(sp)infocalypse

For most of my life, I never considered myself ‘a gamer’, which is to say, ‘gamer’ has connotations of Really Enthusiastic People Who Rule Deathmatches. Sure, I’m the same age as video games, and so gaming history and my own history run parallell. Video games are just a thing, like everything else. I game, my parents and in-laws game, and naturally, my kids game.

Of course, in the past few years, that’s changed. ‘Changed’ to the point that it’s a new field with connections to dozens and dozens of areas of expertise and understanding.

A project I’ve been working on a bit under the radar (for reasons that it’s just not mainstream enough to prattle on about for days on end) is a dystopian science fiction work, particularly of the cyberpunk/infopunk genre (it might be old fashioned, but damn if it isn’t yet MORE FANTASY WIZARDS SORCERY).

My approach has been unorthodox– the notion of writing a novel seems so permanent and linear, especially in this world that’s so rich, non-linear and diverse with its implementation.

In doing so, I’ve found that tremendous periphery has emerged during research. I’ve spent countless hours attempting to understand military structures, urban design, architecture, system failures, architecture, ecological hazards, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and other forms of technology not yet invented.

In a way, it makes sense. My career started (and has remained) in the world of design– graphic design, visual communications kind of design– and has seemed to progress systematically throughout multimedia, internet publishing, product design and other multi-disciplinary spaces.

The intersection of all of these things confounds me. Lately, I’ve taken deep interest in the latest installment of Israel-Palestine warfare, complete with the normal sympathy for people caught in the crossfire, complicated by the aesthetics and functionality of destruction and death (hey, I’m into dystopias, I’m *supposed* to study those things).

Unlike many of my digital-only peers, I adore the intersection between the analog and digital, including the merging of the two, and the logical extension of potential total system shutdown. All that social media expertise means precisely jack shit when someone decides to take out cell towers and data centers. You will be alone and confused and probably starving, much like those in a place like Gaza.

That’s where things like eco-friendly initiatives and sustainable power come in to play, which basically boil down to a few parts: making your output smaller (ideological), generating your own energy (functional), and not having to spend more money than you have (fiscal).

That’s where things like architectural survival in a destroyed environment come in. Mad Max might be the movie, but the Middle East is the real life soundstage. Can ruins be sustainable? Can ruins be *beautiful*?

Building a virtual city is one of the most difficult intellectual projects I’ve engaged in– for I’m blessed with an unfair and god-like power that doesn’t exist in reality. I can move entire city blocks with a click of the mouse. When I get stuck, I examine cities big and small, in the heart of the world and the outskirts.

And when I’m all done with that, I dig for answers and hypotheses about a world where smart machines and smart information agents are available 24/7, anywhere in the world. I ponder if we are new breeds of humans–software cyborgs, if you will– that exist above the average population.

And to think it started with games, those alleged child-like delights for so many. I never wanted to be a game developer, nor a writer– nor would I have thought that I’d be digging so deeply into worlds completely foreign to me.

Perhaps it’s just part of the new programming we install into ourselves– and no matter how weird it all is, it’s happening in real time.

The announcements from Apple at its last Macworld may leave many yawning (or complaining about non-removable batteries, you know, FOR THE CHILDR—er, ENVIRONMENT), but one simple feature made me happy.

Facial recognition in iPhoto. Facial recognition in Google’s Picassa.

That’s not something entirely new, many companies have taken a stab at it– and we’ve been able to tag photos, improve upon search results for a while. It’s only curious because of Apple and Google are doing it. And it’s a huge start into putting those fancy-schmancy tools directly in our hands and pockets.

Here’s a scenario that may excite you, scare you, or perhaps, both.

You go to a party. Not even sure that you want to stay. Who’s here? You have your iPhone. So, you pull it out, hit the camera icon, and tap the not-yet-invented IDENTIFY button. Anything your camera sees will be shown on screen, with an overlay of information about what comes through the lens. The person, their job, how popular they are, etc. Hovering above someone’s head is their social profile– their myspace, facebook, twitter, friendfeed– whatever the trendy.app du jour is.

All this takes advantage of the facial recognition utility, which will certainly improve over time.

Apple is the retina. The camera app is the brain. Google is the memory. The experiences were created (and posted) by you. Social networking and media became the biggest user-generated database of humanity–for better and worse. Facial recognition at a social level means that now, we can google by sight. The interface-less interface.

Augmented Reality is simply combining the virtual with the real at the SAME time. My little party scenario is kinda silly, but the same concept can easily be applied to anything that requires additional information. Traveling to foreign countries, shopping for products (hello Amazon!) and playing video games (know anyone with an Xbox 360 or PS3? Ask to see Viva Pinata Vision or Eye of Judgement). Dozens of uses from the practical and educational, to the entertaining and frivolous.

Google has indexed everything from Earth and Mars, restaurants, 3D buildings, parts of the universe, and the rooftop of your mom’s house. If Apple can see something, pass it on to Google (or if Google can see it), then the slipstream of your data is made visible.

We are becoming software cyborgs (using tools). Perhaps next is augmented cyborgs (wearables), and after that we become hardware cyborgs (implants).

I leave you with a quote from some kinda famous guy:

“The solution isn’t to limit the information you receive. Ultimately you want to have the entire world’s knowledge connected directly to your mind.” -Sergey Brin

The state of California will soon have an additional law on the books regarding the use of mobile phones while driving. Motorists will not be allowed to use their mobiles for text messaging while driving– something that common sense *should* tell us, however, a law was believed to be needed. This recent piece of legislation joins the previous law about *holding* the cellphone while driving, despite studies that show that it’s not the handling of the device, but the conversation which is the distraction. The act of holding a bottle of water to your head while driving, while nonsensical, doesn’t have a law restricting it.

Aside from the obvious need for best practices (possibly read: laws), the way media presents current events surrounding misuses of safe use of technology is critical to how a new technology is pitched to the masses. A train engineer was discovered to have been sending text messages 22 seconds before the Metrolink train he was operating crashed in a Los Angeles suburb.

The short version: texting = bad. The extrapolated version: technology may = bad, when applied to environments where safety should prevail, such as the operation of a motor vehicle.

In our cars, we have had a staggering array of option to enhance our travel: GPS navigation screens, satellite radio (with song data prominently displayed), dialing controls on the steering wheel, temperature gauges in the rear-view mirror casing, etc. Arguments can go both ways about the safety or enhancements that these technologies encompass.

We must be cautious with our cheerleading of certain technologies, and augmented reality is certainly no exception. The notion of overlaying visual, virtual information over our field of view is a concept that will be easily challenged, regardless if there are benefits.

As technologists, we tend to be caught up in the mechanics of what we’re building. We obsess over standards and business models, interoperability and systems that are open and closed. Yet we tend to miss the relevance outside of our early adopter circles into the Main Street world of consumer adoption and law.

This is compounded by  headline-driven, media illiterate societies. The video game industry is no stranger to sweeping condemnation by way of headline. “Teenager stabs teacher” + “some video game reference” and the impression is set in the mind of the reader before diving into the details of the story. Ergo, “Video Games Cause Violence” becomes a de-facto assumption. Should we make the ’sell’ fit in 140 characters so your media business will grow and gain traffic? Or should we have a deeper responsibility to technologies that will inevitably be beneficial and dangerous.

We can’t control the conversation (but it’s easy to see why many wish to), but we can control *our*  conversation, by anticipating the headlines in advance. Concerning augmented reality, the perception that may play out in the media will have to do with distraction. Legislators exposed to that will create regulations that may or may not hamper the growth of an industry. The augmenting of realities in an entertainment sense (read: blurring) is ripe for targetting by those that wish to condemn an evolution of gaming (he couldn’t tell the difference if it was real or not).

While it’s still early in the augmented reality and next gen interface and entertainment spaces, we won’t have much mainstream to battle for a long time to come. Yet we should be aware–regardless of our industry– of how media biases, literacy and legislative ecosystems work, so we can be prepared to make the case for technologies that will have greater positive effects than negative ones.

Let’s talk about chatbots and light artificial intelligence.  First, some definitions:

1. AIML:  Artificial Intelligence Markup Language, is an XML dialect for creating natural language software agents. The XML dialect called AIML was developed by Richard Wallace and a worldwide free software community between the years of 1995 and 2002. {ed: Those familiar with ALICE bots will know that AIML is used for making the bots work.}

2. Inform 7 – a programming language and design system for interactive fiction originally created in 1993 by Graham Nelson. … In 2006, Nelson released Inform 7 (briefly known as Natural Inform), a completely new language based on principles of natural language and a new set of tools based around a book-publishing metaphor.

3. Tag Clouds – A tag cloud or word cloud (or weighted list in visual design) is a visual depiction of user-generated tags, or simply the word content of a site, used typically to describe the content of web sites. Tags are usually single words and are typically listed alphabetically, and the importance of a tag is shown with font size or color.  Thus both finding a tag by alphabet and by popularity is possible. The tags are usually hyperlinks that lead to a collection of items that are associated with a tag.

4. Social Network Services - A social network service focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services.

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I’ve spent a lot of time recently pondering the creation of my own AI characters for use in my game/fiction/universe project. The idea of mashing up the four topics above are purely theoretical.

Here is a possible scenario: Provide a substantial series of questions and answers to a chat bot, followed by  a cloud of keywords (tag cloud) on a given topic to a bot. The bot would have a learning algorithm to ask ‘What is _____ ?’. The answer would be provided in the natural language syntax of using the Inform 7 input editor. “The Blogosphere is a thing.” This would create AIML for the bot to add to its memory .

Social network services are only relevant here because of the consistent patterns and relationships on public display. “Joe is a person. Jane is a person. Joe is connected to Jane (and Mary and Bob and Sue). Jane is married to Bob” and so on. This could apply to the parsing of XFN (XHTML Friends Network, a microformat that provides a granular level or relationships “Bob is a colleague of Jane”.

Social network services did not have the critical mass during the development of AIML as they do today. This would result in a bot having the memory and broad context based on the volumes of data fed to it.

While this is conceptually possible, it may not be the most elegant solution. Just considering the mashup of AIML + Inform + tag clouds + and social network relationships, may put our brains and thought process in a different mind space- resulting in smart assistants or richer game characters– for those of us outside the realm of chatbots or interactive fiction.

Additional reading: Gamasutra: Beyond AIML: Chatbots 102

Friendfeed discussion here

With all the iPhones and iTouches floating about (and the hordes of copycats coming), as well as new touch-screen computers like the HP Touchsmart, we’re beginning to learn to use our hands to interact with technology.

Beyond the physical touching of a screen, we’re also being trained to move in physical space to affect a virtual thing: for example, if you attached a Wiimote and PS3 SIXAXIS controller to my arm, and fastened it with duct tape, I’m able to point at an electronic eye and change the rotation (on six degrees) of what’s happening on the display. Granted, the display isn’t quite yet a hologram, but hey, give it time.

Then there is the issue of interactive art and game titles that use the Playstation Eye camera– simply moving in front of the camera can move fish, ambient art, birds, and monster through their native environments.

We’re a ways off from having wearable technology in a way that’s socially acceptable– one of the biggest hurdles in the adoption of new technology (and trust me, I own a Segway, I fully get the trainwreck that is the collision of awesome technology and ridiculous form factor).

Finally, there’s voice recognition, something the owners of GM cars equipped with OnStar are familiar with. Speaking “Call” or “Dial” aloud forces the system to engage in two separate behaviors: getting ready for an address book request, or getting ready for a series of numbers.

The event horizon is here, more or less.

What do the new iPhone, fashion industry, and video games have in common? They might be baby steps towards a future world where the virtual overlaps the real.

The general definition of augmented reality is the combination of computer-generated data (images, videos, etc) with real, tangible things that are located in our ‘real’ world. Most early ventures with augmented reality involve overly-geeky headsets and contraptions to accomplish a simple augmentation of what we see in front of us.

Let’s pretend you are visiting Rome, exploring the ruins of an empire long gone. What is seen today are the fragments of stone columns, typically accompanied by a brochure or public sign that presents an artist’s interpretation of how they once were when built (or in more modern examples, old photographs). To augment this reality, a visitor might have a sort of headset or visor that maps a computer-generated Rome over the real Rome, in order to walk through Rome as it once was.

How do we get to this point in the not-so-distant future? Look at what we have now, and connect the dots toward the then.

iPhone 2.0 – Apple’s second major release of iPhone hardware included GPS and access to high speed mobile networks. The hardware release happened at the same time as their 2.0 operating system release, providing the ability of developers to write software of all varieties, for this popular multimedia device. Additionally, the existence of the iPhone (as well as the iTouch) prior to this release, was the first step in introducing human-touch interfaces to a wide audience in everyday situations. Apple wasn’t the first to introduce the technology, but are one of the key players in bringing it to the mainstream.

Why is this important? The answer is two-fold: First, we have familiarity with interfaces that we touch. Second, we have location-aware software and services available by the dozens. The timing for this is perfect. Software that is aware of its location, by way of GPS or user-shared, is arriving during a time when social networks like Facebook and MySpace have established themselves as tremendously popular vehicles for public and private sharing of activity and relationships. We are coming to terms with a world of maps and phonebooks and relationships that come to us and are aware of us.

Video Games – The video game industry is another place to look for future innovation– its foundation in entertainment means that consumers willingly participate in something for fun. This includes motion-control by way of controllers like the Nintendo Wii Remote, and visual motion-control by way of various web cam games and interactive art. Even more nuanced than just the control of interfaces with our movement, is our collective history of interacting with environments that contain overlays-Heads up Displays (HUDs)- as well as realtime maps that constantly update with our location, as well as the location of things ‘around’ us (enemies, teammates and such). These are by far, nothing new at all– and for those that actively play, the exposure to those interfaces are subconsciously training us to move and maintain location-awareness. And sometimes, ‘moving’ is quite a literal term.

Why is this important? We are being trained to navigate with the aid of realtime maps and interfaces that are overlays onto our field of view. We’re increasingly using the motion of our real bodies to control something virtual. This ‘training’ is multi-generational.

Fashion – This is perhaps one of the oddest items to be included on this list, however, as noted above: “Most early ventures with augmented reality involve overly-geeky headsets and contraptions to accomplish a simple augmentation of what we see in front of us.”

To power portable systems to view the world with an augmented eye, we involve a lot more than just energy (batteries) or wireless transmitters and radios. We bring the issue of display technology– most likely some that hasn’t clearly been defined yet. To avoid a cyborg-ish look, minimalism and discretion must be considered. Style, for many, is important. No where else is that apparent than the endless arrays of cellphone personalization kits, cases, straps, bags, and more.

Fashion, however, already puts a lot of accessories on the human body– hats, glasses, belts, hip bags, purses and man-bags, bracelets, rings, watches, chain necklaces, ear buds and headphones. Not all of these are worn by everyone -all- the time, but they are certainly comfortable accessories for many to wear. Some accessories are regulated– California drivers must use a handsfree device with their mobile phones when in a car, often in the form of a wireless ear piece.

Why is this important? There are plenty of attachment points to the human body. Some companies have made attempts to normalize this (think Oakley with the MP3 headphone glasses–interesting concept, very few styles), yet we’re still a way off. Fashion is trendy, disposable and constantly evolving. Yet it remains a vital part of our bodies–even when purely functional–and a stepping stone to cultural acceptance.

Each day that passes, we’re being trained for the future– little by little– by the mundane and regular things, that when stitched together over time, lead us into new territories like the navigation of data and visualized history in the real, tangible spaces of life.

I’m excited.

Some of my spare time is being spent working on prototype HUD user interfaces (UI) for augmented reality. Those familiar with all sorts of games from racing to first-person shooters are part of the generations being conditioned to understand and navigate in a location-aware map. From Warcraft to Halo and everything in between, we have learned to have an augmented awareness of fellow players and objects in a map-based environment.

If there was an ‘overlay’ (a consumer-friendly term for the HUD) for all that we see in life, what would it look like in various scenarios? Running, driving, shopping (especially shopping, yum, think of all the stuff that doesn’t move on the shelves).

First steps for me in something quite a long way out. Exciting!