The manipulative is the message
embodied media
the narrowing of experience through windows-mouse interface
how can computers leverage our physical-world skills in a way that is generalizable
siftables
- using existing physical gestures: tilting, swirling, pouring, moving closer
- sense physical motion
- display color graphics
- sense neighbors in close proximity
- communicate wirelessly with a computer: standalone or interface to a desktop
software: programming a distributed system
- distributed code/algorithms: robust, enables emergent behavior - but difficult to author complex coordinated bheavior
- centralized control: easier to author, but can be brittle
- so siftables combines both
software: events
- both single events (in a single siftable) and topology changes (a cluster of units, like pouring color from one to another)
interaction paradigm: embodied media rather than "physical cursor"
Sensor Network User Interfaces
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- irst idea: interface to a sensor network
- but can we create an interface from a sensor network - so that interaction with nodes creates interface?
- sensor networks are just barely becoming usable, but lots of opportunity for them
- self-contained/powered mobile nodes! coordinated behavior!
- lots of architecture problems are being solved - graceful degredation, localization, code change
the problem: how do we lower the barrier to entry?
- what is the Flash for sensor network infrastructure? what is the Arduino for sensor network infrastructure?
- Sun SPOTS, SquidBee, XBee
wish-list
- dead-simple mesh networking
- foundation: discovery, position, action,
- higher-level: global, distributed behaviors, easily see what is talking to what -- discoverability
conversation
- Dave M: Why do you want the multiples?
- David M: We're good with multiple manipulation, like blocks. We're good at putting things together
- Jan: Getting students to make the mental leap from the single spot of attention to the multiple units. Also, maybe programming sensor nets is hard is because parallel programming is really hard. Also, why not touch input?
- David M: no touch input mostly because the original vision was of piles of things, avoiding cellphone
- Phil: Productivize?
- David M: Yes! After finishing thesis.
- Pamela: Is there a way we can all be aware of each other and start a forum for exchange?
- David M: networks of distributed objects and UI
