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Blog moved

Dear Reader,

as I'm currently working on my master project I set up an own blog for that.

So please visit http://www.hestia2011.blogspot.com/

This blog will be paused for unknown time.
Thanks for reading and following it.

Best regards,
Benjamin

Final Draft Project Proposal

Attached you can find the final draft of the project proposal. The timescale has to be converted with an english software on monday hopefully.

Project Proposal Final Draft.pdf

Track Santa in Real-Time

There are some days left until christmas eve, but this new emerging technology promises great stuff. In cooperation with google the organization noradsanta.org developed a technology to track the worldwide ride of Santa Claus.
Therefor the organization uses four hightech-systems:
Tracking Santa starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system consists of 47 installations strung across the northern border of North America. On December 24th, NORAD monitors the radar systems continuously for indications that Santa Claus has left the North Pole.
The moment that radar indicates Santa has lifted off, we use our second detection system. Satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors, which enable them to detect heat. Amazingly, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature, which allows our satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa.
The third tracking system is the Santa Cam network. We began using it in 1998, which is the year we put our Santa Tracking program on the internet. Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many locations around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year. The cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world.
The fourth system is made up of fighter jets. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 intercept and welcome Santa to North America. In the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15 or the F-16 get the thrill of flying alongside Santa and his famous reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course, Rudolph.


But tracking santa is only one side of the coin, the other side is providing those information for 1000 of people worldwide. In cooperation with google internetusers can see in realtime, were santa is right now.
google allows a little preview on their videoplatfrom youtube:


We have to wait 22 more days until this emerging technology can be really proofed, but when it works it will be a revolution and bring the world really forward...

----
This is the last, not 100% serious blog entry in the category "Emerging Technology", which showed current developments in media technology.
I personaly liked the blogging and it's very interesting to see, how many things are happening and how fast things change. I would recommend this task also for the next master students, cause it can also inspire you for own projects.

Update Project Proposal

Here again the updated version for the project proposal (2.12.2010)

ProjectProposal1202.pdf

Web 2.0 vs. classic media

Some weeks ago I showed the homemade spacecraft of a family in the U.S.


Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

Now when just reading the German News Magazin spiegel.de they also wrote an article about this little video/project.
It's not only published at their website but also in the printed magazin "Dein Spiegel", which is especially made for children.

The time gap between my entry and the publishing now shows the advantages of web2.0. But it also makes me a little bit proud to write about such little things that early, which then became famous...

Boxee.tv

Since years and years expert forecast that TV and Internet emerge. With google.tv and apple.tv also the big players offer services, all big video consoles like playstation or wii offer internet access...
But the user still prefers to have both devices on its own.
Now another service is available and tries to finally bring TV and internet together.
boxee.tv is a nice service now also started in Germany.

On the one hand you can buy the boxee box with remote control to run boxee. And on the other hand you can just download the app and install it on a existing computer which is connected to your TV. An app for the iPhone allows you to use your mobile as remote control.
I think especially those two ways of using the system are a really interesting step.
But anyway, i think it will still need some time until every TV is connected to the internet...

First Draft Project Proposal.

Here you can find the first draft of my project proposal:

Project Proposal Oblaender.pdf

Timescale_VirtualClub_oblaender1Draft.pdf

The timescale is still with German explantions, but I'm working on to get a English Version of MS Project...

Spoon: Run desktop software in the cloud

Some month ago apple introduced its new macbookair. And every othter company dealing with computer has its own netbook.
The idea: These small versions of laptops have only one purpose: Instead installing software on their own machine the internet browser is the access to software. Why should the computer use its power to calculate and run programs when the internet provides all kind of software without installing on a local machine, accessible from everywhere with every computer.
Cloudcomputing is this idea called, that webbased services are installed on servers instead of your own computer. googledocs is maybe the famoust one.
This trend is some years old, but with spoon comes now a software, which allows you even to run desktop software in the cloud.
You just have to register and can start a lot of wellknown software like skype or secondlife without installing it anymore.
It's a nice service which shows a new way of marketing. Instead of buying a software, maybe even on the good old dvd you more and more take it as service and pay a monthly fee. Especially cloud computing software offers this pricing models. But that's a big field which is worth an own blog entry...

eLearning

Yesterday we heard another example of "what to do after studies".
This time, Shane Cronin from the DEIS department. For all non-irish: DEIS is the irish word for "oportunity". The DEIS department does research in the area of elearning and is founded by the 7th European Union Framework Programme. At the moment it is staffed by 4 persons. 
After a short introduction of his career Shane told us about his daily work. Shane studied Mutlimedia App Development (dipl.), then made his Bachelor of Arts Honor at the CIT in Multimedia. After 2 years working experience as freelancer for Food's kool at the West Cork Leader and Safe Food Ireland he came back to the CIT to work as app developer for the elearning department.

The elearning department works for both, commercial project and European research projects.
As we already heard a lot about research projects Shane focused his presentation more at the commercial projects and showed us examples, how such projects work.
The projects usually have 6 steps:

1. Brief from client
2. Quotation
3. Contract
4. Project work begins
5. Client Review
6. Sign Off

Elearning is not just distance learning for further education. It can also mean to explain a product to customers. Those explanation videos are often seen on homepages where start-ups explain there services (e.g. dropbox, prezi)
Shane gave us an example of the AIB Merchant Services system, which AIB offers in cooperation with zapatag. Zapatag is a bonus point system (an RFID chip on the customer's mobile), which brings customers discounts and the store owners detailed data about their customers and their shopping habbits. But why should I explain it when the DEIS department created a video. But before watching it, Shane explained us the steps before, showed us the storyboard, the voice over, so it was quite interesting to see the finished product, which is now embedded at the AIBms.com homepage. But also in my blog:



Another example which was more elearning in the classical sense was the production of elearning videos for the staff of the postbank, to teach them in new products.
The videos are mainly made in flash, in case of the postbank example there was also real video, shooted in a studio in a bluescreen.
But the production of the videos/animation is the last step. Im comparision to normal video production much more effort is neseccary to put in the concept, that the viewers really understand and learn, what the video wants to teach.

University kills free economy?
After those examples we had a lively discussion, lead by the freelancers of our masters course, if the trend, that the CITs do commercial project weaks the small companies and freelancers. CITs get their equipement by the government to do research. When doing commercial projects, the can perform much cheaper and efficient then a normal company, which is a damage for the normal economy, especially small media companies.

Again I enjoyed the input, because I never thought about working in such an area.

Street View in Germany II

Maybe it's a little bit boring, but what I read today is that strange, that I have to write about it.
Like the Newspaper "der Westen" (the west) published today, "fans" of google throw eggs against walls of pixelated houses and put letters in the postbox with the creative text: "google's cool".

Especially in cities where many flats are in one house the concern of one tenant is enough to pixelate the house. That his housemates may see their house online doesn't count.
One tenant was obvoisly really angry about that fact and wrote a letter, which get's quite famous.

The letter says:
Dear tentants,
as at least one of the tentants living in that house is concerned, that his privacy could be destroyed by google street view I will to protect your privacy not longer accept packages for others. I fight for your privacy!

But all discussion and punishment doesn't lead to any success, cause google pixelated the raw data, so there is no way to unpixelate the houses.
Next blog entry will defentely be about something else then google street view... Hopefully...

Streetview in Germany

One of my favourite topics is the launch of google street view in Germany. As I mentioned already, on the one hand, house owners who feel disturbed in their privacy can apply, that their house will be pixelated by google. But, on the other hand, every private person can take pictures of streets and houses and publish them in the internet. And as many online picturedatabases are linked with google maps (e.g. panoramio), you can also see were the picture is made.
So some very clever people combined both and suddenly, you can see pixeled houses again, like this example in Berlin shows. First, you see only the pixelated house, but in the top you can click on a small picture and then you got the original view:

House first pixelated, then visible by a picture of Panoramio.

Comment: Midwhile the picture is removed. But when clicking on "photos" in the right corner you can see another perspective of the house.

Happy birthday, Windows!

Today, 25 years ago, Microsoft published its first operating system called Windows. To that time no one expected, that it would become the most succesful operating system ever.
Even though apple publishes one new innovation product after the other, Windows is still the most selling operating system world wide, and in my opinion since Windows 7 there is no urgent need to change to Mac...


The system to that time reformed they way of using computers. This is a quote from the original press release

"Microsoft Windows extends the features of the DOS operating system, yet is compatible with most existing applications that run under DOS. Windows lets users integrate the tasks they perform with their computer by providing the ability to work with several programs at the same time and easily switch between them without having to quit and restart individual applications. In addition, it provides a rich foundation for a new generation of applications.
“Windows provides unprecedented power to users today and a foundation for hardware and software advancements of the next few years,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “It is unique software designed for the serious PC user, who places high value on the productivity that a personal computer can bring.”

And this little video shows how it performed to that time: 

Project Proposal Document

Attached you can find the current documents of my project proposal:
Project proposal document.pdf

Timescale.pdf

Ambient Knowledge & Boundary Work 1

The following blogentry is splitted in two topics.
First I want to introduce Alan Meany's project Ambiant Knowledge and then, in the second chapter write about the current exebition Boundary Work 1 in the Wandersford Gallery in Cork, where the Ambiant Knowledge project is presented.

Ambiant Knowledge

Ambiant Knowledge in the Boundary Work 1 exebition

This week Alan Meany presented his master project called ambiant knowledge. The project is ambiant display, in this case a colorchanging LED lamp, which shows the current use of electricity in a house or flat.
This allows the user to recognize, how much energy he uses right now without reading a display, but just have a nice looking accessior in the flat.
Much more interesting then the project as such was the way to get to the project. Alan told in a very interesting speech, without using any powerpoint or other tools, how he went to the project, how he managed the different steps which we still have in front of us.  One of the useful tips was to use versioning of our project proposal, that means write a very rough first version to have a basis and improve this then step by step.
Another useful tool is is workflow Design-Build-Evalute, which goes in a similar direction. It's very important to leave the own thinking and ask others, what the think about the product/paper/project.
He showed us in all details, how he went to which decisions and that you have to proof everything. This report was really useful in regard of the coming month.But he also encouraged us to build something physical, which people can see, and not only writing a paper which maybe 10 lectures read.
His project didn't end with his master degree, still he is exebititing in different European countries including Ireland, Cork with the Boundary Work 1 exebition.


Boundary Work 1

Wandersford Gallery in Cork

The exebition boundary work 1, located in the Wandersford Gallery in Cork shows current works of students from different universities and institute of technology.The mixture between art, research and science makes the exebition kind of special.

Most of the works are presented in form of pictures. On the first view the look like normal prints, paintings or landscape fotographs. But in most cases the are build out of new research or science way to lead normal people into the research topics of the certain areas.

Beside different kind of pictures there where two installations. One is, as already mentioned, Alan Meany's "Ambiant Knowledge". 
The other one makes terrible sound, which is ok for a visitor, but if I would be staff there I would go crazy... The installation is recording micro organizms per webcam. If they move, a sound is played, the tone is depending from where the organizm is right now. The more different sounds you here, the better the water quality is. 

Installation to measure the water quality in watching micro organizms moving

Summerized I think this kind of exebition is interesting, but especially at many pictures I wasn't motivated to read all the texts for every single picture to get an idea of the background. A better presentation of the background of the artwork (e.g. pictures, grafics, video) could help to catch the neseccary information in a more lifely way. 
In terms of industry context I can hardly image that this is my way of working or creating something later. I'm really more into economy and media management than in media design and art.
But it's interessting to get and overview and see the different possibilities for later profession.
 

iPhone Table

What looks like an iPhone, it's just bigger? The iPad? Nope, it's the iphonetable!
A German company is working at concept of an XXL iPhone, which supports multitouch. If it's working as handy as the original iPhone, it could be a great benefit for group meetings, smart homes and hanging at a wall for TV and other solutions. Might be interesting to see, if the iphone-table can enter the market and how much it will cost.  The following video shows the prototype of the iphone table, which makes me want more of it...

Current State Project Proposal

In the prezi below you can find the actuall ideas of the project proposal. Just my thought from last week which will be fixed into the project proposal document this week.

20 years ago: WorldWideWeb invented

This week will be a view back to the roots of internet and modern computers.
Last friday 20 years ago Tim Berners-Lee proposed the web.
His project proposal includes the main idea of a the modern web, including hyperlinks.
HyperText is a way to link and access information of various kinds as a web of nodes in which the user can browse at will. It provides a single user-interface to large classes of information (reports, notes, data-bases, computer documentation and on-line help).
At this stage the web was far away from providing pictures or even video files.
But it's amazing what this little project has become today...

Dying of... Newspaper

New developments in technology cause very often the dying of an old technology. The car replaced the carriage, the phone replaced the telegraf.
It's hard to see old technology dying. Mostly, the old technology survives in a niche, carriages are still run in Vienna for tourists, the old vinyl still has its lovers.
When talking about emerging technology many people so the newspaper as the next dying media, killed by the faster, multimedia newspages in the web.
Newspaper Extinction Timeline
We'll see if they are write, but with technology like the iPad and the eReaders maybe noone will really miss the old, big format newspaper...

World wide web? - nope...

Today I want to write again about one of my favourit topics, my life as a German in Ireland.
Living in a world with internet makes many things easier. I get up, read my German Newspaper as pdf.
I have access to my friends through social networks like facebook and for 5€ per month skype allows me to call every landline in Germany as long as I want.
In Germany I didn't watched much TV, but from time to time I enjoy it. In the German news are often reviews about new TV-Shows or Event which I then could watch online, cause midwhile almost every TV-station offers there programm about one week after it was first sent in TV. So the live-factor, being in front of the TV when the show runs is less and less important.
But in Ireland I can't watch the German TV even with internet. After an advertising (which surprisingly works) I see the following black screen:

Sorry, this video is not available in your country

It's a pity that I can't watch German TV in times of a global world...