Kitchen counter. Meet future.
Could this be the way that we interact with our food in the future? Considering the increasing popularity of intelligent computing surfaces this might not be that far from the truth. Perhaps the better question we might have to ask ourselves is "do we want this to the truth"?
On one hand, it represents some potentially revolutionary methods in which to engage with the food and cooking. The areas that we typically use to prepare our food could take a step further from their utilitarian role that we have come to know and it could be tied into the wealth of information present on the Internet. Imagine, place a pepper on your cutting board and in an instant your presented with vital knowledge on the quality of it, how to prepare and cook it - this could potentially save your life. Designed in an intelligent fashion this could also decrease the levels of appreciation that many consumers are faced with when tasked with cooking. This of all reasons I think might be the most important.
On the other hand, this technological interconnection between food and Internet could be evidence of a lacking connection between food and humans. There is a lot to be taken from the proverbial statement "be mindful of the past". Compared to our ancestors, there is shockingly large disconnect between people's understanding of the most basic elements of food. The knowledge of food, food production and preparation is scarce among many north Americans and it's a scary to think that there is such a dependence of technology in order to grasp something that keeps us alive. So what sort of future do we want between our food and our technology?
In the end, as time progresses, I think it's inevitable that food and technology will become interconnected - there is no denying that. In fact, rather than turning a blind eye to it I think we should embrace it and ensure that we use it to enable people to learn as much about food as possible. However, even as we face the future of food and technology with open arms, I still believe that something as simple as food and cooking should be taught to our younger generations hands on. They need to ensure that they learn about the diverse and bountiful world of food both online and off.
How to prototype a Mockingbird
A colleague of mine linked me to a nice web based prototyping tool called Mockingbird. It is currently in beta, and clearly has a ways to go, but it seems promising. This would be a great tool for a beginner interaction designer to play around with as many of the common shapes and tools are prebuilt. I would also recommend to use it on a simple site that isn't too content heavy. The tool definitely needs a notation tool however. Check it out.
Intel’s Intelligent Home
Intel put together a very elegant concept for a energy dashboard that works off of the processors they manufacture. The micro site includes overview documentation as well as a demo and video of the system in action. It's crazy to think that something as significant and commonplace as our energy monitoring has been restricted to a metal monstrosity with a spinning arrow at the back of our homes. Even worse, as an apartment dweller I don't even know where I look to view my energy consumption levels. The only transparency I get on that matter is through my monthly bills - and no one really wants to look at that on a regular basis. Hopefully we see more innovations on energy monitoring soon, and hopefully we see it available at the consumer level even sooner.
Into the Infractor
infractor - interactive, collaborative multitouch application from siwamat on Vimeo.
How do turn a wet, dreary day into a good one? Read about installations! Well, if you're a big interaction dork that is. And it's a good thing I'm not the only dork, otherwise this little electronic number would have never been invented - The Infractor.
The Infractor was the creation of the Interface Design students at Potsdam University of Applied Sciences. The piece is an interactive table that visualizes content from the NY Times database (apparently they have an API). Using a variety of small physical objects the user is able to search and filter the results of the NY Times all in real time. At first glance I assumed that they were working on a Microsoft Surface table, but it turns out the table was designed and created by the students at the same university.
It's interesting as I have seen pieces quite similar to this in the past which have been touted as the future of interactivity. Now, say conceptual devices like this did indeed become our future interfaces. Each time I've witnessed a variation on it the same question comes to mind each time: how flexible are these shapes? The interface definitiely seems to have a near endless level of flexibility but what about these fixed, physical shapes? Tangible as they may be, is it really a boon to technology to have all these accompanying parts? Would hand interaction be any worse, or better? I guess it depends largely on it's application.
Potion
Here's a company to keep an eye on if you're interested in installation work. Potion was founded by a group of MIT graduates and is based in New York City. They specialize in installation design, and looking through their portfolio, they have a good hang of it. One of my particular favorites is a piece they did for the Museum of Science and Industry. It's a touch screen interface that shows a cut away of a human vein. Various parts flow through the blood stream and the users can grab on to them to learn more. It appears like a visceral and simplistic way to learn.
Microsoft’s Courier Interface
Gizmodo provided a little more in depth coverage of the oft rumored tablet PC concept from Microsoft. Though I wonder how wide spread the need for this sort of interface would be, I do believe that it could have some great potential for creative professionals. To met this is less a "pc" but more like a digital sketch book. As a general consumer I don't think I would want to interact with a device the way they are proposing - considering I'd used to standard applications like a web browser, email and games. Yet, as a digital creative professional I would love to be able to take some of the prototyping, quick sketches, doodles etc. that I generate on a daily basis on paper and transfer it to a digital medium. It may not be as fast, but it should would organize things better than the giant pile currently sitting beside me. Check it out.
NY Times – Innovating with innovation
The NY Times constantly amazes me with their endeavours into experimental interfaces. With projects like the Times Reader and this Innovation Browser, the NY Times must have a dedicated web team that constantly conceptualizes new interfaces. Mind you, with a massive resource like the NY Times, this team must never run out of material to work with. This latest incarnation enables the user to browse through an abstract field of circles that are color coded to certain topics. With topics like 'virutal', 'interactive graphics', 'multimedia' and more you're bound to find at least one article that's of interest.
Data Visualization
Just a quick post to demonstrate this great article put together by Smashing Magazine. Everything from mindmaps, displaying data, displaying news and more, Smashing explores the modern, brilliant and fascinating ways that data is being visualized today. I think this is such an important area of research if we're going to make sense of this ever growing age of information.
Obscura Digital
Once again my RSS feeds have tipped me off to yet another thought provoking company: Obscura Digital.
Founded in 2000, Obscura Digital specializes in large scale interactive installations that range from ones the size of a pool table (as seen below) to interactivelight shows that cover entire auditorium ceilings . Think that's impressive? It appears the scalability of their work comes from a proprietary software package that they created themselves. Talk about starting from the ground up.
Perusing through their 'about' section it appears as though this company is doing quite well for themselves. They remain a privately held company of 33 employees with offices in San Francisco New York and Tokyo with more coming throughout Europe and the Middle East.
The pool table piece is impressive enough on its own. But if I've wet your appetite for them any more I recommend checking out their other projects.
A Good Use For Twitter
Baker Tweet Machine
The "Baker Tweet Machine" is a great example I've come across of how the simple, short message status broadcasting system known as Twitter can be effectively used. Bake shops who purchase the device can program it with a listing of the products they make on a daily basis and broadcast tweets when they are freshly made. With a quick turn of a dial and a press of a button the bake shop can specify which item was just baked and broadcast it to all those who are following it on Twitter. To me, this is how a service such as Twitter should be effectively used. Users who are looking for informative status messages on individuals or places they are interested in. They can follow their favourite bakeshop and be immediately be informed of timely issues such as when something is freshly baked. Simple but effective. There is far too much spam and useless chatter that has bogged down the traffic lanes of what is normally an effective service.
I am obliged to note that I am not a Twitter user myself. I may break down one of these days and use it, but I have a variety of issues with the function of Twitter..but that is best saved for another post.