Putting things in perspective...

Worried about your studies? Worried about how the trimester will pan out? It's OK. Relax. Give yourself a good sense of perspective: have a look at the "interactive scale of the universe tool".



Now ... where *did* I put my car keys?

Why airlines make you turn off your mobile phone...

Have you, like I have, wondered why airlines make passengers turn their mobile phones off in the plane? Do you too, like I do, mutter to yourself "If all it takes is for my mobile phone to be switched on to potentially bring this plane down, then no-one should be flying in this potentially lethal crate!". And, do you think to yourself, as I do, "Why bother with security screening and taking away my weapons of mass destruction (nail file and deodorant) if all it takes to disrupt the plane is for people to switch their phones on?".

The rules about mobile phones and air travel were brought in decades ago (much like mobile phone use in hospitals). Actually, there is little evidence in research to suggest that mobile phones disrupt the technology on the plane. BUT, (and here's my subjective opinion creeping in) ... the rules are in place, etched firmly in the policies and protocols of airline companies. And to change protocols and policies takes a huge amount of bureacracy, paperwork, and time. Time is money. Ergo, it's cheaper to ask everyone to switch their phones off than to change the rules.

Sigh... I suppose, though, to be fair, it is more considerate for fellow travellers if phone use is kept to a minimum.

Read more on this interesting topic at this media article.

What are your own thoughts on this?

Have you ever wondered how much internet activity occurs in any one 60second bite around the world?

Click for bigger.

With thanks to my good colleague Dr Kurt Seemann

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”

--Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

It may sound ridiculous now, but the prediction was actually true for about ten years after it was made. Almost every forecaster would settle for a ten year limit on the testing of their forecasts. Of course, by the 1980s and the advent of the PC, such a statement looked plain daft.

Cloud computing: the future?

You may recall the excellent seminar on the TED talks series by Kevin Kelly where he explores the future of the internet (posted here on this blog site). In that seminar he mentions "the cloud" as the whole of the interactive web. Here is an article from the Sydney Morning Herald discussing the recent release of a white paper by Microsoft outlining "privacy concerns businesses should consider prior to leaping into the computing 'cloud' ".

Hmmm, why am I not surprised that Microsoft would not be too keen to promote confidence in the Web?

As was discussed in class after watching the TED talks clip, it's interesting to consider what would be the repercussions for the software giant Microsoft if more and more people use the Web rather than the more traditional, Microsoft marketed programs on sale. Now, equally interesting to consider, are the repercussions and significance for the Web if Microsoft are (as I imagine) attempting to undermine public and corporate confidence in the Web. What effect will the Cloud have on the various economic models created by ICT?

Very interesting food for thought and discussion.

Newspaper article: In Qantas's airport of the future, chips will abound but staff may not

Click here to read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald about a $200 million project by Qantas aiming to improve customer service and introduce more automation in airports.

The management of this process, and its outcomes and implications, will be interesting to follow.

Dr Mieke is in Bangkok

Sawasdee ka!

I've arrived in Bangkok and am looking forward to meeting the Nareusan cohort this evening. I've had a lovely healthy Thai green curry for lunch so I am sure I'll be fit and well for classes today.

Here is a photo I took when I was in Bangkok last year, one of the incredible wall paintings at the temple of Wat Pho (Wat Phra Chetuphon) and the Grand Palace. The paintings themselves are not just works of art, they are stories and history and teaching, all rolled together in glorious colours.

Amazing, cutting-edge technology for hotels

Charles Tee, my colleague in Singapore, drew my attention to some amazing, cutting-edge hospitality technology. You may wish to take a look at this link: http://online.hitec.org/news/154000381/4027999.html

You can download short clips by Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP), "providing a glimpse of the technologies to be featured in its GUESTROOM 2010 prototype hotel room and adjacent pavilion. The display debuted at HITEC (Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference) 2006, June 19-22 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Based on a worldwide, comprehensive study, more than 40 different technologies were chosen to be featured in the pavilion. Few of the technologies are only conceptual, while a majority is capable of installation within 90 days."

WBSN: Web based social networking

The internet has given rise to a new social phenomenon: internet powered networking, known as 'web based social networking' (WBSN). The sites Facebook and MySpace are examples of these.

I typed "social networking" into our online library database SpringerLink (offers full text :-) articles on a number of areas but notably information technology and life science) and got 880 results.

There is a good popular article in today's Sydney Morning Herald on the Kiss and Tell of Social Networks.

Kevin Kelly: Predicting the next 5,000 days of the web

At the 2007 EG conference, Kevin Kelly shares a fun stat: The World Wide Web, as we know it, is only 5,000 days old. Now, Kelly asks, how can we predict what's coming in the next 5,000 days?

I can't embed the film clip here but the video can be viewed here

So, how do blind people access information on the web?

I'm glad you asked that question.

You can read the answer on this site, which is about improving web accessibility for people with disabilities.

The Rijkswidget

Would you like a widget?

What's a widget?

A widget is a small program that only does one thing: but does that one thing, very well. My favourite widget is the Rijkswidget (see above) which is a small program that showcases a piece of art from the Royal Dutch Museum (the Rijksmuseum). A new work of art appears on your desktop every day. Click on it once and it increases in size and resolution, click on the bottom right corner and you get information about the artwork and the artist.

You can download one for free from the Rijksmuseum:
http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/widget?lang=en

There are many widgets: global clocks, weather reports, cute stuff, educational stuff, latest updated newspapers front page from all over the world ... anything. Widgetbox have a good selection, but there are many sites that allow you to download widgets.

Have fun.

How users read on the web

Successful writing for the web entails understanding how people read on the web. According to Dr Jakob Nielsen, people don't! They don't read - they scan instead. You can access his studies on readability, research how people read websites, and learn how to improve web writing strategies.

The information is based on academic studies which illustrate how little people read on the web ...

I wish the web designers of many university websites (including our own) would have read Dr Nielsen's short and informative page ...

Is Google making us stupid?

A fascinating article by Nicholas Carr on the Net and effects on human cognition:

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Where is all your data stored and what is a petabyte?

This week on the ABC radio program Background Briefing, reporter Stan Currey explores where all your data is stored and what a petabyte is. The audio of each Background Briefing is available on-line for four weeks after the program goes to air. You can listen back to recent programs or download them to your computer or mp3 player.

CLOUD COMPUTING
Reporter: Stan Correy
Google turns ten this week and their data storage needs are exploding along with all the other service and content providers. Data server farms are popping up everywhere as we enter the Petabyte age.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2008/2359128.htm
Sunday 14th September 9.10am
Tuesday 16th September 7.05pm
Wednesday 17th September 4.05am