Wow, it looks like last Saturday there was a flash mob just a few blocks from my apartment.   08/14/03   Comments [0]

Daniel Rozin has created several pretty amazing electronic "mirrors." They simply take a video input and then control physical objects which reflect light to create what are essentially physical pixels. It is an wonderfully simple concept.

His first project was Wooden Mirror . It uses small wooden panels that are tilted to reflect more or less light, creating lighter or darker pixels. The Trash Mirror works in a similar way, but with small pieces of flattened trash collected by the artist. Rozin's most recent mirror is called Shiny Ball Mirror and works by pushing reflective spheres in and out of tubes. The best way to understand is to watch the videos.   08/13/03   Comments [0]

Bruce Tognazzini has some interesting comments on the naming of our field. I've always thought "Interaction Designer" fit pretty well, at least better than "New Media Designer," "Experience Architect," or "Interface Alchemist." Tog settles on "Interaction Architect," which works fairly well, but I think using the term "Architect" can lead to some confusion (does an interaction need a foyer?). It also co-opts the name of another profession, the same reason he says we should not use the term "engineer." Either way, it seems like a good discussion to be having.

Molly Steenson has an interesting response to Tog's question. Essentially she says that it's the wrong question, we should focus on what the profession is rather than what it is called.   08/06/03   Comments [0]