Month: December 2011

On the web as soundscape (David Humphrey):

When I go out looking for birds, I can cope with many overlapping sounds at once, some near, some far, and they provide clues and cues as opposed to content.  I imagine something not unlike Brian Eno’s ambient music (cf. Music for Airports), where sound is meant to be something you don’t concentrate on, but part of the experience of the space.

I’ve wondered if there is a place for sound on the web that is different from music or sound effects.  As Laurian discusses, a way to get more information about the content of a page before you encounter it, much as you gain information about a field or woods by the sounds you hear (and those you don’t).

Kinect motion control permeates the entire Dashboard experience. … Voice control goes almost as deep as gesture control, and is infinitely easier to use. This too, was once available in the Kinect Hub, but the contemporary implementation is heavily refined.

via Xbox 360 Dashboard update review (fall 2011) — Engadget.

For connected TVs the biggest technology obstacle is input devices. Being able to use gestures + voice control without even having to pick up a physical is a huge win.

However, the hardware may be too expensive. Putting an accelerometer in an otherwise simple remote may be the sweet spot for cost/benefit tradeoffs. This is the strategy for Wii, LG’s Magic Motion remote, and the new Roku.