Interaction and Augmented reality

Let's start with what I have learnt in the lecture this week, 'Interaction' is the integral component embedded in the following concepts: enactivism, behaviourism, cybernetics and cognitivism. In media, interaction is naturally conducted and goes beyond our physical motion and social reality to produce a sense of constant change within an entity or an event. For example, 'the machine in the middle' (from last lecture) which in other words, the human that is making an interaction with the machine, the computer, to transmit certain set of instruction via assembly language of representations and symbols to complete tasks. In fact, computing has gone way further than the limitation of the computer itself in this stage. In Dourish's(2004, p.2) article, the rise of embedded computing are now usefully harnessed for more than just traditional desktop computing. Rather it has helped us to move around in the world, which we no longer only sit at desks. We are now empowered by the new ways of interacting with computers, ways that suggestively blurred our the boundaries between virtue and reality.

Quickly running through the four parts mentioned during the lecture as well as Dourish's article. Electrical, symbolic, textual and graphical interactions are the four that radically change our ways to interact. Electrical is the one that required for rigid rules and instructions to specifically connect, reconfigure and possibly through the incorporation of new circuits which indeed not so convenient. Symbolic, the evolution is created by humans in a need to facilitate the communication of the computers without directly and manually conducted. Textual, simply refers to break input text into commands, literally talks to the machine to create a meaningful context of interaction to the sense of the whole. Lastly the graphical, in which opens up a new dimension to replace the old ways of interaction nowadays. Graphical interaction exploits in two dimentional interfaces allowing us to convey information through patterns recognition and spatial information. Meta-information, in turn, another expression of information density, which now can be compactly extends the presentational forms into a graphical form of knowledge.

I find graphical interaction is the most interesting one augmented our reality and much more. Think about what some apps have offered us in our daily experiences, such as the one Andrew showed in his lecture, Junaio augmented reality app using to indicate where you are, in particular, what your surroundings all are, seen to be a recommendation if you go to a new place because it digitally scans the environment at first, and subsequently allows computation to be made to offer you the signs of location embedded with information that you need to familiarize with the surroundings.

Now, let's come back to the major term 'Augmented reality' again, what I think about this term in my own comprehension is that computational power can really enhance our physical presence in a mixture of real-world and computer-generated data. Interaction design such as Google glass, an exceptionally fascinating design ever made to integrate and amplify a new form of experience.

I've found another example to illustrate the point of 'augmented reality' via an interaction design project.

The following video is an interaction design project, named as 'Pillow talk', aiming to connect long distance lovers. Each individual has a pillow next to them and a wearable ring sensor for them to put on before they go to bed at night. The pillow will begin to glow softly once they go to bed, in order to indicate their presence. To have further connection with the loved one, placing the head on the pillow allowing you to hear their real heartbeat.  

                                 From:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrfJ9EOSFEU

Reference:
Dourish, P(2004), 'A history of interaction', p.1-23, in Where the action is: the foundations of embodied interaction, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press

Extended mind, memory

For this week, I am exceptionally fascinated by the concept of 'extended mind', which is closely related to the process of 'memory'. In most cases, unlike films, videos, memories of events are not constructed in refined details, we may not precisely remember what date the events have happened, who you have seen on that day, whose number you have there on your notebook, lots and lots of details that may forgotten as time goes. Here comes with the most amazing part where the arrival of 'extended mind', profoundly changes our interpretation of the event holds, as well as to store much more memories than how much our brains can do. 

Simply saying, extended mind is described as parts of environment or objects that are utilised to the extention of our brain. That being said, it suggests that 'extended mind' is now tied to our perceptions and memories in a way that acting as our external resource assisting us in more and more cognitive functions. In other words, it has generally empowered what is originally there with our natural sense to correlate the surroundings. Now this enhancement has helped us to expand our capabilities to get access with more information that we needed, or goes beyond the restriction of what we can't do with our brains. 

To make it clear, an example is given here. We no longer use our brain to overload with phone numbers as phones can do all that for us. Phones in most cases, are our extended minds. So do vehicles and other tools that we use to collaborate in our daily basis. As being said, the prevalent use of portable phones, or even other forms of media have largely allowed us to exchange and interact with more messages coming from all directions. Like Facebook birthday reminders, and event pages are highly organised there for viewing, and aiding us to remember the upcoming ones when they are getting closer. Even though at some extents, this could be seen as an induction of the obsolescense of the human (Stiegler) up to the point when we are starting to dependent on what media provide us there. We might even have lost parts of our abilities to learn how to memorize things. But here is just an assumption of a possibility, because for me, extended mind, the term, in relation to what we use to restore or recall our memories have made my life easier to an extent of well-organised with my better time management. In all aspects that I can think of, I don't fully rely on every bit of information or being manipulated by it. At least, I still have all those memories in my head that I value the most, these things don't need to be marked down by any forms of media...

Reference:

Stiegler, B, 'Anamnesis and Hypomnesis: Plato as the first thinker of the proletarianisation', http://arsindustrialis.org/anamnesis-and-hypomnesis, date accessed 25/03/2014

You can't STOP progress!!!

What MEDIA, this term really means to me? 

LOOK AROUND what you have been using

THINK AGAIN what you are doing

Personally speaking, media literally means a change, a constant change. As Murphie and Potts have suggested, it refers to a progress that you can't stop, a choice being made to adapt to new technology because nobody wants to be left behind. I can relate to their statement because not long ago, I just start using my new phone Galaxy S4. You can barely see anyone using a brick phone in the public these days, it could be quite a rare phenomenon for having a brick phone among a group of friends who use their latest electronic devices when they are with you, asking you why you still haven't got one. Guess what, I was one of them, the one that borrowed people's phones to take photos of any events I go, and begging them to upload all the photos I have taken from their phones. 

Now you'd like to ask if I have ever thought about having a smartphone to replace my old one after I was the odd one out. The answer is both YES and NO

Before I am going to have my theoretical talk, you need to be given with some parts of my personal story here. First of all, owning a media device, in my point of view, is an act of following the trend. It's the desire to fit in this culture, this digitalised world, your peer group, and every piece of information you should know in order to make yourself feel equal to everyone. It's rather a common thing to deal with a type of similarity that you are looking for. By looking at how frequent my friends have changed one phone to another, I told myself not to be tempted. I stayed with my brick phone for more than 6 years, the same old brick phone N81 that consists a lot of my memories in the past. Until then, I was pushed to get a new phone since everyone around me have been talking about phones, laptops, and other media devices they have purchased. Even my parents think it's really time for me to update my phone because they think that having a smartphone is mainly contributing to one's self-image. I really need to say that a fast-paced digitalised era leave us no choice to say NO to it. Hence, I ended up getting my new phone a few months ago. It has gradually become the major part of me in my daily basis. No matter wherever I go, I need it to navigate the way to a entirely new place by using the GPS it has there, which is a lot more convenient than last year, when I still needed to figure out how to reach a particular place by checking the map the night before. This is just one of the hundreds of examples smartphone offers me. 

There are much more beyond what a smartphone is designated to be at a large picture when the mass media have escalated to a higher level of digitalisation, giving you with more options to make life easier and satisfying. Therefore, a phone isn't only a device for calling or texting anymore. Or let's say, the significance of this medium has a much deeper cultural meaning than what it's presented. It's rather a new way of communication introduced to our community. The impact of this innovation indeed has altered our perception, the way we see the world now compare to how we used to see it before. As such a change is an ongoing process extending our capability, increasing our working efficiency as well as benefiting us in so many aspects that we have never thought it could be this dominant in today's society. One of its popular features, the instantaneity  of electronic devices have made us have more interactivity and hence, the media market is expanding by how much us, the consumers are demanding more and more of this. In other words, it's us letting this change go wild.

Regarding to this week's reading, one of the words I have remembered the most is 'chrono-politics', which has brought up by Virilio. As it has also mentioned during the tutorial, I was told that it generally means one's decision making is according to the change of time-perspective. We now can indulge ourselves in the virtual world connecting to one another regardless which country one comes from, what time zone she/he is in. That being said, it conceptually generates dynamism to the change of decision, which there will be more alternatives for the users to decide what future/outcome they want to have. In other words, the lapse of present time due to a form of abstract sense of 'time travelling' is one of the crucial power in terms of a much faster speed of movement to live in this information society. 

Ultimately digitalisation has given us with convenience and less intervention involved, how can our demand for media stop growing? Can we really discontinue this evolution happening? 

Reference:

Murphie, A & Potts, J (2003). 'Theoretical Frameworks' in culture and technology, p11-38. London, Palgrave Macmillan.