Tag Archives: users

A Computer To Teach You Not To Act Like A Computer | Co.Exist

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Technology enthusiasts who spend their days playing with computers and robots often have the amount of social graces of the machines they’re programming. So it’s either a brilliant or incredibly off-base intervention that an MIT graduate student has designed computer software to attempt to teach the socially-maladjusted how to be more sociable, via a Siri-like virtual conversation coach.

The program, called My Automated Conversation Coach (MACH), “uses a computer-generated onscreen face, along with facial, speech, and behavior analysis and synthesis software, to simulate face-to-face conversations,” according to a press release. “It then provides users with feedback on their interactions,” for example, how good was their eye contact, which words did they emphasize, how did their voice rise and fall.

via A Computer To Teach You Not To Act Like A Computer | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation.

I Still Haven’t Switched My RSS Reader

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I’ve been following the news for months about the Google Reader shutdown…and Digg has being counting down the days. I suppose I have been in the mindset of “ignore it and it will go away.” Unfortunately not. Google Reader meets all my needs and I’m reluctant to change. Google Reader being shutdown in the first place is incomprehensible to me. I saw this post from MIT Technology Review about the usefulness of Google Reader in countering censorship in Iran. The service will leave somewhat of a vacuum and have consequences we may have not yet realized. I’m not sure the promotion of of social and moving users to Google+ will see significant dividends long-term and it certainly has not engendered good will towards the company. Personally, Google’s moves that past few years have been very off-putting.

I have also been waiting…and waiting…for the Digg replacement, which is now in beta. One of my issues with the switch is that I’m an organizing fiend. I have many folders and tags and hundreds of subscriptions. I don’t want to lose that data. I don’t care about colour  or fancy social sharing features. Functionality and a clean, simple interface, is of utmost importance. So RSS readers like Pulse and Flipboard are too image intensive for my needs as a RSS power user.

Occasionally I like to read posts on my iPad, so I use the mobile app Byline but there are synching issues (I dislike having to “Mark as Read” posts in both services for all new posts). Although there are many RSS iOS apps out there (and I have tried most), this one handles all those folders and tags the best and you can easily and quickly swipe through posts.

I will be choosing either Feedly or the Digg Reader as my new RSS reader. I’m leaning toward the Digg replacement, as it would be useful to combine my need for power RSS with Digg’s social bookmarking features. Those who need to still need to switch you may want to use Google Takeout to export your data for backup.

Here’s some news Google Reader alternatives that are worth reading if, like me, you still haven’t switched and are waiting to the bitter end:

Make Web sites mobile-friendly or face Google search wrath | Internet & Media – CNET News

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If smartphone users have problems with your site, here’s some incentive to fix them: Google said Tuesday it plans to punish problematic sites with lower placement in search results.

via Make Web sites mobile-friendly or face Google search wrath | Internet & Media – CNET News.

The Rise of the Mobile-Only User | Karen McGrane – HBR

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If you’re trying to reach specific audiences, you can’t afford to ignore mobile-only users. As Pew Internet reports:

  • Young adults: 50 percent of teen smartphone owners, aged 12-17, say they use the internet mostly on their cell phone, according to a 2013 Pew Internet report on Teens and Technology. Similarly, 45 percent of young adults aged 18-29 reported in 2012 that they mostly go online with a mobile device.
  • Black and Hispanic adults: 51 percent of black Americans and 42 percent of Hispanic Americans who use a mobile device to access the internet say that’s the primary way they go online — about double the 24 percent of white Americans who say they rely on their mobile devices for access.
  • Low-income adults: People whose household income is less than $30,000 per year and people with less than a college education are also more likely to rely on their mobile devices for access — about 40 percent of people in these groups say they primarily use their cell phone to go online. Healthcare, non-profit, and government institutions which need to reach these populations should be aware that their audience is mobile-only.

See the full article: The Rise of the Mobile-Only User | Karen McGrane – Harvard Business Review.

Infographic: 2012 Mobile Growth Statistics | DigitalBuzzBlog 

The Rise of Mobile

The Future Of Technology Isn’t Mobile, It’s Contextual | Co.Design

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Next up: Machines that understand you and everything you care about, anticipate your behavior and emotions, absorb your social graph, interpret your intentions, and make life, um, “easier.”

via The Future Of Technology Isn’t Mobile, It’s Contextual | Co.Design: business + innovation + design.

Libraries: A Canvas for Creating Meaningful User Experience | UX Magazine

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“User experience is an important tool for libraries to employ against a number of competitors like bookstores and at-home Internet access. Libraries have taken this as an opportunity to provide services that are not available elsewhere. The strategy to focus on users and their needs has earned libraries strong support from the public as demonstrated by a recent Pew Internet study: an overwhelming 91% of Americans “say public libraries are important to their communities.” See the full article: Libraries: A Canvas for Creating Meaningful User Experience | UX Magazine.

TechCrunch | White House Announces National Day Of Civic Hacking, Asks Americans To Solve Problems With Govt Data From NASA And More

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The Canadian Government needs to pilot a program like this! Unfortunately, I can’t imagine this happening with a Harper government. We need to advocate for more open data and a transparent government, especially with government budgets and programs funded by taxpayer wallets.

White House Announces National Day Of Civic Hacking, Asks Americans To Solve Problems With Govt Data From NASA And More | TechCrunch.

N.B. At the bottom of the article is a map of America…all the cities that have signed up are quite similar to the distribution of Democratic states.  Also can’t see a Republican government launching a program like this. Obama rocks.

Stephen’s Lighthouse | Major NEW and Must-Read Pew Report on Libraries

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Major NEW and Must-Read Pew Report on Libraries – Stephen’s Lighthouse.