In my last post I wrote about several wearable devices I used while studying in Germany. With all the chatter about wearable displays at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year I decided it’s time for a post about wearable display devices that look promising. Several of the companies making the devices have been researching and developing this technology for several years now and appear to be on the verge of creating usable devices that consumers can afford. Keep in mind there are two main purposes for these displays: media consumption and augmented reality.

According to MITs Technology Review, most of the companies working on these wearable head mounted displays started out building systems for the military. My interest in wearable devices is centered around consumer products for recreation and leisure time, however it’s fascinating to see some of these companies building innovative communication products for industries like aviation and hospitality first, in order to generate enough revenue and research to get themselves into the consumer market. Read more…

Adults, children, fish, and crows all share an affinity for shiny things. While fish and crows are happy with the simple gleam of a metal object, humans often have a more sophisticated palette for visual objects. My friends are often doe eyed over the latest technological gizmos. Children, once enraptured by a jingling set of keys, now become enthralled by the flashy hypnotic screens of an iPhone or tablet. Is the increase in consumption of shiny digital media by our children a problem?

There is certainly little doubt that humans are growing more visual across the board. We are exposed to more and more visual stimulations online and in digital technology. Our screen options are a lot like our shirt size: small, medium, or large. However we choose to digest this media is really up to us, but unless you’re like a Geico commercial and live under a rock, you’re exposed to some form of digital media.

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Last week UC Berkeley researcher Kentaro Toyama wrote a guest post on James Fallows’ blog in The Atlantic entitled, “Technology is Not the Answer.” It struck a chord with many. (The day it was published multiple people in my network sent me links—always a sign of buzz.)

In this first of a series of five guest posts, Toyama suggested that we have overemphasized the role technology can play in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems, at the expense of emphasizing the intent and capacity of partners on the ground. While Toyama readily admits that technology can provide incredible “amplification” of efforts, international development success hinges on the human beings that compose the partnerships, not the shiny new toys.

Toyama’s belief that people matter more than the products they use is one I share. To start, it informed my approach for my lecture at tomorrow’s Seattle Arts & Lecture – U Series, “’Let’s Do the Numbers’: Metrics and Maturation of Digital Media in Emerging Markets.” One of the central storylines of my talk addresses the “demographic dividend” that many emerging market countries possess: namely, the significantly young populations who can drive economic growth as they enter the workforce. Read more…

MCDM Faculty iconoclast Ken Rufo has been up to some interesting things lately.  Always on the hunt for enlightening challenges to assumptions regarding technology and digital communications, Rufo agreed to answer some questions about a new initiative he has undertaken with the help of some MCDM students.

The initiative has the provocative (if sightly opaque) title of “The Collective for Digital Pataphysics.”

Check out this video from the Collective for Digital Pataphysics about their “Trust Protocol” project:

FTM: What is pataphysics?  What specifically is “digital pataphysics?”

Ken Rufo: Pataphysics, which is often written ‘pataphysics, is a term coined by the French absurdist Alfred Jarry to describe a science of imaginary solutions.  It’s obviously a play on “metaphysics,” which it was supposed to supplement.  Pataphysics is a kind of absurdist, experimental way of thinking about the abstract as if it was concrete, or thinking about the exceptions that might otherwise prove a rule.  It’s comic, but never merely sarcastic or mocking.  The idea of digital pataphysics is really just my attempt to apply the same experimental, theatrical sensibility to ways of learning about digital and social media.

FTM: Who is Alfred Jarry?

Ken Rufo: Jarry was a Frenchman writing at the close of the 19th Century.  He’s probably most known for his play Ubu Roi and the book Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll.

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In 2007 I moved to Seattle, WA and found a tech savvy community in the Pacific Northwest. I found myself in the office of the Director of the MCDM Hanson Hosein and we began talking about the program, my background in journalism, and a documentary I was producing on my great uncle, the late musician Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter.
After the meeting I was convinced and ready to sign up! The only thing I didn’t ask him was what sort of jobs most graduates seek once they are “finished” with the program. At this time in 2008 there was only one person who seemed to get a decent job by using digital media and social media marketing and that was President Barack Obama who Hosein titled as being the “first digital President” in an earlier post.

Every class I took in the MCDM program helped me to prepare for my next unforeseen big move to South Africa. Our move was swift and took place during both the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. When I arrived here in Johannesburg I found digital media everywhere and moving at a rapid pace. One thing that I have witnessed is how SMS messaging is everywhere and even playing a role in civic engagement. The second week we were in the country we drove over a pothole and not long afterward the car began to slow down. The deceivingly rain-filled pothole had caused a flat tire and I had to change the tire. Days later I read in the local newspaper The Star (yes print media is still relevant) that a new initiative called LEAD SA started by local radio stations and print media to help develop pride in South African sports teams and encourage “good Samaritan” efforts has now fixed over 4,000 potholes across the Johannesburg area.  This is how it works here in South Africa:

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A feature in this year’s conference is a panel on “Information, Values and the Justice System”. The workshop, which takes place on Tuesday the 8th, is organized by members of the Technology Committee of the Access to Justice Board, of which I am the current committee Chair.  The panel will examine the role that technology plays in assisting access to the resources of the Washington State court system. Technology and access are key components in how citizens can make effective use of government services.  The policy implications of how government agencies can provide technological access to services across geographical, cultural, social and economic areas are immense.

Last week, a new “information experience” startup – Qwiki – received a fair amount of publicity after closing it’s first round of funding totaling $8 million and announcing some upcoming features.

Qwiki provides rich media to consumers by scrubbing the web for content and assembling it into a short presentation with narration. Users can suggest content, but unlike Wikipedia, users can not actually edit the presentations.

Qwiki was first demoed last September at TechCrunch Disrupt where it was selected as the top disruptive technology (keynote). Recently, several large news outlets including ABC’s Good Morning America discussed whether or not Qwiki will be able to “flip” Google. With a new round funding and several internet moguls at their side including a co-founder of Facebook, Eduardo Saverin and Jawed Karim, a co-founder of YouTube, it appears there’s nothing stopping them.

On Friday, MediaPost reported that later this year Qwiki will provide a service that allows people to merge their Facebook and LinkedIn data, along with other online content, into a nice little “Qwiki”.

I was a bit skeptical about Qwiki’s ability to auto-magically tell my story but after watching Robert Scoble’s Qwiki, I think this could be a possibility.

What are your thoughts?
Will you tell your story with a Qwiki?
Will you tell your client’s stories with a Qwiki?

Like blogging, vlogging (video blogging) is a way to share your insights on a subject with an online audience. However, vlogging goes beyond the text of a blog post, transforming your content into an audio-visual broadcast. If you’re interested in vlogging, but don’t know how to start, here are some tips:

The first thing you’ll need is the right equipment, and the good news is you don’t need much, just a camcorder or a web camera and a good microphone. Also, for a vlog that has a more polished look, you’ll want to learn how to use video-editing software. This will enable you to add music, subtitles, etc. to your vlog. There are numerous online programs like Wax or Zwei-Stein Video Editor that you can download for free. Also, Apple iMovie and Windows Movie Maker are both easy to use and come pre-installed on Macs and PCs.

Once you’ve assembled your equipment, I recommend experimenting. Test the sound quality of your microphone; make sure there is sufficient lighting where you’re recording your vlog and figure out how you want to look on camera. Remember that vlogging is a form of communication, so you want to not only be visible (no low lighting), but also intelligible. Most vlog “episodes” should be one to three minutes, keeping the amount of bandwidth needed to host them to a minimum. Therefore it’s a good idea to rehearse your content. At the very least, I recommend preparing a script or some type of plan before each video so that you can deliver concise, focused content. Finally, don’t be afraid to have fun with your vlog. Depending on your audience, you’ll want to be more than just informative; you’ll also want to be candid and entertaining. Like blogging, it’s important to pick subjects you love and can explore in a series of posts. One episode doth not a vlog make.

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