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Not Happy with New Blogger

Hmm, I'm not a happy blogger at the moment. Google has unhelpfully updated its blogger engine. So far I cannot see any benefit from this. Seems slower than before and I have not found any improved features.

But what I am really unhappy about is that it has broken all the links to the blog writing tools that I use. I contribute to multiple blogs and having a single tool that works seamlessly across all of those is important to me. I suspect that this is becoming true of many other serious blog writers.

So...notice is given, Google. Play nice with others. You are not the only game in town. I will not be posting further on this blog until you do so. I do not intend to use your intrusive and proprietary Google Toolbar to contribute to Blogger blogs. If this is not fixed soon, this blog will be moved to a blog engine that is compliant.

Computer scientist reveals the math and science behind blockbuster movies

Computer scientist reveals the math and science behind blockbuster movies

Won't be too long before we don't need actors. This piece threatens to get a wee bit obscure but is relevant to those of us working on simulators in medical education.

OpenID: an actually distributed identity system

OpenID: an actually distributed identity system

Wouldn't it be nice not to have to mess with hundreds of passwords? Some sort of centralised authentication system would make things so much easier...and yes, easier for hackers...but only to a small extent.

We are very predictable animals, and the more passwords we are expected to learn/memorise, the more lazy we become. We all trend to very guessable passwords - ooh, they'll never think of my birthdate backwards! Sigh. I have written about this before. The whole concept of strong passwords is fundamentally flawed. They only slow down a good hacker and deter the lazy. Think for a moment about how the banks do a pretty good job of protecting your money at an ATM with a simple 4 digit-only password (and yes, the commonest is 1234). Having a token (in this case your card) is the other essential piece. This is what is meant by 2 factor authentication. (BTW, don't let some EMR vendors try and tell you that 2 sets of passwords is 2 factor authentication...but I digress).

For a truly brilliant presentation on identity, check out this presentation by Dick Hardt. A great lesson in effective presenting, as well as a good overview on identity stuff.

The Most Annoying Things About Windows Vista

The Most Annoying Things About Windows Vista

Thinking about upgrading. You might want to wait until Service Pack 1 at least (the first major bug fix). Check out this article - not exactly fulsome in praise.

No wonder Vista sales are way below that predicted.

Surgeons who play video games more skilled - CNN.com

Surgeons who play video games more skilled - CNN.com

A bit more rationalising? I can just hear it..."Just 5 more minutes, Dad...don't you want me to grow up to be a neurosurgeon?"

But no - this study appears well done and has some relevant results. Of course, I wonder if people who already have good hand eye coord are in turn drawn to video games i.e. is this cause and effect?

Interacting in 3D

 Another approach to improve our interaction with computers.

Link to The Engineer Online - [News: engineering news, engineering info, latest technology, manufacturing news, manufacturing info, automotive news, aerospace news, materials news, research & development]

Sounds fascinating, although not to be categorised under Coming Soon, I don't think.

Hindsight is 20/20

 This short discussion is awfully reminiscent of such famous quotes as...

Link to Hindsight is 20/20 | jon lee dot see eh

"The world only has a need for about 6 computers" [Thomas Watson, IBM] and "640k should be enough for anybody' [Bill Gates].

Ah, those that fail to appreciate the effects of exponential trends. Sigh. Ray Kurzweil writes extensively about this in his books - our tendency to use linear extrapolation based on current activity and data.

Vista for mobile devices?

 Well, not quite...actually, not by a long shot...

Link to Pocket PC Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

...but this is Microsoft's latest version of their operating system for Windows Mobile devices. It will not likely be available until June - it takes a while for manufacturers to incorporate it into their ROMs on their devices and test it out for stability.

And as with most things Microsoft, just like with Vista, you probably don't want to be one of the early adopters.

Adaptive user interfaces for focused attention

 So what do you think of the new ribbon in Microsoft Word 2007?

Link to Adaptive user interfaces for focused attention « Jon Udell

Adaptive interfaces are definitely a good idea. Military fighter jets first took up this idea - keep the interface simple. Humans are not good at simultaneously monitoring hundreds of dials and flashing lights.

But what about the new Office 2007 interface? Jon seems to feel it is a good idea, as have some other writers. But for users who have gotten used to menu items being in a certain place, there is some new learning required.

I expect the Gates empire will find a way to enforce us all to upgrade at one point or another. The Borg Collective will assimilate...

Top 25 web 2.0 search engines

This was put out last week. Has anyone tried any of these search engines? I have tried a few but have to admit, I had not heard of some of them.

From a distance there is surgery – thanks to telehaptics

 We've had some experience with this software...

Link to Enterprise Infrastructure > Virtualization > From a distance there is surgery – thanks to telehaptics

HandShake is a nice easy haptics tool to do rapid prototyping with. This is one of the tools that we have been using in our Virtual Spinal Tap project.

Thanks to Kevin Pashuk for sending us this link. Always good working with you, Kevin.

Paper is dead - has PDF followed suit?

Paper is dead - has PDF followed suit?

I've never been a big fan of Adobe's PDF format. Yes, it can be enormously useful at times, but those times are becoming increasingly infrequent. And look at the size of the Adobe Reader these days...it's a reader for heaven's sake. Even on a fast machine it takes many seconds to load...ever watched all the libraries that it loads. Of course, you can get round this by using a pre-loader in your Startup file...but this then hogs a huge amount of memory, just so you can read a file a few seconds quicker. (If you're interested in how much RAM that takes up, press Ctrl-Alt-Del and launch the Task Manager). And don't get me started on the enforced upgrade trail.

Anyway, as this piece suggests, maybe the monolithic Adobe will lumber along on its own path, missing some important trends in publishing.

Glossary of personal videoconferencing terms

Because of some recent confusion over the possible meanings of words like 'desktop' when used in relation to personal videoconferencing, we were asked to come up with a simple glossary. This was originally created as a Word doc but is reproduced here. Within the glossary are also embedded some tips relating to desktop or personal videoconferencing.

A. Chat

1. Despite its name, this usually refers to text messaging between participants. Similar to MSN Messenger or cell phone text messages. Typos and brevity are expected.

2. Can be very useful with a troublesome connection as it will often continue to work when audio and video are failing.

3. Can be shared with whole group or directed at one person.

B. Confidentiality

1. Remember that anything digitally communicated might be recorded, and passed on, often with good intent. You may not always be aware of this. Use tact and restraint – follow good netiquette.

2. Just as with emails, stating that you want material to remain confidential is very hard to enforce in practical terms.

3. Even with secure conferencing software, it is usually good practice to avoid referring to patient specific information.

C. Desktop

1. Term as used compared to a room

a) In personal videoconferencing, desktop refers to working from your own desk as compared to using a dedicated videoconference meeting room.

2. Term as used in Microsoft Windows

a) Microsoft uses the term ‘desktop’ to refer to the standard opening screen in Windows on which your favourite program icons are laid.

b) Quick tip: to show this desktop, press the Windows key + D together (Win+D)

3. Term as used compared to Laptop

a) When referring to hardware, the computer industry often refers to a tower style computer as a desktop computer

D. Echo cancellation

1. Software techniques to reduce the delayed retransmission of your own voice, relayed from another user’s speakers back into the audio channel. Often not very effective. Best way to avoid this is for participants to use headsets where possible.

2. Term also sometimes used to refer to the reduction of the hollow echoing room effect. When used this way, the term more often refers to what a conference specific tabletop microphone tries to do. More effective than the above but again can be easily reduced by using headsets where possible.

E. File transfer

1. Most software will allow participants to directly send files to others. Recipient has to choose to Receive the file. This is usually much faster than sending email attachments. But watch how big the file is. Over 1 megabyte (MB) can cause problems. Pictures and logos are more often problematic.

F. Firewire

1. A type of cable connection between a peripheral device and your computer. Less common than USB. Can sometimes provide improved video.

G. Full duplex/half duplex

1. Old telephony term still in use to describe how audio is sent and received.

2. Half duplex means there is only one audio channel and sounds like old style CB radios where you cannot talk and listen simultaneously.

3. Full duplex means there are two audio channels and sounds like a regular telephone where you talk and listen at the same time.

H. Latency

1. Time lag between speaking and being heard…or seen. Is generally much more marked in desktop conferencing than with room-style formal videoconferencing. If it is greater than 1 second, it becomes quite obstructive to good discussion. Closing video channels will usually improve this.

I. Netiquette

1. Etiquette in electronic communications.

2. Most people are familiar with this from email social conventions. Eg DON’T USE ALL CAPITALS – YOU ARE SHOUTING.

3. Is also important in desktop conferencing, especially if dealing with high latency. When there is much delay, it is important to be patient or else you will be continually frustrated by over-talking each other.

4. “Raising a hand” – some software allows you to visually indicate that you have a question. Very useful when you wish to tactfully interrupt a presenter with a question.

J. Pixelation

1. Break up of the video picture into blocks and pixels. Usually a sign of a poor connection but can be due to poor configuration.

K. Screensharing

1. Allowing others in a desktop conference to see what is on your computer screen.

2. Most software will allow you to select what you share: your whole screen or just one portion. Less is more.

3. Application sharing is a refinement of this where a distant colleague can control an application or program that is running on your computer. Very useful where one participant does not have the particular program needed, for example MS Project or Visio.

L. Session

1. Some conference software allows you to participate in more than one meeting or session at a time. For most users, this multitasking is too confusing.

M. USB microphone

1. Microphone, often combined with headphones, that uses a USB port (square) rather than the traditional round plug to send sound to your computer. Provides superior quality sound; puts less work on computer’s CPU brain which makes videoconferencing smoother.

2. Also improves voice recognition software accuracy significantly because of clearer audio quality.

N. Webcam

1. Low cost, low fidelity digital camera that sends a signal direct to a computer for the purpose of personal videoconferencing.

O. Whiteboard

1. Software window equivalent of a whiteboard in a meeting room. Designed for quick scribbled text and diagramming, Often allows simultaneous user input from several people.

Northern medical schools

Last week, the Director of Technology Pasi Pinta, and I took a trip out west to see things are going at the UBC Northern Medical Program. Based in Prince George, this new program is similar in concept to NOSM - community based, rural oriented, focused on the needs of the north. They started a year before us and are similar in many ways.

Their teaching is also highly oriented towards the online paradigm - the only way for them to provide teaching material from the mother ship in Vancouver. They have a very impressive videoconference setup - this was one of the main reasons for our trip. Our ongoing struggles to achieve smooth networking and in particular videoconferencing contrast greatly with the success that they have had. So it was time to go find out what they are doing right and learn from it.

There were a number of factors but mostly it boils down to having a stable Layer 2 LAN (sorry for the geek speak but that basically means a proper fully contigous network domain architecture) with sufficient bandwidth...and more importantly, the bandwidth for videoconferencing was protected. A part of the "pipe" was specifically reserved for videoconferencing and nothing else.

Currently in our setup, all our network traffic including videoconference services, goes on the same network. A lot of work has been done over the past year to eliminate bottlenecks in the system. But network traffic has grown hugely for both campuses (ok, you purists and pedants...campi) over the past 6 months. So even with things optimized, we are still running into problems with network congestion. Happily, we are working on a big new upgrade to our network infrastructure that should alleviate most of this.

There were several other factors which were noticeable. There is a greater emphasis on large group sessions, and they don't do as many videoconferenced or audioconferenced small group sessions as we do. This focus on the quality of their large group sessions has resulted in a near seamless experience for their lectures. They also have a very nice 3 screen setup (see below) which does make it easier to follow content, than the 2 screen setup that we have.



They have also put in a much higher bandwidth connection between their campi - this too is something that Pasi will actively pursue. But it was a wonderful example of how teaching and learning can be made so much smoother and more effective.

Info on OLA Session

Last week I was at the Ontario Library Association Conference. While there I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Michael Stephens titled: “Best Practices for Social Software”. He also did a presentation on “Top Tech Trends”. Links to both presentations are available on his blog – Tame the Web and worth having a look at.

robot ride 5

Who needs Virtual Reality if you can get robotics to do this? A car seat with a 5 point racing harness welded to a robotic arm. This is a crazy, but fun ride. And the relevane of this to eLearning - just an example of using very short videos to make a point, as we are doing with PocketSnips (www.pocketsnips.org)

A robot gives birth

 Well, not quite...

Link to A robot gives birth at Unbounded Medicine

But a short piece on the use of simulators to teach labour and delivery techniques.