Chapter 7: Rat Park
Summary:
Bruce Alexander wanted to challenge the conventional thoughts on addiction, so he created a rat park with all the necessary items, as well as sugary water laced with drugs. The rats did not like the sugary drug water, and instead avoided it for regular water, even when they were already addicted. Besides a small following, Alexander's findings were rejected.
Discussion:
I don't buy what he said. Sure if people lived in a perfect world with no stresses, I'd buy that they wouldn't want or need drugs. But because of the stresses of life and the effects of the drugs, I fully believe in addiction. I had an addiction to caffeine, and the headaches when I broke the addiction were so bad I could hardly see at times, and I was nauseous as well, and I didn't read up on the symptoms until after I was mostly broken from the addiction.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Book Reading #25 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 8: The Role of the Dance
Summary:
Dancing is the only activity that both sexes of all ages participate in. The strict subordination of the children isn't present here, and it reduces the shyness in some of the children. Even the defects are included in the dancing with openness.
Discussion:
Alright this one wasn't interesting again. I liked how the defective ones in the society were still included. Also I think it's a good mechanism to allow the children to escape and have fun in the presence of the elders.
Summary:
Dancing is the only activity that both sexes of all ages participate in. The strict subordination of the children isn't present here, and it reduces the shyness in some of the children. Even the defects are included in the dancing with openness.
Discussion:
Alright this one wasn't interesting again. I liked how the defective ones in the society were still included. Also I think it's a good mechanism to allow the children to escape and have fun in the presence of the elders.
Book Reading #24 - Emotional Design
Chapter 1: Attractive Things Work Better
Summary:
Visceral, behavioral, and reflective are three levels of processing. A design also needs to balance creativity and focus; when focus is low, creativity can be higher, but when a task requires high levels of focus, creativity should be low.
Discussion:
I'm optimistic about this book so far. It's a little different than the previous, but I'm worried that he'll repeat himself throughout the book again. This chapter was interesting I thought.
Summary:
Visceral, behavioral, and reflective are three levels of processing. A design also needs to balance creativity and focus; when focus is low, creativity can be higher, but when a task requires high levels of focus, creativity should be low.
Discussion:
I'm optimistic about this book so far. It's a little different than the previous, but I'm worried that he'll repeat himself throughout the book again. This chapter was interesting I thought.
Design of Every Day Things
Reference:
The Design of Everyday Things
By Donald A Norman
Published 199
Summary:
The author discusses the failures of some designs, such as a door, projector, and telephone. He states that everyday things are sacrificing good design for complexity. Dr. Norman explains that the lack of visibility is causing most, if not all, of these problems.
Next, the book analyzes why we do certain things, and how that pertains to design of things. Often times we blame ourselves for misuse of a product, but in fact it is more due to the imprecise or faulty design of the product. There are seven stages of action: Goals, Intention to act, sequence of actions, execution of action sequence, perceiving the state of the world, interpreting the perception, and evaluation of interpretations.
The memory process is then broken down and how clues from the world can aid in the memory process. When there aren't clues present in the world to aid memory and how to use a design, then the burden becomes solely on the memory, which isn't good. The world/design should contain reminders and intuitive clues to aid the usefulness.
Following that, Dr. Norman discussed knowing how to use an object based on its design. The author uses examples such as a plate on a door, light switches (really long), and even sounds to indicate whether the object was working or not. The author created a different, more intuitive horizontal light switch design modeled after the room layout.
Then the challenges to designers is described. Designers typically go astray because they put aesthetics first, are not the users, and their clients may not be the users. There are two deadly temptations for designers as well, which are described as "creeping featurism and the worshiping of false images." Also the chapter has many examples, as most of the chapters do, such as the typewriter/keyboard, faucets, the telephone, and the computer.
Lastly, the final chapter combines all the information from the previous chapters into one recommendation on how to design things. The seven principles for transforming difficult tasks into simple ones are use knowledge in the head and in the world, simplify structure of tasks, make things visible, get the mappings right, exploit power of constraints, design for error, and finally when all else fails, standardize.
Discussion:
I didn't like this book very much. It was incredibly repetitive. Each chapter reworded things that had already been discussed earlier in the book. I think the book could have been condensed into the first and last chapters, and that's it. Maybe add some of the examples presented in the other chapters. I did enjoy his use of examples, but some were trivial. I felt throughout the book that it was condescending because it used such silly examples and acted all-knowing. I felt as though the book were speaking to the reader as though the reader were a child. I would not read this book again, nor would I recommend it for future people.
The Design of Everyday Things
By Donald A Norman
Published 199
Summary:
The author discusses the failures of some designs, such as a door, projector, and telephone. He states that everyday things are sacrificing good design for complexity. Dr. Norman explains that the lack of visibility is causing most, if not all, of these problems.
Next, the book analyzes why we do certain things, and how that pertains to design of things. Often times we blame ourselves for misuse of a product, but in fact it is more due to the imprecise or faulty design of the product. There are seven stages of action: Goals, Intention to act, sequence of actions, execution of action sequence, perceiving the state of the world, interpreting the perception, and evaluation of interpretations.
The memory process is then broken down and how clues from the world can aid in the memory process. When there aren't clues present in the world to aid memory and how to use a design, then the burden becomes solely on the memory, which isn't good. The world/design should contain reminders and intuitive clues to aid the usefulness.
Following that, Dr. Norman discussed knowing how to use an object based on its design. The author uses examples such as a plate on a door, light switches (really long), and even sounds to indicate whether the object was working or not. The author created a different, more intuitive horizontal light switch design modeled after the room layout.
Then the challenges to designers is described. Designers typically go astray because they put aesthetics first, are not the users, and their clients may not be the users. There are two deadly temptations for designers as well, which are described as "creeping featurism and the worshiping of false images." Also the chapter has many examples, as most of the chapters do, such as the typewriter/keyboard, faucets, the telephone, and the computer.
Lastly, the final chapter combines all the information from the previous chapters into one recommendation on how to design things. The seven principles for transforming difficult tasks into simple ones are use knowledge in the head and in the world, simplify structure of tasks, make things visible, get the mappings right, exploit power of constraints, design for error, and finally when all else fails, standardize.
Discussion:
I didn't like this book very much. It was incredibly repetitive. Each chapter reworded things that had already been discussed earlier in the book. I think the book could have been condensed into the first and last chapters, and that's it. Maybe add some of the examples presented in the other chapters. I did enjoy his use of examples, but some were trivial. I felt throughout the book that it was condescending because it used such silly examples and acted all-knowing. I felt as though the book were speaking to the reader as though the reader were a child. I would not read this book again, nor would I recommend it for future people.
Paper Reading #11
Comments:
Reference:
Title:A Conversational Interface to Web Automation
Authors: Tessa Lau, Julian Cerruti, Guillermo Manzato, Mateo Bengualid, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Jeffrey Nichols
Venue: UIST 2010
Summary:
This system is very similar to the previous article. Instead of querying music or photo databases, however, this interface queries web tasks. The system is titled CoCo. The commands are described as "conversational." An example given is "get road conditions for Highway 88." Also, the system uses a repository to capture previously recorded web scripts and web browsing history. The goal here is to more accurately guess how to complete a given task. This poses a problem because these scripts are not sorted by website or task.
The primary functionality is "to enable a user to direct CoCo to perform a task on the web." An example mentioned in the article was "forward phone calls to home." The command was actually displayed as being done over Twitter (hence the comic). From this, the command is mapped to actions on the web that will accomplish this task. Thus, it becomes a planning problem, which for this system relies on the use of plan libraries. Plan libraries are "user-centric repositories of scripts that describe how to accomplish tasks on the web."
Overall, this is a system designed to be easy to use, or "conversational," as the article puts it. It will assist users in completing tasks on the web easier and more efficiently by way of a simple textual interface.
Discussion:
Wow this paper was incredibly long. I did enjoy the interface idea. It seems to me like the systems and interfaces in the UIST sections have been targeted at making more simple interactions. This definitely follows under that category. It excites me to see how we're trying to make designs that are easier to use for common users or less technically savvy users. This notion reminds me a lot of The Design of Everyday Things (unfortunately). However, this paper is entirely too long. It was impossible to finish this in one sitting. It actually took me three sittings to finish this one. Reading papers with this many technical details is just very tiresome. The interface and system is a great idea in my opinion, but they need to condense their paper so as to not lose people's attention.
Reference:
Title:A Conversational Interface to Web Automation
Authors: Tessa Lau, Julian Cerruti, Guillermo Manzato, Mateo Bengualid, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Jeffrey Nichols
Venue: UIST 2010
Summary:
This system is very similar to the previous article. Instead of querying music or photo databases, however, this interface queries web tasks. The system is titled CoCo. The commands are described as "conversational." An example given is "get road conditions for Highway 88." Also, the system uses a repository to capture previously recorded web scripts and web browsing history. The goal here is to more accurately guess how to complete a given task. This poses a problem because these scripts are not sorted by website or task.
The primary functionality is "to enable a user to direct CoCo to perform a task on the web." An example mentioned in the article was "forward phone calls to home." The command was actually displayed as being done over Twitter (hence the comic). From this, the command is mapped to actions on the web that will accomplish this task. Thus, it becomes a planning problem, which for this system relies on the use of plan libraries. Plan libraries are "user-centric repositories of scripts that describe how to accomplish tasks on the web."
Overall, this is a system designed to be easy to use, or "conversational," as the article puts it. It will assist users in completing tasks on the web easier and more efficiently by way of a simple textual interface.
Discussion:
Wow this paper was incredibly long. I did enjoy the interface idea. It seems to me like the systems and interfaces in the UIST sections have been targeted at making more simple interactions. This definitely follows under that category. It excites me to see how we're trying to make designs that are easier to use for common users or less technically savvy users. This notion reminds me a lot of The Design of Everyday Things (unfortunately). However, this paper is entirely too long. It was impossible to finish this in one sitting. It actually took me three sittings to finish this one. Reading papers with this many technical details is just very tiresome. The interface and system is a great idea in my opinion, but they need to condense their paper so as to not lose people's attention.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Book Reading #21 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 7: User-Centered Design
Summary:
This final chapter combines all the information from the previous chapters into one recommendation on how to design things. The seven principles for transforming difficult tasks into simple ones are use knowledge in the head and in the world, simplify structure of tasks, make things visible, get the mappings right, exploit power of constraints, design for error, and finally when all else fails, standardize.
Discussion:
I felt like this was reading the rest of the chapters all over again. I think this book could have been condensed into the first and last chapters, and that's it.
Summary:
This final chapter combines all the information from the previous chapters into one recommendation on how to design things. The seven principles for transforming difficult tasks into simple ones are use knowledge in the head and in the world, simplify structure of tasks, make things visible, get the mappings right, exploit power of constraints, design for error, and finally when all else fails, standardize.
Discussion:
I felt like this was reading the rest of the chapters all over again. I think this book could have been condensed into the first and last chapters, and that's it.
Book Reading #22 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 7: Formal Sex Relations
Summary:
The relations between males and females is emotionally charged from adolescence until they're old. Between unmarried, the three types of relations are the "clandestine encounter," public elopement, and ceremonious courtship, but "surreptitious rape" also exists for those cannot gain a mate. Celibacy is meaningless to the Samoans.
Discussion:
Well, obviously given the topic this was a little more interesting. I think their relations between men and women are not much different than our own, regarding how they act around each other. This isn't my favorite type of book, but this chapter was alright.
Summary:
The relations between males and females is emotionally charged from adolescence until they're old. Between unmarried, the three types of relations are the "clandestine encounter," public elopement, and ceremonious courtship, but "surreptitious rape" also exists for those cannot gain a mate. Celibacy is meaningless to the Samoans.
Discussion:
Well, obviously given the topic this was a little more interesting. I think their relations between men and women are not much different than our own, regarding how they act around each other. This isn't my favorite type of book, but this chapter was alright.
Book Reading #23 - Opening Skinner's Box
Comments:
Reference:
Title: Chapter 6: Monkey Love
Author: Lauren Slater
Venue: Book
Summary:
Harry Harlow's experiments with monkeys likely began the animal rights movement. He was very cruel to the animals, but it also led to great medical advancements and achievements.
Harry Harlow was born Harry Israel. He married twice, having two kids with each woman, and having affairs in both marriages as well. The affair is what ruined his first marriage. He struggled with depression and, later in life, heavy drinking.
Harlow originally set out to study intelligence in monkeys but stumbled upon another discovery. He had be separating the monkeys from their mothers at birth, and the monkeys became very attached to a blanket in their cage, so attached that they would scream if the blanket were taken away. Harlow then began to study love, and whether it was tied to food as had been hypothesized in that time period. He created surrogate mothers, one that was in the material of the blankets with a pretty face, and one that provided nutrition but was not soft. The monkeys attached themselves to the soft mother and loved it very deeply. Harlow then proclaimed that nutrition was not the factor involving love, but rather "contact comfort." This discovery shook the psychology world and made Harlow famous. Harlow decided to take his experiments further. He created surrogates again the same way, but this time the cloth mother would blast the monkeys with incredibly cold air or even stab the monkeys. He labeled this mother as the Iron Maiden. Still, the monkeys loved the Iron Maiden.
However, these monkeys turned out to be socially impaired, almost autistic. They bit off their own hands and fingers and could not get along with others. This made Harlow backtrack on his proclamation and say there are other factors than just the comfort. He found if the surrogates rocked the monkeys and if the monkeys were allowed to interact with other monkeys for just 30 minutes a day, then the monkeys generally turned out normal.
Harlow then wanted to see if these monkeys could reproduce, and what kind of mothers they would be. However, they had no instincts on how to mate, and clawed the male monkeys' faces. So Harlow created a "rape rack," that tied the female monkeys down and allowed the males to do their business. As mothers, these monkeys generally could not suffice. A good number either killed their offspring or displayed ambivalence towards them. Only some were loving mothers.
Later in his life, Harlow decided to study depression because of his own struggles with the disease. He would strap down monkeys in dark rooms, feeding them through certain devices, and leave them there for months or even years. All of these monkeys turned out "shattered and psychotic." Harlow died of Parkinson's disease.
Discussion:
It was truly horrifying for me to read what this guy did to those monkeys. I'm no animal rights activist, but I do believe one has to be pretty messed up to torture animals. On the flip side, I think if one had to choose the life or wellbeing of a loved one versus the life of an animal, one should always choose the loved one. I would hate to meet the person that would choose the animal. At least now I understand where all these depictions of horrible treatment for animals originates. Man this guy was just a sick individual. No one should do the things he did, let alone draw satisfaction from it. However, I do acknowledge the benefits that came about from his research. I guess someone had to do it, but I'm sure glad it wasn't me.
Reference:
Title: Chapter 6: Monkey Love
Author: Lauren Slater
Venue: Book
Summary:
Harry Harlow's experiments with monkeys likely began the animal rights movement. He was very cruel to the animals, but it also led to great medical advancements and achievements.
Harry Harlow was born Harry Israel. He married twice, having two kids with each woman, and having affairs in both marriages as well. The affair is what ruined his first marriage. He struggled with depression and, later in life, heavy drinking.
Harlow originally set out to study intelligence in monkeys but stumbled upon another discovery. He had be separating the monkeys from their mothers at birth, and the monkeys became very attached to a blanket in their cage, so attached that they would scream if the blanket were taken away. Harlow then began to study love, and whether it was tied to food as had been hypothesized in that time period. He created surrogate mothers, one that was in the material of the blankets with a pretty face, and one that provided nutrition but was not soft. The monkeys attached themselves to the soft mother and loved it very deeply. Harlow then proclaimed that nutrition was not the factor involving love, but rather "contact comfort." This discovery shook the psychology world and made Harlow famous. Harlow decided to take his experiments further. He created surrogates again the same way, but this time the cloth mother would blast the monkeys with incredibly cold air or even stab the monkeys. He labeled this mother as the Iron Maiden. Still, the monkeys loved the Iron Maiden.
However, these monkeys turned out to be socially impaired, almost autistic. They bit off their own hands and fingers and could not get along with others. This made Harlow backtrack on his proclamation and say there are other factors than just the comfort. He found if the surrogates rocked the monkeys and if the monkeys were allowed to interact with other monkeys for just 30 minutes a day, then the monkeys generally turned out normal.
Harlow then wanted to see if these monkeys could reproduce, and what kind of mothers they would be. However, they had no instincts on how to mate, and clawed the male monkeys' faces. So Harlow created a "rape rack," that tied the female monkeys down and allowed the males to do their business. As mothers, these monkeys generally could not suffice. A good number either killed their offspring or displayed ambivalence towards them. Only some were loving mothers.
Later in his life, Harlow decided to study depression because of his own struggles with the disease. He would strap down monkeys in dark rooms, feeding them through certain devices, and leave them there for months or even years. All of these monkeys turned out "shattered and psychotic." Harlow died of Parkinson's disease.
Discussion:
It was truly horrifying for me to read what this guy did to those monkeys. I'm no animal rights activist, but I do believe one has to be pretty messed up to torture animals. On the flip side, I think if one had to choose the life or wellbeing of a loved one versus the life of an animal, one should always choose the loved one. I would hate to meet the person that would choose the animal. At least now I understand where all these depictions of horrible treatment for animals originates. Man this guy was just a sick individual. No one should do the things he did, let alone draw satisfaction from it. However, I do acknowledge the benefits that came about from his research. I guess someone had to do it, but I'm sure glad it wasn't me.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Ethnography Results, Week 3
We went tonight, and there was literally no one there besides the bartender, who was on his laptop. This was Wesley and I's first night there, so we took some time to check everything out despite the no crowd. The back wall is a rendition of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Inside, there are just about as many paintings as the walls will hold. Most seem to be of the same style as Van Gogh, though I know literally nothing about art. The outside portion is dimly lit with white string lights that one would typically see at Christmas. The outer wall facing the street has vines about 10 feet high, presumably to help with the privacy. Outside is a bar area that looks like it hasn't been used in quite some time. The outside has a lot of rod iron chairs and tables. The inside is pretty much a bar area and not much else. I wouldn't feel comfortable if there were 30 people in there. It looks as though the initial descriptions as being a very artsy place are right on target. As we were leaving, we noticed that it said it was closed Monday, although it looked like a permanent sign and not a temporary, spur of the moment one. Also, everything was open and all the lights were on, so that made that sign a bit curious as well. Also, The Stafford seemed to be very crowded and hoppin' as we walked by. I kinda wish we had chosen there instead. Oh well, see you Thursday Revolutions.
Paper Reading #10
Comments:
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Designing Adaptive Feedback for Improving Data Entry Accuracy
Author: Kuang Chen, Joseph M. Hellerstein, Tapan S. Parikh
Venue: UIST 2010
Summary:
This article summarizes a system name USHER, a theoretical data-driven system aimed at improving data entry quality. USHER strives to decrease time during data entry, and increase time verifying the data after entry. Thus, the overall goal is not efficiency or decreasing time, but rather increasing the correctness of the data being entered. USHER has been shown to improve error rates by 54-78% for radio buttons, but the impact for other widget types was statistically insignificant. The system tries to ask the most unpredictable answers first, and uses the data from those questions to "guess" on the following questions.
The feedback mechanisms use two formulas:
The model for USHER is a "Bayesian network over a form that captures the relationships between for questions based on prior data." To test this system, they created a web application with Java Servlets and Adobe Flex. All feedback mechanisms used client-side code that calculated the likelihood values based on previous answers.
Discussion:
This was another interesting article. Right now it seems like the UIST articles are more interesting than the CHI 2010 articles. I really liked the quote this article started with from Carl Malamud: “information is a form
of infrastructure; no less important to our modern life than our roads, electrical grid or water systems.” I certainly think a good case can be made for that statement, which is why we need systems like USHER to increase the validity of the information we enter into our databases. Also I liked how the article described every meaningful detail about the system, all the way down to formulas and programming techniques, while keeping the article sufficiently succinct. The use of pictures broke up the text nicely too (may seem unimportant to some, but I find it highly important). The strategy of using the most unpredictable questions first is also interesting to me. Usually it seems like people do the exact opposite and then try to predict off those. I can see how using the unpredictable questions first could be more useful. Overall, I liked this article.
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Designing Adaptive Feedback for Improving Data Entry Accuracy
Author: Kuang Chen, Joseph M. Hellerstein, Tapan S. Parikh
Venue: UIST 2010
Summary:
This article summarizes a system name USHER, a theoretical data-driven system aimed at improving data entry quality. USHER strives to decrease time during data entry, and increase time verifying the data after entry. Thus, the overall goal is not efficiency or decreasing time, but rather increasing the correctness of the data being entered. USHER has been shown to improve error rates by 54-78% for radio buttons, but the impact for other widget types was statistically insignificant. The system tries to ask the most unpredictable answers first, and uses the data from those questions to "guess" on the following questions.
The feedback mechanisms use two formulas:
- t = a/D, a > 0
- k = min(7, ceiling(logb(D)), b > 1
The model for USHER is a "Bayesian network over a form that captures the relationships between for questions based on prior data." To test this system, they created a web application with Java Servlets and Adobe Flex. All feedback mechanisms used client-side code that calculated the likelihood values based on previous answers.
Discussion:
This was another interesting article. Right now it seems like the UIST articles are more interesting than the CHI 2010 articles. I really liked the quote this article started with from Carl Malamud: “information is a form
of infrastructure; no less important to our modern life than our roads, electrical grid or water systems.” I certainly think a good case can be made for that statement, which is why we need systems like USHER to increase the validity of the information we enter into our databases. Also I liked how the article described every meaningful detail about the system, all the way down to formulas and programming techniques, while keeping the article sufficiently succinct. The use of pictures broke up the text nicely too (may seem unimportant to some, but I find it highly important). The strategy of using the most unpredictable questions first is also interesting to me. Usually it seems like people do the exact opposite and then try to predict off those. I can see how using the unpredictable questions first could be more useful. Overall, I liked this article.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Book Reading #18 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 6: The Design Challenge
Summary:
This chapter describes the challenges to designers. Designers typically go astray because they put aesthetics first, are not the users, and their clients may not be the users. There are two deadly temptations for designers as well, which are described as "creeping featurism and the worshiping of false images." Also the chapter has many examples, as most of the chapters do, such as the typewriter/keyboard, faucets, the telephone, and the computer.
Discussion:
This chapter was better than previous chapters. It gave me some things to look out for so I don't make those same mistakes. I like all the examples, but I feel as if the author is talking down to the reader too much.
Summary:
This chapter describes the challenges to designers. Designers typically go astray because they put aesthetics first, are not the users, and their clients may not be the users. There are two deadly temptations for designers as well, which are described as "creeping featurism and the worshiping of false images." Also the chapter has many examples, as most of the chapters do, such as the typewriter/keyboard, faucets, the telephone, and the computer.
Discussion:
This chapter was better than previous chapters. It gave me some things to look out for so I don't make those same mistakes. I like all the examples, but I feel as if the author is talking down to the reader too much.
Book Reading #19 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 6: The Girl in Her Community
Summary:
Children under the age of 15 or 16 are not recognized in the community. Women are not seen as taboo as in other Polynesian cultures, as evidenced by the lack of ignoring women when they're menstruating. Women do not suffer the same penal code as men.
Discussion:
Overall, this is still boring. I don't see how understanding how Samoans live will help me as a computer engineer. I thought the menstruating and penal code bits were the most interesting in the chapter.
Summary:
Children under the age of 15 or 16 are not recognized in the community. Women are not seen as taboo as in other Polynesian cultures, as evidenced by the lack of ignoring women when they're menstruating. Women do not suffer the same penal code as men.
Discussion:
Overall, this is still boring. I don't see how understanding how Samoans live will help me as a computer engineer. I thought the menstruating and penal code bits were the most interesting in the chapter.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Book Reading #20 - Opening Skinner's Box
Chapter 5: Quieting the Mind
Summary:
Leon Festinger was the father of cognitive dissonance, a theory that says humans try to rationalize our mistakes or negative actions. Lauren Slater seeks to see what a mother of a disabled woman thinks about cognitive dissonance. This leaves Slater unsure and to believe that cognitive dissonance is not a perfect theory either.
Discussion:
I know I write this often, but I really enjoy these readings. I thought the theory of cognitive dissonance was interesting, and it definitely applies in some cases. However, sometimes I think the people who think they are being rational are the ones rationalizing, as can be the case with religion.
Summary:
Leon Festinger was the father of cognitive dissonance, a theory that says humans try to rationalize our mistakes or negative actions. Lauren Slater seeks to see what a mother of a disabled woman thinks about cognitive dissonance. This leaves Slater unsure and to believe that cognitive dissonance is not a perfect theory either.
Discussion:
I know I write this often, but I really enjoy these readings. I thought the theory of cognitive dissonance was interesting, and it definitely applies in some cases. However, sometimes I think the people who think they are being rational are the ones rationalizing, as can be the case with religion.
Paper Reading #9
Comments:
Comment #1
Comment #2
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Creating Collections with Automatic Suggestions and Example-Based Refinement
Author: Adrian Secord, Holger Winnem¨oller, Wilmot Li, Mira Dontcheva
Venue: UIST 2010; New York University & Adobe Systems Inc.
Summary:
This article discusses two systems that create collections from media devices. The musical program was SongSelect, and the photo program was PhotoSelect.
SongSelect has a query based interface. A user can type in "a lot of rock, no U2," etc. The program recognizes key words such as "a lot, some, no," etc, and the program will create a playlist from that. The user can also specify the number of songs or overall length of the playlist. From there, the interface has a suggestion widget that does exactly as it describes. The user can drag and drop the suggestions onto the playlist. Also, the interface has two tabs for history and the user's library. A user can drag and drop from the library, or use previous searches/queries from these tabs.
PhotoSelect is very similar to SongSelect. It still uses the query based system to generate collections, and has two panes with the library on one side and the collection being generated on the other. The keywords are mostly the same, and the suggestion widget is still there. However, they changed a bit about the suggestion widget for PhotoSelect. PhotoSelect uses a grid structure to display the photos, so no metadata is visible.
They implemented these programs with a client-server model. The server was implemented in C++ as a web server and uses the Geocode constraint-solving toolkit.
Discussion:
Discussion:
I actually enjoyed this read because it actually discusses an interface and how it works. However, this article is incredibly long. While I appreciate the detail, the length was pretty brutal. Nonetheless, the two programs described sounded pretty cool to me. I really liked how they used plain words for their query language. This was probably my favorite article to read, in spite of the length, because it actually described an interface. On top of that, the interfaces sound cool. I would really like to try out these two programs. I think they would be very easy to use for even the most basic of user. The queries are easy to figure out, and the entire library is always present as well. All in all, these are definitely worth keeping an eye on in the future.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Book Reading #17 - HCI Remixed
Chapter 6: A Creative Programming Environment
Author: Henry Lieberman
Venue: MIT Media Lab
Summary:
Lieberman discusses Pygmalion, a graphical computer language created by David Smith in 1975. Steve Jobs "borrowed" the idea for his Macintosh, and this is the foundation of all graphical systems today. Lieberman then used the concept of "programming by example," from the paper by Smith, to develop several systems and books.
Discussion:
This was actually pretty interesting. I thought it was funny to read about Steve Jobs stealing ideas when eh had ideas so famously stolen from him. I wish I could have seen this system actually running.
Chapter 7: Fundamentals in HCI: Learning the Value of Consistency and User Models
Author: Sara Bly
Venue: Sara Bly Consulting, Oregon
Summary:
This chapter discussed Xerox Red Book, a 400+ page document specifying the requirements and aims of the then-new Xerox Red Star 5.0. The Red Book created consistency in the functionality and changed how user specifications were created.
Discussion:
I liked this chapter a lot. I had to read the sentence about the number of pages twice because I couldn't believe the specification document was so long. Also I thought it was interesting to see how this changed user specifications.
Chapter 9: The Disappearing Computer
Author: Norbert A. Streitz
Venue: Fraunhofer IPSI, Darmstadt, Germany
Summary:
This chapter focused on making a computer "disappear." There were two types of disappearance discussed: physical- making the computer small so they become integrated and "invisible," and mental- though the computers are large, they are viewed as normal objects and are interactive, such as interactive walls or tables.
Discussion:
We've continued to try to make computers "disappear," as this chapter suggests. I found interesting to think of designing computers with this in mind. It seems this is exactly what we're doing, whether it be with netbooks, smartphones, or tablets even.
Chapter 10: It Really Is All About Location!
Author: Anind K. Dey
Venue: Carnegie Melon University
Summary:
This chapter discussed location based services, such as GPS, and how they stemmed from the Active Badge system from Xerox. The Active Badge sent out a signal every 15 seconds, which was captured by an inexpensive receiver. This allowed phone calls to be routed to reach the intended person more effectively, as well as keep track of where people are.
Discussion:
Overall I didn't find this too interesting, but I did find it fascinating to realize how far back location-based services went. The Active Badge didn't really interest me.
Chapter 46: The Essential Role of Mental Models in HCI: Card, Moran, and Newell
Author: Kate Ehrlich
Venue: IBM Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Summary:
Mental models and the work of Card et al. is overviewed in this chapter. Card et al. created the GOMS model, which stands for goals, operators, methods, and selective rules. This model focused on "routine cognitive skills," but was criticized for focusing on low level operations and highly skilled users.
Discussion:
I thought this chapter was really boring. I expected it to really expand on mental models, but it really didn't get too much into how humans use mental models or anything. I didn't think the writer was very skilled either.
Chapter 47: A Most Fitting Law
Author: Gary M. Olson
Venue: University of Michigan
Summary:
This chapter was about Fitt's Law and how it applied to certain HCI interfaces, such as popup menus or Mac vs Windows. In Mac versus Windows, Windows selections are always harder because they are not on the edge, as Mac choices are. The edge is the best place to put things because the cursor cannot go passed them.
Discussion:
This was mildly interesting because I've already read a CHI 2010 paper on Fitt's Law. This chapter was much more informative about the practical applications of Fitt's Law, which I appreciated. I prefer when these chapters actually discuss interfaces.
Author: Henry Lieberman
Venue: MIT Media Lab
Summary:
Lieberman discusses Pygmalion, a graphical computer language created by David Smith in 1975. Steve Jobs "borrowed" the idea for his Macintosh, and this is the foundation of all graphical systems today. Lieberman then used the concept of "programming by example," from the paper by Smith, to develop several systems and books.
Discussion:
This was actually pretty interesting. I thought it was funny to read about Steve Jobs stealing ideas when eh had ideas so famously stolen from him. I wish I could have seen this system actually running.
Chapter 7: Fundamentals in HCI: Learning the Value of Consistency and User Models
Author: Sara Bly
Venue: Sara Bly Consulting, Oregon
Summary:
This chapter discussed Xerox Red Book, a 400+ page document specifying the requirements and aims of the then-new Xerox Red Star 5.0. The Red Book created consistency in the functionality and changed how user specifications were created.
Discussion:
I liked this chapter a lot. I had to read the sentence about the number of pages twice because I couldn't believe the specification document was so long. Also I thought it was interesting to see how this changed user specifications.
Chapter 9: The Disappearing Computer
Author: Norbert A. Streitz
Venue: Fraunhofer IPSI, Darmstadt, Germany
Summary:
This chapter focused on making a computer "disappear." There were two types of disappearance discussed: physical- making the computer small so they become integrated and "invisible," and mental- though the computers are large, they are viewed as normal objects and are interactive, such as interactive walls or tables.
Discussion:
We've continued to try to make computers "disappear," as this chapter suggests. I found interesting to think of designing computers with this in mind. It seems this is exactly what we're doing, whether it be with netbooks, smartphones, or tablets even.
Chapter 10: It Really Is All About Location!
Author: Anind K. Dey
Venue: Carnegie Melon University
Summary:
This chapter discussed location based services, such as GPS, and how they stemmed from the Active Badge system from Xerox. The Active Badge sent out a signal every 15 seconds, which was captured by an inexpensive receiver. This allowed phone calls to be routed to reach the intended person more effectively, as well as keep track of where people are.
Discussion:
Overall I didn't find this too interesting, but I did find it fascinating to realize how far back location-based services went. The Active Badge didn't really interest me.
Chapter 46: The Essential Role of Mental Models in HCI: Card, Moran, and Newell
Author: Kate Ehrlich
Venue: IBM Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Summary:
Mental models and the work of Card et al. is overviewed in this chapter. Card et al. created the GOMS model, which stands for goals, operators, methods, and selective rules. This model focused on "routine cognitive skills," but was criticized for focusing on low level operations and highly skilled users.
Discussion:
I thought this chapter was really boring. I expected it to really expand on mental models, but it really didn't get too much into how humans use mental models or anything. I didn't think the writer was very skilled either.
Chapter 47: A Most Fitting Law
Author: Gary M. Olson
Venue: University of Michigan
Summary:
This chapter was about Fitt's Law and how it applied to certain HCI interfaces, such as popup menus or Mac vs Windows. In Mac versus Windows, Windows selections are always harder because they are not on the edge, as Mac choices are. The edge is the best place to put things because the cursor cannot go passed them.
Discussion:
This was mildly interesting because I've already read a CHI 2010 paper on Fitt's Law. This chapter was much more informative about the practical applications of Fitt's Law, which I appreciated. I prefer when these chapters actually discuss interfaces.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Paper Reading #8
Comments:
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Exploring Mobile Technologies for the Urban Homeless
Author: Christopher A. Le Dantec
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This is a short article that discusses ideas for mobile devices for the homeless. The author wants to address legibility, literacy, and legitimacy. He defines the issues with legibility as "How does access to purposefully designed technology impact how homeless individuals interpret the urban environment and the opportunities available to them," literacy as "How does adding specific capability to a familiar technology (the mobile phone) alter the way the homeless interpret and use that technology as a tool for interacting with society," and legitimacy as "In what ways do forms of legitimacy influence the legibility afforded by technological artifacts and the literacy of the intended users." These are the questions he is looking to answer. He is targeting mobile phones for the first part of his research because of their functionality and their ability to promote social status. The second part of his research will have field work and questionnaires to understand how homeless interact socially and how they could use technology at these centers that would help the homeless.
Discussion:
I really don't enjoy the articles that don't discuss anything specific and only discuss aims of their research. Also, I don't think giving things of value to the homeless is a smart idea. They'll just steal and sell it. And while that may be unfair to some homeless as not all would, a majority would because food is an incredible motivator. Overall this idea might be alright, but I have a hard time picturing homeless using these devices as something other than a means to get food (among other things).
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Exploring Mobile Technologies for the Urban Homeless
Author: Christopher A. Le Dantec
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This is a short article that discusses ideas for mobile devices for the homeless. The author wants to address legibility, literacy, and legitimacy. He defines the issues with legibility as "How does access to purposefully designed technology impact how homeless individuals interpret the urban environment and the opportunities available to them," literacy as "How does adding specific capability to a familiar technology (the mobile phone) alter the way the homeless interpret and use that technology as a tool for interacting with society," and legitimacy as "In what ways do forms of legitimacy influence the legibility afforded by technological artifacts and the literacy of the intended users." These are the questions he is looking to answer. He is targeting mobile phones for the first part of his research because of their functionality and their ability to promote social status. The second part of his research will have field work and questionnaires to understand how homeless interact socially and how they could use technology at these centers that would help the homeless.
Discussion:
I really don't enjoy the articles that don't discuss anything specific and only discuss aims of their research. Also, I don't think giving things of value to the homeless is a smart idea. They'll just steal and sell it. And while that may be unfair to some homeless as not all would, a majority would because food is an incredible motivator. Overall this idea might be alright, but I have a hard time picturing homeless using these devices as something other than a means to get food (among other things).
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Paper Reading #7
Comments:
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Public Issues on Projected User Interface
Authors: Ju-Chun Ko, Li-Wei Chan, Yi-Ping Hung
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This article discusses the growing technology of pocket projectors and how they would function in a public environment. The article brings up many issues with Projection User Interfaces, or what they refer to as PUIs, and their use in public. For instance, what happens if a person wants to keep whatever they are projecting private? Or how about if they're projecting obscene materials or overlapping another person's projection? Lastly, the issue of projecting an image into another person's eye is large as well.
The article proposes several ideas for how they can help overcome these obstacles. For instance, have a projection auto-resize or auto-move if there are other projections nearby. Also they discussed privacy film for projections, so only people at certain angles could see the image. With or without problems, this article expects PUI devices to invade our daily lives in the near future.
Discussion:
I thought this article was funny. For starters, why are all the PUI devices portrayed as necklaces? Why would people be carrying projection devices around their necks? Also, I don't see any way that a projection will auto-size or auto-move. What happens if there's just extra light coming through rather than another projection? I'm having a hard time buying anything that this article is selling. I don't think personal projection devices will ever become that popular. They're just too limited in their uses to invest in one.
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Public Issues on Projected User Interface
Authors: Ju-Chun Ko, Li-Wei Chan, Yi-Ping Hung
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This article discusses the growing technology of pocket projectors and how they would function in a public environment. The article brings up many issues with Projection User Interfaces, or what they refer to as PUIs, and their use in public. For instance, what happens if a person wants to keep whatever they are projecting private? Or how about if they're projecting obscene materials or overlapping another person's projection? Lastly, the issue of projecting an image into another person's eye is large as well.
The article proposes several ideas for how they can help overcome these obstacles. For instance, have a projection auto-resize or auto-move if there are other projections nearby. Also they discussed privacy film for projections, so only people at certain angles could see the image. With or without problems, this article expects PUI devices to invade our daily lives in the near future.
Discussion:
I thought this article was funny. For starters, why are all the PUI devices portrayed as necklaces? Why would people be carrying projection devices around their necks? Also, I don't see any way that a projection will auto-size or auto-move. What happens if there's just extra light coming through rather than another projection? I'm having a hard time buying anything that this article is selling. I don't think personal projection devices will ever become that popular. They're just too limited in their uses to invest in one.
Book Reading #14 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 5: To Err is Human
Summary:
The passage discusses the differs between slips and mistakes, and the types of each. Slips are made more often. Then the structure of tasks is laid out, including subconscious and conscious behavior.
Discussion:
This book is boring. I really don't enjoy reading it. The first chapter was catchy but the rest sucks.
Summary:
The passage discusses the differs between slips and mistakes, and the types of each. Slips are made more often. Then the structure of tasks is laid out, including subconscious and conscious behavior.
Discussion:
This book is boring. I really don't enjoy reading it. The first chapter was catchy but the rest sucks.
Book Reading #15 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 5: The Girl and Her Age Group
Summary:
Children in Samoa primarily interact in age and relation groups. When they reach puberty, they are given more tasks and can interact less. Males interact in some casual homosexual relations.
Discussion:
This book is not making me appreciate the Samoan culture. Sure they're different, but I don't see any benefits for their way of life. I'm trying to be fair, but this subject is just not that interesting to me.
Summary:
Children in Samoa primarily interact in age and relation groups. When they reach puberty, they are given more tasks and can interact less. Males interact in some casual homosexual relations.
Discussion:
This book is not making me appreciate the Samoan culture. Sure they're different, but I don't see any benefits for their way of life. I'm trying to be fair, but this subject is just not that interesting to me.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Book Reading #16 - Opening Skinner's Box
Chapter 4: In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing
Summary:
Darley and Latane conducted experiments to try to explain why the witnesses of Kitty Genovese's murder didn't do anything. The results were people in larger groups tend to not act on a crisis rather than those in small groups or one-on-one.
Discussion:
This passage made me immediately think of Boondock Saints because of the Kitty Genovese story. I had no idea it was that bad. I really enjoy reading this book. The results of the experiments were very telling as well.
Summary:
Darley and Latane conducted experiments to try to explain why the witnesses of Kitty Genovese's murder didn't do anything. The results were people in larger groups tend to not act on a crisis rather than those in small groups or one-on-one.
Discussion:
This passage made me immediately think of Boondock Saints because of the Kitty Genovese story. I had no idea it was that bad. I really enjoy reading this book. The results of the experiments were very telling as well.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Paper Reading #6
Comments:
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Who are the Crowdworkers? Shifting Demographics in Mechanical Turk
Authors: Joel Ross, Andrew Zaldivar, Lilly Irani, Bill Tomlinson, M. Six Silberman
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This paper describes Amazon Mechanical Turk, a system that distributes tasks to anonymous workers for completion. The workers are usually compensated $0.01-0.10 per task. Sometimes a few dollars will be given for longer tasks. The workers are referred to as "Turkers." The system's name is a reference to Wolfgang von Kempelen's automaton.
The demographics of the workers has been changing the last two years. Previously 60% of the Turkers were female, while now women compose 52% of the Turkers. Additionally, in 2008 76% of the Turkers were from the US, and in November 2009 that number was down to 56%. The average age of the Turkers is lower as well.
The group posted the survey as an HIT on the site, and payed $0.10 for completion. However, they didn't require the ones who completed the survey to have a 95% accepted work rate, as Amazon does. This poses the concern that people may not have been honest and just said what they believed the surveyors were looking for to ensure payment.
Discussion:
This article was pretty lame. There was no real interface design discussed. It did explain how some people use an existing system, but didn't offer any improvements or real criticisms. This article was basically an statistical analysis of the system without discussing the efficiency of it or providing feedback. The entire paper was explaining the results of the survey they administered. Heck, I could post a survey and create some graphs, and then discuss the results. I just did not like this article very much. I hadn't heard of the Mechanical Turk system, which sounds pretty cool, but that was the extent of my interest.
Book Reading #11 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 4: Knowing What to Do Summary:
This chapter discussed knowing how to use an object based on its design. The author uses examples such as a plate on a door, light switches (really long), and even sounds to indicate whether the object was working or not. The author created a different, more intuitive horizontal light switch design modeled after the room layout.
Discussion:
I still feel like this book is obvious. The light switch design was pretty cool though. It made me have some ideas about how I could make my own light switch design for my future house.
This chapter discussed knowing how to use an object based on its design. The author uses examples such as a plate on a door, light switches (really long), and even sounds to indicate whether the object was working or not. The author created a different, more intuitive horizontal light switch design modeled after the room layout.
Discussion:
I still feel like this book is obvious. The light switch design was pretty cool though. It made me have some ideas about how I could make my own light switch design for my future house.
Book Reading #13 - Opening Skinner's Box
Chapter 3: On Being Sane in Insane Places
Summary:
In the 1970s, David Rosenhan persuaded 8 other friends to act as those they were insane to get admitted into a mental hospital. Rosenhan then published his findings in Science magazine, bashing psychiatry and claiming it is not a medicine. This ticked off Robert Spitzer, a psychiatrist, who set out to debunk Rosenhan's work and claims, as well as reform how patients were diagnosed. He claimed that due to the reforms Rosenhan's experiment would not work today, so the author reperformed the experiment on her own with success.
Discussion:
These readings are by far my favorite. I have never liked psychiatry but have never totally dismissed it the way Rosenhan did. His experiment was eye opening to me, and Spitzer's statement that we have a want to diagnose and prescribe (the author's claim) hit home to me.
Summary:
In the 1970s, David Rosenhan persuaded 8 other friends to act as those they were insane to get admitted into a mental hospital. Rosenhan then published his findings in Science magazine, bashing psychiatry and claiming it is not a medicine. This ticked off Robert Spitzer, a psychiatrist, who set out to debunk Rosenhan's work and claims, as well as reform how patients were diagnosed. He claimed that due to the reforms Rosenhan's experiment would not work today, so the author reperformed the experiment on her own with success.
Discussion:
These readings are by far my favorite. I have never liked psychiatry but have never totally dismissed it the way Rosenhan did. His experiment was eye opening to me, and Spitzer's statement that we have a want to diagnose and prescribe (the author's claim) hit home to me.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Book Reading #12 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 4: The Samoan Household
Summary:
Family title and lineage is very important to the Samoan culture. The author describes an example where one girl was given the taupa title over another in the same household even though the one not chosen was more aptly suited. Households ties are loose and are presided over by a matai. Relation is very strict, especially between sexes of similar ages.
Discussion:
I found this entry more interesting than the previous, but again it didn't surprise me. I expected there to be heavy emphasis on title and family. The one thing that did surprise me is how brothers and sisters do not interact with each other.
Summary:
Family title and lineage is very important to the Samoan culture. The author describes an example where one girl was given the taupa title over another in the same household even though the one not chosen was more aptly suited. Households ties are loose and are presided over by a matai. Relation is very strict, especially between sexes of similar ages.
Discussion:
I found this entry more interesting than the previous, but again it didn't surprise me. I expected there to be heavy emphasis on title and family. The one thing that did surprise me is how brothers and sisters do not interact with each other.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Book Reading #9 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 3: The Education of a Samoan Child
Summary:
Girls' primary tasks in house is weaving. Men try to become matais, but not too soon because it is demanding to always act in that manner. Girls tend the young ones until they're old enough to carry loads, so girls try not to get married too soon so they can have a break.
Discussion:
It's interesting seeing the differences, but overall didn't seem too odd to me. I guess had some internal expectations and this reading seemed to justify them.
Summary:
Girls' primary tasks in house is weaving. Men try to become matais, but not too soon because it is demanding to always act in that manner. Girls tend the young ones until they're old enough to carry loads, so girls try not to get married too soon so they can have a break.
Discussion:
It's interesting seeing the differences, but overall didn't seem too odd to me. I guess had some internal expectations and this reading seemed to justify them.
Paper Reading #5
Comments:
Reference:
Title: Connect 2 Congress: Visual Analytics for Civic Oversight
Author: Peter Kinnaird, Mario Romero, Gregory Abowd
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This article discusses a new piece of software titled Connect to Congress (C2C). This application is web-based and is designed so people can keep track of politicians and their voting habits. It uses a vertical slider with two arrows to designate a time frame. From that, it displays a scatterplot of voting habits. On the horizontal axis, it plots liberal -> conservative scale based on the widely accepted Poole-Rosenthal scores. The vertical axis plots a follower -> leadership scale that the developers generated. The scale is based on sponsorship of a bill. If the representative sponsored the bill, he/she gets 1 point. If the representative cosponsors the bill after it is released, he/she gets a fraction of a point based on how quickly the co-sponsorship was made in respect to the bill's life cycle. For example, if the last action on a bill occurs 30 days after its introduction and the representative joins as a cosponsor after 20 days, that representative gets .333 points. The example interface is below.
The purpose of this application is to provide voters with an easier and more intuitive way of tracking political candidates. This way voters are more informed and can sift through the hearsay that is thrown out during an election. The application provides news, information, animations, a growing window, and a running window in addition to the information about the representatives' voting histories on the two scales mentioned above.
Discussion:
I really liked the idea of this application. This article really made me want to try this out. To me it seems like voters are incredibly uninformed and rely too much on political advertisements and what the media tells them. For instance, Obama was the most liberal senator in 2008, as was John Kerry in 2004, but yet some people believed these men were the best fit to run our country, when it's proven that a more centric candidate more ideal (regardless of political affiliation). This article didn't discuss their qualitative analysis, but frankly I would have been bored reading that and trust that these guys used the proper techniques. I also think that providing more information to educate voters would help stimulate interest and increase voter turnout because the voters would feel more connected to the candidates and platforms.
Reference:
Title: Connect 2 Congress: Visual Analytics for Civic Oversight
Author: Peter Kinnaird, Mario Romero, Gregory Abowd
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This article discusses a new piece of software titled Connect to Congress (C2C). This application is web-based and is designed so people can keep track of politicians and their voting habits. It uses a vertical slider with two arrows to designate a time frame. From that, it displays a scatterplot of voting habits. On the horizontal axis, it plots liberal -> conservative scale based on the widely accepted Poole-Rosenthal scores. The vertical axis plots a follower -> leadership scale that the developers generated. The scale is based on sponsorship of a bill. If the representative sponsored the bill, he/she gets 1 point. If the representative cosponsors the bill after it is released, he/she gets a fraction of a point based on how quickly the co-sponsorship was made in respect to the bill's life cycle. For example, if the last action on a bill occurs 30 days after its introduction and the representative joins as a cosponsor after 20 days, that representative gets .333 points. The example interface is below.
The purpose of this application is to provide voters with an easier and more intuitive way of tracking political candidates. This way voters are more informed and can sift through the hearsay that is thrown out during an election. The application provides news, information, animations, a growing window, and a running window in addition to the information about the representatives' voting histories on the two scales mentioned above.
Discussion:
I really liked the idea of this application. This article really made me want to try this out. To me it seems like voters are incredibly uninformed and rely too much on political advertisements and what the media tells them. For instance, Obama was the most liberal senator in 2008, as was John Kerry in 2004, but yet some people believed these men were the best fit to run our country, when it's proven that a more centric candidate more ideal (regardless of political affiliation). This article didn't discuss their qualitative analysis, but frankly I would have been bored reading that and trust that these guys used the proper techniques. I also think that providing more information to educate voters would help stimulate interest and increase voter turnout because the voters would feel more connected to the candidates and platforms.
Special Assignment: Dr. Celine Latulipe!
Reference:
Title: Layered Surveillance
Author: Dr. Celine Latulipe
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This article discussed software titled Layered Surveillance, created by Dr. Celine Latulipe and Dr. Annabel Manning. Manning uses an artistic approach and combines it with the technological approach of Latulipe. The software uses four gyroscopic mice that the user controls to create very interesting effects on the art. This work strived to show "art driving technology and technology driving art."
Discussion:
I thought this software sounded very interesting. I liked how the article was laid out because I thought it was easy to understand and follow. I look forward to hearing Dr. Latulipe speak.
Title: Layered Surveillance
Author: Dr. Celine Latulipe
Venue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This article discussed software titled Layered Surveillance, created by Dr. Celine Latulipe and Dr. Annabel Manning. Manning uses an artistic approach and combines it with the technological approach of Latulipe. The software uses four gyroscopic mice that the user controls to create very interesting effects on the art. This work strived to show "art driving technology and technology driving art."
Discussion:
I thought this software sounded very interesting. I liked how the article was laid out because I thought it was easy to understand and follow. I look forward to hearing Dr. Latulipe speak.
Book Reading #8 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 3: Knowledge in the Head and in the World
Summary:
This chapter talks about the memory process and how clues from the world can aid in the memory process. When there aren't clues present in the world to aid memory and how to use a design, then the burden becomes solely on the memory, which isn't good. The world/design should contain reminders and intuitive clues to aid the usefulness.
Discussion:
This book is getting more boring with every chapter. All of this seems too obvious to write/read about. I did laugh when he commented on having small enough computers to carry around with him.
Summary:
This chapter talks about the memory process and how clues from the world can aid in the memory process. When there aren't clues present in the world to aid memory and how to use a design, then the burden becomes solely on the memory, which isn't good. The world/design should contain reminders and intuitive clues to aid the usefulness.
Discussion:
This book is getting more boring with every chapter. All of this seems too obvious to write/read about. I did laugh when he commented on having small enough computers to carry around with him.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Book Reading #10 - Opening Skinner's Box
Chapter 2: Obscura
Summary:
This article discussed Stanley Milgram's experiments on obedience. He had one person sit in an electric chair, and another person was to administer shocks if the other answered incorrectly. The shocks were a fake, and Milgram just wanted to see who would go through with the shocks. He found that 65% would administer the shocks. The author also interviews one man, Joshua, who was defiant, and another, "Jacob," who was obedient and gay. The obedient person found this helped him change his life and realize something was wrong with his moral direction. Milgram's studies have been continually mocked as not truly measuring anything, being in a false environment, and being morally wrong.
Discussion:
I absolutely loved this reading again. These psychological experiments are very fascinating to me. I can't believe that so few were defiant. I didn't think some of the author's imagery was needed, although it can make this subject easier to read at times. The homosexual sex descriptions were completely unnecessary.
Summary:
This article discussed Stanley Milgram's experiments on obedience. He had one person sit in an electric chair, and another person was to administer shocks if the other answered incorrectly. The shocks were a fake, and Milgram just wanted to see who would go through with the shocks. He found that 65% would administer the shocks. The author also interviews one man, Joshua, who was defiant, and another, "Jacob," who was obedient and gay. The obedient person found this helped him change his life and realize something was wrong with his moral direction. Milgram's studies have been continually mocked as not truly measuring anything, being in a false environment, and being morally wrong.
Discussion:
I absolutely loved this reading again. These psychological experiments are very fascinating to me. I can't believe that so few were defiant. I didn't think some of the author's imagery was needed, although it can make this subject easier to read at times. The homosexual sex descriptions were completely unnecessary.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Paper Reading #4
Comments:
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Cross Currents: Water Scarcity and Sustainable CHIAuthor: Tad Hirsch, Ken AndersonVenue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This article discusses the water scarcity in arid climates such as the western United States, and more specifically New Mexico.
New Mexico uses a "use it or lose it" policy when it comes to water rationing. This means that if someone does not use the water, it gets appropriated to others. This then promotes over consumption of water because people do not want to lose their rights to the water. An example used is Native Americans building soccer fields just because soccer fields use a lot of water rather than having a genuine interest in soccer. Combined with a growing population, this presents a serious problem. The people surveyed in the article stated that they believe fixing the political issues is more important than using water-saving technologies.
Based on their findings, the authors stated that sustainability in this type of scenario is difficult because of all the different political, cultural, and economic factors. Modeling techniques may be useful, but the extent is not known because policymakers and stakeholders must understand and interpret the data. Also this scenario is difficult because "policy implications are indeterminate." Getting public participation is also an issue facing this dilemma, and enforcing the policies would be difficult. The last and most basic finding was that the science was hard, as it pertains to understanding the human interactions and hydrologic cycles.
Discussion:
I didn't know that such water scarcity issues existed in the United States. I knew it was an issue, but not to this extent. Also, it's difficult reading about how corrupt our policies in our nation can be. Overall, I didn't really like this article. It didn't really pertain to HCI at all in my opinion. They didn't discuss anything with computers except a mention of simulations. It seemed to me like it was just a way of voicing political concerns over water consumption in these areas. While this may be an important issue, I think it is one that should be saved for other venues. Nonetheless, I do think that we'll be able to solve this issue as our technology continues to expand and the need becomes more and more apparent. As the demand rises, so will the potential profit off such innovation, which will result in more interest and more research into the issues.
Comment #1
Comment #2
Reference:
Title: Cross Currents: Water Scarcity and Sustainable CHIAuthor: Tad Hirsch, Ken AndersonVenue: CHI 2010, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary:
This article discusses the water scarcity in arid climates such as the western United States, and more specifically New Mexico.
Based on their findings, the authors stated that sustainability in this type of scenario is difficult because of all the different political, cultural, and economic factors. Modeling techniques may be useful, but the extent is not known because policymakers and stakeholders must understand and interpret the data. Also this scenario is difficult because "policy implications are indeterminate." Getting public participation is also an issue facing this dilemma, and enforcing the policies would be difficult. The last and most basic finding was that the science was hard, as it pertains to understanding the human interactions and hydrologic cycles.
Discussion:
I didn't know that such water scarcity issues existed in the United States. I knew it was an issue, but not to this extent. Also, it's difficult reading about how corrupt our policies in our nation can be. Overall, I didn't really like this article. It didn't really pertain to HCI at all in my opinion. They didn't discuss anything with computers except a mention of simulations. It seemed to me like it was just a way of voicing political concerns over water consumption in these areas. While this may be an important issue, I think it is one that should be saved for other venues. Nonetheless, I do think that we'll be able to solve this issue as our technology continues to expand and the need becomes more and more apparent. As the demand rises, so will the potential profit off such innovation, which will result in more interest and more research into the issues.
Book Reading #6 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 2: A Day in Samoa
Summary:
In this chapter, the author discusses what a typical day in Samoa may look like. She uses lots of imagery about what each group of people are doing.
Discussion:
I thought this chapter was mildly interesting. I thought the author painted a very good picture with her words.
Appendix II: Methodology of this Survey
Summary:
This section described the methodology used. The author describes the qualitative and quantitative advantages/drawbacks and how they apply to this study.
Discussion:
It was interesting to read about what the author did and why. However, it was a bit dry in my opinion.
Appendix V: Materials Upon Which the Analysis is Based
Summary:
This section described the ages and capabilities of the girls studied. Since the birth certificates were generally not kept, only the approximate ages were obtainable. There are 68 girls from the approximate ages of 8-20.
Discussion:
I thought it was interesting that they didn't keep birth certificates. Overall, however, it was still dry like the previous section.
Summary:
In this chapter, the author discusses what a typical day in Samoa may look like. She uses lots of imagery about what each group of people are doing.
Discussion:
I thought this chapter was mildly interesting. I thought the author painted a very good picture with her words.
Appendix II: Methodology of this Survey
Summary:
This section described the methodology used. The author describes the qualitative and quantitative advantages/drawbacks and how they apply to this study.
Discussion:
It was interesting to read about what the author did and why. However, it was a bit dry in my opinion.
Appendix V: Materials Upon Which the Analysis is Based
Summary:
This section described the ages and capabilities of the girls studied. Since the birth certificates were generally not kept, only the approximate ages were obtainable. There are 68 girls from the approximate ages of 8-20.
Discussion:
I thought it was interesting that they didn't keep birth certificates. Overall, however, it was still dry like the previous section.
Book Reading #5 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 2: The Psychology of Everyday Actions
Summary:
This chapter discusses why we do certain things, and how that pertains to design of things. Often times we blame ourselves for misuse of a product, but in fact it is more due to the imprecise or faulty design of the product. There are seven stages of action: Goals, Intention to act, sequence of actions, execution of action sequence, perceiving the state of the world, interpreting the perception, and evaluation of interpretations.
Discussion:
I found this chapter not as entertaining as the last. The previous chapter had several "ah-ha" moments, but this one seemed obvious to me, such as how a thermostat works or how a ball will drop from a moving object. It is interesting to realize how we blame ourselves more often for trivial mistakes than the design of things. Overall I thought this chapter was fairly obvious.
Summary:
This chapter discusses why we do certain things, and how that pertains to design of things. Often times we blame ourselves for misuse of a product, but in fact it is more due to the imprecise or faulty design of the product. There are seven stages of action: Goals, Intention to act, sequence of actions, execution of action sequence, perceiving the state of the world, interpreting the perception, and evaluation of interpretations.
Discussion:
I found this chapter not as entertaining as the last. The previous chapter had several "ah-ha" moments, but this one seemed obvious to me, such as how a thermostat works or how a ball will drop from a moving object. It is interesting to realize how we blame ourselves more often for trivial mistakes than the design of things. Overall I thought this chapter was fairly obvious.
Book Reading #7 - Opening Skinner's Box
Opening Skinner's Box
Lauren Slater
Chapter 1: B.F. Skinner's Rat Race
Summary:
This chapter discusses B.F. Skinner, the "father" of operant conditioning or theory. Skinner believed we did not have free will, but rather that we are conditioned to behave the way we do. He was a humanist and a pacifist, but also had radical ideas of a world controlled not by governments but by behavioralists. The author uses Skinner's ideas to break her daughter of night-crying, and Skinner's daughter shows her the house that Skinner raised his children.
Discussion:
I thought this read was awesome. I definitely agree that we are more conditioned than possess free will. Unless we are distinctly aware of being controlled behaviorally, our free will does not truly manifest itself. However, I would also suggest this is the product of being intelligent. After all, wouldn't only unintelligent beings do things that resulted in harm?
Lauren Slater
Chapter 1: B.F. Skinner's Rat Race
Summary:
This chapter discusses B.F. Skinner, the "father" of operant conditioning or theory. Skinner believed we did not have free will, but rather that we are conditioned to behave the way we do. He was a humanist and a pacifist, but also had radical ideas of a world controlled not by governments but by behavioralists. The author uses Skinner's ideas to break her daughter of night-crying, and Skinner's daughter shows her the house that Skinner raised his children.
Discussion:
I thought this read was awesome. I definitely agree that we are more conditioned than possess free will. Unless we are distinctly aware of being controlled behaviorally, our free will does not truly manifest itself. However, I would also suggest this is the product of being intelligent. After all, wouldn't only unintelligent beings do things that resulted in harm?
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