kuniform

At some point in the afternoon when I’m done working but before my daughter wakes, I turn a bit of time to AJAX and pattern languages for interaction design. This is the final paper I need to work on for my graduate thesis at De Paul University’s School of CS, Telecom and IS . A few of acronyms there, but none of note.

Anyhoo, I wish I had blogged more about my previous research, which dealt mostly with multimodal communication, abstract user interface definition languages (AUIDLs) such as UIML, and accessibility. In the mean time, I’m really enjoying Michael Mahemoff’s Ajax Patterns and Jennifer Tidwell’s UI Patterns work. As I do more research I’ve slowly started to move from areas that kind of got mined out already and had some interesting research done and have been moving more into pattern languages. Eventually, my goal in this new paper is to combine some of the research going on with Interaction Design Pattern Languages and their markup systems like PLML and Multi-modal UIDLs to create cool new forms of docs and apps. That sentence ended w/a bit of a wimper as opposed to a bang, I suppose. But that is it—if the pattern, markup, communication system can’t create cool new forms—enable a team to create a flickr, a flock, a del.icio.us, then what is the point?

Finally, whatever it does, it must do it in such a way that the context it creates for the user is such that it displays a state fully aware of other users’ activity in the system in the past and currently. Software that does otherwise behaves in a manner ignorant of history. That is not how humans or other creatures process information. Why should our software be any different?

There is a squirrel jumping in and out of the back of a rag top jeep parked on the street in front of our house. I wouldn’t mind, except the jeep sqwauks out its mindless car alarm EVERY TIME it happens. I am probably gonna have to take a picture and put it on flickr.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon “A cognitive analysis of tagging” while looking at how the concept of tagging and folksonomies in general will impact the notion of the Information Architect in the future. In many ways, this is the most exciting time I’ve seen since the mid-90’s on the internet. Many of the notions of how we do our jobs and what they are, topics we’ve worked so hard to establish and define are being rapidly torn down and replaced with the efforts of communities.

Death to the IA, viva the community creation of folksonomy.

Hmm. Often times, I read a piece of research or commentary and want to contact the person. Sometimes, in the interest of collaboration, but sometimes in the interest of recognizing a kindred spirit. So, any tips on how to avoid sounding like a fanboy?

Boy, these posts are suffering through my cold just like I am.

In the “truth is stranger than fiction” department, it’s the Christian Guide to Small Arms Online. Link from my buddy Jason Slade of 1000 Vertical Feet.