Seadragon, Photosynth

I have recently discovered a great source of up and coming technology at the TED Conference which is basically a coming together of some the greatest minds in the world spread across all fields.There are extraordinary demo’s of new software under development. The first is Seadragon. Seadragon seems to be screen size independent; great for mobiles with allows the smooth zooming or browsing of content. Included in the demo is Photosynth with just blows my mind. The software basically composites multiple images extracted from a site like flicker into a 3D object which can be zoomed in on, incredibly fluid in BETA at the moment only on PC (probably works on bootcamp if you have a Mac). These technologies in full release especially when embedded in mobile devices will make the users experience much simpler as well as adding a further dimension to the mobile experience. Which in the past was very restrictive in regard to screen size . The recent change in the mobile experience have really come with the iphone, but if Microsoft who owns Seadragon and Photosynth adds them to the Microsoft mobile OS. Microsoft could jump ahead of the iphone in the future if implement correctly.

2008 what a year

For me the honours year is a process of exploration, a year to breathe deeply and cement thoughts that have been flying around recently. What I want to achieve firstly is a successful project, not just a good grade but a deeper insight into the functioning of technology and communications in society (very broad I know). The second goal is the excellent management of time and resources. This will be increasing important for me as the year progresses, as I recently started working at Sensis in online production. With my career and honours running simultaneously the structuring of time and resources will be critical for a successful outcome this year. (Note to self: do not try wing it)

Thirdly, I am not sure if this a true goal as it focuses more on how the year is experienced. The type of honours year I would like to experience is one of fun and enjoyment (I will try to figure this into my hopeful mastery of time management).

Research What?

This is my personal understanding of what research is; a critical engagement in the process of creating multiple solutions to a single problem.

I use research as a tool to solve problems be they small problems, such as what should I eat? To a really big one how can I stop my noisy neighbour from driving me to murder? A problem causes us to not just look critically at the problem but ourselves in relation to the problem. For example, the question of what I should eat, we look at what’s available to eat, what we feel like and take into consideration any restrictions. Research does not always give an answer but a clearer map to a possible solution.