Create Commons

Defined as "Share, Remix, Reuse -- Legally, Creative Commons is a nonprofit organazation that increases sharing and improves collaboration".

I know many know of this site and its use, but I am becoming more convinced to remain in closer contact with this community and continue to observe the work they are performing.

Link is http://creativecommons.org/

A little multimedia poem using metaphors

How to train someone that I know to improve their media literacy:

First of all, my friends,

I must get to the root,

When the computer is turned on,

first comes the boot,

I tell my friend it will be fine

And they should have no hindrance

By turning on a machine

That is described as virtual intelligence

Next I get to do

something of which I’m fond

And that is to type my name

and perform my own log on

Communicate is the next item

Something to do before I get bitter

And that is to let my friends know

That I am on by twitter

Into a world I must go

Its really not actual

This other world is really

Called something that is virtual

Once inside this other world

there is something quite bizarre

I now must communicate with

my own expressive avatar

Now my friend the lesson nears

I hope it’s not a dud

I really wanted to make this

Quite as clear as mud

The business area I am commenting on is the religious business area. The use of emerging media on religious sites various. I visited several religious websites and was looking for their use of emerging media. There were some sites that used quite a bit of different media and there were sites that were lacking in much other than text based information.

The design decision of which emerging media to use, in my opinion resides in the business goal of the organization. For example if the organization of the site were one of offering information to those that do not understand or present information to some that are seeking, I believe that the emerging media use should be based on the education templates such as those offered or written about [1, 2].

1. Dede, C., Emerging technologies and distributed learning in higher education. Higher education in an era of digital competition: Choices and challenges. New York: Atwood, 2000.

2. Dickey, M., Three-dimensional virtual worlds and distance learning: two case studies of Active Worlds as a medium for distance education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 2005. 36(3): p. 439-451.

How to test web browser speed to find the fastest program

How to test web browser speed to find the fastest program

Horizon Report "Smart Objects"

Smart objects usefulness hit me as being very helpful. Aside from the obvious, personal data, etc. I was thinking of the smart object being embedded in the car computer. Due to the highly computerized nature of automobiles today, embedding smart object data in the car, that could "communicate" with your iPhone, and continue to report all the codes and variations of the diagnostic data, and then you would take your phone into the shop or download to Pep Boys over the net and let them discuss with you the relevancy of the data, or what repair work would be recommended. In other words the smart object would report to "you" relevant data, and you could shop this information around to find what you should do for the car, and where you should do it, etc. It would be a closer tie to you controlling or understanding the information rather than taking the car into the shop now and hoping you get "ripped off" with the salesman telling you that you need to refill your halogen fluid.

Electric Car reality?

While reviewing Technology’s Promise [Halal, W. E. (Ed.). (2008). Technology's Promise:Expert Knowledge on the Transformation of Business and Society: Palgrave Macmillan.], I too find myself desiring to comment on the predictions of alternate fueled vehicles that Halal has commented on. First of all I would like to say that I desire to have the electric car, hover car, and teleportation technologies as soon as possible. However, regarding the automotive technology, there are still some hurdles that need to be overcome. One of the technology areas, and in my opinion, still the largest hurdle at this time, is the power density of the alternate fuel being considered.

A great article from Design News [Murray, C. J. (2008). Auto Industry Working Hard to Make an Electric Vehicle Battery. Design News.], discusses the power density of the existing battery technologies versus what is contained within gasoline.

(Image inserted from "http://www.designnews.com/article/print/10574-Auto_Industry_Working_Hard_to_Make_an_Electric_Vehicle_Battery.php")

In summary, gasoline contains approximately 80 times more energy per volume than lithium-ion electric vehicle battery, and 250 times more energy than the standard lead-acid battery in cars today. This means that in order to extract the performance that exists today with gasoline engines, there has to be an 80 times improvement in the technologies that are used to make automobiles. For example if we use Halal’s assertion that the current gasoline engine is only 14% efficient, to get an electric engine that was 100% efficient would improve efficiency approximately 7 times. We still need a 73 times improvement somewhere else within the automotive technology, such as weight savings, wind resistance, etc.

If you couple this with the acquisition costs of the fuel, (the cost of producing the gasoline vs. the cost of creating the battery), again the gasoline still has the advantage. There are still many hurdles that exist before all electric cars can compete as a total system cost with gasoline vehicles. I believe, and hope, that all electric cars become an economical reality, but I am left to believe that if they become mainstream in the near future with existing technologies, it will not be due to its economical/efficiency advantage, but will become viable due to people willing to pay the extra costs of the inefficiencies for other real or perceived payoffs.

Animoto video on Dissertation subject

Here is my animoto presentation