Paper Reading #4 - Cross Currents

Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2

References:
Title: Cross currents: water scarcity and sustainable CHI
Author: Tad Hirsch and Ken Anderson
Venue: CHI EA 2010

Summary:
In this paper, Hirsch and Anderson describe water conservation in New Mexico and how HCI can help in easing the process, as well as the word sustainability and the liquidity of its definition. The authors undertook a study in which they interviewed various inhabitants of the Albuquerque area about their water conservation habits and what they thought of legislative efforts.

Hirsch and Anderson discovered that many of them didn't conserve for monetary reasons, instead conserving for environmental reasons. In addition, some residents were unsatisfied with the current legislation, observing that big businesses got more water allocation than they did. Other residents were concerned about the lack of legislation on groundwater, which was being welled heavily and could cause sinkholes. All in all, they discovered that conservation and sustainability had many definitions just in the area, not to mention the changes it might have in other locales.

Discussion:
I found this paper interesting because, just like the last paper, I didn't really think of HCI having an influence in environmental matters like these. However, their research is important if only to discover better methods of conservation. Especially with regards to the welling of groundwater, if care isn't taken to preserve the water now, the consequences could be dire, since it could cause natural disasters like sinkholes, as well as increasing the damage from conditions like drought.

(Image courtesy of: Planetware)

Microblogs #4 - Opening Skinner's Box

References:
Title: Opening Skinner's Box
Author: Lauren Slater
Venue: 2004

Chapter #1:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater discusses the controversial work on B.F. Skinner. Skinner's work on the causes of behaviors was beneficial, but also extremely controversial. Slater discusses the man's work and life, and ultimately gives a much different picture of him than the one most people attribute to him.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because it illustrates how people can belittle someone whose beliefs are different than theirs. The controversy of his works has made his image look very negative, but when we dig deeper we can see how wrong that image is.


Chapter #2:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater describes the a controversial experiment made by Stanley Milgram, and how its aftershocks are still felt today. She then talks about the results of the experiment as well as how those results were constantly debated. Finally, she mentions that the largest impact of the experiment might actually be on the people involved.

Discussion:
I found this chapter quite powerful because it made me wonder what I would do in the same situation. Additionally, seeing that the effects of the experiments were decidedly different between a man who was defiant versus one who complied was amazing, especially considering the compliant subject went on to really change his life.


Chapter #3:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater describes the work of David Rosenhan, who through an experiment in the early 1970s, discredited the field of psychology. She describes how he and his compatriots got themselves admitted to psych wards, and how their success caused psychology to be diminished in status. Finally, she attempts the experiment herself today, and discovers that in some ways, the diagnosis has improved, and in others it still needs work.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting mainly because of how psychiatric facilities scare me. I cannot fathom trying to purposely get admitted to one, because I would be afraid of all of the drugs they might prescribe and their effects.


Chapter #4:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater describes the works of Darley and Latane, who discovered some of the reasoning behind why people do not help in critical situations. They found that the pressures of social etiquette often overrode peoples' compulsions to help, especially in large groups. Slater then gives personal evidence for and against their theories.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting mainly because of its juxtaposition with the chapter in The Design of Everyday Things. Both books talk about how the bevy of evidence of normalcy combined with social pressure mean that we don't often don't mention problems until it's too late. Hopefully, like Slater mentions in this chapter, knowledge of this problem will arm me if I am ever in a similar situation.


Chapter #5:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater discusses the work of Leon Festinger on Cognitive Dissonance. She discusses his theories and experiments and talks to someone who conflicts with that theory. She then mulls over the concepts of rationalization versus revision.

Discussion:
I actually wasn't a huge fan of this chapter. She has been doing a good job showing the balance between the theories we currently have and reality, but her examples are constantly getting more and more depressing. I might have to get a Prozac description if these get much worse.


Chapter #6:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater describes the work of Harry Harlow and his experiments on primates and love. She goes through his early studies of touch to his later studies on depression. She then talks about the debate between what his experiments accomplished versus their cruelty to the monkeys.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because it showed a great debate between how much we can learn through animal testing as well as how awful it is on the animals. To be honest, I am and just as torn as the author is on the subject.


Chapter #7:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater discusses the experiments of Bruce Alexander, who tried to disprove the chemical theory of addiction. She describes the "perfect" world of Rat Park and how its mice failed to stay addicted to the psychoactive substances they were given. Finally, she describes the ongoing debate between Alexander and others.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting for a number of reasons. First, as addiction is such a buzzword in society, I found it interesting to hear some of the cases that try to disprove the current theories. Second, I like that Slater picked a less well-known paper for this one. Finally, I found the "perfect world" of the mice interesting because I wonder what we would feel like in such a place.


Chapter #8:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater describes the work of Elizabeth Loftus, who showed that the memories we have can be modified by suggestion. Slater then describes the social effects of this work, which range from admiration by some and admonishment by others, dependent on whether they have ever had "repressed" memories brought back to the surface.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting because I had never heard of the repressed memory phenomenon. The fact that courts were using these shaky memories as sure evidence is shocking, and in a way I am glad that Loftus was there to try to help these people. On the other hand, believing that all memories are malleable would be difficult to live with in a similar way to atheism.


Chapter #8:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater describes the work of Eric Kandel, who found the processes behind how human memory works. She gives the story behind how he found CREB, the chemical behind human memory, and how they are working today to find a medicine to enhance our memory. She then talks about whether or not it would be a good idea to enhance memory this way.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting for a lot of reasons. First of all, the story about the guy who lost his long-term memory was sad, but the details behind how his life was afterwards was scientifically intriguing. After that, hearing about the work on medicine to enhance our memory was even better; the fact that they could also make a medicine to blank memory was interesting as well, if a bit scary.


Chapter #9:
Summary:
In this chapter, Slater describes the work of Antonio Moniz, who is the father of lobotomy. She describes his inspiration for the technique, its spread and popularity, and the modern techniques that are based on it today. She then follows the case of a man who has one done on him.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because it described the a procedure that seems to be reasonably safe, but one I definitely wouldn't be comfortable with. Having someone go in and cut at your brain doesn't really seem safe or good for you, even though it worked well for the example she gave.

Paper Reading #3 - Multi-lifespan Information System Design...

Comments:

Comment 1
Comment 2

References:
Title: Multi-lifespan Information System Design in Post-Conflict Societies: An Evolving Project in Rwanda

Authors: Batya Friedman, Lisa P. Nathan, Milli Lake et al.

Venue: CHI EA 2010, April 10-15, 2010

Summary:

In this paper, the authors discuss how HCI can be applied to design healing mechanisms for post-conflict societies. The authors went to Rwanda, a country in which genocide occurred 15 years ago with the idea of designing a computer series that would help Rwandans not only cope with those terrible events, but also gain an appreciation for the efforts of the international courts prosecuting the people responsible for the massacre.

The authors asked organizations if they wanted to use this material and then observed what they did with it. From websites to seminars, these organizations found a positive use for the information.

Discussion:
I like what this study was intended to do. People who have gone through terrible events like these need a coping mechanism, and giving these people a positive way to deal with it is a positive step. However, I do wonder how effective these efforts will be. Even though there is no way to observe the long-term effects in the near future, I don't think that this mechanism will have a large effect on the situation in Rwanda.

(Image courtesy of: http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/images/time/africa/rwanda.jpg)

Ethnography Ideas

How many CS students use vendor bought PCs versus custom-built PCs.
How many CS students use IDEs or g++.
What genres of video games students play by major.
How many students use laptops for taking notes.

Microblogs #3 - HCI Remixed

References:
Title: HCI Remixed
Author: Various Authors
Venue: Edited by Thomas Erickson and David W. McDonald; 2008

Chapter #1:
Summary:
In this chapter, William Buxton describes a music-making machine he used to use in 1971 and how strong the design was even today. The device's two-hand input scheme was simple enough for him to use despite the fact that he had never used it before, and he still believes it is one of the finest examples of HCI he has ever encountered.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting because of the machine's simplicity. The left hand note selector seems extremely simple to use and is a design I hadn't heard of before this article. Also, I liked this article because I found the wooden block "mouse" funny.


Chapter #4:
Summary:
In this chapter, Joseph A. Konstan talks about a 1961 input device called the Sketchpad and how the forward thinking of its maker, I. Sutherland, has kept the device relevant even today. Konstan describes the complexities of the hardware and the fine details of its software, and urges us to think ahead like Sutherland did.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting because I had never heard of this device before now. The fact that a man 50 years ago was able to envision a device that today is used by many graphics professionals is amazing, and it makes me hope to think as far ahead as Sutherland did.


Chapter #5:
Summary:
In this chapter, Wendy Ju describes Doug Englebart's demo of his NLS (oNLine System) and what it taught her about HCI and big ideas. She describes two different times during her education when viewing the demo showed her what was possible in the field of computing and also how sometimes big ideas go beyond just what you make at the time.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting because it shows not only how a great idea can be passed over as stupid or impossible only to be proven great later, but also that sometimes what we are remembered for might not be what we expect. The fact that Ju remembers the demo that Englebart gave over his invention is interesting and kind of cool.


Chapter #6:
Summary:
In this chapter, Henry Lieberman discusses a thesis by David Smith named "Pygmalion: A Creative Programming Environment" and how it applies to his life and to HCI. Lieberman discusses how this thesis gave him an inspiration in his efforts at making a child-friendly programming language. Then he discusses a list of lessons for people in HCI that they can take away from this paper.

Discussion:
I found this article interesting mainly because it mentions where the icon concept came from. The lessons to take away are equally valuable, but I tend to find the history more fun than the concepts in many of these essays.


Chapter #7:
Summary:
In this chapter, Sara Bly talks about the Xerox Red Book and how it set many important user interface concepts that are still used today. She begins by discussing the three main aspects of the book that had the biggest impact on her: UI specification, consistency, and desktop metaphor. She then goes into detail on each and discusses why these concepts are still important today.

Discussion:
This chapter is cool because it shows a story about how strong planning can lead to a better product. The designers of the Xerox Red Book thought thoroughly about the interface as they designed it, which led to a much more solid final product.


Chapter #9:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norbert Streitz discusses Mark Weiser's paper "The Computer for the 21st Century" and how it has had a large influence in the direction computing is going today. He begins the chapter by discussing the influences the paper had in his decision to create a digital wall workspace, as well as the influenced it had in HCI as a whole.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting because we discussed the "disappearing computer" concept multiple times in my freshman CS classes. Furthermore, by looking around today, I can see many instances where this design concept has actually come true.


Chapter #10:
Summary:
In this chapter, Anind K. Dey talks about the Active Badge System, an experiment that combined ubiquitous computing and location services in a way far before its time. Dey mentions how they started it as just a basic receptionist assistant, but as the users began to like it, a series of other applications was produced. Additionally, Dey discusses how their efforts to make the design feasible allowed them to test how it was used; this design feasibility is something that often isn't seen today.

Discussion:
I thought that this chapter was great because it showed a piece of technology that I would like to have now that was available years ago. While I don't like the idea of being tracked, having my computer desktop available automatically based on my location would be amazing.


Chapter #18:
Summary:
In this chapter, Saul Greenberg describes the research of John Tang, and how it affected not only the direction of his work on a virtual drawing space, but many other teams throughout the world. Tang's research redefined how important drawings were as opposed to other factors in the workplace; this research was applied by many later designers and led to much more fluid interfaces.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because it reinforced what I believe I am already learning is a big part of HCI: research on the target subjects. Tang spent a lot of time observing and quantifying his data, and its thoroughness led to a correct interpretation of that data and a much better user experience.


Chapter #20:
Summary:
In this chapter, Geraldine Fitzpatrick describes Schmidt and Bannon's paper on CSCW (Computer Supported Collaborative Work) and how the tenets they laid out for that new field can be applied to newer fields. Schmidt and Bannon took great care to define what is important for their field, and Fitzpatrick wants people in her field, ubiquitous computing, to take that same care in defining what is important in theirs.

Discussion:
I find this chapter interesting because again, like many of the previous chapters, the ideas laid out by computer scientists in the past are becoming relevant here today. Fitzpatrick's revisiting of her early days in what is now a strong field and how it reapplies today are something to keep in mind when we enter our respective industries.


Chapter #23:
Summary:
In this chapter, Brian Smith describes a paper by Hollan and Stornetta called "Beyond Being There," and how the idea of enhancing rather than replacing items in peoples' lives is the best way to design. Brian describes two items: a video conferencing program and a doll, and he shows through the story of his mother that even though the doll was simple, because it enhanced his mother's interactions with his daughter, it was the better product.

Discussion:
I find this chapter interesting because I never really thought that there was a difference between replacing items in peoples' lives and enhancing them. However, through the story, I can see how much better the less technical design that enhanced a person's life was than the more technical one that tried to replace a part of someone's life.

Chapter #24:
Summary:
In this chapter, Chris Schmandt discusses a study performed by John Gould on computer dictation software. He describes the methods and thoroughness of the study, and describes how it assisted the field. Finally, he talks about how the study's legacy isn't in today's dictation products, but in how his study was unable to pinpoint the best use for the software.

Discussion:
I found this chapter a big shift from the previous few in terms of the language and style. The chapter was much more focused on the scientific aspects of the paper. I found it interesting to hear the reasons why dictation software went from the next big thing to an unpopular technology.


Chapter #25:
Summary:
In this chapter, Steve Harrison describes a pair of artists, Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz, and how a piece of art they created called the Hole in Space changed the way he thought on his research on video conferencing. The effect their art had -- engendering interest by strangeness -- was something that he couldn't forget about through his work on the project.

Discussion:
I found this chapter to be really cool because it shows how even something as abstract as art can have a serious impact on science. The inspiration that Kit and Sherrie's work had on Harrison changed the direction of his research in a direction he would probably never have thought otherwise.


Chapter #26:
Summary:
In this chapter, Scott Jenson describes an old design axiom by Edward Tufte, "1+1=3," and describes a real-life situation that best represents it. He observes the design of the open and close buttons of an elevator, and demonstrates that we can improve the design by making their functions more obvious. He then shows us not only that making the elevator have only an open button might improve it, but also makes us wonder why we were so vehement to have two buttons at all.

Discussion:
I find this chapter interesting because it piqued my thought process about why it is so difficult to remove a feature, even when it would make things easier to do so. I think it might have something to do with selling the product, in that we think having more stuff will bring more people and removing stuff will cause us to lose them.


Chapter #27:
Summary:
In this chapter, Jodi Forlizzi describes Muriel Cooper's paper, "Typographic Space," and how it inspired a field that is used in the media today. Her paper described the insights and problems that came from dealing with text from a moving viewpoint. These ideas became the basis for Kinetic Typography, a field that has since been used in movies and television.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because it demonstrated how a past work in the field of HCI has influences in a field that doesn't really involve computers at all.


Chapter #28:
Summary:
In this chapter, Steve Whittaker talks about a paper by Kidd called "The Marks Are on the Knowledge Worker." This paper describes how at the time the focus was on storing large amounts of information and how that focus isn't correct. Instead, programs should focus on helping the user make sense of the information. The author then indicates that even though Kidd was wrong about large information storage not being helpful, the need to make sense out of information is still important.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting because I never thought about how cluttered my e-mail inbox was nor how little I look into folders. I am now actually quite interested in how information might be stored in a different way to make it more accessible with ideas like tagging.


Chapter #34:
Summary:
In this chapter, Michael Muller describes Arthur Krupat's book, Ethnocriticism: Ethnography, History, Literature, and how it changed his idea of where he sat when it came to designing interfaces for users. Instead of observing himself as an extension of the development team, Muller changed his viewpoint to lying between the developers and the users, translating the users' wants and needs into something the developers can understand.

Discussion:
I like this chapter because it gives me a better idea of what HCI is about. Instead of focusing solely on the design from a hardware standpoint, HCI brings the focus on the prospective user base.


Chapter #46:
Summary:
In this chapter, Kate Ehrlich discusses the concept of mental models for computing given by Card, Moran, and Newell. Ehrlich talks about how even before the book containing these ideas was published, these concepts were the talk of the industry that would become HCI. Even though the GOMS (Goals, Operators, Methods, Selectional Rules) method would stop being the focus of HCI down the road, it still set the tenets of HCI.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting because it begins to bridge the gap of mental models that we have been reading in our other books and melds it with HCI. Even though this idea isn't the focus anymore, I actually like it better than the "look and feel" method that Ehrlich mentions in the chapter.


Chapter #47:
Summary:
In this chapter, Gary Olson describes Fitts's Law and how it made a large impact in the field of HCI. Olson mentions that the law was one of the first quantitative methods given to HCI, which up until that point had been largely qualitative. He then mentions a bunch of applications and papers that used this law to great effect.

Discussion:
I found this paper interesting because one of the papers that I read previously was about Fitts' Law and how it was not quantitative enough. This chapter showed me that despite that issue, having a formula such as this has been extremely helpful to the field despite the problems with the equation.

Paper Reading #2 - Edits & credits

Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2

Reference:
Title: Edits & Credits: Exploring Integration and Attribution in Online Creative Collaboration
Authors: Kurt Luther, Nicholas Diakopoulos, Amy Bruckman
Venue: CHI EA 2010, April 10-15, 2010

Summary:
In this paper, the authors describe how online collaborative works are put together, and how credit is given to the authors. They did this by interviewing 17 authors of collaborative works as well as what they call "cr-editors," or the leaders of these team projects, on a flash animation website named Newgrounds.

(Picture taken from Newgrounds Main Page)

What they discovered was that cr-editors had two main problems when making their collaborations: determining which works to include in a collaboration and deciding which authors should get the most credit. When it came to selecting authors' works, there were two main methods: selection by quality and a first-come first-serve method. Most cr-editors didn't have a favorite method; instead, they chose based on how high-quality they wanted their works to be. The first-come first-serve method often gave more prospective entries, while the quality selection method gave less entries, but the quality was better. When it came to giving credit to authors, cr-editors felt that the system made the process difficult. Newgrounds has multiple levels of authorship, with the highest only allowing a maximum of 10 people. Since only the highest level gives links to the author's page, it is a coveted position, and cr-editors found it difficult to choose who should go on it. However, the cr-editors liked Newgrounds' system better than others like Youtube, where only one collaborator can be listed.

Discussion:
I found this article interesting because I never knew that authorship of these online works was so competitive. I figured it was simple on these sites to give credit, and it saddens me to know that it is such a difficult process. I believe that the main fault of this paper is that while they point out the issues in the process, they do not provide a solution. Thus, I believe the first step to come after this paper should be positing a process by which collaborative works can be given credit quickly and painlessly.

Special Reading #2 - On Computers

Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2

References:
Title: On Plants
Author: Aristotle
Venue: Edited by Jonathan Barnes; 1994

Summary:
In this paper, Aristotle argues that plants have souls in the same way that animals do. He does this by describing the great varieties in plants as there is in animals, as well as how plants grow and change during their lives like animals. He then talks about how animals are affected by the presence or absence of the elements, similar to animals. Finally, he describes how changes in location can change plants like they change animals.



Comments:
I found his argument interesting because it is made during the early days of science. Since they didn't have as much of an understanding of the processes of organic beings, they described them in terms of elements. Despite this, at the time, I believe his argument is reasonably sound. Since plants have the myriad variations that animals do, and since they respond to many stimuli like animals do, it is reasonable to assume that they would have souls like animals do, assuming you think souls exist, of course. Interestingly enough, since computers can respond from outside input and require outside elements to work, a case could be made for computers to have souls as well. However, after reading the Chinese Room paper, I am inclined to disagree.

(image courtesy of the Colorado Carnivorous Plants Society)

Microblogs #2 - Coming of Age in Samoa

References:
Title: Coming of Age in Samoa
Author: Margaret Mead
Venue: Edited by ; 1908

Chapter #1:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead discusses the reasoning behind this research: the need to discover the cause of rebelliousness during adolescent years. She then discusses her different approach to the problem as compared to her predecessors. Instead of trying to create a laboratory or making inferences on normal Americans, she is going to a society with a completely different makeup and make comparisons to American life.

Discussion:
This introduction has already garnered my interest for this book. The debate on nature is interesting to me, and I want to know what similarities she finds between this completely isolated group and our connected world today.


Chapter #2:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead discusses an average day in a village in Samoa from dawn to dusk. She discusses it in a loose chronological fashion, following the central village as opposed to the hunters or fishers.

Discussion:
I have to say that I wasn't particularly interested in this chapter at all. I didn't really learn anything new, but I assume this is just laying the groundwork for a later point.


Chapter 3:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead describes how both sexes are raised from birth until maturity. She mentions how girls are saddled with child care until puberty and then given individual tasks to work on afterward. By contrast, the boys care for children for a smaller time and then work on cooperative tasks, which causes them to be much more adept at working together than the girls.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because we begin to see the first differences between their culture and ours. Because of the way the women are raised, they have no skills at cooperation, which leads to a lot of trouble down the line. Meanwhile, the boys are taught to only slightly excel, which causes them to be highly competitive.


Chapter #4:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead discusses the inner workings of the Samoan household. She shows that these households are more complex than American families; they contain relatives by blood, marriage, and even adoption. She then discusses the situations that occur due to family titles, which cause further complications and rivalry.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because of the many stories she told about the search for title-bearers. Some of the competitions she describes are so complex that I wasn't able to follow a couple of them to the end.


Chapter #5:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead describes the relationships between children in their age groups. She finds that girls only associate with their own age groups for a few years, while boys associate with their age groups for 5 or more. She found that the males' relationships lasted longer due to that extra time.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because it showed more of the effects of the responsibility difference between the genders. The girls got to have less relationship-building time than their male counterparts because of their babysitting. I would also like to note that I don't find the individual examples terribly enlightening.


Chapter #6:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead discusses the differences between the community groups of women and men. She shows the supreme importance of the men's social group and the relative unimportance of the women's. Finally, she mentions that this rift in importance doesn't show that Samoan women don't focus on social climbing; they are focused on social tasks in the family group instead of the community.

Discussion:
This chapter wasn't terribly engaging to me, but it did serve to show more of the rift between men and women in Samoa. I did find it interesting that the "princesses" of the village actually have to do more work than the other girls in many situations.


Chapter #7:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead discusses the relationships between boys and girls in Samoa, from courtship and casual sex to marriage. She then goes on to discuss some of the more odd occurrences in relationships, including eloping and a phenomenon called the moetotolo.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting just from the standpoint of how bizarre these relations seemed to me. From the random promiscuous relations to the soa, the methods of courtship are completely different from ours. It was also interesting to see how the influence of Christianity has slightly modified many of these relations.


Chapter #8:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead describes the role of dancing in the lives of Samoans. She describes the main types of dances as well as the social aspects of them. She then mentions that in many ways dancing allows even the crippled to be equal to everyone else; she also mentions that a deficiency in dance can be as crippling as a learning disorder in our society.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because it finally showed a method of stress relief for the Samoans, who so far had what seemed to be a completely overbearing culture. The fact that it put a lot of pressure on the less social was quite interesting, because it held some parallels with schooling here.


Chapter #9:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead describes the personalities of the Samoan people. She finds that they have an odd way of trying to prevent people from feeling sadness or anger, but when they occur they just give up on it immediately. She also found that the older people didn't seem to believe in individual personality and instead wanted everyone to follow the same lines.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting mainly because of how oppressive to me the place feels. In the preceding chapters, Mead showed us that boys and girls are forced to not excel too much, and now it appears that they can't even show their own personalities. I certainly wouldn't want to live in a place like that.


Chapter #10:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead details the lives of individual Samoan girls as well as compares them to each other. She talks about their feelings towards sex and society, as well as the influences of the missionaries.

Discussion:
I thought this chapter was interesting first of all because we now begin to see real results of the ethnography Mead performed, as we have gotten through all of the introductory culture. The most intriguing part of the results was the fact that even though no one really talked about sex, it had somewhat ingrained itself into the culture regardless.


Chapter #11:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead discusses the cases of girls who showed deviant qualities that made them different from the rest of the Samoan girls. She divides them into two cases: unusual and delinquent behavior and then describes each of their cases.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting on one hand because we can see how outside influence is affecting Samoan children. On the other hand, this chapter was also interesting because of how Mead qualifies delinquent behavior. I find it interesting that behavior is only considered delinquent when it is against your own standards and not necessarily everyone else's.


Chapter #12:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead discusses the effects of age on the inhabitants of Samoa, both female and male. She describes the males' rise and fall over the course of their lives and how instead the females have a slow, inexorable rise to power that never really ends until they die.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting on one hand because of how amused the Samoans were with our ideas of in-laws fighting because of their culture. Additionally, I like how in this chapter we can find a zone in which the women actually have the advantage over the men, albeit one that won't materialize until almost the end of their lives.


Chapter #13:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead takes the evidence she has gathered from her ethnography and begins to make conclusions. She shows the differences between Samoan culture and ours and how changing our culture in some ways to look like theirs might be positive for us.

Discussion:
I thought this chapter was interesting because I could see some of her points about changing our culture seemed quite valid. Even though they seem sort of strange to me right now, doing things like exposing children to life and death early could save a lot of suffering later.


Chapter #14:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead further discusses the pressures placed on adolescent girls in our culture. She focuses on the concept of tough choices and how they cause disapproval either way. Because of this, a constant mental strain is kept on the girls.

Discussion:
I liked this chapter because in my own life I can see many of the lose-lose situations I have had to make hard choices towards. While I feel like I did well, at the time the strain was severe and I would have liked some help.


Appendix II:
Summary:
In this appendix Mead describes the scientific methods and limits of the study described in the book. She mentions how small her study group is, as well as how it is admissible because of its size compared to the culture as a whole. She also describes a pseudo-control group as well as how her study is limited.

Discussion:
This chapter is only slightly interesting from a scientific perspective. Although it is good to know the details of her research as well as what parts of the research she has omitted, we get a better idea of how relevant this work is scientifically. It wasn't very interesting to read, however.


Appendix III:
Summary:
In this chapter, Mead describes the islands of Samoa, the villages, and the houses and daily life in brief. She also mentions many of the ways that Samoans have adapted to the influence of the English, as well as which parts of their culture that they still hold on to.

Discussion:
This chapter was interesting because of how well the Samoans have adapted to outside influence. They have been able to use a lot of modern implements without sacrificing their outside culture. I also thought it was interesting that the English didn't attempt to subjugate them, instead creating a sort of symbiosis.


Appendix V:
Summary:
In this appendix, Mead gives further insight into the methods behind her study. She discusses the age groups she studied as well as other factors such as family in those groups. She also provides tables and example handouts she used to gather data.

Discussion:
Again, this chapter really wasn't a very interesting read, but is nonetheless important. The charts and dialog further indicate how detailed Mead was in her study, and further backs up the validity of the study.

Microblogs #1 - Design of Everyday Things

References:
Title: Design of Everyday Things
Author:Donald A. Norman
Venue: Edited by ; 1990

Chapter #1:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman indicates design problems that he has faced in his travels and indicates some valuable concepts for design. Some of these concepts include mapping and conceptual models.

Discussion:
This chapter gave me a positive feeling about the book. By starting out with stories of bad design and then explaining where they went wrong, you get a better idea of what a good design might be.


Chapter #2:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes the natural though processes of human beings and shows through examples how not considering these processes can cause usability issues. He then gives a checklist to use when designing to alleviate such issues. He also discusses the psychology of why people blame themselves rather than products when errors due to design occur.

Discussion:
I enjoyed this chapter because it explained something that I have found curious -- the reason non-technical people such as my mother find technology so frustrating. Knowing this, I have a good reason to use these ideas when I design my own projects.

Chapter #3:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman talks about the ways our minds work, and the advantages and disadvantages of relying on the user remembering how to use the product versus giving them the information on your device. He describes how people remember and for how long, and then recommends not relying upon the user's memory if possible.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting just from a psychological perspective. Hearing how people put things in their minds to remember things was fun to read. However, I don't feel that I learned anything in particular in regards to design; instead, he reiterated his design concepts in the frame of this new information.

Chapter #4:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman talks about providing useful visual data in product design. He mentions concepts such as imposing proper constraints on the user as well as giving correct physical feedback. Finally, he discusses some design ideas that appear to be ahead of their time, such as using displays on common objects to ease their use.

Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting mainly because of some statements that Norman's students make about design concepts that they would like to see in the future. The concepts include having track and artist information on CDs, as well as channel and program information on TVs. These concepts are widely used today, and it makes this chapter seem quite prophetic.


Chapter #5:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes how the human mind itself lends itself to everyday errors. He describes errors in two categories, slips and mistakes, and describes why people think they happen. Finally, he gives a few brief rules to help designers mitigate errors that their users will make.

Discussion:
This chapter interested me because it gave justifications for errors that I know I have made in the past. I was slightly disappointed in the low amount of design tips in this chapter, but I am sure that the next chapter will give more pointers.

Chapter #6:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes the many perils of the designer throughout the design process. He further explains by showing good and bad examples of design from the real world again. Finally, he discusses computer designs past and present and talks about what he would like to see in the future.

Discussion:
There were actually a lot of things I liked about this chapter. First of all, he again gave solid examples of his design concepts that I understood. Also, I liked the call-outs to the Xerox Star and classic Macintosh. Finally, his "electronic calendar" concept reminded me in a way of Google Calendar, because I use it in a similar fashion.

Chapter #7:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman reviews the tenets of good design and gives pointers on intentionally designing things poorly for security purposes. He then looks forward to the designs of the future and also describes his fears of it.

Discussion:
I really liked this chapter not only because it wrapped the book up nicely, but also because the section on intentionally making things difficult will be useful for game design. He mentions the applications in Dungeons and Dragons briefly, but I think it will have even more uses in other games as well.

Special Reading #1 - The Chinese Room

Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2

References:
Title: Minds, Brains, and Programs.
Author: John Searle
Venue: Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1980

Summary:
In this paper, John Searle makes the statement that the traditional method of making programs can never make a true AI that understands like humans do. He accomplishes this through a simple thought experiment, wherein an individual is given a book that has a series of directions of what to do when someone slips Chinese characters through a hole in the wall. The directions would look something like this image: (citation below)

The person inside the room reads the directions, looks at the slips of paper dropped in the door, and writes the supplied characters on sheets of paper and slides them another hole.

Now, a Chinese person outside the room, assuming the program in the books was written well enough, might think that this room understands Chinese quite well. However, the person inside has no understanding of what the Chinese characters mean and, no matter how many times this task is performed, will never know what they mean. This means that this construct, and by extension a program following the same principles, cannot truly be intelligent. He then posits that the only way to make a true AI would be to emulate the processes in the human mind, which we still do not understand.

Image courtesy of: http://www.mind.ilstu.edu/curriculum/searle_chinese_room/searle_chinese_room.php

Discussion:
I find this argument interesting because it destroyed my preconceptions of what AI could be. Especially in movies today, AIs are shown to have levels of intelligence rivaling humans, and this paper showed me convincingly that these portrayals are false. The argument that finally got to me was that even though a computer can do a great simulation of an explosion, you do not expect to get hit by shrapnel, so why would a simulation of intelligence create a true intelligence? In fact, as far as the argument is concerned, I can't think of a fault in this argument that does not discredit human intelligence to make it equivalent to machine intelligence.

Possible future work that could come out of this paper could include research into real brains to determine this quality that AIs are missing or research into AI programming methods to get around this limit.

Paper Reading #1 - Only One Fitts’ Law Formula – Please!

Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2

Reference:
Title: Only One Fitts’ Law Formula – Please!
Author: Heiko Drewes
Venue: CHI EA 2010, April 10-15, 2010

Summary:
In this paper, Heiko Drewes describes the current state of Fitts' Law in HCI and how it conflicts with the scientific principles on which he believes the field of HCI is supposed to stand.

Fitts' Law gives a basic formula for the average time it takes for a human to hit a target of a certain size at a certain distance. The picture to the left, taken from the original document, shows the basic idea of the formula: the time it takes to move from the start position to a smaller circle around the target is measured, and then repeated for a smaller circle until the target is reached. By adding these times together, a formula is created that allows the average time to be calculated.





Over the years, four main versions of the same formula for this law have been proposed, and all of them have been used in variation. The author makes the point that allowing four formulas on the same principle to all be called correct and be used in this manner violates scientific principles. Additionally, the author indicates a problem with the way the formula is used to check experimental data.

Finally, the author makes a case for the correctness of the original formula, and asks for members of the HCI community to come together to standardize a formula for Fitts' Law.

Discussion:
This article is interesting because it discusses a current schism in the HCI community, while also making a statement about the field at large. By indicating an inability to stick to a single formula, as in other sciences, he quickly makes a case for standardization. However, by being so frank about the HCI community as a whole, he seems to me to be almost insulting to the community as a whole.

The main possibilities of extending this work would be running a large study to determine the true correctness of these four varying formulas for Fitts' Law, or to get a committee together to decide which one to choose.

Blog Entry #0

howlingblue@neo.tamu.edu
4th year Senior

I am taking this class because I find new technologies such as the Kinect and tablets interesting, and want to know about how they work and how I can use them. (and I guess also because I need it in my track.)

I have experience in C/C++, Java, and Android development.

In 10 years I expect to be working at a video game company like Bioware or Valve.

The next big thing in CS will probably be quantum algorithms and computers, since they will allow us to extend the life of Moore's Law.

If I could go back in time, I would go back and meet me if I was young and see if I could cause a time paradox.

I would definitely have to say that my favorite has got to be that curly handlebar mustache that all the villains use in old cartoons.
How else would you be able to tell who the bad guy is?

If I could be fluent in any other language, I would definitely pick Japanese, since it sounds cool, and also so I could find out if all the kung-fu movie subtitles are really correct.

An interesting fact about me is that even though I just turned 21, I've been working in a liquor store for the past 8 years, so if you have any booze questions, don't be afraid to ask me.