Summary
In this chapter, Slater writes about Elizabeth Loftus and her work trying to demonstrate that false memories are far, far more common than repressed memories surfacing. Dr. Loftus has a particular focus on fighting charges of sexual abuse that come from such a source.
Discussion
I still feel this book is a little long on the flowery prose when it should be focusing a bit more on experiments, etc. But I digress. What Loftus believes seems like common sense to me; unless I've taken careful pains to memorize something, I wouldn't talk about my own memories as hard facts.
Here's my interesting thought for the chapter: On 9/11 (Sorry, no Challenger), when my old man called from the barber shop and told my mother to turn the TV on, I was eating cereal at the breakfast table in our dining room. I know these things for facts, since in addition to the images I memorized my own account of the morning. Doing it in words is kind of like digital instead of analog storage for me; it self repairs every time I think about it.
The interesting part is this: I couldn't tell you what kind of cereal I was eating. Given my preferences and how they've changed over time, it's 60/40 between the one thing and another. Now, I'll bet that if I believed all memory was stored and just needed to be recalled, I would think it was one or the other, with certainty. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about the ramifications of that, if any.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Microblog #28, "Coming of Age in Samoa, Chapter 9"
Summary
This chapter is on Samoan opinions of personality. Noncommitalism seems to be the norm.
Discussion
Dr. Mead does a better than in many of the previous chapters of drawing comparisons well between western and Samoan culture. However, I expect I would go insane if I lived in a culture where "I don't know" was a favorite answer. The statement about having to taboo "search me" was telling as to the degree of this.
This chapter is on Samoan opinions of personality. Noncommitalism seems to be the norm.
Discussion
Dr. Mead does a better than in many of the previous chapters of drawing comparisons well between western and Samoan culture. However, I expect I would go insane if I lived in a culture where "I don't know" was a favorite answer. The statement about having to taboo "search me" was telling as to the degree of this.
Microblog #27, "Emotional Design, Chapter 2"
Summary
In this chapter, Dr. Norman expounds on the role of emotion in design. A special attention is given to both sentimental association of objects and to the role of a sense of accomplishment.
Discussion
Dr. Norman wanders further off base in this chapter than he has at any point previous. I could make a snide remark about how his opinion of amateur photography clearly proves he's never met my mother, but instead let's consider the case of the video game system.
Dr. Norman says that the class of devices currently designated video game systems has a massive, untapped market for similar devices that tell and teach you how to cook or fix your car. He's half right, but still manages to be completely wrong. A video game system is not a device that needs to be broadened into other fields. Rather, it is a computer over-optimized for gaming. What he's actually advocating is reverse engineering the computer from the Playstation, an approach that hardly makes sense.
In this chapter, Dr. Norman expounds on the role of emotion in design. A special attention is given to both sentimental association of objects and to the role of a sense of accomplishment.
Discussion
Dr. Norman wanders further off base in this chapter than he has at any point previous. I could make a snide remark about how his opinion of amateur photography clearly proves he's never met my mother, but instead let's consider the case of the video game system.
Dr. Norman says that the class of devices currently designated video game systems has a massive, untapped market for similar devices that tell and teach you how to cook or fix your car. He's half right, but still manages to be completely wrong. A video game system is not a device that needs to be broadened into other fields. Rather, it is a computer over-optimized for gaming. What he's actually advocating is reverse engineering the computer from the Playstation, an approach that hardly makes sense.
Paper Reading #12, "Detecting and Leveraging Finger Orientation for Interaction with Direct-Touch Surfaces"
http://chi2010-cskach.blogspot.com/2011/02/paper-reading-12-disappearing-mobile.html
http://dlandinichi.blogspot.com/2011/02/paper-reading-12-teslatouch.html
Detecting and Leveraging Finger Orientation for Interaction with Direct-Touch Surfaces
Feng Wang & Xiangshi Ren
Kochi University of Technology, Japan
Xiang Cao
Microsoft Research Cambridge
Pourang Irani
University of Manitoba
This is paper, not a presentation, and as such has no specific venue.
Summary
In this paper, the authors present an algorithm to detect the orientation of fingers and not just the point of contact for usage in touch screen interfaces. The algorithm is based on input shape only. Extant work foundational to this project includes mouse interactions that can be adapted, and prior work in the area of finger interactions beyond simply point of contact (not necc. limited to orientation).
The math to determine vertical vs. oblique touch and direction is included in the paper, although not the code. The most difficult part, determining between one direction and its opposite, is done by tracking the order in which pixels are contacted. Orientation is continuously tracked afterward.
The algorithm was tested by running it past eight adults who had no experience in touch screen controls. The five trials (Disambiguation success, orientation stability, orientation precision, dynamic orientation precision, involuntary position rotation) all showed results between "good" and "excellent".
The paper finished the section on the algorithm description with sections on what tasks are possible with this interface and what can be inferred from finger orientation.
Limitations of the algorithms include vertical presses, oblique touches that deviated from the usual method, and fingers other than index. These were of varying degree; the last was least serious. The authors believe that portability should require minimal tweaking.
Future work described in the paper is mostly aimed at building upon and expanding the concepts here (more precision, better geometry, multiple fingers from the same hand in use at once), rather than a completely new direction. In fact, this paper is clearly described as "proof of concept".
Discussion
This paper represents a large step forward in detail from the previous classes I have been reading, something I appreciate. This research isn't particularly exciting to me, being a refinement of something (touch screens) I have little knowledge about rather than a big leap or something in my areas of interest. It does, however, strike me a good step toward significant improvement in its arena.
The best part of the paper was the attention to detail, while I feel the strongest part of the algorithm is being able to dynamically track changing finger orientation. It just seems that would be the most technically difficult piece of work.
Something I would have liked to have seen would have been the proficiency of test users in this system contrasted to the proficiency of test users in conventional touch screens.
The direction they are taking with the research seems about right. I am particularly fascinated by the idea of being able to use all ten fingers to increase proficiency and speed with such displays.
http://dlandinichi.blogspot.com/2011/02/paper-reading-12-teslatouch.html
Detecting and Leveraging Finger Orientation for Interaction with Direct-Touch Surfaces
Feng Wang & Xiangshi Ren
Kochi University of Technology, Japan
Xiang Cao
Microsoft Research Cambridge
Pourang Irani
University of Manitoba
This is paper, not a presentation, and as such has no specific venue.
Summary
In this paper, the authors present an algorithm to detect the orientation of fingers and not just the point of contact for usage in touch screen interfaces. The algorithm is based on input shape only. Extant work foundational to this project includes mouse interactions that can be adapted, and prior work in the area of finger interactions beyond simply point of contact (not necc. limited to orientation).
The math to determine vertical vs. oblique touch and direction is included in the paper, although not the code. The most difficult part, determining between one direction and its opposite, is done by tracking the order in which pixels are contacted. Orientation is continuously tracked afterward.
The algorithm was tested by running it past eight adults who had no experience in touch screen controls. The five trials (Disambiguation success, orientation stability, orientation precision, dynamic orientation precision, involuntary position rotation) all showed results between "good" and "excellent".
The paper finished the section on the algorithm description with sections on what tasks are possible with this interface and what can be inferred from finger orientation.
Limitations of the algorithms include vertical presses, oblique touches that deviated from the usual method, and fingers other than index. These were of varying degree; the last was least serious. The authors believe that portability should require minimal tweaking.
Future work described in the paper is mostly aimed at building upon and expanding the concepts here (more precision, better geometry, multiple fingers from the same hand in use at once), rather than a completely new direction. In fact, this paper is clearly described as "proof of concept".
Discussion
This paper represents a large step forward in detail from the previous classes I have been reading, something I appreciate. This research isn't particularly exciting to me, being a refinement of something (touch screens) I have little knowledge about rather than a big leap or something in my areas of interest. It does, however, strike me a good step toward significant improvement in its arena.
The best part of the paper was the attention to detail, while I feel the strongest part of the algorithm is being able to dynamically track changing finger orientation. It just seems that would be the most technically difficult piece of work.
Something I would have liked to have seen would have been the proficiency of test users in this system contrasted to the proficiency of test users in conventional touch screens.
The direction they are taking with the research seems about right. I am particularly fascinated by the idea of being able to use all ten fingers to increase proficiency and speed with such displays.
Picture is related because that's what time it was when I finished this entry. (12:18 was the first autosave)
Apologies for any (probably related) drop in quality from my previous writings.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Microblog #26, "Opening Skinner's Box, Chapter 7"
Summary
In this chapter, Bruce Alexander does studies of rats & heroin that appear to contradict conventional wisdom with respect to addiction.
Discussion
I think everyone in this chapter is trying to make things way to simple. To me, the notion that "addiction is overrated" is more disturbing than the traditional view. It's one thing for the American drug using population to be sending their money to destroy Latin America because they can't help it; it's quite another for them to do it for nothing but kicks, over and over.
In this chapter, Bruce Alexander does studies of rats & heroin that appear to contradict conventional wisdom with respect to addiction.
Discussion
I think everyone in this chapter is trying to make things way to simple. To me, the notion that "addiction is overrated" is more disturbing than the traditional view. It's one thing for the American drug using population to be sending their money to destroy Latin America because they can't help it; it's quite another for them to do it for nothing but kicks, over and over.
Microblog #25, "Coming of Age in Samoa, Chapter 8"
Summary
In this chapter, Dr. Mead discusses the role of both informal and formal (less common than the former) dances in Samoan society. She emphasizes the reversed prominence of elders and children, as well as correlations between the Samoan dance and Western education.
Discussion
I can see up and downsides to this chapter and activity. The most prominent question I have is how large the role the dance plays is. This is, I now know what is is, but how important it is I don't think is made clear enough to me.
In this chapter, Dr. Mead discusses the role of both informal and formal (less common than the former) dances in Samoan society. She emphasizes the reversed prominence of elders and children, as well as correlations between the Samoan dance and Western education.
Discussion
I can see up and downsides to this chapter and activity. The most prominent question I have is how large the role the dance plays is. This is, I now know what is is, but how important it is I don't think is made clear enough to me.
Microblog #24, "Emotional Design, Chapter 1"
Summary
Between the prologue and the first chapter (I read both) Dr. Norman writes about why the functionality first model he ascribed to in Design of Everyday Things is flawed, how positive and negative environments affect thinking and can help maintain alertness or focus, and the levels of thinking.
Discussion
There was a lot of information packed into this chapter, a pleasant contrast to some of his earlier writing. A lot of it was very interesting, but I felt that there was more hit-and-miss here than before. A fair bit of what is written here is based on philosophical underpinnings I take issue to, and I think that some aspects of the benefits of emotional design are a bit overstated.
Between the prologue and the first chapter (I read both) Dr. Norman writes about why the functionality first model he ascribed to in Design of Everyday Things is flawed, how positive and negative environments affect thinking and can help maintain alertness or focus, and the levels of thinking.
Discussion
There was a lot of information packed into this chapter, a pleasant contrast to some of his earlier writing. A lot of it was very interesting, but I felt that there was more hit-and-miss here than before. A fair bit of what is written here is based on philosophical underpinnings I take issue to, and I think that some aspects of the benefits of emotional design are a bit overstated.
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