We have interfaces and we have boxes. We actually have a lot of boxes. On operating systems, html pages. Here’s a snippet of my research.

But how about boxing interfaces, interfaces that draw inspiration and aspire to a healthy dose of boxing exercise.

How about bumptop. That’s a name that suggests impact. How does this fair on our exploration for boxing interfaces? 

This is too classy for me. Fun yet not funny as a commissioner I’m working with says. 

How about Wii Play? That’s more like it. Even though it’s too literal in its interpretation and it could lead you to a broken TV set once you invite your friends for a social night play/dinner. 

After all this I think what I’m looking for is an interface:

• that is right on your face
• has an impact
• you can feel in on your body
• and it’s safe

Any suggestions?

Current use of pervasive technologies participate online report

What participation

• Participate assumes a ‘host’ organisation e.g.anti war march
• Participation is not emergence there is a conscious intent
• Web 2.0 redefines the sense of what ‘host’ is
• Broadcasters and their audiences have different views on what participation is e.g. voting in big brother is participation from endemol’s pov
• Strengthening the ties of exisiting micro-communities is crucial motivation for the community to engage

Levels of engagement range from participants setting the agenda to only watching/listening

Mass participation is good for:

• Campaign: Bigger support increases chances of success e.g. No10 online petitions
• Experiment: Public participation can provide geographic coverage e.g. Seti
• Community: Network participation maintains existing connections allowing for new ones e.g MySpace
• Entertainment: Mass participation increases unexpectedness and unpredictability e.g . World of Warcraft
• Resource: Large number of contributor can increase quality and decrease cost e.g. Wikipedia

… and some of its weaknesses:

• Quality: Issues of quality in Wikipedia or the rise of amateur video maker in youtube
• Ownership: e.g. CCDB data was bought and available only through licence, makes contributors more sceptical about their involvement
• Privacy and permanence: e.g Private conversations in Web 2.0 become public statements that can be used by employers or other unintended recipients
• Creative futures: How crowd opportunities might affect creative industries

Technology: Pervasive (internet) and/or ubiquitous (mobile)

Location technology

• GPS
• Cell-ID
• 2d datacodes
• Wi-fi triangulations

Barriers:

• Mobile connectivity: different devices use different ways to do it
• Cost to end user: Unlimited data plans are not a norm yet
• Development costs: Different standards on mobile phones, maybe through mobile web browsers and on top of this media rights negotiations
• User experience and user appeal: small screens bad interfaces etc

“Ubiquity doesn’t necessarily mean the same service on all devices”

Participate’s approach

• Use well-established tools
• Hope that some technical front runners will become apparent in the future
• Layer the experience so that is accessibile on lower devices yet allows allows users of the latest kit to do more things

Environment: The physical sciences / the social sciences

Environment in the sense originally proposed by Participate, considers studying the physical world by measuring phenomena like biodiversity, air pollution, electromagnetic radiation and noise levels.

Issues to be considered

• Alarmism and small actions: A sense of urgency in addressing issues such as global warming. A report from IPPR identified the following repertoiresAlarmism (serious but hopeless), small actions (worthy but dull), techno optimism (science will fix everything as soon as it is urgent enough though
• Citizen science: Engaging citizens in science (e.g. Springwatch project). One of the criticisms is that participatory research can easily turn into political activism
• Once this data have been collected what one does with them. In UK most of the high quality data are held by government agencies

Social and personal environment: How people act and interact and how our surroundings influence us

• Navigation systems
• Impact of redevelopment in their locality
• Stimulate interaction between people who wouldn’t otherwise engage

Located media: mediascapes, located stories

Some issues for location based media:

• Environmental factors: traffic, rain, sunshine, noise, users feeling uncomfortable
• Audio: audio is highly evocative
• New experiences: located content introduces distinctive experiences described as “magic moments”
• Unfamiliar: Using mobile devices in unfamiliar ways leading to a barrier for participation

Safety and privacy

• Serendipity vs spam: when there is a lot of media associated with a location
• Unwitting or unwilling participation: not being aware of leaving data, raises issues of trust
• Personal safety: risk of using mobile phones in public space (being mugged, not aware of traffic)

Mickey says: Don’t put me in a jar.

For the last two years milo and our partners AT have been involved in producing two BBC Jam projects. In November, Citizen UK, a resource for 7-11 year olds based on active citizenship and local democracy, was launched. More than 20 freelancers were involved in producing this Flash resource. This number doesn’t include the writers, translators, voice actors, volunteers, teachers and the hundreds of children that got involved in either testing the resource or participating on the events that we organised in the four UK nations.

Obviously with the above I’m implying that BBC Jam not only doesn’t hinder educational software development companies, but it encourages collaboration on multiple levels for the different communities of new media companies, freelancers, organisations, and more importantly, learners and their parents and teachers.

My readings of the blogosphere offered the following insights, as voiced by different (sometimes antagonistic) players in this drama:

Users:
Welsh worries
Don’s comment describing how his son loved using BBC Jam.

My Advice to BBC: Please provide any quantitative or qualitative research you have done on the use of BBC Jam

Freelancers/Entrepreneurs:
Some of them see the benefits that Jam has had on new businesses.
“Many of the experiences and skills brought about by the use of the innovations of the BBC will find their way into innovation by start ups. I speak from direct experience when I say this“

Other new media companies:
Andrew Chitty estimated that there is a loss of £20-30 million in business for new media companies.

Researchers:
Rose Luckin suggesting that Jam should have engaged with the new web paradigms – see UGC. We’re currently working on a Jam project that is aiming to re-define UGC, providing learners not just with a space to collaborate and express their ideas, but with tools to do so in new and engaging ways. 

Commercial sector:
BESA’s response to Jam’s suspension.

MacMillan’s CEO,Richard Charkin, celebrating Jam’s suspension.

Why would £150 M have such a devastating effect on the market otherwise? And who, other than a public service would want to undertake producing resources for, say, welsh blind 10 year olds? They are not a big enough market to produce enough revenue to justify what would require hefty investment

However it remains true that this service directly addresses the needs of learners in the UK nations in their own language and of learners with disabilities of all kinds.

Finally, there are plenty of high quality resources waiting in the wings to be uploaded to Jam. Let’s work it out so that this unfair embargo will not stop them see the light.

Update:
A very good comment again on techcrunch. “What needs to be said is that the commercial sector has benefited from over £550m… the commercial sector through their representive BESA should be hanging its head in shame and not gloating”

Just to contribute my online space to the BBC Jam’s suspension. I’ve been to busy working out the effects that this had on our small new media company and haven’t had time to look around for the discussions happening already on the blogsphere.

I’ll first capture the existing conversation and then put my viewpoints across.

Michael Arrington, Techcrunch
Rose Luckin, Futurelab

Ewan McIntosh
John Connel
Donald Clark
Donald’s post generated flamed feedback

I’ve been playing Tengoku on the Nintendo DS and I had such a great time. It’s one of those quirky games that you’ve to play to appreciate. You got to give it to Nintendo who managed with these minimal pixel based visual and one button interaction to generate such a fun interaction. Big thanks to Carsten who send this gem to me from Japan. Need to pay a visit to Tokyo soon.

I’ve posted a series of images on Flickr of my recent attempt to make a spanakopita (spinach and feta pie) with handmade dough. I have put comments on each of the photos and therefore can be used as a recipe / tutorial.

That’s my first experiment on combing images from flickr with wordpress so any feedback on how to improve that matter are welcome.

After some kneading and punching

The delicous spanakopita is ready to be eaten with red glass of wine

Wednesday evening I head down to Wapping to see Punchdrunk’s Faust production. Punchdrunk are doing site specific theatre losely basing it on classic theatre pieces. I had the chance to see The Tempest, 3 years ago.

I had some expectations but this time the setup was amazing. We were welcomed by a lively lift operator who was banging the sliding door in and out in rage. The trend was initiated, you were to be offered treats like drinks in the bar but in what expense, only you would find out.

The environment is setup in a southern state in 1940s America. The designers have done really good work in making the spaces believable. You could not just see, but smell the sets. The cornfield smelled of corn, the wood smelled of pine trees and the beauty parlor of nail varnish. Every object was real, the plastic soldiers in the young boy’s room, the twee decorations, and even the stacks of dusty papers left behind in the maze of shelves that was the old archive, where the play is hosted.

Having explored the five different floors we found ourselves chasing actors who were initiating action. But should we follow Getchen when she was crying and rushing out of the bar or should we follow the dark angel, (who incidentally coming out of a room bashed onto me making the whole thing futher more immersive)? The options were endless for these two amazing hours of live performance.

In the reception there was southern music awaiting us and a drink to warm us up. This maintained the atmosphere of the play even after the play had finished. Reference to the metagame.

Do go there and don’t be seduced by the blond decoy to drag you into the 40s bar and miss the final climax scene. Mephistopheles and Faust, still his young self, initiate Faust’s soul surrender whilst engaging in an acrobatic interaction. Some of your questions will be answered, or the quest to answer them will start.

Visit London theatre blog for some interesting images