Drew Cogbill | Thesis Blog

Google bought Grand Central, and now it’s Google Voice.  I think this is significant because it shows Google’s continuing interest in mobile voice communication.

The new iPod Shuffle has a feature called VoiceOver.  By pushing a button during a song, VoiceOver will tell you the name of the song and the artist without stopping playing the song.

I just found out that Weekness, a game I developed with Rabia Malik and Yumi Endo, has won the Forum Nokia Mobile Game Competition!

The ICU (International Telecommunication Union) has released the newest version of Measuring the Information Society - The ICT Development Index.  It has all kinds of statistics about land line, mobile, and broadband penetration.  The new edition also pays specific attention to the digital divide.

via MobileActive.org

Jordan Carver has been kind enough to let me use his Pigeon Typeface!

Pigeon now allows you to remove contacts from your flock.  Currently, you need to know the Pigeon number of the contact you would like to remove.  In the future, it may also be nice to simply read out the names of a member’s contacts and say if that is the person they would like to remove.

“Flock” language is also beginning to be integrated.

Just found the really wonderful Ideas Project, which is a collection of short videos from experts on their thoughts related to the “future of connected communities.”  I think I’ll make my way through most of the content on the site, but these are the ones I’m enjoying today:

• Ethan Zuckerman: Mobile reporting deepens global narratives
• Laura Fitton
• Loic Le Meur
• Iqubal Quadir

It’s Greek to me, but often it’s Chinese.  Sometimes though, it’s heavenly script.

via White African

I’ve been considering what language should be used when describing adding contacts on Pigeon.  When you add a contact, you are able to hear their Pigeon messages and they are able to hear your Pigeon messages.  Users have been confused in the past about what exactly happens when they add a contact; more precise language or a clearer analogy through the words could help users more quickly understand the functionality of Pigeon.

I did a mind map of things related and this is how things broke down:

Print words

• broadcast
• subscribe

Communication words

• send and receive
• exchange
• trade
• correspond

Bird words

• flight, flock, kit (what groups of Pigeons are called)
• route (as in a carrier pigeon’s)

Physical space words

• drawer
• closet
• space
• locker

Other words

• pipeline
• cue/Q

I think, perhaps, I’m most attracted to ‘flock’, as in “to add someone to your flock, dial their Pigeon number now.”  This isn’t really clear though.  Maybe the answer is just to say “by adding a contact, you will be able to hear their Pigeon message and they will be able to hear you Pigeon message.”  Or maybe a combo: “by adding a contact to your flock, you will be able to hear their Pigeon message and they will be able to hear yours?”

Also, I need to make it clear that you add one contact at a time.

(As a side note, yes, Harry Potter Owl Post appears in my mind map.)

I’d love to be attending the Emerging Communications Conference right now, so I’m following their official Twitter backchannel.  I’ve already found out about some interesting sounding projects:

• Voxbone
• Phweet
  
• iNum
• Fonolo
  
• Tropo - slides from presentation
• Ifbyphone
• Rebelvox
• Iso-phone