So, every once in a while I am trying to add new features/fix bugs to the Near Dear widget. I recently upgraded the keypad to have more characters, and made the status text bigger. The little logo on every screen is now a button that will take you right back to the first screen (where you can see your friends updates.)
Today, I found a strange bug....if any twitter status has an "&", all the text (users and their details) after that disappears. I am guessing the problem is with php handling the "&" symbol. I get the names and statuses of an authenticated user from twitter as a json string, decode it in a php script and send it as a single string to flash with a delimiter (~end) at the end of each user's details. Flash does the rest of the string manipulation. In this program, flash is not receiving any characters after the first "&."
Still trying to find a fix.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
First Feedback
Two days after making my widget public, I got a user feedback and rating.
Some awesome person said:
"Great work! For this widget, I checked out Twitter, its nice! I also saw that you continously update the widget - now there is also a keyboard for arbitrary messages, cool! Maybe you can fix the position of the keys of the keyboard... I have my chumbys touchscreen calibrataed but still the keys are off a bit."
He even gave me a 5/5 rating. This made my widget rank go from 17/19 to 13/21. Very delighted :)
Oh, and Chumby industries released a new Twitter widget yesterday which basically displays your friends' timeline with pictures in a very nice display. You can also update your twitter status directly from Chumby. Hard luck! :(
Some awesome person said:
"Great work! For this widget, I checked out Twitter, its nice! I also saw that you continously update the widget - now there is also a keyboard for arbitrary messages, cool! Maybe you can fix the position of the keys of the keyboard... I have my chumbys touchscreen calibrataed but still the keys are off a bit."
He even gave me a 5/5 rating. This made my widget rank go from 17/19 to 13/21. Very delighted :)
Oh, and Chumby industries released a new Twitter widget yesterday which basically displays your friends' timeline with pictures in a very nice display. You can also update your twitter status directly from Chumby. Hard luck! :(
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Update
Haven't blogged in a while due to the deadlines we have been trying to meet.
Today, we all submitted our final posters for printing. Can't wait to see how they look king size.
Our reports are due on Thursday; the next two days are going to be spent on working on it.
I made the Chumby widget public. It is called Near Dear. After user trials and suggestions from my colleagues, I added a few more features to it. It now has a keypad and so you can send custom updates to Twitter if the 6 options on it are not adequate.
There were a few other user suggestions that would really improve the widgets functionality, like different colors for different friends, changing options from the chumby itself, etc. Hopefully, I will get around to adding those features before the end of the week.
Apart from working on the report, I will be updating the website www.neardear.org to include the details of the user survey, more details about the project etc. I will also prepare a document outlining the technical aspects of the project for anyone who wishes to further work on this project. Woah..lots to do!
Today, we all submitted our final posters for printing. Can't wait to see how they look king size.
Our reports are due on Thursday; the next two days are going to be spent on working on it.
I made the Chumby widget public. It is called Near Dear. After user trials and suggestions from my colleagues, I added a few more features to it. It now has a keypad and so you can send custom updates to Twitter if the 6 options on it are not adequate.
There were a few other user suggestions that would really improve the widgets functionality, like different colors for different friends, changing options from the chumby itself, etc. Hopefully, I will get around to adding those features before the end of the week.
Apart from working on the report, I will be updating the website www.neardear.org to include the details of the user survey, more details about the project etc. I will also prepare a document outlining the technical aspects of the project for anyone who wishes to further work on this project. Woah..lots to do!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Minutes of the Weekly Meeting
Keeping the deadlines for drafts in mind, we decided that I will have a brain-dump draft ready by Monday as early as possible for Lorcan to review. I will also have a poster draft ready by the end of this week, hopefully.
I will also register neardear.org with google webmaster and analytics. Towards the end(probably the last week), I will put all the reports, and user studies on neardear.org.
Early next week, I will make the chumby widget public after I get feedback from fellow Odysseus students, Lorcan and Aaron. I m making changes to the widget as and when I get feedback from them.
I will also register neardear.org with google webmaster and analytics. Towards the end(probably the last week), I will put all the reports, and user studies on neardear.org.
Early next week, I will make the chumby widget public after I get feedback from fellow Odysseus students, Lorcan and Aaron. I m making changes to the widget as and when I get feedback from them.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Today's Meeting
We decided that I will start working on my final report based on the outline I wrote this week. Going to take pictures and screen shots.
Oh, and Lorcan's computer crashed. All my php scripts were on it. So, hoping he is going to fix it or retrieve the data. Lesson learned- BACKUP! and make sure remote data is backed up as well.
So, once that is done, I will make the widget public next week and try to get user feedback.
Oh, and Lorcan's computer crashed. All my php scripts were on it. So, hoping he is going to fix it or retrieve the data. Lesson learned- BACKUP! and make sure remote data is backed up as well.
So, once that is done, I will make the widget public next week and try to get user feedback.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Chumby: An Experiment in Hackable Pervasive Computing
This paper, written by one of the founders of Chumby Industries - Andrew Huang, describes their hacker- friendly business model.Unlike other consumer products that are locked up from the users, Chumby's software and hardware is open. They have not only released the source code of their operating system, but also have tutorials and templates on how to create widgets.
The author says that the idea behind this is that they want Chumby to be what their users want it to be. It is impossible to please all users- companies always have to make a trade off between including excessive features that would make the device complicated, and leaving out features and thereby users to whom the device is of no use. Hence, they have made the Chumby easy to hack into, so that people can "configure" it to whatever they want it to be. For example, a user can operate home appliances through the Chumby, using its accelerometer. They essentially are providing a device that can be used for other innovations.
Huang also describres various steps involved in product design. Two of the important ones are the very first step which is vision, and the middle step which is engineering. "Vision" involves establishing a broad product concept, and "engineering" involves building the actual product. He says that at the engineering stage, there is a lens that gives an insight into the whole product design process. Closed consumer products have a one way lens at this stage, where the consumers passively see the company's vision. But, Chumby industries have made this lens two ways; this means that users can explore the product closely and give feedback. This feedback is included in the company's vision. They are essentially empowering the users to create their own vision.
Hackers do not just make the product better for themselves, but for the whole user community. For example, one user included a battery pack with the Chumby, and posted in the forums on how to do it. Another one came up with a way to connect it to wired internet via its USB port and shared the procedure. Now, the whole community can benefit from their expertise. So, the product grows and gets better by itself; the company just provided a template.
Chumby Industries, as the author says, was started to make profits; it is by no means a charitable company. They make their money from ads. They feel that good quality ads are interesting and people view them (ads during Super Bowl being the best example). They take extra care in ensuring that the ads are good.
They also make money by slightly overpricing the product, so that they can offer all the widgets and software updates for free, unlike other big companies like Microsoft that offer subsidized gaming console, but make money off of the games and services. By following this model, they can make profits, but at the same time opening up their product to give users a platform to personalize it (alas, over 90% of their targeted user base if not very tech savvy.)
The author says that the idea behind this is that they want Chumby to be what their users want it to be. It is impossible to please all users- companies always have to make a trade off between including excessive features that would make the device complicated, and leaving out features and thereby users to whom the device is of no use. Hence, they have made the Chumby easy to hack into, so that people can "configure" it to whatever they want it to be. For example, a user can operate home appliances through the Chumby, using its accelerometer. They essentially are providing a device that can be used for other innovations.
Huang also describres various steps involved in product design. Two of the important ones are the very first step which is vision, and the middle step which is engineering. "Vision" involves establishing a broad product concept, and "engineering" involves building the actual product. He says that at the engineering stage, there is a lens that gives an insight into the whole product design process. Closed consumer products have a one way lens at this stage, where the consumers passively see the company's vision. But, Chumby industries have made this lens two ways; this means that users can explore the product closely and give feedback. This feedback is included in the company's vision. They are essentially empowering the users to create their own vision.
Hackers do not just make the product better for themselves, but for the whole user community. For example, one user included a battery pack with the Chumby, and posted in the forums on how to do it. Another one came up with a way to connect it to wired internet via its USB port and shared the procedure. Now, the whole community can benefit from their expertise. So, the product grows and gets better by itself; the company just provided a template.
Chumby Industries, as the author says, was started to make profits; it is by no means a charitable company. They make their money from ads. They feel that good quality ads are interesting and people view them (ads during Super Bowl being the best example). They take extra care in ensuring that the ads are good.
They also make money by slightly overpricing the product, so that they can offer all the widgets and software updates for free, unlike other big companies like Microsoft that offer subsidized gaming console, but make money off of the games and services. By following this model, they can make profits, but at the same time opening up their product to give users a platform to personalize it (alas, over 90% of their targeted user base if not very tech savvy.)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Meeting with Lorcan
After giving a brief update on my work during the last week, we decided on having a clear set of milestones for the final four weeks of the internship :O I will have a set of milestones written on paper for further discussion as soon as possible (hopefully, by the end of today, or first thing tomorrow morning.)
I will also have an outline of my final report, in the form of bullets, written by the end of Thursday. I am going to have friends updates on the Chumby app. Also, the script I am using to get information from basadaeir to twitter needs to run minute. It will also have more rules for updating twitter.
I will also have an outline of my final report, in the form of bullets, written by the end of Thursday. I am going to have friends updates on the Chumby app. Also, the script I am using to get information from basadaeir to twitter needs to run minute. It will also have more rules for updating twitter.
Two Truths and a Lie
Just for lols I made a "two truths and a lie" flash app. It looks really ugly right now, but it works :)
Check it out and register here
Check it out and register here
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Bluetooth to Twitter
Today, I used basadaeir, which basically spots bluetooth devices using various sensors in CASL, to update twitter. It is a simple php script that checks if my phone has been spotted. If it is, then it updates twitter with the location. To ensure that it doesn't update the same location over and over, it first checks for the latest tweet, and compares it with the location message to be sent. If they are the same, it doesn't update (else, if does.)
The plan is to run the php script continuously after every few minutes to check for location of the bluetooth device. I will also be defining more rules to better manipulate the location information. For example, if the phone is located in the 4th floor coffee area at around 1 o clock, the twitter update could be "lunch on the 4th floor." If the same location data is obtained at some other time, the update can be "having coffee on the 4th floor." The idea behind this is that most elders have a static daily routine that they follow. Hence, the location and the corresponding time can be matched to their activity.
The plan is to run the php script continuously after every few minutes to check for location of the bluetooth device. I will also be defining more rules to better manipulate the location information. For example, if the phone is located in the 4th floor coffee area at around 1 o clock, the twitter update could be "lunch on the 4th floor." If the same location data is obtained at some other time, the update can be "having coffee on the 4th floor." The idea behind this is that most elders have a static daily routine that they follow. Hence, the location and the corresponding time can be matched to their activity.
Issues
Sending Variables to PHP from Flash
To send variables from flash to php all you have to do is use the function
loadVariablesNum("url", 0, "POST");
this will load all the variables in the flash file to php.
They can be retrieved in php using $_POST[].
For example, if I have variables firstName, and lastName in the flash file, I can use the loadVariablesNum function to send the variables.
In php,
i use the code
$firstname = $_POST['firstName'];
$lastname = $_POST['lastName'];
This has been very helpful for me while using the twitter api which does not have a crossdomain.xml file. I had to post the variables from flash to php and then make the api calls.
It is also useful while accessing a database. I can have a nice flash application that takes in variables from flash, send them to a mysql database via php.
Could not send variables from flash to the server
I found out that I could not load or send variables to the server because crossdomain.xml file was missing in the server. It should be placed in the root directory. A simple crossdomain.xml file that gives access to all the websites looks like this:
< ? xml version="1.0"?>
< ! DOCTYPE cross-domain-policy SYSTEM " http://www.macromedia.com/xml/dtds/cross-domain-policy.dtd">
<>
< domain="*">
< / cross-domain-policy >
The above code can be copied into a text editor. It should be saved as crossdomain.xml in the root level.
(I will be updating this post as and when I come across more problems and manage to find a way around them, so that the next time I stumble upon them, I don't have to spend hours on google.)
Password Field in Flash
I had to take the username and password in a flash application. For that I created two input text fields (usernameTextfield , passwordTextfield). To ensure that the password does not show as plain text all you need to do is include the following code in the frame's actionscript
passwordTextfield.password = true;
Scrollbar for Dynamic Textfield in Flash CS3
Inserting a scroll bar for a dynamic text field which is not big enough to fit all your text is very easy in Flash CS3.
Create a dynamic text field.
At the bottom of the workspace set the properties of the textfield to multiline.
Go to Window-> Components on your file menubar. This should pop up a new components window.
Click on User Interface to expand it.
Find the UIScrollBar option and click and drag it on to the text field.
Thats it. When the dynamic text field has more text than it can fit, the scroll bar will show up.
To send variables from flash to php all you have to do is use the function
loadVariablesNum("url", 0, "POST");
this will load all the variables in the flash file to php.
They can be retrieved in php using $_POST[].
For example, if I have variables firstName, and lastName in the flash file, I can use the loadVariablesNum function to send the variables.
In php,
i use the code
$firstname = $_POST['firstName'];
$lastname = $_POST['lastName'];
This has been very helpful for me while using the twitter api which does not have a crossdomain.xml file. I had to post the variables from flash to php and then make the api calls.
It is also useful while accessing a database. I can have a nice flash application that takes in variables from flash, send them to a mysql database via php.
Could not send variables from flash to the server
I found out that I could not load or send variables to the server because crossdomain.xml file was missing in the server. It should be placed in the root directory. A simple crossdomain.xml file that gives access to all the websites looks like this:
< ? xml version="1.0"?>
< ! DOCTYPE cross-domain-policy SYSTEM " http://www.macromedia.com/xml/dtds/cross-domain-policy.dtd">
<>
< domain="*">
< / cross-domain-policy >
The above code can be copied into a text editor. It should be saved as crossdomain.xml in the root level.
(I will be updating this post as and when I come across more problems and manage to find a way around them, so that the next time I stumble upon them, I don't have to spend hours on google.)
Password Field in Flash
I had to take the username and password in a flash application. For that I created two input text fields (usernameTextfield , passwordTextfield). To ensure that the password does not show as plain text all you need to do is include the following code in the frame's actionscript
passwordTextfield.password = true;
Scrollbar for Dynamic Textfield in Flash CS3
Inserting a scroll bar for a dynamic text field which is not big enough to fit all your text is very easy in Flash CS3.
Create a dynamic text field.
At the bottom of the workspace set the properties of the textfield to multiline.
Go to Window-> Components on your file menubar. This should pop up a new components window.
Click on User Interface to expand it.
Find the UIScrollBar option and click and drag it on to the text field.
Thats it. When the dynamic text field has more text than it can fit, the scroll bar will show up.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Widget Upgrade
According to the plan mentioned in the previous posts, I have added the options feature. On impact, the Chumby shows a menu. You can choose which update to send. Right now the options are, "at home, " "at work, " and "going into town." These can be made customizable easily using the configuration wizard (I will probably have that added today.)
There is still a small drawback to this app, due to which I cannot share it with everyone just yet. The text is not readable when it is rotated with the Chumby. Some scaling issues of the text that I am still trying to fix.
There is still a small drawback to this app, due to which I cannot share it with everyone just yet. The text is not readable when it is rotated with the Chumby. Some scaling issues of the text that I am still trying to fix.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Minutes of Today's Meeting with Lorcan and Matt
We decided to meet today to discuss about what can we do next, since we have a working demo for the Chumby. The demo is a simple widget that updates twitter based on interactions with the Chumby, and gets updates from twitter. Its just a prototype that shows a complete cycle of flow of information in and out of the Chumby.
The next step would be to integrate other sensors, bluetooth sensors for now, at home to update twitter. That is going to be my task for the next few days.
I will also continue to work on making the Chumby app more user-friendly. Once that is done, we will be releasing the app to a few Chumby users in UCD and then to a larger user base.
I am also going to update the website with description about the system model.
The next step would be to integrate other sensors, bluetooth sensors for now, at home to update twitter. That is going to be my task for the next few days.
I will also continue to work on making the Chumby app more user-friendly. Once that is done, we will be releasing the app to a few Chumby users in UCD and then to a larger user base.
I am also going to update the website with description about the system model.
Future Featues on the Widget
Right now, I am working on having a list of options to choose from on every Chumby orientation. That way, the user will have more options (buttons) to choose from; the user will be able to fully configure the buttons.
Would love to hear feedback and more ideas for this widget. Will keep you updated with any new features as I add/think of.
Would love to hear feedback and more ideas for this widget. Will keep you updated with any new features as I add/think of.
Widget2.1
So, a few upgrades to the widget. It now has a little OK button so that you can confirm your update before it actually goes crazy updating your twitter. It also shows your latest tweet when you are not interacting with it.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
First Chumby Widget
So, I got my first widget up and running today. It basically detects changes in the orientation, and for each orientation it updates a different status to Twitter. It can be easily configured by the user when adding the widget. The user can specify which orientation means which message, or can use the default values. The only required information is the user's Twitter username and password. The widget is not available publicly yet; it is still in the testing stage. Looks pretty ugly too :)
The next step would be to get twitter messages displayed on twitter. Hoping to get that done tomorrow, or latest by Thursday evening. That will complete the whole loop of easy twitter access on an ambient device; without having to login to Twitter.
I am also looking for a catchy name for my widget. Any bright ideas?? Would really appreciate it!
The next step would be to get twitter messages displayed on twitter. Hoping to get that done tomorrow, or latest by Thursday evening. That will complete the whole loop of easy twitter access on an ambient device; without having to login to Twitter.
I am also looking for a catchy name for my widget. Any bright ideas?? Would really appreciate it!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Mid-term presentations
Friday, July 11th was the Odysseus mid-term event at DCU. There were eighteen students who presented the work they have done so far and the game plan for the next six weeks. The poster session was for about two hours, during which several people, including the extreme blue interns, supervisors, school director and mentors went around asking questions and giving feedback.
It was a helpful session. I think it was a crucial time to stop and think about the direction, progress and goals of the project. It was also a good opportunity to see what other people received your ideas. It was particularly important for me because my project is application-led. Understanding the user's needs and feedback was very essential.
From user surveys and conversations with people I found out that most people felt that Chumby was a good idea. They could see themselves, and their not-so-tech-savvy family members use it. But, some felt that showing location on a map was "big-brother" like. Some also felt that they wouldn't want families to see their facebook status, but since they already use twitter to interact with work groups, those status messages were O.K. to share.
I also received help from some of the Extreme Blue interns. Neil Cowzer owns a Chumby and I am going to contact him soon to see if he can give feedback on my widgets. Tim Hayes offered help with Flash as he has previous experience with it.
Apart from the feedback I got, just answering questions helped me get a better focus on my project and re-evaluate my goals.
It was a helpful session. I think it was a crucial time to stop and think about the direction, progress and goals of the project. It was also a good opportunity to see what other people received your ideas. It was particularly important for me because my project is application-led. Understanding the user's needs and feedback was very essential.
From user surveys and conversations with people I found out that most people felt that Chumby was a good idea. They could see themselves, and their not-so-tech-savvy family members use it. But, some felt that showing location on a map was "big-brother" like. Some also felt that they wouldn't want families to see their facebook status, but since they already use twitter to interact with work groups, those status messages were O.K. to share.
I also received help from some of the Extreme Blue interns. Neil Cowzer owns a Chumby and I am going to contact him soon to see if he can give feedback on my widgets. Tim Hayes offered help with Flash as he has previous experience with it.
Apart from the feedback I got, just answering questions helped me get a better focus on my project and re-evaluate my goals.
Target Demo
In the meeting with Lorcan today, we decided to have a demo by this Thursday. The demo would have Chumby communicating with twitter. Right now it just detects orientation, and all the twitter data is on the website. The goal is to get the twitter data on Chumby, and have the Chumby orientations updated to twitter.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Minutes of Today's meeting
Today's meeting was mainly about preparations for this week's demo. We decided to do a demo run on Wednesday and I will have the powerpoint, layout for the poster, and survey questions ready by then. I will also do another blog post on evaluation of applications, and technologies that can be used for location sensing- like GPS, bluetooth, etc.
We got a domain name for the project - www.neardear.org. It still needs to be updated with project details; will do that before Friday of this week.
Another important thing we decided was that I take notes during the poster session to record invaluable feedback and discuss the evaluations right after.
I will also try to get a webcam widget up and running for the Chumby.
We got a domain name for the project - www.neardear.org. It still needs to be updated with project details; will do that before Friday of this week.
Another important thing we decided was that I take notes during the poster session to record invaluable feedback and discuss the evaluations right after.
I will also try to get a webcam widget up and running for the Chumby.
What Makes Good Application-Led Research?
"What Makes Good Application-Led Research?" is a paper from the 2005 UbiApp Workshop writtern by Richard Sharp and Kasim Rehman. This paper outlines the essential steps for a successful application-led research.
An application-led research arises from an existing need. It is about coming up with a solution to that need and evaluating the effectiveness of that solution. It is different from technology-led research in a way that the later is carried out because it is interesting from a technical perspective. Both kinds of research are essential in the are of ubiquitous computing.
A good application-led research is based on a severe, persistent problem. It is built in a way that the infrastructure can be reused for further development. This application ought to be deployed in the real-world for evaluation; lab testing does not suffice. It is also important that it is evaluated against similar applications. The results of the evaluation should be released publicly so that they can be verified by researchers around the world.
This paper gives me a good idea of the kind of questions I should ask myself and the users in order to evaluate my application.
An application-led research arises from an existing need. It is about coming up with a solution to that need and evaluating the effectiveness of that solution. It is different from technology-led research in a way that the later is carried out because it is interesting from a technical perspective. Both kinds of research are essential in the are of ubiquitous computing.
A good application-led research is based on a severe, persistent problem. It is built in a way that the infrastructure can be reused for further development. This application ought to be deployed in the real-world for evaluation; lab testing does not suffice. It is also important that it is evaluated against similar applications. The results of the evaluation should be released publicly so that they can be verified by researchers around the world.
This paper gives me a good idea of the kind of questions I should ask myself and the users in order to evaluate my application.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Ambient google talk??
Since I started my internship in Dublin, my mom and I use google talk to call eachother. Because both of us are online most of the time, it is almost like calling a phone. But, this weekend she did something amazing. She took her laptop to my aunt's place (about a mile away from our home) and called me. After talking for a while, she just left the laptop in the living room without disconnecting the call. I could hear their conversations and they could hear me. They were not directly talking to me, nor was I sitting at my computer listening to everything they said. I was doing my regular tasks in my room and their voices were just floating in the background. Whenever I heard something that caught my attention, I would join their conversation. It felt great, I felt so "connected" :) Isn't that simple ambient technology at its best!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Chumby Widget Ideas
I was, and still am, super excited about the Chumby and made it evident through very weird gtalk and facebook status messages. Seeing my excitement, a few of my friends and family shared their chumby thoughts and gave some excellent Chumby widget ideas. Here are some of them-
1) Chumby Falldown - A widget that makes Chumby's alarm go off when it falls down (or even better if it is about to fall !)
2) Birthday Reminder - A widget that reminds birthdays and automatically sends them a birthday e-card.
3) School Sign- Widget to show off you alma mater, school seal, motto etc.
4) A widget that updates twitter with "good morning" when you turn off the alarm.
5) Chumby linked to other sensors at home- like the car key, mobile phone, pressure pads, sensors in ducts etc.
6) Chumby linked to a webcam to upload pictures every now and then to the internet.
Well thats what I got. If you have any more cool ideas, please leave a comment!
1) Chumby Falldown - A widget that makes Chumby's alarm go off when it falls down (or even better if it is about to fall !)
2) Birthday Reminder - A widget that reminds birthdays and automatically sends them a birthday e-card.
3) School Sign- Widget to show off you alma mater, school seal, motto etc.
4) A widget that updates twitter with "good morning" when you turn off the alarm.
5) Chumby linked to other sensors at home- like the car key, mobile phone, pressure pads, sensors in ducts etc.
6) Chumby linked to a webcam to upload pictures every now and then to the internet.
Well thats what I got. If you have any more cool ideas, please leave a comment!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Minutes of Yesterday's Meeting
A few tasks for the next few days:
1) Blog posts on-
- how are new ideas/products evaluated in the papers I have read
- a more elaborate description of my project
-the other Odysseus projects
2) Set up a webpage exclusively for the project
3) A list of survey questions before the midterms for validating my project.
4) To get a Chumby application up and running before the midterm.
1) Blog posts on-
- how are new ideas/products evaluated in the papers I have read
- a more elaborate description of my project
-the other Odysseus projects
2) Set up a webpage exclusively for the project
3) A list of survey questions before the midterms for validating my project.
4) To get a Chumby application up and running before the midterm.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Yours, Mine and Ours? SHaring and Use of Technology in Domestic Environments
Skimming through the papers from UbiComp 2007, I came across this paper named "Yours, Mine and Ours? Sharing and Use of Technology in Domestic Environments" by A.J. Bernheim Brush and Kori M. Inkpen from Microsoft Research, Redmond, USA and Dalhousie University, Canada. Their paper is based on user studies of 15 families (50 people in total) and their sharing and usage of technology.
At the beginning of the paper they identified two different models of domestic technology devices- appliance model, and profile model. The former allows sharing of the device with other family memebers, while the latter model is more personal that requires user authentication.
They surveyed families with varying number of technological devices in their homes to see how the sharing models mentioned above were used on various devices. They also studied if the location of the device determined how it is shared.
The survey showed that most shared devices had multiple profiles. Members had different profiles not for privacy reasons, but for personalization. The same thing holds true for personal devices. For example, portable music players are not shared because one person' s playlist might not work for another.
Based on the survey, they determined that a device with a mixed profile would be ideal for families. This way families will have to buy just one device, but it would also provide user specific functionality.
This paper is very relevant to my project because it reassures that privacy is not an issue within the families. It also outlines the features a domestic technical device must have for optimum functionality.
At the beginning of the paper they identified two different models of domestic technology devices- appliance model, and profile model. The former allows sharing of the device with other family memebers, while the latter model is more personal that requires user authentication.
They surveyed families with varying number of technological devices in their homes to see how the sharing models mentioned above were used on various devices. They also studied if the location of the device determined how it is shared.
The survey showed that most shared devices had multiple profiles. Members had different profiles not for privacy reasons, but for personalization. The same thing holds true for personal devices. For example, portable music players are not shared because one person' s playlist might not work for another.
Based on the survey, they determined that a device with a mixed profile would be ideal for families. This way families will have to buy just one device, but it would also provide user specific functionality.
This paper is very relevant to my project because it reassures that privacy is not an issue within the families. It also outlines the features a domestic technical device must have for optimum functionality.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A Better Picture of My Project
After four really short weeks, I have a better idea as to where my project is going.
Keeping in touch has become very easy in today's tech savvy world. Twitter, facebook, and other social networking sites provide a quick and easy way to stay connected. But, the people being left behind are the not-so-tech-savvy people, who do not use internet on a daily basis(if not every minute.) My project is to bridge this gap between the always online children and the not-so-tech-savvy parents.
For this, I plan to use a Chumby. Chumby is an ambient device that looks like a regular alarm clock, but, it connects to the internet to diplay all kinds of information like weather, news, photos and much more. This can be used to display the status updates from the internet for the parents to know about their children. A Chumby application that gives information about the children at-a-glance will helped parents stay connected.
On the other side, a facebook application linked to the Chumby will help the children get messages from their parents. Chumby has squeeze and tilt sensors. So an application that may be "pokes" on facebook when the Chumby is squeezed or sends a message when tilted would serve this purpose.
Thats what the idea is right now. Lets see how it goes :)
Keeping in touch has become very easy in today's tech savvy world. Twitter, facebook, and other social networking sites provide a quick and easy way to stay connected. But, the people being left behind are the not-so-tech-savvy people, who do not use internet on a daily basis(if not every minute.) My project is to bridge this gap between the always online children and the not-so-tech-savvy parents.
For this, I plan to use a Chumby. Chumby is an ambient device that looks like a regular alarm clock, but, it connects to the internet to diplay all kinds of information like weather, news, photos and much more. This can be used to display the status updates from the internet for the parents to know about their children. A Chumby application that gives information about the children at-a-glance will helped parents stay connected.
On the other side, a facebook application linked to the Chumby will help the children get messages from their parents. Chumby has squeeze and tilt sensors. So an application that may be "pokes" on facebook when the Chumby is squeezed or sends a message when tilted would serve this purpose.
Thats what the idea is right now. Lets see how it goes :)
User Manual for the Website
Website
What does this website do?
The map on the website shows your location based on your twitter status. You can register addresses and give them names, like work, home etc, and when one of these names appear in your twitter status, your location is updated to this map. Hope this convinces you to register here.
How to Register and Set Up your Account?
Step 1: Get a twitter account, if you don't already have one. Its free, its easy. Sign up at Twitter.com. If you already have a twitter account, make it PUBLIC!
Step 2: Click on the "register" button on the grouphome page and register yourself.
Step 3: Go to the Login page either by clicking "Login" on the homepage or after registration. Enter your username and password and your Twitter username.
Step 4: To register a location just have l:location name = location address; in your tweet. So, if you have a tweet like this- "I am at l:work= dallas,tx;" , "work" will be registered. So the next time you have the word "work" in your tweet (For example- I am at work), your location will automatically be updated on the map. Alternatively, if you do not want to register a location, but want to update your location on the map just include- l:address; in your twitter status.
Twittering Made Easy
An easy way to send tweets is through Twhirl (for Windows) Moodblast (for Linux) or Twitter Fox (my favorite). They are all application that enable you to send Tweets without having to log on to Twitter every time.
You can even send Tweets from you phone. Just register your phone number on Twitter.com and it will walk you through the following steps.
Tweet Away!
Please leave your feedback here or send me an e-mail
What does this website do?
The map on the website shows your location based on your twitter status. You can register addresses and give them names, like work, home etc, and when one of these names appear in your twitter status, your location is updated to this map. Hope this convinces you to register here.
How to Register and Set Up your Account?
Step 1: Get a twitter account, if you don't already have one. Its free, its easy. Sign up at Twitter.com. If you already have a twitter account, make it PUBLIC!
Step 2: Click on the "register" button on the grouphome page and register yourself.
Step 3: Go to the Login page either by clicking "Login" on the homepage or after registration. Enter your username and password and your Twitter username.
Step 4: To register a location just have l:location name = location address; in your tweet. So, if you have a tweet like this- "I am at l:work= dallas,tx;" , "work" will be registered. So the next time you have the word "work" in your tweet (For example- I am at work), your location will automatically be updated on the map. Alternatively, if you do not want to register a location, but want to update your location on the map just include- l:address; in your twitter status.
Twittering Made Easy
An easy way to send tweets is through Twhirl (for Windows) Moodblast (for Linux) or Twitter Fox (my favorite). They are all application that enable you to send Tweets without having to log on to Twitter every time.
You can even send Tweets from you phone. Just register your phone number on Twitter.com and it will walk you through the following steps.
Tweet Away!
Please leave your feedback here or send me an e-mail
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Article on Chumby in the Forbes a few months ago
This article captures all the features of Chumby though the author thinks it is a "goofy" device which will contribute to information overload. Well, I disagree, but still like the way this article highlights all its features and talks about other ambient devices available in the market.
http://www.forbes.com/home/technology/forbes/2008/0324/064.html
http://www.forbes.com/home/technology/forbes/2008/0324/064.html
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Website with mutliple users
This is the website for the whole group:
http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/odysseus/grouphome.php
On this website, you can see what everyone is odysseus is upto and where they are. It works similar to the previous website, only, now it allows multiple users to register their twitter username, work and home addresses. It displays your twitter statuses . It also shows your location. If you have the word "work" in you twitter status, the google map will show your location at the work address you registered. Hope that makes sense :)
You can register at http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/odysseus/register.php. You can update your twitter username and addresses at any time here: http://crypt.ucd.ie/odysseus/login.php.
While you are at it, I also request you to follow Odysseus2008 on twitter. It is a group account and if you send direct messages to this account, everyone in the group will get the message. We are going to use this account to set up something like this: https://eniac.hopto.org/soiaware/twitter_display/
Thanks guys!
http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/odysseus/grouphome.php
On this website, you can see what everyone is odysseus is upto and where they are. It works similar to the previous website, only, now it allows multiple users to register their twitter username, work and home addresses. It displays your twitter statuses . It also shows your location. If you have the word "work" in you twitter status, the google map will show your location at the work address you registered. Hope that makes sense :)
You can register at http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/odysseus/register.php. You can update your twitter username and addresses at any time here: http://crypt.ucd.ie/odysseus/login.php.
While you are at it, I also request you to follow Odysseus2008 on twitter. It is a group account and if you send direct messages to this account, everyone in the group will get the message. We are going to use this account to set up something like this: https://eniac.hopto.org/soiaware/twitter_display/
Thanks guys!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Website Update
Two additions to the website- both that make Nabaztag talk:
1) You can send you name and message and hit send and the Nabaztag will say your message out loud.
2) You can send your twitter username and it will say your latest tweet aloud.
-This form doesn't validate the twitter username yet...so makesure your twitter username is correct...also, please make sure your twitter profile is NOT PRIVATE.....have fun sending messages :)
1) You can send you name and message and hit send and the Nabaztag will say your message out loud.
2) You can send your twitter username and it will say your latest tweet aloud.
-This form doesn't validate the twitter username yet...so makesure your twitter username is correct...also, please make sure your twitter profile is NOT PRIVATE.....have fun sending messages :)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Minutes of today's meeting
Exciting tasks for the next few days(weeks?)-
- look up python code that determines position on the mouse pointer and use it to see if the pc is active.
- play around with Nabaztag (having fun with it already!) and link it to twitter so that it can say twitter messages aloud.
- learn how bluetooth sensors in CASL work.
- get people to groupTweet.
- modify the website so that more people can sign up and register locations. Have a map similar to the one on it with multiple markers showing where people are (locations taken from twitter status updates.)
- once I hear from Richie, I am going to have a post/ an e-mail with instructions on how to set up a twitter account and get into group tweet and to easily update twitter using twhirl.
- another blog post on a simple java program (just a couple of lines of code) that updates twitter. Can be used to develop fancy applications later on.
- look up python code that determines position on the mouse pointer and use it to see if the pc is active.
- play around with Nabaztag (having fun with it already!) and link it to twitter so that it can say twitter messages aloud.
- learn how bluetooth sensors in CASL work.
- get people to groupTweet.
- modify the website so that more people can sign up and register locations. Have a map similar to the one on it with multiple markers showing where people are (locations taken from twitter status updates.)
- once I hear from Richie, I am going to have a post/ an e-mail with instructions on how to set up a twitter account and get into group tweet and to easily update twitter using twhirl.
- another blog post on a simple java program (just a couple of lines of code) that updates twitter. Can be used to develop fancy applications later on.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Computer for the 21st Century by Mark Weiser
This paper written in 1991 by Mark Weiser sparked much research in the area of ubiquitous computing. He emphasizes the fact that technology today demands a lot of attention, but its real potential can be attained when it is everywhere without making its presence known.
He says, "Whenever people learn something sufficiently well, they cease to be aware of it." He compares technology with various day to day objects. Computers should be like street signs that do not demand much attention but give information at a glance. They should be like engines, that "disappear" into the background. Most importantly, they should be like writing- everywhere!
Tabs, pads and boards are three machines developed at PARC. He outlines different ways in which they are used and elaborately describes how they can be used in the future. The details of how each product can be used help the reader understand the scope of such technology.
A very easy-to-read paper which succeeded to change the direction of our perception of technology and its usability in the future.
He says, "Whenever people learn something sufficiently well, they cease to be aware of it." He compares technology with various day to day objects. Computers should be like street signs that do not demand much attention but give information at a glance. They should be like engines, that "disappear" into the background. Most importantly, they should be like writing- everywhere!
Tabs, pads and boards are three machines developed at PARC. He outlines different ways in which they are used and elaborately describes how they can be used in the future. The details of how each product can be used help the reader understand the scope of such technology.
A very easy-to-read paper which succeeded to change the direction of our perception of technology and its usability in the future.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Update
A new addition to the website- crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/mypage.php- google maps showing my location. The maps are basically updated using key words from my twitter status updates. Right now there are just two locations- work (UCD CASL) and home (Glenomena). So, if the word "work" appears in my latest tweet, UCD CASL is shown on the map. Similarly for "home," Glenomena is the location.
There are a few applications online that show markers on google maps based on the user locations, but, I didn't find anything that picks up words from the status message to show locations. This can be furthur developed to show many more locations. Also, each user can register geo-coordinates( locations) and give them names like- work, home, school, etc., and an application like this can pick up these words from their twitter status and determine their location.
Other than that, I am still working on a java program to determine if a Ubitag is moving/stationary. This will also appear on the website asap.
Started learning python. Looks cool..really like it. I haven't started coding anything for my project in this language though, since I am already using java code written by someone else for the Ubitag program.
There are a few applications online that show markers on google maps based on the user locations, but, I didn't find anything that picks up words from the status message to show locations. This can be furthur developed to show many more locations. Also, each user can register geo-coordinates( locations) and give them names like- work, home, school, etc., and an application like this can pick up these words from their twitter status and determine their location.
Other than that, I am still working on a java program to determine if a Ubitag is moving/stationary. This will also appear on the website asap.
Started learning python. Looks cool..really like it. I haven't started coding anything for my project in this language though, since I am already using java code written by someone else for the Ubitag program.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Homes that make us smart
This is another paper I read today. This paper introduces many devices that can be used at home. Some of these devices are still at the concept stage, while some have been built and tested. Fridge magnets that glow when moved around, HomeNote- a post-it notes display, whereabouts clock and intelligent bowls are some devices discussed in the paper.
The authors say that the these devices are not intelligent in themselves, but they make their users intelligent. They provide props for members to organize and co-ordinate their lives. They have identified important surfaces in households that are extensively used to broadcast information within a family, like the refrigerator surfaces, bowls etc. They names these surfaces as intelligent surfaces. Smart home devices make use of these surfaces. Some devices like the HomeNote create new surfaces as well.
The papers also introduces the concept of person-to-place technology that these devices offer as opposed to the existing person-to-person technology. Emphasis has also been laid on the need for these devices to be unobtrusive. These devices should blend into the surroundings. They should also give information "at-a-glance."
There is a lot to learn from this paper in regard to my project. The idea of intelligent surfaces and how to efficiently use them is a useful concept. Products that can utilize and enhance the usability of these spaces will be most useful. A clock, or a fridge magnet would, therefore, be a good device. The essential features of these devices, like unobtrusiveness (is that even a word?), are also to be considered in the project.
The authors say that the these devices are not intelligent in themselves, but they make their users intelligent. They provide props for members to organize and co-ordinate their lives. They have identified important surfaces in households that are extensively used to broadcast information within a family, like the refrigerator surfaces, bowls etc. They names these surfaces as intelligent surfaces. Smart home devices make use of these surfaces. Some devices like the HomeNote create new surfaces as well.
The papers also introduces the concept of person-to-place technology that these devices offer as opposed to the existing person-to-person technology. Emphasis has also been laid on the need for these devices to be unobtrusive. These devices should blend into the surroundings. They should also give information "at-a-glance."
There is a lot to learn from this paper in regard to my project. The idea of intelligent surfaces and how to efficiently use them is a useful concept. Products that can utilize and enhance the usability of these spaces will be most useful. A clock, or a fridge magnet would, therefore, be a good device. The essential features of these devices, like unobtrusiveness (is that even a word?), are also to be considered in the project.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Locating Family Values: A field Trial of the Whereabouts Clock
This paper explores the various issues and values that come into play while using the Whereabouts Clock(WAC). The information in this paper is based on trials on 5 different households that used WAC for at least a month.
Whereabouts clock is a device that tells provides information about the location of the family members. The locations are broadly classified as "home", "work", "school" and "elsewhere." Members register geographical locations that correspond to each category and they are tracked using cell phones. The clock also displays SMSs sent by the members with extra information they want to share with their family. The clock chimes when a person changes location, and makes a cuckoo clock sound when it receives an SMS. The clock also has softkeys to control the volume and brightness, and a pendulum to show signal strength.
WAC gives members of the family reassurance by showing them what they already know. It also helps co-ordination which is essential in a family to make decisions and plan day-to-day activities. It also ensures connectedness and togetherness among the members.
The paper addresses the major issue of privacy that arises while designing any location determining devices. Based on the trials, it was found out that people are comfortable sharing their "vague" location with families. They were not comfortable sharing their location on a social-networking site, though."...the reactions we recieved around privacy reflect the fact that family life is built, significantly, around shared awareness, without which much of the everyday co-ordination of the family would be impossible."
Whereabouts clock is a device that tells provides information about the location of the family members. The locations are broadly classified as "home", "work", "school" and "elsewhere." Members register geographical locations that correspond to each category and they are tracked using cell phones. The clock also displays SMSs sent by the members with extra information they want to share with their family. The clock chimes when a person changes location, and makes a cuckoo clock sound when it receives an SMS. The clock also has softkeys to control the volume and brightness, and a pendulum to show signal strength.
WAC gives members of the family reassurance by showing them what they already know. It also helps co-ordination which is essential in a family to make decisions and plan day-to-day activities. It also ensures connectedness and togetherness among the members.
The paper addresses the major issue of privacy that arises while designing any location determining devices. Based on the trials, it was found out that people are comfortable sharing their "vague" location with families. They were not comfortable sharing their location on a social-networking site, though."...the reactions we recieved around privacy reflect the fact that family life is built, significantly, around shared awareness, without which much of the everyday co-ordination of the family would be impossible."
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Website
Did a couple of things today..
Website
I got the website up and running that has my status updates. The link to the website is http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/mypage.php
I update my status from a login page with a username and password. The login page is
http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/index.php
This makes it easier to update my status.
When I enter my username and password, a php script accesses a table called person on my database and checks if the username and password match. If they do, then it updates the status. The website- mypage.php accesses the database to get status updates.
Twitter
downloaded jtwitter( twitter api ) and wrote a simple java program that takes a string as an input and updates the status on twitter. Going to try and do the same for jaiku and facebook tomorrow. Jtwitter has some other cool methods too...plan to explore those as well.
Website
I got the website up and running that has my status updates. The link to the website is http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/mypage.php
I update my status from a login page with a username and password. The login page is
http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/index.php
This makes it easier to update my status.
When I enter my username and password, a php script accesses a table called person on my database and checks if the username and password match. If they do, then it updates the status. The website- mypage.php accesses the database to get status updates.
downloaded jtwitter( twitter api ) and wrote a simple java program that takes a string as an input and updates the status on twitter. Going to try and do the same for jaiku and facebook tomorrow. Jtwitter has some other cool methods too...plan to explore those as well.
Friday, June 6, 2008
What is my project about ?
Distributed families are very common in today's world. Family members want to keep in touch, but time and technological constraints often make keeping in touch difficult. It is also true that members, especially the younger ones, like to maintain loose tabs with their families. Hence, a device that conveys information about the whereabouts and actions of each member would cater these needs.
Devices like these need to comply with certain specifications that users feel are significant. Weiser mentions that it is important for the device to blend in with the surroundings. It should not require too much attention and the user should be able to get information just by glancing at it. It is also essential that the people do not consider the device as an invasion of privacy.
Microsoft has done extensive research in this area and one of the Socio-Digital Systems it has come up with is the Whereabouts clock. It shows the vague location of a person (eg. school, work, home, out) and when clicked on a person, it would show any extra information the person has chosen to share. Christine Trant from UCD has done a project similar to the Whereabouts Clock. This clock is online, as opposed to Microsoft's tangible clock.
My project is going to be in similar lines. It could be a Whereabouts clock as a desktop item on a computer/mobile phone. This way people do not have to enter a website to access it. It would also be nice to have a tangible clock for the older members who do not use a computer very often, and a soft-clock for the younger members who are mostly on the go, but have access to a computer/mobile phone almost always.
Well, thats what I think my project is about. Lets see how it goes.
Devices like these need to comply with certain specifications that users feel are significant. Weiser mentions that it is important for the device to blend in with the surroundings. It should not require too much attention and the user should be able to get information just by glancing at it. It is also essential that the people do not consider the device as an invasion of privacy.
Microsoft has done extensive research in this area and one of the Socio-Digital Systems it has come up with is the Whereabouts clock. It shows the vague location of a person (eg. school, work, home, out) and when clicked on a person, it would show any extra information the person has chosen to share. Christine Trant from UCD has done a project similar to the Whereabouts Clock. This clock is online, as opposed to Microsoft's tangible clock.
My project is going to be in similar lines. It could be a Whereabouts clock as a desktop item on a computer/mobile phone. This way people do not have to enter a website to access it. It would also be nice to have a tangible clock for the older members who do not use a computer very often, and a soft-clock for the younger members who are mostly on the go, but have access to a computer/mobile phone almost always.
Well, thats what I think my project is about. Lets see how it goes.
Website
I started designing a simple website that would has updates about my trip and some pictures for my family back in California.
Here is the link
http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/mypage.htm
Here is the link
http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/mypage.htm
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Initial Milestones
Today, Lorcan and I basically decided on initial tasks for me for the next few days.
-a short paragraph on my readings in miktek as well as make them into blog entries so that I can keep track of my readings in the future. Blog posts on Whereabouts clock and Mark Weiser's paper on Computer of the 21st century.
- a simple web page using php/ html (or both??) with status updates for my family back home. Will include a link to pictures as well.
-a java program that take string input and updates the twitter status. Will try to do it for jaiku and facebook too. Will take a look at GData.
- research on different technologies that update twitter, jaiku, facebook etc in one go.ex: Moodblast (gotta find the equivalent for Windows.)
- Oh and not to forget a blog entry on what do I think this project is about :S
Phew! lots to do...
-a short paragraph on my readings in miktek as well as make them into blog entries so that I can keep track of my readings in the future. Blog posts on Whereabouts clock and Mark Weiser's paper on Computer of the 21st century.
- a simple web page using php/ html (or both??) with status updates for my family back home. Will include a link to pictures as well.
-a java program that take string input and updates the twitter status. Will try to do it for jaiku and facebook too. Will take a look at GData.
- research on different technologies that update twitter, jaiku, facebook etc in one go.ex: Moodblast (gotta find the equivalent for Windows.)
- Oh and not to forget a blog entry on what do I think this project is about :S
Phew! lots to do...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
day 1
Today, I read a little bit on what kind of research is going on in the world out there on social connectedness. I read about a few Microsoft projects on Socio-Digital Systems (SDSs). I tried to list out a few pros and cons (just a personal opinion) of each device.
Digital Postcard seems like a very good way for the younger generation to send status updates to their not-so-tech-savvy parents. It is small enough to be mounted on the wall.
The Epigraph captures the statuses of different family members and displays them all at once by splitting the screen into parts for each member. It also has more sources of inputs-internet and cellular. But, it doesn’t seem to be as compact as a postcard.
Whereabouts clock-Woah! The name reminds me of the Weasleys’ family-clock in the Harry Potter books. And, after reading, it seems to be the same thing! Very cool, easy to understand and can get updates of any member of the family at a glance. But,activity options would be limited. If the member is out doing something different and strange that he wants his family to know, it would not be possible with this device.
I will read up more on Whereabouts clock tomorrow. Looks very interesting!
From my initial reading, I picked up a few phrases that have been redundantly used. These phrases, I realized, govern the features of SDSs.
· -Family presence when they are away.
· -Unobtrusive and non-invasive information sharing
· -Loose tabs between members of the family
· -Virtual nearness
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