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Archive for December, 2006

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Bye bye 2006!

Sunday, December 31st, 2006

Originally uploaded by mbiddulph.


I can’t take fancy “depth of field” pictures with my camera, so I told Matt to take one of my pixelblocks construction…

Happy New Year everyone and much health, love, success and blogging!

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links for 2006-12-30

Saturday, December 30th, 2006
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links for 2006-12-29

Friday, December 29th, 2006
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What drives me these days.

Friday, December 29th, 2006

Matt pointed me to this the other day, and it’s become really how i’m making decisions these days. I also hope to keep taking risks in my life and jumping into crazy adventures and situations, it’s so much more fun that way : )

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Ché Jolie!

Friday, December 29th, 2006

I need to visually entertain myself most days, so in between a bit of innovation work during the day, i created this one evening…enjoy!

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links for 2006-12-28

Thursday, December 28th, 2006
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links for 2006-12-21

Thursday, December 21st, 2006
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links for 2006-12-20

Wednesday, December 20th, 2006
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links for 2006-12-19

Tuesday, December 19th, 2006
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Last post before xmas

Monday, December 18th, 2006

Off on xmas vacation at the end of the week, but super swamped, so I thought id make you something nice for Xmas, like a card : ) Will be back for my usual dose of sarcasm, scepticism and ranting towards the end of the year. Hope you all have lots to eat and drink with loving and loved ones!

(Don’t forget to wish me happy birthday on saturday though : )

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links for 2006-12-18

Monday, December 18th, 2006
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An Xtech proposal

Sunday, December 17th, 2006

Man, I’m really reaching new levels of geekiness. So I submitted a presentation proposal for XTech in Paris next May, fingers crossed.

Title: Ceci n’est pas seulement une pipe: designing for semantic meaning in a connected world

Description: Using examples of applications to illustrate the semantic disturbance that takes place when then web hacks objects of everyday lives and when it makes them disappear.

Abstract: As we live more and more connected lives, spending countless hours in front of a screen, the web is also spewing out of its “tubes” into the real world. We can now access it not only using a series of technologies that pull us away from the screen: cell phones, RFID, Bluetooth, wifi but these technologies are now embedding themselves in everyday objects. Our use of these is therefore changing. The principles of natural mapping, mental models and affordances (D. Norman, 2002) that allow for certain behaviours to take place are evolving.

The physicality of opening an umbrella for example is directly linked to it’s mechanism and a need for protection from the rain but can now also mean turning on your iPod. What happens when people start opening their umbrellas on a sunny day?

This presentation aims to explore the reasons why semantics and mental models should be considered when designing everyday intelligence. Using case studies and examples of projects (Good Night Lamp, Stickychat), we will explore the way that people really use, (or don’t) the ubiquitous web. How, as users, we interpret, play or hack those semantic layers.

We will also discuss the reverse phenomenon, or when the meaning or function of objects is rendered useless because of their online evolution. Using the example of a music-sharing service (Stint) as well as observations around Second Life, we will try to dissect the mechanics, semantic disruptions and infrastructural challenges that that online evolution poses.

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The year that was 2006

Saturday, December 16th, 2006

As we’re approaching the end of this year and I’m trying to recap this rollercoaster of a year and went back to one of those corny questionnaires that a friend from Quebec sent me a few years ago and fill it out, it’s good for the karama people! Those who are brave enough can post theirs up in the comments if you dare!

1.What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
Started freelancing
 
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
 resolutions are so last century! My ADD prevents me from making any and keeping any as well.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My friend Simon and Isabelle his wife had a baby, little Amy!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Diane Bélanger, my former boss, and a wonderful immigration lawyer in montreal, woman and mother.
 
5. What countries did you visit?
Hungary, Romania, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, UK, (woops, forgot Norway, France)

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Better health

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory?
20th of July
 
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Graduating and finding work within a fortnight
 
9. What was your biggest failure?
Creating more bad karma with some people around me than i would have liked.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes 

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My Kennedy space centre tour bag.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Al Gore for An Inconvenient truth

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Domus Academy’s closure of IDII.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Traveling 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Working with great people on exciting projects!

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2007?
Body and Soul by Death Cab Cutie

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
More tired, busier, more confident of the future.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Sports

 19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Partying
 
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Going to the UK.
 
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Matt

22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
Yes
 
23. What was your favourite TV programme?
Scrubs
 
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No

26. What was the best book(s) you read?
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand but i haven’t finished it yet.
 
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Iron & Wine
 
28. What did you want and get?
To be captain of my own boat.

29. What did you want and not get?
Prototype my thesis project

30. What were your favourite films of this year?
The Departed

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
It’s coming up, i’ll be spending it in London, turning 26.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Less drama

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Whatever fits in a suitcase

34. What kept you sane?
My family

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Don’t know any anymore…

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Canadian elections
 
37. Who did you miss?
Caroline, Marc-André, Mylène

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Matt

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
All things come to those who wait

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?

drink up baby down
Are you in or are you out?
Leave your things behind
‘Cause it’s all going off without you
Excuse me too busy you’re writing your tragedy
These mishaps
You bubble-wrap
When you’ve no idea what you’re like

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links for 2006-12-16

Saturday, December 16th, 2006
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Xmas wishes

Saturday, December 16th, 2006

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