Category: Uncategorized

Augmented reality, in which computer-generated virtual imagery is used to alter a person’s perception, has been used to help people overcome phobias and help people drive better. And now, for some (awesome) reason, there’s this… an augmented reality cookie.

Meta Cookie is the creation of researchers at the University of Tokyo. Thanks to that huge helmet, the plain, tasteless cookie can suddenly taste like chocolate chip, lemon, almond, or even a cheese cookie, depending on the settings. The researchers noted that “augmented gustation”, as they call it, is particularly challenging because taste relies on a lot of other senses, in particular sight (we see what a cookie looks like, of course) and smell. But they were able to turn that fact to their advantage by augmenting all three of those senses, completely altering the person’s perception of the cookie.

You can check out the video below (it’s all subtitled, so no audio required) to see just how they pulled it off, as well as getting a better look at that truly ridiculous headgear.

Lots of steps for lots of browsers after the jump…

To remove the Recommended Followers list from Twitter

If you are using Firefox

1. Install Firefox
2. Install AdBlock Plus
3. Start Firefox and go to Twitter.
4. Click on the arrow on the right of the AdBlock Icon
5. Select Preferences from the dropdown list.
6. Click Add Filter
7. Paste in this string: ##*#recommended-similar-users
8. Click Add Filter
9. Paste in this string: ##*#recommended_users
10. You want to do this slowly so you can savor it.. Look at the recommendations list. Really look at it.
11. Click OK.
12. Poof! Sucker be gone.

If you are using Internet Explorer

1. Install IE7Pro
2. Start Internet Explorer
3. Select IE7 Pro Preferences from the Tools menu.
4. Under Modules, select the Ad Blocker checkbox. Click OK.
5. Close and restart Internet Explorer.
6. Select IE7 Pro Preferences from the Tools menu.
7. Select Ad Blocker on the list on the left.
8. In the Filter Type dropdown list, select Div Filter.
9. Click Add Filter
10. Paste “recommended_users” (no quotes) in the Rule line. Click Add.
11. Click Add Filter
12. Paste “recommended-similar-users” (no quotes) in the Rule line. Click Add.
13. Click OK.
14. No more annoying suggestions from twitter!

If you are using Chromium or Chrome

These may be slightly less exact because I am rebuilding them from a tweet. If you do it and I screwed something up, let me know and I will tweak it. Thanks to Ed Borasky for these instructions.

1. Select Extensions from the Tools menu.
2. Select AdBlock
3. Select Options
4. Blacklist: twitter.com##div[id=”recommended_users”]
5. Blacklist: twitter.com##div[id=”recommended-similar-users“]
6. There is probably an OK or two to click but I am just guessing.
7. No more annoying suggestions from twitter!

I just wrapped up a final project for an aesthetics course this semester, the assignment being to create a “Database of the Self.” I chose to make the database as a representation of the roles we play in terms of how we interact with information online. The roles are overlaid on a panarchy, which shows a visualization of adaptive lifecycles. Though the evolution of every idea or meme won’t necessarily follow this specific path, (it may in fact be rhizomatic, with multiple feedback loops), this begins to flesh out what we become as nodes within an enmeshed series of networks.

The cycle can be thought to begin with the “Activators,” in the lower right side of image.

For an interactive version of the graphic, click here. (Thanks to @gavinkeech for transforming my sketches into the web page). Scroll over the icons for descriptions and traits of each role to pop out. Roles also listed below.

I found this to be an interesting exercise when thinking about the impact and influence we have on the web, and how information travels. For instance, when you RT something on Twitter, you’re fulfilling a “Propagator” function, when you’re introducing people or bridging information you’re a “Connector,” when you’re developing a new theory or model or practice, you are a “Pathfinder,” and so on. It’s a different way of thinking about our relationship with information – one that puts more control in the hands of the user verses just drowning in “information overload.” It’s also an interesting way to think about who to send information to when trying to plant seeds of information and spread ideas.

Thanks to @wildcat2030 for inspiration from Friendships in Hyperconnectivity mindmap and to @gavinkeech for visual design.

Activators are the catalysts of transformational change, manifesting new ideas.

• traits: evolutionary creativity, novelty, experimentation, innovation, freedom, divergence

Pathfinders give meaning to information, illuminating a new direction to pursue.

• traits: clarity, vision, inspiration, foresight, intuition

Facilitators create conditions for information to flow smoothly.

• traits: coordination, positioning, reconfiguration

Enhancers add perspective and insight to what is already known.

• traits: growth, resonance, supplementation

Connectors bridge structural holes and forge new pathways between information.

• traits: adaptation, learning, unification

Propagators build momentum and accelerate the spread of information.

• traits: mobilization, persuasion, diffusion

Amplifiers direct attention and awareness to information of potential value.

• traits: evaluation, recognition of opportunity/risk, discernment

Assimilators show how information is implemented.

• traits: synthesis, integration

Stabilizers maintain equilibrium and balance.

• traits: sustainability, conservation

Disruptors draw attention to chaos and uncertainty, highlighting the potential for new growth.

• traits: dissonance, entropy, degradation

<cycle repeats>

Observers & Scribes

• Archivists, Spectators, Analysts, Advocates, Critics

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• The Next Evolution of the Web – On Immediacy & Authority
• Essential Skills for 21st Century Survival: Part I: Pattern Recognition
• How to Spark a Snowcrash, & What the Web Really Does
• Educating Information Users on Verification and Validity

The use of comedic violence in viral advertising is becoming widespread, but as yet no examination of what influence it may have on consumer response has been undertaken. Two experimental studies using a commercial panel sample investigate the effects of this executional cue on ad message involvement, brand memorability, likelihood of being passed on to third parties, and attitude formation. Results suggest that humorous ads that combine higher levels of violence intensity with more severe consequences appear to elicit greater involvement with the ad message, better retention of brand information, higher pass-along probability, and greater ad likability. Attitudes toward the brand remain unaffected. Furthermore, justification for the violence and relatedness to the product brand appear to be important considerations when using high intensity-severe consequence comedic violence. The paper specifies conditions under which advertisers can expect to gain maximum impact when using violent humor in viral advertising campaigns.

Source: “The Impact of Comedic Violence on Viral Advertising Effectiveness” from Journal of Advertising, Volume 39, Number 1 / Spring 2010, Pages: 49 – 66