Looking for Balloons and Insights to Online Behavior

John Markoff

November 30, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01darpa.html?ref=technology

The Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA), has announced a competition honoring the 40th anniversary of the Internet. Darpa network challenge is testing our social-networking to locate 10 balloons within the United States. The first person that will discover the exact location of the red balloons will be awarded the sum of $40,000. Darpa is hoping that this offers an insight into how internet and social networking can form a team and work together.

I find this article everywhere I look for technology news, so I decided that this would be my blog for this week. The sole interest of this challenge is how its get done. The challenge itself is very interesting and I like what Darpa is presenting here. We all know that web-based tools have helped many people to coordinate jobs. The Darpa Network Challenge is different and I’m sure they can make very hard. People need not only to social networking but to provide a lot of motivational schemes and i'm sure a lot of people will also be out there to try find the balloons. This is a lot like a practice to muster people nationally in response to crisis? I think this challenge offers a possible potential for a lot of stuff.

Charlie the robot joins rest home staff

Leslie Katz

November 23, 2009

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10403944-1.html?tag=mncol

The article is about helping robot for seniors. A new robot named Charlie comes to a retirement home in New Zealand. Charlie is trial robot and part of University of Auckland study as a research how seniors will respond towards robots. Charlie takes vital signs as blood pressure, call for help, clean and lifts heavy objects. The robot did not express emotions as it is assessing the tasks, as the staff would want it to do. The robot is 4 feet tall, have a monitor touch screen for a head and rove with wheels. The seniors and staff have their opinion about Charlie. They prefer to have a robot speaking clearly as a middle age person, but no predilection about what gender it should be. They said the robot should be too human like and seniors feel that they are more inclined to be service by a robot without face. Charlie runs window for user interface and Linux for low-level hardware functions.

Charlie is designed as pragmatic. The robots are coming and they should be designed that makes them fit most naturally into people’s lives. I agree with the staff and seniors that robot shouldn’t be 99% percent human because it brings that uncanny feeling. Robots came a long way compared to where we are before. Charlie is build with touch screen monitor and as far as the article goes it is user friendly. The robot takes accurate data of each residents so they will be no more of “forgetting.” It also helps the staff to give more attention to other responsibilities because the robot has the ability to call for help and with some other chores that just help us to take off that one responsibility.

YouTube to Help Sites Gather News Clips

Brian Stelter

November 17, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/business/media/17youtube.html?ref=technology

Google's YouTube has signed up a deal with NPR, Politico, The Huffington Post and San Francisco Chronicle for YouTube Direct, which is a new approach for handling video submission from the user end. This new factor is to make it easier for YouTube users to post clips that news media companies can select for highlights. The purpose of YouTube Direct is trying to establish a connection with citizen reporters with media organizations. This could also strengthen the site's status for Citizen's journalism video. YouTube also foresee status beyond daily's video news clips. A blog site hinted that business can use this new method to solicit endorsements and that politician could “ask for user-generated political commercials.”

I must say, YouTube came a long way from broadcasting yourself in which users can upload and share videos. This opens another door of wide possibilities for individual journalism as the article says. Many mobile phones are equipped with video recording and have the ability to upload via WIFI. This is really the matter of how quick news can reach people.

Google’s Go: A New Programming Language That’s Python Meets C++

Jason Kincaid

November 10, 2009

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/11/10/google-go-language/

Google introduces a new open sourced programming language called Go. Go purpose is to serve as a systems language like C++ or C. Go is a trial program and venture mixture of supposedly speedy like the dynamic language like Phython and compiled language almost instantly as if you are using an responsive direct language. Google is hoping that GO would be a successful language of system.

Google is getting a lot more attention than usual with the release of GO. Not only the program is a combination of Phython and C or C++, it's also fast for development and it's a true compiled language. GO has a potential to be successful according to some of the programmers blogging about GO being a language system that is actually fun and useful. Google's Go still needs to improve about optimizing multi-core processors and I believe Go was developed mainly to cater Google engineers to write programs.

One small strip of plaster, one giant strip of data

Elizabeth Armstrong Moore

November 4, 2009

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-10390780-247.html?tag=mncol

The article is about sensium technology, a disposable digital strip that can be put on person’s check nest or arm that can monitor several areas of vital signs from heart rate, body temperature to respirations. This technology is designed for BAN (body area network) that communicates through wireless technology in which dispatches data from the body to a home base station. The strip should last a few days.

This is definitely a plus development for BAN. However, there is a set back because of mass data transmitting from patients. The article indicates that it can be improve by using a server instead of storing data. Information design plays a role with this development. The key is the organization of passing the data as visually effective as possible in the receiving end. 

Part 2

1.0 - Home page

1.1 - About Us

1.2 - Management

1.3 - Corporate Governance

1.3.1 - Board of Directors (1.3.1.1 - 1.3.1.11)

1.3.1.1 - Jeffery L. Bewkes

1.3.1.2 - James L. Barksdale

1.3.1.3 - William P. Barr

1.3.1.4 - Stephen F. Bollenbach

1.3.1.5 - Frank J. Caufield

1.3.1.6 - Robert C. Clark

1.3.1.7 - Mathias Dopfner

1.3.1.8 - Jessica P. Einhorn

1.3.1.9 - Michael A. Miles

1.3.1.10 - Kenneth J. Novack

1.3.1.11 - Deborah C. Wright

1.3.2 - Board Leadership and Committee Structure (2 pdf links and other name links)

1.3.3 - Committee Charters, Policies and Reports (4 pdf links)

1.3.4 - By-Laws (1 pdf link) (1.3.4.1 - 1.3.4.12)

1.3.4.1 - Offices

1.3.4.2 - Meetings of Stockholders

1.3.4.3 - Board of Directors

1.3.4.4 - Committees

1.3.4.5 - Officers

1.3.4.6 - Indemnification

1.3.4.7 - Capital Stock

1.3.4.8 - Seal

1.3.4.9 - Fiscal Year

1.3.4.10 - Waiver of Notice

1.3.4.11 - Amendments

1.3.4.12 - Miscellaneous

1.3.5 - Governance Policy (1 pdf link) (1.3.5.1 - 1.3.5.6)

1.3.5.1 - Board Composition

1.3.5.2 - Board Responsibilities

1.3.5.3 - Board Meetings

1.3.5.4 - Board Committees

1.3.5.5 - Director Orientation and Education

1.3.5.6 - Corporate Governance Review and Disclosure

1.3.6 - Codes of Conduct (4 pdf links)

1.3.7 - Contact the Board of Directors

1.4 - Citizenship

1.5 - Businesses

1.6 - Investor Relations

1.7 - Newsroom

1.8 - Careers

Part 1

1. What is the single most important distinguishing characteristic that makes a website a blog? (What makes a blog a blog?)

-Blog is a website that post entries and normally viewed in reverse chronological order.

2. What are the three primary areas an information architect must consider in preparing any website? (Often represented as sections of the Venn diagram on the board.)

-Content, Context, Users

3. Name two exact (not ambiguous or subjective) organization schemes that can be used in Web navigation.

-A web navigation should be in order as the following forms:

Numeric, alphabetical, geographical and chronological.

4. A list of links on a library website that offers a users choices such as "How do I get my library card?" and "How do I check out a book?" is an example of what type of navigation?

-This is a "task" type navigation link because "they are asking you to do something."

5. The options on the top of the City Tech website's home page ("Prospective Students," "Faculty and Staff," etc.) are an example of what sort of navigation scheme?

-This is target content to "specific audiences" navigation link.

Mozilla Throws Its Weight Behind Improving Web Type, Adopts WOFF for Firefox

Michael Calore

October 20, 2009

http://www.webmonkey.com/blog/Mozilla_Throws_Its_Weight_Behind_Improving_Web_Type__Adopts_WOFF_for_Firefox

Mozilla talk about releasing a new version 3.6 of Firefox will support the new WOFF (Web Open Font Format) before the year ends. It has become the third downloadable font format supported by Firefox in which incorporated to take care of TrueType and OpenType font. The beauty is the download is fast because WOFF fonts are compressed and support web tags and other unencrypted metadata. Though with all the new progress capabilities, there are still issues such as DRM (Digital Rights Management) and different standards of support from browsers. This makes designers goes through a lot of workarounds just to use these new fonts. The startup Typekit proposed a likely solution, which involves OpenType that will act as broker of licensing paradigm.

This is definitely an exciting onward course for displaying variety of font types in the web since we only have a very few selective fonts. Firefox is the most use browsers and hopefully, the other browser makers follow and improve their user interface so web designers doesn’t have to go through so much trouble to use these new fonts. The article also mentions that web authors will have the ability to use WOFF fonts in their visual page simply by linking the font files in their codes.

Waiter fired from Twittering about Celebs

Chris Matyszczyk

October 6, 2009

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10368710-71.html?tag=mncol

Jon-Barrett Ingels is a former waiter in a restaurant named Barney Greengrass in Beverly Hills and well-known dine-in for many celebrities. Apparently, Ingels have a liking for social networking and micro-blogging that leads to his current status as being unemployed. Ingels writes an incident when he waiter for an actress Jane Adams, who skips a bill after dining in.

This article is hilarious in a way that a "waiter," a regular person who got fired because he writes something about somebody who happens to be famous. It's not like no one has to say anything to anybody. However, I am amaze how celebrities have people hovering the net to find what people are talking about them or even care about an individual’s regard. I guess when the words are true and embarrassing; stars like Ms. Adam react, as any individual would conduct in this situation. The extremity is finding and passing information online and continue to surprise me. Hearing news like this definitely makes you think that when you are online and posting messages, you just never know who you would reach.

Web Design is 95% Typography

Oliver Reichenstein

July 14, 2009

http://informationarchitects.jp/the-web-is-all-about-typography-period/

This article emphasize the importance of typography in the web and designers should learn the right discipline of types. Arranging text is the information design's duty who should be able to divide the body text, create readability flow and easily navigate what appeals to user interface. He also made a strong point that if a well-written text cannot be read or poorly display is consider of no value. Designers should "treat text as an interface." He put an example of Khoi's Vinh's website, who is the current Design Director for the NY Times as an example of good use of typography and readability flow.

The article is a good read after seeing everybody's blog being scrutinized on the spot in the last class. Typography is an old school technique of arranging type design. Type plays the most important roll in both print and web world. It always have been the clear-cut rule about making text readable as possible that involving kerning, leading, tracking, line length and size. Maybe typography in the web is not so much about choosing the font because they are only a few fonts available to choose from but I believe choosing typeface is not completely unimportant.

Microbloggers, Meet the Microvideo

Jenna Worthham

September 21, 2009

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/microbloggers-meet-the-microvideo/?ref=technology

This article is about a company called Particle who designed video software that can be posted as a status update in Facebook and Twitter.  The concept is originally aimed for digital calling card online that holds data about someone’s identity on the web. However, the idea becomes a thriving trend for social networking users who like to broadcast every single detail of their lives online.

This is another good example of information design as people always find a new way to communicate by posting microvideos in their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Both sites are web based text and pictures so by adding videos, the online socializing just become more interesting and lively. Microvideos is just another interface. It maybe a short video but it is without doubt an engaging trend because you are not just reading text or looking at pictures with tag lines but you are hearing sounds and watching movements.

Playfulness, Usability, & Context: The Three Pillars of a Delightful User Experience

Fred Beeche

September 15th, 2009

http://userexperience.evantageconsulting.com/2009/09/playfulness-usability-context-delightful-user-experience/

The article is about users experience on iPhone’s apps based on design structure and entertainment. The author picked two new measurement unit conversion apps in which both iPhone developers recorded their design activities on the web and made the app available a week after one another. The two apps served the same purpose but with an entirely different approached on the user experience. One app was sensible while the other was playful and mechanical. The author also wrote colloquial “usability test” and exercised them with iPhone user peers. The result brought the author in conclusion that playfulness was obviously not the great focal significance in experience design. In developing apps, the author encouraged designers to give in a lot of thoughts about the context in the users-end approach and take in playfulness when assess accordingly.

This is a great review to read and for many iPhone users like myself, who is always scouting for new fun interesting apps, I find myself agreeing with the author. Some apps were so poorly design that it’s so hard to navigate the created system when the developer should have use pragmatic approach than theoretical. It’s not about how bad apps can be but sometimes, fun does not always fit the case especially when the idea of playfulness becomes one’s frustration.  An app like conversion, the task is clearly straight going from point A to point B and there’s simply no room for play. This review is definitely relevant to the class and information design extracted the relationship between usability and playfulness and how they should apply on the context and delivers them to users interface. There may be plenty of ways to pass information and develop apps but keeping individual interaction in the application is a success.