Book Reading #34 - Opening Skinner's Box

Chapter 10: Chipped

Summary
In this chapter, Slater talks about the impact of lobotomy and similar procedures. She starts the chapter by discussing the unethical beginnings of this procedure; tracing back to Antonio Egas Moniz who selected subjects at random; and later on compares it to other pharmacological treatments. The author also talks about the effect of lobotomy on patients and whether or not it kills the "spark" of human lives.

Discussion
I found this chapter very interesting since I thought that behavior-modifying procedures on the brain were a thing of the future; not realizing that such a thing existed early in the 1900s. 

Book Reading #33 - Coming of Age in Samoa

Chapter 11: The Girl in Conflict

Summary

Discussion

Paper Reading #14: Combining Multiple Depth Cameras and Projectors for Interactions On, Above, and Between Surfaces

Comments
Alyssa Nabors
Stephen Morrow

Reference
Andrew D. Wilson, and Hrvoje Benko
Combining Multiple Depth Cameras and Projectors for Interactions On, Above, and Between Surfaces
User Interface Software and Technology

Summary
This paper discusses the implementation details of an interactive room with a wide array of different interactions. LightSpace, as the authors call it, is a collection of depth cameras and projectors that provide the users new for of interactions on several atypical displays. While other studies have focused on interactions on specific display surfaces, LightSpace provides an ubiquitous computing room capable of projecting virtual objects on most surfaces (desktops, walls, etc). This type of technology is also able to engage the users in the interactive process by allowing them to hold virtual objects in their hands while interacting with them. For example, the authors make repeated mention of the fact that the user may transfer a virtual object (projection) from his/her desk and place it on the wall simply by touching both surfaces. This generates the idea that the object is being conducted through the user's body. It is also possible to "carry" the object from one location to another.
Besides incorporating the notion of holding objects on the hand, users can also use projected interactive menus on their hand; allowing them to add yet another interactive dimension to the smart room. But the grace of LightSpace is the fact that it requires few cameras and projectors, thus allowing it to blend better than other similar projects

Discussion
I didn't like the paper very much, but that's just my personal preference. I recognize that it is a starting point towards a broader goal, but I think its not worth the investing since it adds little to our current technological arsenal. However, this class is about HCI, therefore the project is important in the sense that it teaches us how users respond to this type of environment

Book Reading #32 - Opening Skinner's Box

Chapter 9: Memory Inc.
Summary
Slater talks about Dr. Scoville's surgery on H.M. where he removes the young boy's Hippocampus. Upon completing the surgery, H.M. became unable to form new memories.
This event triggered researchers such as Eric Kandel to investigate the means by which humans are able to convert short-term events into long-term memories. Kander, owner of a pharmaceutical company, is currently investigating drugs that would enhance human's ability to remember. However, Slater also explores the negative side effects of such drug; citing the needs for human beings to forget horrible events.

Discussion
My favorite part of this chapter is when the author talks about the negative side effects of remembering everything. I have not life a horrible life per se, but it seems logical that some people would not want to remember certain events in their lives.

Book Reading #31 - Coming of Age in Samoa

Chapter 10: The Experience and Individuality of the Average Girl
Summary
In this chapter Mead talks about what it is like for a girl growing up in a Samoan village. In particular, Mead talked about the particular group of girls (age 10 - 20) that she followed throughout many months. Samoan children are exposed to many difficult situations early on in life, however none of this seems to affect them as they grow older. A large part of this chapter is devoted to Samoan girl's habits about the subject of sex.

Discussion
This chapter was kind of interesting particularly in two ways: (1) It seems that adults in the village are not very concerned about what their kids learn in terms of life; that is, parents are more concerned about teaching the duties to their kids. This fact seems to expose kids to several complex experiences. However, maybe the casualty with which parents go about it serves as a neutralizer to this experiences. (2) The other interesting part about this chapter is the amount of sexual exposure among the kids of the village.

Book Reading #30 - Emotional Design

Chapter 3: Three Levels of Design: Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflective
Summary
In this chapter Norman discusses the three levers of design: Visceral, behavioral, and reflective. Visceral design is related to he effect of the environment in our perceptions of things (for example, the use of bright colors in designing kid's toys). Behavioral design concerns itself with the use of objects (function, understandability, usability, and physical feel). Reflective design talks about the message that is conveyed by the objects. This level also deals with the cultural perception and the image that we want to convey to others.

Discussion
The chapter was interesting, however I get the feeling that the design subjects are pretty repetitive along Norman's books. Nonetheless, this has a different air from the other books.

Paper Reading #13: TeslaTouch: Electrovibration for Touch Surfaces

Comments
Alyssa Nabors
Derek Landini

Reference
Olivier Bau, Ivan Poupyrev, Ali Israr, Chris Harrison
TeslaTouch: Electrovibration for Touch Surfaces
User Interface Software and Technology
Summary

Bau et al. present in this paper a new method for providing tactile feedback to touch surfaces through electronic means. While most tactile feedback today relies on mechanical moving parts, TeslaTouch relies on electric currents flowing through a screen; giving the user the sensation of interacting with different surfaces ranging from paper-smooth to wall-painting rough. It is important to mention that this technology is not the same as electrocutaneous feedback or electrostatic feedback. In eleactrocutaneous feedback, the electric charge passes through the skin and stimulates the nerve endings; when using electrovibration, the feedback is produced by the intermittent attraction of the finger and the surface. This is also different from electrostatic feedback as there is no third party object uniting the skin and the tactile surface. The advantages of electrovibration stimulation vs the mechanical counterparts include: Uniform distribution across the surface, attenuation and magnitude of tactile sensation, noise reduction, reliability, and feedback localization.

Discussion
This was a very interesting paper since it moves away from the traditional approaches for tactile stimulus. I think the authors did a good job at stressing the safety concerns about this kind of technology as the sole thought of using current to stimulate the skin is a little concerning.