next tuesday's tech briefing

Next Tuesday I'll be discussing a new treatment for those addicted to drugs. fMRI's are the best new intervention techniques for drug addicts, and just look pretty cool!

See all of you in the lab Thursday!
-Cody

Question for Dr. Sypher

As communication technology evolves, the rate of adoption can be slow. How often in your workday would you claim to use new communication technologies?

Haunted House

TIME CHANGE: I've just found out that the Envision Center's Haunted House is today, but this evening from 6:00-11:00pm.

Demo site for news on launched technologies

For the past few years Demo has been the leading site for vendors to launch new technologies. You can visit their site to see recent products demonstrated, along with videos of the presentations. I've added this to the permanent Links on the side column as well.

Personal viewer for the video iPod

This might be the coolest thing I've seen in a few months. You'll remember we talked about the limitations of the video iPods in that the screen size might limit viewability. Here is a set of good-looking wraparound sunglasses from MyVu that connect to your video iPod and display the video to a virtual big screen floating in your vision center.

Apparently, you're still able to see "around" the video image on the screen, so that you can still see other things in your environment (that is, you're not putting on blinders....BUT for safety I bet it's better to be stationary).

I'd love to try these out. Just too cool.

What students are thinking

According to the New Yorker this month, here's what students are thinking today. What do you think? :-)

Performance: 1984

Next weekend (Nov 3-4), Purdue presents two performances of George Orwell's "1984", directed by Tim Robbins: http://www.purdue.edu/convos/1984.htm. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, online, or if you're an Honors student for a discount through the CLA Honors Program office (BRNG).

If you're free Saturday night at 6:30pm, be sure to attend the free panel discussion before the show discussing "Is Big Brother Real? Discussions on Information and Privacy". This will be in STEW 202 (just upstairs from LOEB playhouse).

Link for media professionals

Mayowa has forwarded a link for a website used by professionals in media, marketing, and advertising. As many of you are on your way into those fields, I'm posting it here for your reference too: http://www.mediapost.com/.

I've added this to our links on the sidebar column, too.

The Wired Brain

The reading for tomorrow is posted on WebCT. This is a chapter (“The Wired Brain”) from the book “More than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement” by Ramez Naam.

The chapter discusses emerging technologies used to enhance human functions. The chapter talks about robotic limbs, restoring the senses, brain-to-brain communication, deep-brain stimulation, and memory/perceptive repairs. The chapter reads fast, and you can skim through this, but I’d especially like you to read up to p. 187. We’ll discuss robotics and cyborgs tomorrow. Enjoy!

Lafayette Represent

Here's a picture a little closer to home. This is a pic my friend Dave took in Lafayette. You can see his other pictures at his website.

Gorgeous leaves

This is a wonderful picture illustrating the changing of autumn leaves. Enjoy!

Amazing picture!

And you thought a tree was only a tree?? What if you were running past it and it were only a blur...

Journal research

When looking for published work on emerging technologies or new media, you might search for articles in some of these journals (see note below about access to full-text):

1. New Media and Society
2. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
3. Media, Culture, and Society
4. The Information Society
5. CyberPsychology and Behavior
6. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media
7. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

These are not technical journals, but instead will help you to find some published work on implications of the technology you are researching. Those with a little more technical focus, but still considering social implications include:

9. IEEE Technology & Society Magazine
10. Communications of the ACM

All of these journals can be searched electronically via Purdue’s Library. When you access via the Library, you'll have a good chance at finding the full text online; otherwise you might just get the abstract. The quick steps to do this are:

1. From “Articles and Databases” menu, select “e-journals”
2. Type in the name of the journal
3. Click on one of the sources listed, based upon dates available
4. Search by keyword

If the journal isn’t available electronically, you can search for abstracts (and sometimes full text) in one of the databases:

1. From “Articles and Databases” menu, select “Databases by Title”
2. Find one of these databases:
1. ACM Digital Library (Computer Science research)
2. ComAbstracts (Communication journals only)
3. IEEE Xplore (Engineering research)
4. Lexis Nexis Academic/Statistical (good for news media articles)
5. OmniFile Full Text Mega (one of the largest collections of many disciplines)
6. PsycINFO (Psych and Sociology journals)
7. Social Science Citation Index (collection of soc.sci. journals, Psy, Soc, Pol, Econ, etc.)
8. Technology Research Index (Engineering and Technology journals)
3. Search by keyword

Avatars, second life, etc.

I came across the "second life" game in the WSJ over the weekend, designers can make clothes for avatars and earn money. I don't have play the game or have an avatar however. But it's interesting all the same.

Second Life