ConceptShare

My group just started using ConceptShare, which is a product the allows collaboration between geographically separated groups by allowing users to create and mark-up shared visual workspaces, as well as discussing these ideas in real-time. ConceptShare uses a browser and is subscription-based. Being browser-based, it is reasonably platform independent. The product appears to be geared towards visual designers or at least designs that can be reasonably conveyed graphically.

The workspaces support multiple concept pages, with the ability to follow individual comment threads, as well as importing screen captures by inserting its URL. Images can be drawn, resized, imported, etc. – everything that you would expect and need to be able to do with a tool of this nature. The product supports many file types, including still images, videos, etc.

So far, we are just getting started with this tool, but it is impressive.

CTU -- CS855 -- Semantic-Aware Applications

Semantic-Aware Applications is the one technology in the 2009 Horizon report which I believe is farther out than the 3-5 years projected in the report. I believe that we will make rudimentry gains in this area; but the usefulness of these applications will be limited. The main reason for this projection is that the databases needed to support an adequate level of sophistication required to correctly recognize and analyze the meaning of words in the proper context would be far too large and complex to be supported at multiple sites. Does this imply that one or more businesses will appear offering these services, with client applications subscribing to these services?

The trend that caught my eye and that relates to the Semantic-Aware Applications technology is the notion that collective intelligence is redefining how we think about ambiguity and imprecision. Particularly, contextual meaning. By this we mean collective intelligence can give rise to multiple, equally correct answers; e.g. wikipedia. One approach that comes to mind is to apply a wikipedia approach to creating/growing a context-sensitive database.

W2Q2 -- Ted Talks -- Janine Benyus on biomimicry

Janine Benyus on biomimicry -- specifically "Bio-utilization", which is the use of parts of organisms as raw materials. It could be it a house made of wood, or a cancer drug made from horseshoe crab blood. I would also include "Bio-assistance", which is the domestication of organisms. This would include anything from herding sheep to using algae to make hydrogen for fuel cells. These strategies could also be used separately or in combination in green design. One example of this is John Todd's "Living Machine" sewage treatment systems, which use live plants and microbes; i.e. bio-assistance. These organisms h are selected and arranged to imitate a natural ecosystem (biomimicry).
I would also include in this genre genetically modified organisms, which are used for both bio-assistance and bio-utilization. I must admit that there are ethical issues surrounding genetically modified organisms.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/janine_benyus_shares_nature_s_designs.html

First Blog

Testing the blog for CTU CS855