Blog Archive (April 2008)
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15th April 2008 - George and Hawking...
This is a new experience - I'm now having books recommended to me by my (just) 9-year old niece (Hi Lucy!). Reminds me of being introduced to the great Primo Levi when I was teaching by having a copy of his "The Periodic table" thrust into my hand by 13 year-old Anton....
"George's Secret Key to the Universe" by Lucy Hawking and her elevated father Stephen is a great book in the tradition of Russel Stannard's "Uncle Albert" books but with, in my view, a lighter touch and a better paced story. If there is a weakness it is in a few side bars that expand some of the physics elements in the story - I felt they sometimes could have done with the hand of a good physics teacher.
So, highly recommended; Lucy read it in three days and it took me a little less....[ top ]
12th April 2008 - Nature vs Robot
Via the New Scientist Technology blog: Engadget reports that the WowWee Dragonfly (a flying robotic toy) is being grabbed out of the air by hawks. As New Scientist points out:
There are bats, birds and other insects out there that will find it a cinch to catch robot butterflys, mechanical birds or even cyborg moths. It will be a long time until our artificial flyers will be anywhere near a match for Nature's airborne hunter-killers.It never does to under-estimate the impact of nature on technology...
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10th April 2008 - Robotics in the curriculum
A workshop, 'Embedding Robotics in the Curriculum' was held at The Open University in Milton Keynes on 1st April; David Barlex and I gave the opening talk [PPT 3.2Mb]. David has posted a summary of the Workshop and there is also a full programme and webcast of the Workshop and a wiki to support the developing outcomes.[ top ]
10th April 2008 - Being Human
'Being Human' is a new report from Microsoft Research whose central question is: What will human-computer Interaction (HCI) be like in the year 2020? It is available as a PDF but, for now at least, you can email and ask for a printed copy.
My copy arrived this morning and, based on my initial skimming, it is a beautifully produced and very readable account, based firmly on current research and likely trends. It ends with some clear and humanistic recommendations and a useful list of further reading. When I've read it properly I'll provide a fuller account...however for now here are some initial thoughts for the year 2020 and beyond:
- We're in the Mobility Era now, but we'll be in the Ubiquity Era in 2020 and beyond, with thousands of computers per user.
- Silicon and biological material will be knitted in new ways, enabling new forms of direct inputs and outputs implantable in our bodies.
- We will increasingly be able to use mobile devices to interact with objects in the real world, acting more as if they are extensions of our own hands, by pointing and gesturing with them.
- Robots will become autonomous machines that learn.
- We will create a more customized, personalized digital world for ourselves.
- The vision of one computer for every child world-wide will be more of a reality.
- There will be very few people left on the planet who do not have access to a mobile phone.
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