Manifest Tech Blog

Our Princeton N.J. Chapters of the ACM and the IEEE Computer Society has sponsored a lot of interesting and fun meetings over the past 28 years, but last week's event was the first time our meeting turned into a group sing-along.

The reason, and the evening's speaker, was John P. Dougherty (aka “J.D.”), assistant professor of computer science at Haverford College, who lead a fun romp though his adventures in "computational singing," using fun songs that he has written to illustrate fundamental concepts in computation.

Beyond his technical studies in dependable parallel scientific computing and data intensive scalable computing, Dougherty has passionate interests in computer science education, including introductory courses for undergraduates and outreach to K-12 students.

His idea of outreach for computer science is finding connections between information technology and society that can make computing more accessible to a broad audience, to help people appreciate "computational thinking."

Dougherty' Computational Singing site has lyrics and some recordings of his songs, including the whirlwind The Tour of The World of Computing (to the tune of The End of the World by R.E.M.), and illustrations of C.S. concepts including loop invariants, infinite loops, and, of course, spam.

Also see his two videos accepted for the ACM SIGCSE 2009 Video Exhibition (Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education):

- Input and Output (to the tune of My Sweet Lord and He's So Fine, play on YouTube)

- Recursion Song (play on YouTube -- if you dare)

ACM SIGGRAPH 2009 is coming to New Orleans this summer, from August 3 to 8. This is the 36th annual International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques.

If you're into graphics and animation, this is the worldwide gathering to attend:
- for the Technical Program and new breakthroughs you'll be seeing in movies and video games in a few years,
- for the Animation Festival featuring high-end commercial work, state-of-the-art research demonstrations, and enchanting student projects,
- for the Art Galleries, Emerging Technologies and other showcases and interactive experiences,
- for the Exhibition with new developments in graphics hardware and software, and
- for all the other opportunities to meet and explore.

The SIGGRAPH 2009 Advance Program booklet is now available, especially with details on the technical sessions (59 pages, 2.28 MB PDF)

Also enjoy the Computer Animation Festival 2009 Preview Video (2:30)

Marc-Antoine Goulard creates wonderfully evocative paintings. At first glance, they are pleasing compositions of color, and totally non-representational.

But as you keep looking, the layers of colors and horizontal flow often suggests landscapes, especially scenes with the blues and green of water.

Yet the scenes remain tantalizing out of reach, "almost recognizable," and still open to individual interpretation.

At a reception at his one-man exhibit this month at the Ruth Morpeth Gallery in Hopewell, New Jersey, Goulard described his working process as starting with the palette of colors -- and an idea of a particular landscape. Yet he does not like to discuss his particular vision of his paintings, preferring (and encouraging) each viewer to find their own image -- or not.

The paintings are so evocative because of the way they are created. Goulard paints on wood panels, a plywood built of layers of birch so they will remain stable over time. He starts by applying a background of white as the base of his canvas, and then begins building up layers of color. -- Lots and lots of layers, building up subtle combinations of translucent shades. He works with painting knives instead of brushes, like a spatula, which works for him as an extension of his hand.

Goulard was actually trained as a concert musician at the Paris Conservatoire, and then took up the saxophone and studied jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. But it was in painting that Goulard found a stronger creative voice.

Goulard actually works on five or more paintings at a time, because of the drying time required in the process. His jazz background shows in his work, with light, color, inspiration, and splashes of spontaneity. He still begins with music playing as part of the inspiration as he starts to work on his painting, but it drops away along with other outside distractions as he focuses into his creations.

Image: "Out There," 2007, Paris, 30 x 26 in. (75 x 70 cm )

Marc-Antoine Goulard
New York City and Paris
www.marcantoinegoulard.com

Ruth Morpeth Gallery
43 West Broad Street
Hopewell, NJ 08525
609-333-9393
www.morpethcontemporary.com

It's gray and overcast and drizzly here in New Jersey, and it's going to be like that a lot over the next four months or so, at least when it's not snowing.

All these gray days can wear you down with the winter blues, even if you don't have a diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD -- see Wikipedia). So if you can't fly away to a warm and sunny beach, you can at least bring some of that sunlight into your home with a bright light -- to provide both more lumens than an ordinary bulb to make a room glow, and a full spectrum of white light closer to the natural sunlight that you are craving.

For example, we've been trying out the Verilux HappyLight line of sunshine supplement lights. The HappyLight 6000 provides up to 6,000 lux of white light for $89 in a unit that's easy to carry -- 12 x 4 5/8 x 3 inches and 2 pounds. It uses a custom 36 watt Verilux Natural Spectrum bulb that lasts up to 10,000 hours ($24.95).

This puts out a very bright light -- 6,000 lux is not quite full daylight, but close (full daylight is 10,000 lux and up -- see Wikipedia). The unit also has a high/low brightness control.

Verilux also offers the larger HappyLight Deluxe with 10,000 lux and 19" tall ($189 -- shown in image), and the smaller HappyLight 2500 with 2,500 lux ($34.95) -- at 9" tall and 1 pound you can buy multiple lights in combo packs.

Verilux recommends positioning the HappyLight 6000 one to two feet in front of your face, although offset on a diagonal, so your eyes can take in the white light. The recommended daily use to reduce sluggishness and lethargy is listed as 2 1/2 hours. However, Verilux disclaims any medical claims regarding the use of the product, and states it is solely intended for use as portable supplemental lighting.

We don't have long-term experience with the HappyLight, but it certainly is bright and white, and it does make me happy to see it really light up the room.

Happy Black Friday! It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts, and especially consumer electronics gifts (see previous post). Which also means it's time for my annual Holiday Tech Gift Guide.

This year the focus in on portable devices, and especially smartphones -- the one device that can do almost anything, at least on a small screen.

But there are other alternatives for your shopping consideration, from larger netbooks to a variety of other portable -- but non-phone -- devices focused on other uses, including media players, handheld game systems, and E-Book readers.

And don't miss another hot gift option -- accessories to go along with these devices, including Bluetooth headsets, portable speakers and displays, wireless power, and portable storage.

If you're in the Princeton area, come on down to my annual Holiday Tech Gift Guide presentation at the Princeton Public Library on Tuesday -- It's free and open to the public, and you can see and even try out many of these devices.

Holiday Tech Gift Guide

    Douglas Dixon, Manifest Technology
    Tues., Dec. 1, 2009 at 7 pm
    Princeton Public Library, Community Room
    65 Witherspoon St., Princeton, NJ 08542
    Event Info - Princeton Library

See my full article -- Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2009

It's expanded from my annual gadget guide article published in this week's U.S. 1 Newspaper, Nov. 25, 2009:
- If the Wish List is an E-List, Think Small & Portable
- Accessories for Portable Devices

Also see my Digital Media Galleries for more on these and related products and trends.

My annual Holiday Tech Gift Guide presentation at the Princeton Library is coming up this Tuesday, December 1 at 7 pm.

It's free and open to the public. I'll have lots of fun gadgets to talk about, and demo -- and to hand around for you to check out.

I'll focus in on portable devices, and especially new smartphones including the Verizon Droid. And there are interesting new non-phone devices, including media players, handheld game systems, E-Book readers, and pocket camcorders.

Plus don't miss another hot gift option -- accessories to go along with these devices, including Bluetooth headsets, portable speakers and displays, wireless power, portable storage, and computer peripherals.

Holiday Tech Gift Guide

    Douglas Dixon, Manifest Technology
    Tues., Dec. 1, 2009 at 7 pm
    Princeton Public Library, Community Room
    65 Witherspoon St., Princeton, NJ
    Event Information

Keeping up with changes in technology is a full-time job. No one knows that better than Douglas Dixon of Manifest Technology, who returns to the library to present the Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2009. This annual roundup of tech trends and toys will track the latest developments, from portable gadgets to netbooks to set-tops, game consoles and beyond. Dixon, an independent technology consultant, author and speaker specializing in digital media, breaks it down to help participants discover which gadgets to put on the gift list, not to mention the personal wish list.

See my extended Holiday Tech Gift Guide 2009 article for a preview.

Also see my Digital Media Galleries for more on these and related products and trends.

If you're the kind of person who would be shocked to discover that celebrities are paid for their endorsements in late-night infomercials, or would be horrified to discover that Google Ads are advertisements and Amazon product links have to do with selling products, then the Federal Trade Commission is stepping up to protect you -- from evil bloggers!

Yes, the FTC has issued Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (PDF), imposing new rules and "guides" as of December 1, 2009.

While most of the 81-page document is concerned with claims made by advertisers and celebrity endorsers, the federal government also worries about Mommy bloggers: "... an individual who regularly receives free samples of products for families with young children and discusses those products on his or her blog would likely have to disclose that he or she received for free the items being recommended."

However, the guidance in this document is provided in the form of examples of situations that could trigger disclosure, omitting both clear, specific requirements and any discussion of the form of such disclosure. Sigh.

(Interestingly, the FTC is not concerned about such reviews in what it calls "traditional media" -- so newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations can continue to enjoy press junkets without government supervision. Mommy bloggers are much more dangerous!)

So, while I've been clear about describing my background and industry relationships on my Manifest Technology website (and associated Manifest Tech blog), I'll take an extra step here in a FTC Disclosure Statement. In general, while I'd prefer that you not consider me as on the take, you should assume that companies have provided samples of many of the products that I discuss on my site.

Bottom line: I look at lots of products. You should expect that many are provided by companies for this purpose. I also receive various food, tchotchkes, and other swag at various industry and press events. I don't profit from these. I have other long-term relationships and occasional business relationships with some companies, which have been explicitly disclosed on this site (when not confidential). And in case you haven't noticed, I use Google Ads and Amazon affiliate links on the site to help defray my costs.

Yeesh! Do you feel safer now?

In case you missed the link above, click here for full FTC Disclosure Statement

The Internet has allowed isolated individuals to expand from their local perspective and sell products all over the world. If you have stuff to sell, then you can use eBay as your online marketplace, with some 88 million active users. Or if you're a crafter type, you can use Etsy to sell handmade goods (see previous post). And small entrepreneurs can build a business through persistent development of clever product concepts (see previous post).

But what if you're more the creative idea type, with concepts for possibly interesting products, but without the support system required to develop, produce, and market them?

That's the idea behind Quirky, the social network site for product concepts. You bring the idea, the crowd-sourced community rates it and helps develop it, and then Quirky can bring it to market -- paying you a royalty stream from the sales.

Admittedly, these are not fancy creations -- they must be able to be sold at retail for under $150, and cannot contain complex electronics. Most Quirky products are relatively simple but clever and useful accessories for home and personal electronics.

For example, the DigiDudes is a portable camera tripod with retractable legs that collapses and then screws into a bell-like holder (decorated as funky dude), with a keychain to hang on your bag or belt ($24).

And the Split Stick is double-sided USB drive so you can store personal and public data separately on the same device ($24).

You begin the process by submitting your idea, typically with some sketches, and pay a $99 fee. At worst, even if the idea does not get into production, you will receive feedback from the community on your idea, along with some market research support.

The real power here, however, here comes from incentivizing everyone involved (much like the successful MIT Red Balloon team for the DARPA Network Challenge). All the people involved in the development of the product are allocated percentages of the royalty stream, based on their contributions through the key elements of the process: tagline, logo design, product naming, industrial design, and product research.

The packaging for each product then includes a credit to the inventor, with photo, and a fold-out panel that lists the many contributors.

Quirky goes through the process of choosing a new product to develop each week. The site currently lists 6 products available for sale, 18 products in production and available for pre-sale, plus 5 products in the development pipeline.

More on Royalties and Open Development ...

I'm back at the Princeton Macintosh User Group (PMUG) on Tuesday evening to present "Cool Gadgets for 2010 – From 3D TV to Smartphone Apps." Come on down!

The big push at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (see previous post) was on 3D TV, but consumers are more interested in downloading apps to their iPhone and Android smartphones.

So I'll be discussing the latest trends in electronic devices, from set-top to desktop to handheld - and demoing some fun and interesting products and apps, including Apple, Google Android, Palm webOS, and Windows Phone devices.

Cool Gadgets for 2010 - From 3D TV to Smartphone Apps
    Tues., March 9, 2010, 7:30 pm
       Princeton Macintosh User's Group
             Room 006, Friend Center, Princeton Univ.

Then I'll be Cabrini College next Monday afternoon, March 15 for a reprise of my presentation on "Tapping Into Apps: Local and Cloud Services on the iPhone and Android." (See previous post for more info and Princeton podcast version. See my Presentations schedule for other talks.)

See my related articles and galleries for more on trends, smartphones and apps:

• Associated U.S.1 Newspaper article on 3D TV and smartphone apps
• Gadgets and Trends 2010
• Smartphone Apps Gallery

I'm presenting some talks in Princeton on Highlights from the 2011 CES Show, and have posted the notes on 2011 Trends From CES with images of representative products.

This year's Consumer Electronics Show certainly kicked off the new year with a bang (see earlier post), with over 140,000 attendees packed into Las Vegas to check out over 2700 exhibitors. Some 20,000 new products were introduced at the show -- including the launch of over 80 tablets.

The big theme this year was connectivity, with connected TVs, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, autos, and even major appliances -- yes, your fridge is texting you.

And while the industry continues to push hard to promote 3DTV, the action is in mobile connected devices -- smartphones and tablets, as smartphones power up to "superphones" at desktop performance and broadband speed, and tablets proliferate to meet any conceivable niche.

(Image: LG Optimus 2X "superphone" with NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor and Verizon Wireless LTE 3G mobile broadband service.)

Also see my article for Digital2Disc Magazine --The Glory Days Were Back at CES 2011 (digital magazine).

And my CES 2011 Summary with facts and figures on the show and its events.