How do you guys feel about:

[BuzzKillington]

This is a small project due tomorrow. I'm not looking for in depth answers...not trying to cheat here, just curious about how everyone thinks about it to help me brainstorm.



1. Does the idea of ubiquitous computing concern you or interest you? Is it something that you would like to see become a reality in the near future? Why or why not?
2. Some aspects of ubiquitous computing at work are intriguing. For example, as you moved from place to place within your office building, computers would rec¬ognize you and adjust to reflect your PC settings automatically. As you approached any computer not being used by someone else, it would display the desktop exactly as it is usually displayed on your PC and unlock your files to allow you to use the computer as if it were your own. List some other advantages and some disadvantages of ubiquitous computing at work.
3. If ubiquitous computing becomes the norm, how easy do you think it will be for an individual who strongly objects to the concept to choose not to participate? Do you think people should have the right to make that decision? If some people opt out of participating, what might be the consequences for them and for the rest of society?
4. Discuss and identify some of the emerging technologies, what they are used for, and if there are alternate products or technologies available. Give your opinion on the usefulness of these technologies what you think are the major trends driving the future of communications and networking?
5. Describe five(5) functional areas in which computers assist people most. Discuss how the revolution/evolution of communications and networking is likely to affect how you will work and live in the future.
6. Describe the requirements of the new business support roles in organizations today. Specifically indicate the type of telecommunications and information systems skills required for these jobs and how the skill set has changed in recent years?
7. Moving to a networked environment is one of the biggest changes in the history of the computer industry. Describe some of these changes and how they have a affected the way we do business today and how wireless networks has altered our lives socially, academically and technologically? Do you think that it would affect study habits, teaching techniques, and personal security? List and describe the most popular forms of wireless telecommunication technologies.

[theshoeshineman]

My 2 cents.

1)
The word "ubiquitous" concerns me a lot more than the idea of ubiquitous computing". But in all seriousness I think this has a lot of potential particularly for the physically disabled or mentally handicap.

2)
I use to develop software and I firmly believe computers and software programs should ALWAYS play a reactive and not an active role. I don't want technology making decisions for me unless I have specifically told it to do it. Havn't you heard the "never Assume" phrase? It's doublly applicable for computers!!!!

3)
It's impossible to say, and depends how it's implemented and to what extent.

4)
Look up "EMotiv" and Mind Control. Its where you use your mind to control the mouse or the character on your computer and get it to move in certain directions. While it's a long way off of being "practical" for every day use I think this has enormous potential for around the house particularly for paraplegic and quadraplegic people who have difficulty doing every day things such as turning devices on and off.

5)
Porn
Work Distraction tool
... eh I'm sure theres lots of other uses

6)
boring but easy enough

7)
The big question is can the economy keep up with supportning the ever changing infrastructure needed to service the wide diversity of society.

Wireless technology is sooo dodgy and over rated. The technology still isn't where it needs to be. I always advise against wireless because it means twice as much support I have to give.

[DaveW]

1. Does the idea of ubiquitous computing concern you or interest you? Is it something that you would like to see become a reality in the near future? Why or why not?

The ubiquitous computing dream is already here, it just isn't the exact dream that Mark Weiser outlined. I'm sure you've seen his paper The Computer for the 21st Century, but you should check out this paper; Yesterday’s tomorrows: notes on ubiquitous computing’s dominant vision.

2. Some aspects of ubiquitous computing at work are intriguing. For example, as you moved from place to place within your office building, computers would rec¬ognize you and adjust to reflect your PC settings automatically. As you approached any computer not being used by someone else, it would display the desktop exactly as it is usually displayed on your PC and unlock your files to allow you to use the computer as if it were your own. List some other advantages and some disadvantages of ubiquitous computing at work.

This question is the narrow definion outlined by Weiser. It doesn't work-you may have heard the anecdotal story about Xerox PARC where they had name tags that tracked your location around the building and redirected phone calls to your current location. Even in the cafeteria, or in meetings. Currently, computers have a difficult time understanding context information, so it's unlikely that this will ever be effective. Bell and Dourish outline a few interesting points about this in the paper above, which is great to quote from if you're doing an essay.

3. If ubiquitous computing becomes the norm, how easy do you think it will be for an individual who strongly objects to the concept to choose not to participate? Do you think people should have the right to make that decision? If some people opt out of participating, what might be the consequences for them and for the rest of society?

It will not be possible to 'opt out'. People who attempt to do so would be shunned socially, in a similar way that people who refuse to own a telephone are now. The idea that someone would willingly live without a telephone (mobile or otherwise) is baffling to most of us.

4. Discuss and identify some of the emerging technologies, what they are used for, and if there are alternate products or technologies available. Give your opinion on the usefulness of these technologies what you think are the major trends driving the future of communications and networking?

Again, see the paper by Bell and Dourish. It outlines the trends, facts, and figures for different countries and ties them to cultural properties. Personally, I think that we're heading towards a single ubiquitous communications device; mobile phones already allow us to take pictures, listen to music, browse the web, and more. It's only a matter of time before they invent a buzzword for such devices (3G is not a buzzword, it's a specification). I've written feasibility studies on mobile phones that act as personal trainers, last year I did a project on gesture recognition with the aim of creating context awareness, and a friend of mine is investigating pseudo-haptic feedback from virtual environs via mobile phone actuators (or in English, your phone vibrates in response to actions in a virtual world).

5. Describe five(5) functional areas in which computers assist people most. Discuss how the revolution/evolution of communications and networking is likely to affect how you will work and live in the future.

Mark Weiser's paper has an interesting story towards the end. As Bell and Dourish point out, it's a flawed story that failed to materialise for cultural reasons. I can't answer the 5 functional areas question because I'm too busy at the moment and it would take too long. However, Bell and Dourish show some interesting ubiquitous systems that affect day-to-day life, and that should give you plenty of material for answering this question. If not, I'll direct you to more.

6. Describe the requirements of the new business support roles in organizations today. Specifically indicate the type of telecommunications and information systems skills required for these jobs and how the skill set has changed in recent years?

Again, this question would take too long to answer. Given that in Britain we're outsourcing most of our business support roles (such as tech support and telemarketing) to India, the only requirement appears to be that they can be paid as little as possible. Ability to do the job, or in many cases even speak the same language as the customer, are moot points to large corporations. Sorry if that offends anyone here, but I'm sure the Brits will have my back-the Corp's just don't give a flying f-bomb about these roles any more.

7. Moving to a networked environment is one of the biggest changes in the history of the computer industry. Describe some of these changes and how they have a affected the way we do business today and how wireless networks has altered our lives socially, academically and technologically? Do you think that it would affect study habits, teaching techniques, and personal security? List and describe the most popular forms of wireless telecommunication technologies.

You'll find everything you need in the Bell and Dourish paper to answer this question.

You might find that the Hinkley paper, Sensing Techniques for Mobile Interaction, demonstrates how context awareness can be aquired through mobile phone sensors. This paper also shows that Microsoft carried out the research that produced the technology in the iPhone...and apparently didn't patent it, or have reached a deal with apple or something.

Hope this helps.

-Dave