netomat was originally conceived as a network-based art project by artist/programmer Maciej Wisniewski. Frustrated with the limitations of HTML as the de facto language of the internet, Maciej set out to build a more effective language for communication over networks.
In creating the language, Maciej recognized that computer and information systems can embody values. He was committed to designing a language from the ground up that would be open and extensible, work with existing formats and protocols and make it easy for people to be at the center of their own communication network.
By studying the history of robust networks (e.g. aqueducts, ant colonies, immune systems, human communities) and then applying this research to the rapidly evolving internet, Maciej developed the netomatic mark-up language (nml).
Interesting idea. Some crazy projects using it can be found in the sight.
Justin Hall has done a nicely written piece about Kohler's new line of sinks:
Kohler designs things that might be costly or extravagant, but never too outlandish for a house for sale. Or so I thought, until I saw their "Purist" line, launched in 2002.
The Purist Suite removes the metal and elaborate porcelain barriers between the user and their pleasure with water. Kohler is pushing Purist as a spa in the home.
O'Reilly Network: We're all Gelernter Now. [July 29, 2003]
This is a short article about how time sequencing is popping up here and there. In particular they point out de-buggers. There are couple pointers to Gelernter's earlier works too.
Nice to see it showing up.
Sharing Personal Media Project
Today at the Microsoft Faculty Summit there was a demo-fest. Hearty Breakfast is one of the sub-projects of the CMU Sharing Personal Media Project. I had a really neat conversation about what they're doing reminds me of Zooming User Interfaces, Gerlernter's LifeStreams, and MIT's Tangible Bits.
I'm looking forward to see what they do next.
tmg | PROJECTS | Tangible Bits Exhibition
Guided by the Tangible Bits vision, we are designing "tangible user interfaces" which employ physical objects, surfaces, and spaces as tangible embodiments of digital information. These include foreground interactions with graspable objects and augmented surfaces, exploiting the human senses of touch and kinesthesia. We are also exploring background information displays which use "ambient media" -- ambient light, sound, airflow, and water movement. Here, we seek to communicate digitally-mediated senses of activity and presence at the periphery of human awareness.
handheld devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) including devices running PalmOS or Pocket PCs, and mobile phones, can be used when they are communicating with a "regular" personal computer (PC), with other handhelds, and with computerized devices such as telephones, radios, microwave ovens, automobiles, and factory equipment.
Just saw nifty demo of this project. Pretty amazing what one can do with a PDA.
Here's the web site for the conference I'm attending currently.
Yesterday I arrived in Bellevue, WA for the MS meeting. Across the street from the hotel was some sort of craft fair. Turns out it's theBellevue Museum Art Fair. So I wandered around looking for a house warming gift for Dad. Didn't find that but I did come across this:
The descriptive tag reads:
"Believed to be the long-lost portable wind vane device of Basil Rumpelmayer, prominent artist and eccentric at the turn-of-the-century (authenticated by Hieronymous Brouhaha in his noted book Rare Assemblages of Distinction, 1997 Charlatan Publishing Co., Inc.) .......
Remarkably well preserved"
Tandy Radio Shack TRS Model100
I was just chatting with a friend about my new 12" G4 Powerbook and how I like it's small footprint (see NB). I had reason to mention the 12" white iBook which both daughters now use. Something caused me to mentally and visually flash back about 10 years ago to the TRS M100. It was one of the earliest notebooks to be used by many folks. Newspaper reporters are said to have really loved this box cause it kept going and going. It was just about the same size of the 12" mac, maybe just a bit thicker.
My first experience with the TRS M100 was in March of 1983. I was a speaker at the Association of Computers in the Humanities on a panel about the future of the electronic journal. I planned to talk about how BITnet email lists were beginning to fulfill that notion. But before me was this guy in a cowboy hat, older guy, retired from the Army guy. Dave Hughes of Old Colorado City Communications with hat on head and TRS M100 in hand stood up, plopped the M100 on the podium in front of him and proceeded to read his electronic paper to us. At that time he was the Cursor Cowboy on Compuserve (scroll way down to read more here). That was 10 years ago human time --- almost a decade in dog years and a millenium in Internet years.
cool.
O'Reilly Network: Amish for QWERTY
Cory Doctorow encountered a new interface with a cell phone recently and had interesting reaction. Read the article for the full impact, here are couple quotes:
People think the Amish are technophobes. Far from it. They're ideologues. They have a concept of what right-living consists of, and they'll use any technology that serves that ideal -- and mercilessly eschew any technology that would subvert it. ...
The sole certainty about the future is its Amishness. We will all bend our brains to suit an interface that we will either have to abandon or be left behind. Choose your interface -- and the values it implies -- carefully, then, before you wed your thought processes to your fingers' dance. It may be the one you're stuck with.
I'm attending the Supernova meeting today. Have a look at the collective weblog linked above. They also are using a Supernova wiki that is being managed by SocialText folks.