About this talk
Microsoft's Stephen Lawler gives a whirlwind tour of Virtual Earth, moving up, down and through its hyper-real cityscapes with dazzlingly fluidity, a remarkable feat that requires staggering amounts of data to bring into focus.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Talks Rachel Armstrong: Architecture that repairs itself?
About this talk
Venice, Italy is sinking. To save it, Rachel Armstrong says we need to outgrow architecture made of inert materials and, well, make architecture that grows itself. She proposes a not-quite-alive material that does its own repairs and sequesters carbon, too.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Ellsberg: From Vietnam to Afghanistan
Ellsberg: From Vietnam to Afghanistan
Ellsberg: As President Obama decides what to do in Afghanistan he must learn the lessons of Vietnam
This is a short documentation of fixing my kitchen lamp with my MakerBot.
This is a short documentation of fixing my kitchen lamp with my MakerBot.
http://www.thingiverse.com/
MakerBot Unboxing
They Might Be Giants have been, since I was maybe twelve, one of my all-time favorite bands ever, so naturally I was pretty elated when I found this video where TMBG sings the praises of CAD, and by extension digital manufacture. This process of, as TMBG puts it, turning “a thought into an object,” is really pivotal to the future, and I am pretty much tickled pink that they’re using part of their album Here Comes Science to introduce young people to CAD.
Also the song is really fun.
Symbolism Isn't Enough
Symbolism Isn't Enough
The reason behind any holiday is often forgotten. A well crafted epipheo can inspire and educate and bring awareness to things that matter.
The reason behind any holiday is often forgotten. A well crafted epipheo can inspire and educate and bring awareness to things that matter.
How the Internet Changed Advertising
How the Internet Changed Advertising
New technology demands a new way to communicate. The internet is built around people searching for information and sharing their experiences with others.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Zynga
Zynga
Zynga is a network of gaming applications built off of classic games like Poker, Battleship, and Attack!. The games are found on social networks like Facebook and Bebo.
In addition to making their own games, the company has created a network which allows third party developers to become part of the Zynga network. Zynga claims to be the largest social game network on the web with self published numbers of 1.3 million daily active users and 20 million registered users (as of 7/08).
Among the site’s founders is Tribe founder Mark Pincus.
If you want to get Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga, hot under the collar, just ask him if he thinks Lightspeed Venture Partner's Jeremy Liew is right when he says social gaming is a marketing channel not a category. (See Liew's post)
"I cannot say how wrong Jeremy is," said Pincus, in this first part of our interview on how the Internet has changed our culture, and particularly the way we play games. Pincus believes that believing social gaming is just a marketing channel is as shortsighted as saying the Web is just a marketing channel. Clearly, with the emergence of eBay, Amazon, Google and Facebook, the Web is not just a promotional tool.
In fact, Pincus would go so far as saying that "social gaming is the next-generation of social networking."
Here's an edited version of the interview.
BF: What's the biggest change in online gaming in the past five years?
MP: The biggest change in online gaming in the past five years is that it's gotten social and increasingly mainstream. If you look at big categories over the past five years, they were either MMOs, like World of Warcraft, which were social, but were for hardcore gamers. The other large category of online gaming was the download market, which was inherently a single-player game. It unlocked free-to-play games, but it was on the growth trajectory of individual game play. What we’ve seen is a much more casual and mass-market audience that has embraced gaming. The single most important thing that’s happened in online gaming is Facebook and social networks. It's made it really easy for you to play games with your real friends.
The idea of playing an online gaming on a gaming site where you had a fake screen name, to me is one step less cringy than porn. If you were playing games with your mom or stepson, people would say, 'Oh Wow. You have five minutes of free time and you're connecting with real people in your life. The idea of socializing with your friends, it’s possibly the next-generation of social networking.
BF: Zynga has 45 million monthly unique visitors playing games. What is the most fascinating thing you’ve learned about human nature as you watch people play games?
MP: The more we make it social in the sense that they’re coming together for this cocktail party and people are connecting with their real friends, there’s this magical power to that. The way they behave changes. This sense of people wanting to connect with real friends and wanting to build social capital, is powerful.
We turned on gifting. The rate at which people gave gifts to friends was high. Giving an interactive dog in YoVille is a popular thing to do. It costs a couple bucks, but it's a rare gift. The idea of status is similar to what we see in our everyday lives.
BF: Some people, like LightSpeed Venture's Jeremy Liew, say social gaming is not a category, it’s a way to market games. What do you say to that?
MP: That approach failed. Electronic Arts and Pogo launched games using social networks as a channel, and the numbers show that games created for the medium were far more successful. To me, what Jeremy is saying is similar to what people said a decade ago about the Internet. They said that Web pages were just a place to put a brochure. Every one said it was brochure-ware. They said it wasn’t a medium, but a marketing channel. They were wrong. I think the leading social games are going to be created for the medium. There’s so much that you can unlock in a new social experience. What about asynchronis games, like Scrabulous? Where did that exist before? The fact that you can now play a game and shift time and space - that’s a new experience that’s bringing a new audience who’d never play before. I cannot say enough how wrong Jeremy is. The future will prove it out. I believe social gaming will subsume all online gaming. I believe casual gaming will be referred to as social gaming. Social gaming will be bigger in terms of revenue and audience. Social gaming has a potential to make gaming mass market by Web standards. When I say Web standards, I mean a third to half had done something last month. I believe online gaming will get there.
(Stay tuned for the second part of this interview with Pincus in the coming weeks)
Zynga is a network of gaming applications built off of classic games like Poker, Battleship, and Attack!. The games are found on social networks like Facebook and Bebo.
In addition to making their own games, the company has created a network which allows third party developers to become part of the Zynga network. Zynga claims to be the largest social game network on the web with self published numbers of 1.3 million daily active users and 20 million registered users (as of 7/08).
Among the site’s founders is Tribe founder Mark Pincus.
If you want to get Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga, hot under the collar, just ask him if he thinks Lightspeed Venture Partner's Jeremy Liew is right when he says social gaming is a marketing channel not a category. (See Liew's post)
"I cannot say how wrong Jeremy is," said Pincus, in this first part of our interview on how the Internet has changed our culture, and particularly the way we play games. Pincus believes that believing social gaming is just a marketing channel is as shortsighted as saying the Web is just a marketing channel. Clearly, with the emergence of eBay, Amazon, Google and Facebook, the Web is not just a promotional tool.
In fact, Pincus would go so far as saying that "social gaming is the next-generation of social networking."
Here's an edited version of the interview.
BF: What's the biggest change in online gaming in the past five years?
MP: The biggest change in online gaming in the past five years is that it's gotten social and increasingly mainstream. If you look at big categories over the past five years, they were either MMOs, like World of Warcraft, which were social, but were for hardcore gamers. The other large category of online gaming was the download market, which was inherently a single-player game. It unlocked free-to-play games, but it was on the growth trajectory of individual game play. What we’ve seen is a much more casual and mass-market audience that has embraced gaming. The single most important thing that’s happened in online gaming is Facebook and social networks. It's made it really easy for you to play games with your real friends.
The idea of playing an online gaming on a gaming site where you had a fake screen name, to me is one step less cringy than porn. If you were playing games with your mom or stepson, people would say, 'Oh Wow. You have five minutes of free time and you're connecting with real people in your life. The idea of socializing with your friends, it’s possibly the next-generation of social networking.
BF: Zynga has 45 million monthly unique visitors playing games. What is the most fascinating thing you’ve learned about human nature as you watch people play games?
MP: The more we make it social in the sense that they’re coming together for this cocktail party and people are connecting with their real friends, there’s this magical power to that. The way they behave changes. This sense of people wanting to connect with real friends and wanting to build social capital, is powerful.
We turned on gifting. The rate at which people gave gifts to friends was high. Giving an interactive dog in YoVille is a popular thing to do. It costs a couple bucks, but it's a rare gift. The idea of status is similar to what we see in our everyday lives.
BF: Some people, like LightSpeed Venture's Jeremy Liew, say social gaming is not a category, it’s a way to market games. What do you say to that?
MP: That approach failed. Electronic Arts and Pogo launched games using social networks as a channel, and the numbers show that games created for the medium were far more successful. To me, what Jeremy is saying is similar to what people said a decade ago about the Internet. They said that Web pages were just a place to put a brochure. Every one said it was brochure-ware. They said it wasn’t a medium, but a marketing channel. They were wrong. I think the leading social games are going to be created for the medium. There’s so much that you can unlock in a new social experience. What about asynchronis games, like Scrabulous? Where did that exist before? The fact that you can now play a game and shift time and space - that’s a new experience that’s bringing a new audience who’d never play before. I cannot say enough how wrong Jeremy is. The future will prove it out. I believe social gaming will subsume all online gaming. I believe casual gaming will be referred to as social gaming. Social gaming will be bigger in terms of revenue and audience. Social gaming has a potential to make gaming mass market by Web standards. When I say Web standards, I mean a third to half had done something last month. I believe online gaming will get there.
(Stay tuned for the second part of this interview with Pincus in the coming weeks)
Monday, October 19, 2009
EiC Sept 2009 - Endpoint-Don't test pupils, talk to them
EiC Sept 2009 - Endpoint
Teachers are well aware there can be a wide variation in the knowledge and understanding among pupils in a class. When interviewing students in one school, I was told by Y7 (11-year old) pupil Daniel that the three states of matter were 'solid, liquid and gas'. He went on to explain that: 'a solid's particles are close together and they vibrate because all particles move. A liquid's are able to move round more, but they're still attached, and the gas [particles] are as far apart as possible, and they fly around really fast'.
I imagine that had the class teacher heard this response, she would have been satisfied with the boy's learning and her own teaching. However, another pupil could experience the same teaching with very different results. When I asked Jason what he was studying in the class he said, 'changing states and the three states of matter, and if burning is irreversible, and if "stuff" is a state of matter'. What he had taken away from this was that 'fire is not a state'. When I asked him what the three states of matter are, he suggested 'burning, freezing and melting'.
Shared via AddThis
Teachers are well aware there can be a wide variation in the knowledge and understanding among pupils in a class. When interviewing students in one school, I was told by Y7 (11-year old) pupil Daniel that the three states of matter were 'solid, liquid and gas'. He went on to explain that: 'a solid's particles are close together and they vibrate because all particles move. A liquid's are able to move round more, but they're still attached, and the gas [particles] are as far apart as possible, and they fly around really fast'.
I imagine that had the class teacher heard this response, she would have been satisfied with the boy's learning and her own teaching. However, another pupil could experience the same teaching with very different results. When I asked Jason what he was studying in the class he said, 'changing states and the three states of matter, and if burning is irreversible, and if "stuff" is a state of matter'. What he had taken away from this was that 'fire is not a state'. When I asked him what the three states of matter are, he suggested 'burning, freezing and melting'.
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Chemistry World - China
Chemistry World: China brings you the most important news on chemical science, business and policy in China, along with the global perspective of its sister publication, Chemistry World. Subscribe to our monthly magazine for FREE today - it's the best way to keep up to date with the world of chemistry.
Chemistry World - the latest chemical science news articles
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Chemistry World - the latest chemical science news articles
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Full Journal Search - Chemistry World
Use our powerful search tool to find articles published by the RSC from 1841 to the present day.
Full Journal Search
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Full Journal Search
Shared via AddThis
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Reinvent desktop human-computer interaction
Here it is: my crazy summer project to reinvent desktop human-computer interaction.
This video examines the benefits and limitations inherent in current mouse-based and window-oriented interfaces, the problems facing other potential solutions, and visualizes my proposal for a completely new way of interacting with desktop computers.
There's more information at 10gui.com .
This video examines the benefits and limitations inherent in current mouse-based and window-oriented interfaces, the problems facing other potential solutions, and visualizes my proposal for a completely new way of interacting with desktop computers.
There's more information at 10gui.com .
Sunday, October 11, 2009
SEPTEMBER 26, 2009 - A Prairie Home Companion
SEPTEMBER 26, 2009
This week on A Prairie Home Companion, it's our broadcast season opener, followed by the traditional street dance, and meatloaf supper. With special guests, The Sam Bush Band, Salsa Del Soul, and singer-songwriters Connie Evingson, Sarah Jarosz, and Andra Suchy. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors; Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and The News from Lake Wobegon.
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/popup.php?name=phc/2009/09/26/phc_20090926_64
Show Segments
Listen to individual segments as listed below
Segment 1
00:00:00 - Logo
00:00:13 - Tishomingo Blues
00:04:21 - "I Will" - GK, Andra, band
00:05:29 - "You Asked Me To" - GK, Andra, Shoe Band
00:09:24 - The Lives of the Cowboys script
00:18:32 - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Connie Evingson and band
00:20:30 - "Nobody's Dirty Business" - Pat Donohue and band
00:23:40 - GK talks with Sam Bush
00:24:26 - "Circles Around Me" - Sam Bush Band
00:27:55 - "Out on the Ocean" - Sam Bush Band
00:30:52 - Powdermilk Biscuit Break
Segment 2
00:34:34 - "Just Someone I Used to Know" - GK, Andra, band
00:37:50 - GK intros Sarah Jarosz
00:39:16 - "Song Up in Her Head" - Sarah Jarosz and Shoe Band
00:42:12 - GK talks about Sarah
00:43:42 - "Come on Up to the House" - Sarah Jarosz and Shoe Band
00:47:42 - Guy Noir script
00:59:00 - GK talks with Sam Bush
00:59:29 - "You Left Me Alone" - Sam Bush Band
01:03:00 - CC Rider- Pat Donohue, GK, Andra, Shoe band, Shai Hayo
01:09:00 - "Exactly Like You" - Guy's All-Star Shoe Band/Intermission
Segment 3
01:12:46 - Greetings
01:16:53 - GK talks with Connie Evingson
01:17:40 - "Autumn Leaves" - Connie Evingson
01:19:40 - The Rules script (with ‘Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain')
01:28:22 - GK talks more with Sarah
01:29:27 - "Edge of a Dream" - Sarah Jarosz
Segment 4
01:32:52 - The News From Lake Wobegon
Segment 5
01:45:13 - "Gettin' Back into It" - The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
01:47:36 - GK announces street dance
01:48:27 - "Mingle" - GK and band
01:51:10 - GK intros Sam Bush Band one more time
01:51:30 - "Whisper My Name" - Sam Bush Band
01:54:25 - Credits, Salsa dancers
This week on A Prairie Home Companion, it's our broadcast season opener, followed by the traditional street dance, and meatloaf supper. With special guests, The Sam Bush Band, Salsa Del Soul, and singer-songwriters Connie Evingson, Sarah Jarosz, and Andra Suchy. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors; Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and The News from Lake Wobegon.
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/popup.php?name=phc/2009/09/26/phc_20090926_64
Show Segments
Listen to individual segments as listed below
Segment 1
00:00:00 - Logo
00:00:13 - Tishomingo Blues
00:04:21 - "I Will" - GK, Andra, band
00:05:29 - "You Asked Me To" - GK, Andra, Shoe Band
00:09:24 - The Lives of the Cowboys script
00:18:32 - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Connie Evingson and band
00:20:30 - "Nobody's Dirty Business" - Pat Donohue and band
00:23:40 - GK talks with Sam Bush
00:24:26 - "Circles Around Me" - Sam Bush Band
00:27:55 - "Out on the Ocean" - Sam Bush Band
00:30:52 - Powdermilk Biscuit Break
Segment 2
00:34:34 - "Just Someone I Used to Know" - GK, Andra, band
00:37:50 - GK intros Sarah Jarosz
00:39:16 - "Song Up in Her Head" - Sarah Jarosz and Shoe Band
00:42:12 - GK talks about Sarah
00:43:42 - "Come on Up to the House" - Sarah Jarosz and Shoe Band
00:47:42 - Guy Noir script
00:59:00 - GK talks with Sam Bush
00:59:29 - "You Left Me Alone" - Sam Bush Band
01:03:00 - CC Rider- Pat Donohue, GK, Andra, Shoe band, Shai Hayo
01:09:00 - "Exactly Like You" - Guy's All-Star Shoe Band/Intermission
Segment 3
01:12:46 - Greetings
01:16:53 - GK talks with Connie Evingson
01:17:40 - "Autumn Leaves" - Connie Evingson
01:19:40 - The Rules script (with ‘Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain')
01:28:22 - GK talks more with Sarah
01:29:27 - "Edge of a Dream" - Sarah Jarosz
Segment 4
01:32:52 - The News From Lake Wobegon
Segment 5
01:45:13 - "Gettin' Back into It" - The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
01:47:36 - GK announces street dance
01:48:27 - "Mingle" - GK and band
01:51:10 - GK intros Sam Bush Band one more time
01:51:30 - "Whisper My Name" - Sam Bush Band
01:54:25 - Credits, Salsa dancers
Saturday, October 10, 2009
OCTOBER 3, 2009 A Prairie Home Companion
OCTOBER 3, 2009
Coming to you this week on A Prairie Home Companion, we're broadcasting from the Fitzgerald Theater. Special guests Jeff Tweedy and the alt-rock boys of Wilco will bring the noise while bluegrass belle Patty Loveless will lend us her mountain soul. Also with us, The Royal Academy of Radio Actors; Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and The News from Lake Wobegon.
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/popup.php?name=phc/2009/10/03/phc_20091003_64
Show Segments
Listen to individual segments as listed below
Segment 1
00:00:00 - Logo
00:00:13 - Tishomingo Blues
00:02:44 - GK talks about adversity being good for you
00:04:11 - Hard Times medley - GK and Shoe Band
00:05:26 - Unfriended - GK and Shoe Band
00:09:30 - Skunk script
00:11:08 - Rockin' Past Bedtime - Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
00:13:15 - GK intros Wilco
00:15:08 - One By One - Wilco
00:18:50 - GK talks with Wilco about their tour
00:19:16 - Deeper Down - Wilco
00:22:33 - Cowboys script
00:29:54 - Powdermilk Biscuit Break
Segment 2
00:31:40 - GK talks about the Ford Museum in Michigan
00:33:03 - Grandfather's Clock- GK and band
00:37:19 - Guy Noir script
00:51:00 - GK intros Patty Loveless
00:51:47 - Busted - Patty Loveless Band
00:55:46 - Prisoner's Tears - Patty Loveless Band
01:00:24 - GK talks about fall, September, mushrooms
01:02:27 - I Saw Her Standing There (Intermission)
Segment 3
01:06:40 - Back to the 2nd half, Home on the Range, greetings
01:11:58 - Whatever Floats Your Boat- GK and band
01:16:48 - Rhubarb script
01:20:45 - GK intros Patty Loveless's band, talks with Patty Loveless
01:21:56 - Handful of Dust- Patty Loveless Band
01:25:15 - The Bramble and The Rose- Patty Loveless Band
Segment 4
01:29:27 - News From Lake Wobegon
Segment 5
01:43:20 - Hound Dog - Pat Donohue and the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
01:46:33 - GK brings Wilco back
01:46:48 - You Never Know - Wilco
01:51:24 - Passenger Side - Wilco
01:54:54 - GK thanks guests, talks about the Metrodome, Twins win, credits
01:57:09 - Goodnight Ladies/ Goodnight Sweetheart closer, Down Yonder
Coming to you this week on A Prairie Home Companion, we're broadcasting from the Fitzgerald Theater. Special guests Jeff Tweedy and the alt-rock boys of Wilco will bring the noise while bluegrass belle Patty Loveless will lend us her mountain soul. Also with us, The Royal Academy of Radio Actors; Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith, the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band, and The News from Lake Wobegon.
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/popup.php?name=phc/2009/10/03/phc_20091003_64
Show Segments
Listen to individual segments as listed below
Segment 1
00:00:00 - Logo
00:00:13 - Tishomingo Blues
00:02:44 - GK talks about adversity being good for you
00:04:11 - Hard Times medley - GK and Shoe Band
00:05:26 - Unfriended - GK and Shoe Band
00:09:30 - Skunk script
00:11:08 - Rockin' Past Bedtime - Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
00:13:15 - GK intros Wilco
00:15:08 - One By One - Wilco
00:18:50 - GK talks with Wilco about their tour
00:19:16 - Deeper Down - Wilco
00:22:33 - Cowboys script
00:29:54 - Powdermilk Biscuit Break
Segment 2
00:31:40 - GK talks about the Ford Museum in Michigan
00:33:03 - Grandfather's Clock- GK and band
00:37:19 - Guy Noir script
00:51:00 - GK intros Patty Loveless
00:51:47 - Busted - Patty Loveless Band
00:55:46 - Prisoner's Tears - Patty Loveless Band
01:00:24 - GK talks about fall, September, mushrooms
01:02:27 - I Saw Her Standing There (Intermission)
Segment 3
01:06:40 - Back to the 2nd half, Home on the Range, greetings
01:11:58 - Whatever Floats Your Boat- GK and band
01:16:48 - Rhubarb script
01:20:45 - GK intros Patty Loveless's band, talks with Patty Loveless
01:21:56 - Handful of Dust- Patty Loveless Band
01:25:15 - The Bramble and The Rose- Patty Loveless Band
Segment 4
01:29:27 - News From Lake Wobegon
Segment 5
01:43:20 - Hound Dog - Pat Donohue and the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
01:46:33 - GK brings Wilco back
01:46:48 - You Never Know - Wilco
01:51:24 - Passenger Side - Wilco
01:54:54 - GK thanks guests, talks about the Metrodome, Twins win, credits
01:57:09 - Goodnight Ladies/ Goodnight Sweetheart closer, Down Yonder
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