had at some point played video games at least three hours per week made 37 percent fewer errors, performed 27 percent faster, and scored 42 percent better in the test of surgical skills than the 15 surgeons who had never played video games before.

"It was surprising that past commercial video game play was such a strong predictor of advanced surgical skills," said Iowa State University psychology professor Douglas Gentile, one of the study's authors.

It supports previous research that video games can improve "fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, visual attention, depth perception and computer competency," the study said.

"Video games may be a practical teaching tool to help train surgeons," senior author Dr. James Rosser of Beth Israel said.

While surgeons may benefit from playing video games, the study did not give parents a pass if their children play the games for hours on end.

A 2004 survey by Gentile found 94 percent of U.S. adolescents play video games for an average of nine hours a week. Game-playing has been linked to aggressiveness, poor school grades and can become a substitute for exercise.

"Parents should not see this study as beneficial if their child is playing video games for over an hour a day," Gentile said. "Spending that much time playing video games is not going to help their child's chances of getting into medical school."

Source: Reuters.com

2007-01-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

The Real Life Terminator?

Well, after browsing arounf in my bookmarks, I found this article and I must say that it won't be long now where we will be able to upgrade bodyparts. Yes it was used for health reasons, but so was super glue in World War 2 and now its retail. Who knows? Maybe when I'm in my 50's I'll be able to buy cybergenic legs.

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THE REAL LIFE TERMINATOR
Docs rebuild Neil's hand
By Bill Daniels

BOMB blast soldier Neil McCallion has been given an amazing new "Terminator" hand.

Surgeons rebuilt it using steel rods, ribs and muscle in a pioneering 17-hour operation that left him with touches of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film cyborg.

It's believed to be the first time the technique has been used to save a mangled hand.

The lance corporal, from Dumbarton, was injured when a suicide bomber blew up his Land Rover in Kabul.

The blast came a day after he celebrated his 22nd birthday and it killed fellow private Craig O'Donnell.

Neil said: "There was a big piece of shrapnel coming out of a big hole in my left hand.

"But I wasn't thinking about anything other than that I had lost my mate."

Medics in Afghanistan removed shrapnel from his left arm and hand. But his injuries were so bad, he was airlifted to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital - a specialist unit which treats squaddies injured in action.

Surgeons found his hand riddled with bomb pieces and described it as "like a rag doll's - very floppy".

They scoured medical journals for information that would help them save the hand and decided to use the astonishing technique. Now all Argyll and Sutherland Highlander Neil has to show for his ordeal is a big scar on his arm and hand.

New skin covers the metalwork and bone in the hand.

He's in a military rehabilitation centre working eight hours a day with physiotherapists to get back the full use of his hand.

Plastic surgeon Garth Titley was in charge of the reconstruction.

He discovered that four of the five bones in Neil's hand had been destroyed and muscle tissue was riddled with shrapnel.

But after going through medical textbooks he decided the hand could be saved by using three ribs and muscle and skin taken from the soldier's body.

Garth said: "The procedure has been used before to reconstruct one or two digits.

"But I found a case in Japan where surgeons rebuilt four metatarsal bones in a foot.

"As far as I'm aware, this has not been done to this extent on a hand." Neil still needs two more ops to free his knuckles and replace the silicon rods with tendons, which will probably be taken from his legs.

He said: "When I came round after the operation and saw this huge lump on my wrist, as if a burger had been put under my skin, I realised they had managed to save my hand.

"There was a mesh and metal supports around my ribcage, where some of the bone had been removed.

"I am glad I was brought to Selly Oak because I'm not sure this could have been done at any other hospital.

"They did a terrific job and other patients will benefit.

"I am looking forward to taking driving lessons now that I am getting more movement in my hand."

At home, Neil's mum Kate said: "Neil has had so many medical people coming and going. The care has been excellent.

"The military have been there for him and for us."

source:
The Daily Record

2006-11-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

Is it me or has interactivity made people lazy?

The first example I can think of is the clapper light switch. This saves the effort of the user to stand up, walk to the switch and flick it on or off.

Then theres voice recognition devices such as PDA's, computers and televuisions. Most haven't made the journey over from Japan to become popular yet and it's going to be an interesting adaption for us in the west. Basic rule I follow, the further to the west you go, the lazier the people.

Society at the moment already suffers from the couch potatoe syndrome and currently the PC/internet addiction is rising and on the way to surpassing the previous.

China has already suffered from this and soon the western countries will follow only to a more extereme with health problems as a sife effect.

The more interactive our daily lives become, the less movement we will need to cause the action in which we desire. I guess those who are creating these new interactivities try to better our lives, but theres also people looking for profit. I agree with making technology more interactive as it makes the user feel more at one with the technology. But why make light switches and other uneccesary appliances interactive?

China imposes online gaming curbs
Kids addicted to computer games
Game Addiction

2006-11-10T05:39:00.000-08:00

Interactivity In Movies: The Viewers Perception

I'm including this I guess as I think of a movies story as an interaction to the viewer as it leaves them with their own interpretation of the characters mottifs and the films meaning.

So many people rate this movie below par to it's predecessor, Battle Royale. This is is mostly due to the lack of character development on the original (not the Director's cut) which is more commonly found in English speaking countries. This, I feel, is because the viewer hasn't fully realised the message behind the movie, often thinking it gives a pro-terrorist message and shows disrespect to the 9/11 terrorist attack. That is not the case, as character development takes a back seat to a greater cause. I will explain.

At the beginning, the teacher Riki Takeuch mentions the names of all the countries the US have bombed. That is a message saying that all those countries had terrorists and because of that, they paid the price of getting bombed by the US who are seen as freedom fighters.

Then later on, Takuma Aoi kills a soldier and the soldier, with his dying breathe, says "I have... a family.. to." This is just a reminder that no matter what side you are on, if you kill a man, you aren't only killing him but the future of those who love him.

Shuya Nanahara then broadcasts the same names that we're written on the blackboard in the beginning. That was a message to never give up to the bully. Just because those countries had a few terrorists or people who disagreed with the US, why should the entire country pay? Why should the innocent pay? Basicaly, it's a movie trying to tell us that the countries who the US go after need to stick up for one another and tell the US to mind its own business. By the US going around and telling other countries how to run (thinking they are helping) they aren't. They are just taking away the freedom of the people and needs to realise that no one can save that country except for the hope of those who live in that country and want to make it better.

The image of the falling towers is to remind us that terrorism does exist and to never forget those who died. The same message that a few of the dead ask of their friends "never forget me.... please." It's a powerful movie about doing the right thing to the right people and not killing the innocent. It's not pro-terrorism, but pro-freedom and self control (Takuma Aoi having bad anger management and in the end he has to think about his reactions convey this message of actions have consequences.)

2006-11-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

The World Museum With Phil Phillips

We went to the museum today and to tell you the truth I was a little disapointed from the experience. We basicaly got a showcase of every interactive computer at the museum, from the one at the planetarium exhibit to the games at the wildlife exhibition. Nothing we couldn't have done for ourselves. However, behind eveery goal there's a silver lining, and Mr. Phillips did give us some good information regarding not using mouses on the computers as they suffer wear and teart and that it costs £20 per second to buy footage from the BBC.

2006-11-10T04:37:00.000-08:00

Mobile Phones

From my first mobile phone to my newest Razor V3, mobile phones all have their own interface according to brand. That's always irritated me because it makes it hard to get used to a new phone brand when replacing your old one. But I guess that's the point, so once a consumer buys a certain brand, they'll feel compeled to buy from that brand again, so they're familiar with the interface.

The V3 made my Motorola, to me, has to have the best interactive features from a mobile I've had. Slick professional design, fully customisable backgrounds, screensavers and button layouts backed with easy to understand navigation which is the most important part. After all, it shows bad design if the user takes too long to get to their message inbox.

2006-11-10T04:10:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be typing up some notes I've made in my notebook, so bare with me. The reason I did this is because my laptop is in the shop and has been for a good month and so.

Anyway, onto blogging interactivity...

I'm a big fan of watching videos online, especialy on YouTube and while searching I found this vid.

It looks like the creator has used some kind of light sensors that detect movement of your hand and responds to it by moving the shapes, making it seem that you are knocking them out the way. I'd be interesting to see the thought process behind creating this.

2006-10-31T07:01:00.000-08:00

I bought Final Destination 3 the other day as I wanted to have a look at it's interactivity. It claimed that we controlled the destiny of the movie.

How did it do this? Well, at certain parts of the movie, a smoke screen comes up and gives you two options to choose from. If you choose one path, the movie plays out as the original. Choose another and alternative scenes are played. These scenes are ones that were in the script as an addition but were edited out either completely or replaced.

To tell you the truth I was let down by it as the options were far between each other and they didn't tell you what option plays the original, so if you guessed wrong, you'd have to skip back a chapter and start all over again. Also selecting the options sometimes stuck and ran out of time, so you were left watching an option you didn't choose.