tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107505682024-03-13T08:40:50.460-07:00Technology Times and TrialsA technology professional's experiences with and observations about new technology products, new developments such as virtual environments, artificial intelligence, online gaming, entertainment and streaming services and software particularly image editing applications and Filemaker Pro.Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.comBlogger283125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-57845804957923612142023-03-26T11:11:00.003-07:002023-03-26T15:31:37.624-07:00Examining the achievements of Thutmose III: Using ChatGPT to provide more detail for existing articles<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"><br /></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3883192304619178642" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 848px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="color: #333333; float: left; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 4px; position: relative; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jMsKsP0XfnyseF0Rh9C9WLHxeSj6AoKkCZI15V0wjjtreagCnl9P1brPUHOl2MXIu_HiCRAWY4pq-0-El-EEu4axN2j-YpiX_BHhosGSAyW7MVIrAck67AlgciOTtPnNPpWAxIBJwcJSDLFQcaZPR2ykHaY-xuwP0FZKX3dLFFk6idqSwg/s1024/Relief%20depicting%20Thutmose%20IIII%20at%20Deir_el-Bahari%20WM%20Hedwig%20Storch.jpg" style="color: #336699; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="862" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jMsKsP0XfnyseF0Rh9C9WLHxeSj6AoKkCZI15V0wjjtreagCnl9P1brPUHOl2MXIu_HiCRAWY4pq-0-El-EEu4axN2j-YpiX_BHhosGSAyW7MVIrAck67AlgciOTtPnNPpWAxIBJwcJSDLFQcaZPR2ykHaY-xuwP0FZKX3dLFFk6idqSwg/w336-h400/Relief%20depicting%20Thutmose%20IIII%20at%20Deir_el-Bahari%20WM%20Hedwig%20Storch.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" width="336" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.88px; text-align: center;">Relief depicting Thutmose III at Deir_el-Bahari courtesy of <br />Wikimedia Commons contributor Hedwig Storch</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have run a number of experiments using ChatGPT to analyze various aspects of ancient culture. My primary concerns have revolved around the sources ChatGPT has used for its training model. Its “provide references” feature appears to be more of a suggested reading list generated by using an “OR” search of keywords specified in your query. This procedure will generate a list of sources with at least some relationship to your query but not a list of sources with the specific context I require. So, I decided to take a different approach and begin my research with an existing article and see how much additional detail I could glean using ChatGPT. That way I begin with a known source and work from its already-defined topics.
I read a solid article, Thutmoses III, Famed Warrior King of Ancient Egypt, written by Aleksa Vučković. I know enough about the major achievements of Thutmoses III and the famous battle of Megiddo to hopefully recognize inconsistencies in the responses generated by ChatGPT but I am not an expert on the topic. I don't know if Vučković had help from ChatGPT either but the points he raises are consistent with what I have learned from courses about ancient Egypt including a course entitled Superpowers of the Ancient Near East, Famous Battles of the Ancient World, and journal articles about Thutmose III.
https://www.ancient-origins.net/hist.../thutmose-iii-0018105
I enjoy specific details, though, so I thought this piece would be a good one to use to examine the achievements of Thutmose III in more detail using ChatGPT.
Although Thutmose III's reign officially began in 1479 BCE, he was only a child of two at the time he was crowned and his father's Great Royal Wife Hatshepsut served first as regent and later as pharaoh until Thutmose III reached the age of 25. Some of the technological achievements mentioned by ChatGPT could have been initiated during her rule (especially some of the building projects) rather than his independent rule but are credited to him by historical sources. But I was still impressed with the level of detail provided by the AI:
Mary (opening query): What did the pharaoh Thutmosis III achieve during his reign?
Thutmose III was one of ancient Egypt's greatest pharaohs, who ruled from around 1479 to 1425 BCE. During his reign, he accomplished several significant achievements, including:
Military Conquests: Thutmose III was a great military leader who led several successful campaigns, expanding the Egyptian empire's boundaries to their greatest extent. He conducted numerous military campaigns, including the famous Battle of Megiddo, where he defeated a coalition of Canaanite kings.
Building Projects: Thutmose III also carried out extensive building projects, including the construction of several temples and monuments throughout Egypt. One of his most famous buildings was the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak.
Religious Reforms: Thutmose III also undertook several religious reforms, aimed at strengthening the position of the god Amun, who he believed had helped him in his military campaigns. As a result, Amun became one of the most powerful deities in the Egyptian pantheon.
Cultural and Scientific Developments: Thutmose III was also a patron of the arts and sciences, and he commissioned many works of art, including statues and reliefs. He also supported the work of the great Egyptian astronomer, Amenemhet, who calculated the length of the year with remarkable accuracy.
Overall, Thutmose III's reign was a time of great expansion and cultural achievement, which helped shape the course of ancient Egyptian history. – ChatGPT
Mary: List the military campaigns of Thutmosis III.
Thutmose III was a successful military commander who led numerous campaigns during his reign. Some of the most significant military campaigns of Thutmose III include:
Campaign in Nubia (Year 22): In this campaign, Thutmose III led an army into Nubia, subduing several tribes and extending Egyptian control over the region.
Campaign in Megiddo (Year 23): This was one of Thutmose III's most famous campaigns. He led an army through the coastal plain of Palestine, where he faced a coalition of Canaanite kings at Megiddo. Thutmose III emerged victorious, and this victory is considered one of the greatest military achievements in ancient Egyptian history.
Campaign in Syria (Year 33): In this campaign, Thutmose III led his army to the Euphrates River, defeating the Mitanni and their allies, and bringing large portions of Syria under Egyptian control.
Campaigns in Canaan and Palestine (Years 34-42): Thutmose III conducted a series of campaigns in Canaan and Palestine, establishing Egyptian dominance over the region and capturing several cities, including Gaza, Joppa, and Ashkelon.
Campaign against the Hittites (Year 42): Thutmose III led an army into Syria to confront the Hittites, who had been causing problems for Egypt's Syrian vassals. Although the campaign did not result in a major battle, it helped to stabilize the region and secure Egyptian control over its territories.
These campaigns helped establish Thutmose III as one of the greatest military leaders in ancient history and expanded the Egyptian empire's borders to their greatest extent.
[Note: I read that ChatGPT has a built-in restriction on the amount of material to include in a response. This may be why only five of the 17 campaigns were listed.]
Original article: "Over the course of 17 campaigns, most - if not all - of his enemies were subdued, the foremost being the Mitanni."
Mary: Which enemies did Thutmose III fail to subdue?
Thutmose III was a highly successful military leader who waged numerous campaigns throughout his reign, and he was able to conquer many of Egypt's enemies and expand its territory. However, there were a few enemies that he was not able to subdue completely.
One of these enemies was the kingdom of Kadesh, which was located in modern-day Syria. Thutmose III waged several campaigns against Kadesh but was not able to conquer it completely. The city remained a thorn in Egypt's side for many years and was eventually conquered by Thutmose's successor, Amenhotep II.
[Note: Amenhotep II, known for his physical prowess, is said to have singlehandedly killed 7 rebel Princes at Kadesh, which successfully terminated his first Syrian campaign.]
Another enemy that Thutmose III was not able to subdue completely was the kingdom of Mitanni, which was located in modern-day northern Syria and eastern Anatolia. Mitanni was a powerful kingdom that posed a significant threat to Egypt's interests in the region, but Thutmose III was only able to secure a tenuous peace with them rather than defeating them completely.
Despite these setbacks, Thutmose III is remembered as one of the greatest military leaders in ancient Egyptian history, and his reign saw Egypt reach the height of its power and influence in the ancient world. ChatGPT
Original article: "His first successes began almost immediately after he assumed the throne: he led a campaign deep into modern-day Israel, where he won a masterful battle at Megiddo, defeating the King of Kadesh. With a daring move, he marched his armies to the rear of the Megiddo forces, crushing them decisively...Another contributing factor to Thutmose’s military success is a number of innovations and new technologies that placed him one step ahead of his enemies. Roughly two centuries before his time, Ancient Egypt came under the brief rule of the Hyksos, foreign invaders who brought with them new and never before seen tools and weapons. New unique swords were quickly absorbed by the Egyptians, as well as new forging techniques, as well as powerful two-wheeled war chariots. With all these innovations, the Egyptian army was well suited for conquest."
Mary: What strategies were used by Thutmose III at the battle of Megiddo?
The Battle of Megiddo was one of the most significant military campaigns of Thutmose III's reign, and it involved a complex set of strategies and tactics that allowed the Egyptian army to achieve a decisive victory over a coalition of Canaanite city-states.
One of the key strategies used by Thutmose III at the Battle of Megiddo was the element of surprise. Rather than attacking the city directly, Thutmose III led his army on a long and difficult march through the mountains to the rear of the city, where they could attack from an unexpected direction. This allowed the Egyptian army to catch the Canaanite forces off guard and quickly overwhelm their defenses.
Another important strategy used by Thutmose III was the coordination of different units within the Egyptian army. Thutmose III divided his forces into multiple units, each with its own specific objective. This allowed the Egyptian army to attack the city from multiple directions simultaneously, and it prevented the Canaanite forces from being able to focus their defense in any one area.
In addition, Thutmose III made use of advanced weapons technology, including the newest and most advanced chariots, to gain a technological advantage over the Canaanite forces. The Egyptian chariots were faster and more maneuverable than those of the Canaanites, and they were equipped with advanced weaponry, such as composite bows and javelins.
Overall, the Battle of Megiddo was won through a combination of careful planning, strategic positioning, and advanced weapons technology. Thutmose III was able to use his army's strengths to overcome the Canaanite defenses and achieve a decisive victory that solidified his power and influence in the region. – ChatGPT
Mary: (exploring the "advanced weapons technology") What new forging techniques were introduced during the reign of Thutmose III?
There is limited information available regarding specific forging techniques introduced during the reign of Thutmose III, but it is known that metallurgy was a highly advanced field during this time period.
One of the key technological advancements in metallurgy during Thutmose III's reign was the development of a new type of high-quality bronze. This bronze, known as "hardest bronze," was made by adding arsenic to the alloy, which made it harder and more durable than previous bronze alloys. This new alloy was ideal for use in weapons and armor, and it helped to give the Egyptian army a significant technological advantage over its enemies.
Thutmose III was a great patron of the arts, and he commissioned a large number of metal objects, including statues, jewelry, and ceremonial objects. These objects often incorporated intricate designs and patterns, which were created using a variety of techniques, such as engraving and inlay.
One of the most notable examples of metalworking during Thutmose III's reign is the golden throne that he commissioned for his wife [should be Step Mother or Regent - the Great Royal Wife of his father], Queen Hatshepsut. The throne was made from a single sheet of beaten gold, and it was decorated with intricate designs and hieroglyphs. [This is an example of an event that probably occurred during the rule of Hatshepsut and not under the actual reign of the adult Thutmose III]
Overall, the reign of Thutmose III saw significant advancements in metallurgy, particularly in the development of new alloys and the refinement of metalworking techniques. These advancements helped to establish Egypt as a center of metalworking and decorative arts in the ancient world.
Mary: Did the design of swords change during the reign of Thutmose III?
There is limited information available about the specific changes to the design of swords during the reign of Thutmose III. However, it is known that metallurgy and weapons technology were highly advanced during this time period, and the Egyptian army was renowned for its mastery of weapons and tactics.
During the New Kingdom period, the Egyptian army made use of a wide range of weapons, including swords, axes, spears, and bows. These weapons were made from a variety of materials, including copper, bronze, iron, and wood, and they were often decorated with intricate designs and hieroglyphs.
One of the most famous swords from ancient Egypt is the "Khopesh," which was a curved sword with a sickle-shaped blade. The Khopesh was primarily used for slashing and chopping, and it was particularly effective at disarming opponents by hooking their weapons with the curved blade.
It is possible that the design of swords and other weapons may have evolved over time, as new materials and techniques were developed. However, there is limited information available about the specific changes that may have occurred during the reign of Thutmose III.
Overall, the Egyptian army was renowned for its mastery of weapons technology, and their weapons were highly effective in battle. The design of swords and other weapons may have evolved over time, but the specifics of these changes are not well documented. – ChatGPT
Mary: Was the khopesh sword used by common Egyptian warriors?
The khopesh sword was primarily used by elite warriors and members of the nobility in ancient Egypt, rather than by common soldiers. It was a prestigious weapon, and its distinctive shape and design made it an icon of Egyptian warfare.
The khopesh sword was a symbol of authority and power, and it was often depicted in ceremonial contexts, such as in depictions of pharaohs and other high-ranking officials. However, it was also a functional weapon, and it was highly effective in battle.
[Note: the ceremonial nature of the khopesh sword was discussed at length in the course “Superpowers of the Ancient Near East.”]
While the khopesh sword was not typically used by common soldiers, there were other types of swords and weapons that were more commonly used by the Egyptian army. These included straight swords, spears, axes, and bows, which were used by soldiers of all ranks.
The use of the khopesh sword was primarily limited to the New Kingdom period, which lasted from around 1550 BCE to 1077 BCE. It was a unique weapon that reflected the sophistication and innovation of Egyptian weapons technology during this time period. – ChatGPT
Mary: Did the Hyksos introduce the khopesh sword?
The origins of the khopesh sword are not entirely clear, and there is some debate among historians about where and when it first emerged. The khopesh sword is a distinctive weapon with a curved blade that was used in ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom period.
It is possible that the Hyksos, who were a group of foreign invaders who ruled Egypt for a time during the Second Intermediate Period, introduced the khopesh sword to the Egyptians. The Hyksos were known for their advanced military technology and tactics, and they may have brought new weapons and equipment with them when they invaded Egypt.
However, there is also evidence to suggest that the khopesh sword existed in Egypt prior to the Hyksos invasion. Some historians believe that the khopesh was an adaptation of earlier Egyptian swords and sickle-shaped knives, which were used for hunting and ritual purposes.
Regardless of its origins, the khopesh sword became a signature weapon of the New Kingdom period, and it was used by Egyptian soldiers and generals in battle. Its distinctive shape and design made it a highly effective weapon in close combat, and it is remembered as one of the most iconic weapons of ancient Egypt. – ChatGPT
Mary: How did Egyptian swords differ from the swords used by the Hyksos?
The swords used by the ancient Egyptians and the Hyksos invaders were quite different in terms of their design and construction.
The swords used by the ancient Egyptians were typically straight and double-edged, with a long, narrow blade and a straight hilt. These swords were often made from bronze or copper, although some were also made from iron later on.
In contrast, the swords used by the Hyksos were typically curved and single-edged, with a shorter blade and a curved hilt. These swords were often made from bronze or a composite of bronze and iron, which made them stronger and more durable than the Egyptian swords.
The Hyksos swords were also designed for use on horseback, as the Hyksos were skilled horsemen and used their horses to devastating effect in battle. The curved design of their swords allowed them to deliver powerful slashing attacks while riding on horseback, which gave them a significant advantage over their opponents.
Overall, the swords used by the ancient Egyptians and the Hyksos were quite different in terms of their design and construction, and each type of sword was suited to the specific needs and tactics of its respective army. – ChatGPT
Mary: Were changes made to chariot design during the reign of pharaoh Thutmose III?
Yes, during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III, changes were made to the design of chariots in ancient Egypt. Thutmose III was known for his military campaigns and his innovative tactics, and he recognized the importance of having a fast and maneuverable chariot in battle.
One of the significant changes made to chariot design during his reign was the use of a lightweight, two-wheeled chariot instead of the traditional four-wheeled chariot. The two-wheeled chariot was more maneuverable, allowing the Egyptian army to outflank and outmaneuver their enemies. Additionally, the lightweight design of the two-wheeled chariot made it faster and more agile, which gave the Egyptian army an advantage in battle.
Thutmose III was also responsible for the development of new tactics and training methods that maximized the effectiveness of the chariot. He trained his troops to use the chariot as a mobile platform for archery, allowing them to rain arrows down on their enemies from a distance. He also utilized the chariot as a shock weapon, charging into enemy lines to break them up and create openings for his infantry to exploit.
Overall, the changes made to chariot design and tactics during the reign of Thutmose III helped to make the Egyptian army one of the most formidable fighting forces of the ancient world. – ChatGPT
Mary: How did the chariots used by Thutmose III differ from the original chariots introduced by the Hyksos?
The chariots used by Thutmose III were different from the original chariots introduced by the Hyksos, who had invaded and conquered Egypt in the Second Intermediate Period. While the Hyksos chariots were an important innovation in warfare, they were heavy and cumbersome, designed for use on the flat plains of the Near East.
The chariots used by Thutmose III were a significant improvement over the Hyksos chariots. They were lightweight and designed for speed and maneuverability, making them ideal for use in the rough terrain of Egypt. They had a simple but effective design, with a lightweight frame made from wood and leather, and a pair of spoked wheels with bronze rims. The chariot was pulled by two horses, which were harnessed in tandem to provide maximum speed and agility.
Thutmose III's chariots were also equipped with a quiver for holding arrows, and the charioteer would use a composite bow to shoot arrows at the enemy. The charioteer also had a shield and a short sword for close combat.
Overall, the chariots used by Thutmose III were a significant improvement over the original Hyksos chariots. They were faster, lighter, and more maneuverable, making them ideal for use in the challenging terrain of Egypt. The new chariot design and tactics helped the Egyptian army to become one of the most formidable fighting forces of the ancient world. – ChatGPT
Original article: "Luckily, we know a lot about Thutmose’s military achievements because of fairly detailed records that survive. Many of his triumphs were inscribed onto the walls of the Temple of Amun in Karnak, accompanied by stunning reliefs of the king subduing his enemies. Furthermore, Thutmose had a royal scribe and a loyal commander, Thanuny, [also known as Tjaneni] who kept meticulous records of his king’s campaigns. Fragments of these scripts allowed us a greater insight into methods of ancient warfare and strategy."
Mary: Which type of troops did Thanuny command?
Thanuny was an Egyptian general who served during the reign of pharaoh Thutmose III. He is best known for his military campaigns in Nubia and his role in the Battle of Megiddo.
According to the inscriptions at Karnak, Thanuny commanded a unit of elite troops known as the "Sherden," which were a group of highly trained and skilled warriors who served as the personal bodyguard of the pharaoh. The Sherden were known for their bravery and ferocity in battle, and they were often used as shock troops in the front lines of the Egyptian army.
[Note: The Sherden, possibly Akkadian, were one of the groups of sea peoples who were active in the eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age, and they were known for their maritime skills and prowess as warriors. They were known to hire out as mercenaries. A further query about these troops, however, included the statement “The role of the Sherden in Thanuny's campaigns is not specifically documented, but it is likely that they played an important role in the Egyptian army's efforts to maintain control over the eastern Mediterranean region.” This would seem to contradict the statement that the inscriptions at Karnak recorded a unit of elite troops known as the Sherden that were commanded by Thanuny. According to N. Grimal’s “A History of Ancient Egypt, pp. 250-253, the first certain mention of the Sherden is found in the records of Ramesses II (ruled 1279-1213 BCE), who defeated them in his second year (1278 BCE) when they attempted to raid Egypt's coast. The pharaoh subsequently incorporated many of these warriors into his personal guard. Ramesses II was a later New Kingdom pharaoh although these “Sea Peoples” had been appearing in fragmentary historical and iconographic records (ancient Egyptian and Ugaritic) from the Eastern Mediterranean since the 2nd millennium BCE. According to Jeffrey P. Emanuel in his article "Sherden from the Sea: The arrival, integration, and acculturation of a Sea People".Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections. 5 (1): 14–27, the earliest known mention of the Sherden is in correspondence between Rib-Hadda, mayor (hazannu) of Byblos, to the Pharaoh Amenhotep III known as Akhenaten in the 14th century BCE. But, it is plausible]
In addition to commanding the Sherden, Thanuny also led a larger contingent of soldiers, which included charioteers, archers, and infantry. His troops were well-trained and well-equipped, and they played a crucial role in the Egyptian victories in Nubia and at the Battle of Megiddo.
Overall, Thanuny was a highly respected and skilled commander who played a key role in the military campaigns of Thutmose III. His leadership of the Sherden and other elite troops helped to secure the pharaoh's power and influence in the region, and he is remembered as one of the most important generals of the New Kingdom period. – ChatGPT
Mary: How were the Sherden armed?
The Sherden were a group of elite warriors who served as the personal bodyguard of the pharaoh during the New Kingdom period of ancient Egypt. They were known for their bravery and skill in battle, and they played a crucial role in securing the power and influence of the pharaoh.
According to historical records and artistic depictions, the Sherden were typically armed with a variety of weapons, including:
Swords: The Sherden were known for their proficiency with swords, and they often carried curved swords, such as the khopesh, which were highly effective in close combat.
Shields: The Sherden carried large shields made of wood or animal hide, which provided protection against enemy attacks.
Axes: The Sherden were also known to carry battle axes, which were used for both offense and defense.
Javelins: The Sherden were skilled at throwing javelins, which were used to weaken enemy formations and disrupt their defenses.
Bows: Some Sherden were also trained in the use of the bow and arrow, which could be used for both long-range attacks and for hunting.
Overall, the Sherden were highly skilled and versatile warriors who were armed with a variety of weapons that allowed them to adapt to different combat situations. Their skill and bravery made them a highly respected and feared unit within the Egyptian army. – ChatGPT
Original article: "Thutmose III was also inclined to spur other developments within Egypt as well. New construction projects were begun, and new technologies mastered. Glass-making was refined, and a number of new lavish buildings were raised in Karnak. Several monumental obelisks from this time also survive."
Mary: How did glass-making change during the reign of Thutmose III?
During the reign of Thutmose III, there were significant advancements in glass-making technology in ancient Egypt. Glass had been produced in Egypt since the late third millennium BCE, but it was during the New Kingdom period that the technology for making glass was significantly improved.
One of the most significant changes in glass-making during Thutmose III's reign was the development of a new technique for producing colored glass. Prior to this, colored glass was made by adding metallic oxides to the glass mixture, but this resulted in only a limited range of colors. The new technique involved melting together different colored glass rods to create a patterned effect, which allowed for a wider range of colors and designs.
Another innovation in glass-making during Thutmose III's reign was the use of molds to create more complex shapes and designs. This allowed glassmakers to produce intricate vessels and figurines, which were highly prized for their beauty and craftsmanship.
Thutmose III was a patron of the arts, and he commissioned a large number of glass objects, including vessels, figurines, and jewelry. Many of these objects were highly decorative, and they often incorporated intricate designs and patterns, which were created using the new techniques of glass-making.
Overall, the advancements in glass-making during Thutmose III's reign helped to establish Egypt as a center of glass production in the ancient world. The development of new techniques and technologies helped to expand the range of colors and designs available to glassmakers, and this had a significant impact on the decorative arts of the time.
Mary: List the Building projects of the pharaoh Thutmose III.
Thutmose III was not only a successful military leader but also a prolific builder. He commissioned many building projects throughout Egypt, including:
Great Temple of Amun at Karnak: Thutmose III made significant additions to the temple of Amun at Karnak, including the Festival Hall, which was used for religious celebrations.
Temple of Mut at Karnak: Thutmose III built the Temple of Mut at Karnak, dedicated to the goddess Mut, the wife of Amun.
Temple of Montu at Armant: Thutmose III expanded the Temple of Montu at Armant, dedicated to the god of war, Montu.
The Ramesseum: Thutmose III began construction on the Ramesseum, a temple complex dedicated to his grandfather, Ramesses I.
Palace at Malkata: Thutmose III built a palace at Malkata, located on the west bank of the Nile. The palace was used for the pharaoh's summer residence.
Tomb in the Valley of the Kings: Thutmose III built a tomb for himself in the Valley of the Kings, although he was eventually buried elsewhere.
These building projects demonstrate Thutmose III's commitment to promoting Egyptian culture and religion and his desire to leave a lasting legacy for future generations. – ChatGPT
Mary: Describe the religious reforms of Thutmosis III.
Thutmose III is known for his religious reforms, which aimed to promote the god Amun's worship and elevate his position within the Egyptian pantheon. Some of the key religious reforms of Thutmose III include:
Promoting the Cult of Amun: Thutmose III believed that Amun had aided him in his military campaigns, and so he sought to promote the god's worship throughout Egypt. He commissioned many temples dedicated to Amun and encouraged his subjects to worship the god.
Consolidating the Power of the Priesthood: Thutmose III recognized the power of the priesthood in Egypt and sought to consolidate their power under the authority of the pharaoh. He granted many privileges to the priests of Amun and appointed high-ranking officials to oversee religious affairs.
Encouraging Pilgrimage: Thutmose III encouraged pilgrimage to the major religious centers throughout Egypt, including the temple of Amun at Karnak. He believed that these pilgrimages would help to reinforce the religious and cultural unity of the country.
Establishing Religious Festivals: Thutmose III established many religious festivals, including the Beautiful Festival of the Valley, which was held annually to celebrate the New Year and the rejuvenation of the land.
Overall, Thutmose III's religious reforms aimed to promote the worship of Amun and to strengthen the authority of the pharaoh over religious affairs. His efforts helped to solidify the power of the priesthood and reinforce the central role of religion in Egyptian culture.
Mary: What scientific developments occurred during the reign of Thutmosis III?
During the reign of Thutmose III, there were no significant scientific developments in the modern sense of the term. However, there were some notable advancements in fields such as astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Some of these developments include:
Astronomy: Egyptian astronomers during the time of Thutmose III were able to calculate the length of the solar year to within a few minutes. They also tracked the movements of the stars and planets, which they believed had a significant impact on human affairs.
Mathematics: Egyptian mathematicians during the time of Thutmose III used a decimal system based on ten, as well as fractions and basic algebra. They were also able to calculate areas and volumes of various shapes.
Medicine: Egyptian physicians during the time of Thutmose III made significant advances in medicine. They were skilled in treating injuries and illnesses and used a wide variety of remedies, including herbal medicines and surgical procedures.
Technology: During the reign of Thutmose III, the Egyptians continued to develop their technology, including improvements in metalworking, construction techniques, and agriculture.
While these advancements may not seem significant by modern standards, they represented an important step forward for ancient Egyptian society and helped to lay the groundwork for future scientific developments.
Mary: Were there changes in art styles during the reign of Thutmose III?
Yes, there were significant changes in art styles during the reign of Thutmose III. Thutmose III's reign is known as the "Golden Age" of Egyptian art, and it saw a flowering of artistic creativity and innovation.
One of the most significant changes in art styles during Thutmose III's reign was the introduction of a more naturalistic and realistic style of representation. This is particularly evident in the depictions of the pharaoh himself, which show him in a more lifelike and dynamic way than in previous periods.
Another innovation in art during Thutmose III's reign was the development of the "Amarna style," which was characterized by a more relaxed and informal approach to representation. This style is best exemplified by the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti, which shows her in a more naturalistic and intimate way than previous depictions of royalty. [Note: this occurred during the New Kingdom but not during the reign of Thutmose III]
Thutmose III was also responsible for commissioning a large number of public monuments and works of art, which helped to promote his image as a powerful and successful ruler. These included colossal statues, obelisks, and temple reliefs, many of which were decorated with elaborate scenes depicting the pharaoh's military campaigns and religious activities.
Overall, the changes in art styles during the reign of Thutmose III helped to usher in a new era of creativity and innovation in Egyptian art, which would continue to influence artists and sculptors for centuries to come.
I am still amazed by the level of detail and volume of information ChatGPT provided. The few "hiccups" I pointed out are relatively minor and, for the most part, were included because Thutmose III ruled during the New Kingdom so ChatGPT supplied the information because the beginnings of new innovations are not always clear. Now if they would just give us footnote references!
</span></span></p><div style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div></div></div></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-27021943597493884392023-03-20T07:48:00.003-07:002023-03-20T07:48:59.816-07:00Anthropological research using ChatGPT: Charity in the ancient world <p> <span style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anthropological research using ChatGPT: Charity in the ancient world </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Warning: Long Post) </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">
by Mary Harrsch</span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZu1oofmcwf8RPkD2b8qAKJ6zTWHI_n1903hUdiG8EzB6h7hq-H7-Vr-nUTf_w33QVkbkM-fr4TIU2SWJz3o2RIYN3TzAAfhklY8tWXaM0LxxVNuFY9ewE2xoYob-IDkU80jAD4huanAmXHpoc8D_FfgPp44fT2dYMC72oxYoY06Ndda7V2WBPfk_g/s700/MTc2Mjg3MTAzOTI2NDEyNDc4.webp" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Silenus with baby Dionysus sculpture" border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZu1oofmcwf8RPkD2b8qAKJ6zTWHI_n1903hUdiG8EzB6h7hq-H7-Vr-nUTf_w33QVkbkM-fr4TIU2SWJz3o2RIYN3TzAAfhklY8tWXaM0LxxVNuFY9ewE2xoYob-IDkU80jAD4huanAmXHpoc8D_FfgPp44fT2dYMC72oxYoY06Ndda7V2WBPfk_g/w640-h480/MTc2Mjg3MTAzOTI2NDEyNDc4.webp" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="color: #050505; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Silenus with the baby Dionysus - Roman marble copy
from Greek original at the Vatican Museum.</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One of the readers of my article, “<a href="https://ancientimes.blogspot.com/2017/02/ancient-eugenics-much-more-than-just.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ancient Eugenics: Much more than selective infanticide</a>”, asked me if there was a major difference between Jews and Christians on the one hand and the Greco-Roman (pagan) world on the other in their views on infanticide. That same day news of a new version (4.0) of ChatGPT was released. So, I decided to give the <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>new research tool a try by asking a series of questions about infanticide and the problem of orphaned children and other disadvantaged individuals in the ancient world, by culture, around the Mediterranean. I decided to restrict my queries to cultures with centralized administrations that I was reasonably sure had been the subjects of extensive excavations and scholarly activities to give ChatGPT the best chance of generating a response based on a reasonable data sample. I also assumed that the mitigation of poverty would have had the greatest effect of reducing the social need for infanticide or the abandonment or sale of children from nuclear families. I found the results I obtained from these queries quite interesting.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Since Christianity was eventually adopted by the Roman state in the 4th century, and some scholars consider it a primary influence on the reduction of infanticide or “child exposure” in Roman society I began with it and received a generalized summary of the issue:</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Infanticide has been a practice in many cultures throughout history for various reasons, such as poverty, disease, or cultural practices.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“The rise of Christianity did lead to a decrease in infanticide in certain cultures<i> [not substantiated by my queries at least],</i> particularly in the Roman Empire. This was due in part to the Christian belief in the sanctity of life, which discouraged the killing of infants. [<i>The “sanctity of life” construct was adopted from Jewish law and scriptures. Although practiced by Jewish converts, this principle contained in the Old Testament was not officially adopted by early Gentile converts until the official “canon” was established in later antiquity.</i>] Additionally, early Christian communities often provided support and assistance to parents who were struggling to care for their children, which may have helped to reduce the number of infants who were abandoned or killed [<i>I am skeptical of this statement. The vast majority of early Christians were slaves and members of the lower classes in Rome. These individuals would not have the resources to advance to fellow struggling families in any large numbers. There may have been a few wealthy converts and these may represent the rare examples of philanthropy pointed to by early Christians in their evangelical efforts. This, of course, changed with the adoption of Christianity by the Roman state in the 4th century CE</i>.]</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“However, it is important to note that the decrease in infanticide was not solely due to the rise of Christianity. Other factors, such as changes in social and economic conditions, also played a role in reducing the practice. Additionally, infanticide continued to occur in some Christian societies, particularly in areas where poverty and hardship were prevalent.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Overall, while the rise of Christianity may have contributed to a decrease in infanticide in some cultures, it is not accurate to say that it was the sole cause of this phenomenon.” - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I began to drill down, then, and evaluate charitable laws and policies of Roman culture and other contemporary Mediterranean cultures to provide social context and insight into practices that may have influenced Roman culture through trade and military contact. So, how did each culture address the problem of poverty?</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Roman culture</b>:</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Question: How did the ancient Romans address poverty?</b></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“The ancient Romans had a complex system for addressing poverty that evolved over time. In the early Roman Republic, the government provided some basic assistance to the poor through a system of grain distributions known as the "annona." However, this assistance was limited and sporadic.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“As Rome grew in power and wealth, the government's approach to poverty became more sophisticated. The emperor Augustus established a welfare system that provided monthly allowances to eligible citizens, including children, the elderly, and those with disabilities. This system, known as the "alimenta," was funded by taxes on wealthy citizens and provided food, clothing, and education to those in need.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“In addition to government assistance, the Roman elite often engaged in philanthropy as a way of demonstrating their wealth and status. Wealthy individuals would donate money or land to build public facilities such as baths, aqueducts, and hospitals, which could benefit the poor as well as the general population.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“However, poverty remained a significant problem in ancient Rome, and the government's efforts to address it were often limited and uneven. Many poor Romans relied on private charity, begging, or even crime to survive. Despite these challenges, the Roman approach to poverty provides an interesting historical perspective on the ways in which societies have attempted to support those in need.” – ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I thought this was a decent high-level summary although it lacked the detail needed for a more comprehensive comparison. So, I asked, “<b>What Roman laws addressed poverty?</b>” and generated some of the detail I was looking for.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“There were several Roman laws and policies that addressed poverty and provided assistance to the poor. Here are some examples:</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Lex Frumentaria: This law, passed in 123 BCE, required the government to distribute grain to the poor at a subsidized price. The amount of grain given to each individual was based on family size and income, with the poorest families receiving the most.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Lex Caecilia Didia: This law, passed in 98 BCE, required individuals who wanted to propose a new law to first submit it to the Senate for review. This law was intended to prevent laws that would be harmful to the poor from being passed.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Lex Iunia Norbana: This law, passed in 64 CE, granted Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the Roman Empire who had been born to a free citizen father and had lived in Rome for a certain period of time. This law helped to ensure that more people had access to the legal protections and benefits of Roman citizenship.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Alimenta: This was a policy introduced by Emperor Trajan in the early 2nd century CE, which provided assistance to poor and orphaned children. The policy involved providing funds to local communities to support the education and upbringing of these children.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Public works projects: The Roman government also engaged in various public works projects, such as building aqueducts and roads, which provided employment opportunities for the poor.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Overall, while the Roman government did not have a comprehensive system of social welfare, there were laws and policies in place to address poverty and provide assistance to those in need.” – ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Although ChatGPT made an oblique connection between poverty and the rights of Roman citizens, it did not make the more direct connection between poverty and family size so did not mention the Lex Papia Poppaea: This law encouraged marriage and childbearing among Roman citizens. It provided financial incentives for those who married and had children, and imposed penalties on those who remained unmarried or had no children.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">However, Augustus' morality laws were aimed at the upper classes because of a falling birth rate he perceived among the elite during his reign. So, I asked ChatGPT if these morality laws applied to all Roman citizens:</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"Like many laws in ancient Rome, the morality laws of Augustus did not apply equally to all Roman citizens. The laws were primarily aimed at the upper classes, who were seen as the guardians of traditional Roman values. Wealthy citizens and members of the aristocracy were expected to set an example for the rest of society by following these laws and promoting virtuous behavior.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"At the same time, many aspects of Roman life were regulated by social norms and customs rather than laws. While the morality laws of Augustus were intended to promote certain values, the actual practice of these values varied widely depending on social class, region, and personal circumstances. For example, while the laws encouraged marriage and childbearing, it was not uncommon for wealthy Roman men to engage in extramarital affairs or have children with concubines or slaves.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"In short, the morality laws of Augustus were one aspect of a complex system of social norms, customs, and laws that regulated behavior in ancient Rome. While these laws were intended to apply to all Roman citizens, their actual impact and enforcement varied depending on social status and personal circumstances." - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Since I am trying to evaluate a historical trend and this law would have directly influenced family size and perhaps any propensity to commit infanticide, I asked ChatGPT if Augustus' morality laws were ever repealed or modified.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"Yes, the morality laws of Augustus were modified and repealed over time as political and social conditions changed in Rome.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"During the reigns of Augustus's successors, some of the more restrictive laws regulating marriage and sexual behavior were relaxed. For example, the Lex Iulia de Maritandis Ordinibus was eventually repealed, and restrictions on inter-class marriages were eased.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"Similarly, the laws regarding adultery and sexual morality were modified to reflect changing attitudes toward sexuality and gender roles. Under the emperor Nero, for example, adultery was decriminalized, and same-sex relationships were tolerated to a greater extent.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"However, some of Augustus's morality laws remained in place for centuries, particularly those related to public order and corruption. For example, the Lex Iulia de Vi Publica et Privata continued to be enforced throughout the Roman Empire, and laws against corruption remained on the books for centuries.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"Overall, the morality laws of Augustus were an important part of Roman law and society, but they were not set in stone. Like all laws, they were subject to change over time as political and social conditions shifted, and as attitudes toward morality and behavior evolved." - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Although this response referred to two of the other morality laws of Augustus, it does not mention the Lex Papia Poppaea. So I rephrased my query and asked directly if the Lex Papia Poppaea was ever modified or repealed.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"The Lex Papia Poppaea, which was a set of laws passed by Augustus to promote marriage and childbearing, was modified and repealed over time as social and economic conditions changed in the Roman Empire.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"Under the emperor Caracalla in the 3rd century CE, the law was modified to provide financial incentives for those who married and had children, regardless of social status. This change was intended to encourage population growth and address the declining birthrate in the Roman Empire.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"In the 4th century CE, the emperor Constantine repealed many of the restrictions on marriage contained in the law. He also introduced new laws that further encouraged marriage and childbearing, such as tax exemptions for families with children.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"Over time, the incentives provided by the Lex Papia Poppaea became less important as the Roman economy shifted from an agrarian to an urban economy. In the late Roman Empire, many of the financial incentives provided by the law were no longer relevant or effective, and the law was eventually repealed. { <i>I would point to the extreme financial exigency of the period.</i>]</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"In summary, while the Lex Papia Poppaea played an important role in promoting marriage and childbearing in ancient Rome, its provisions were modified and repealed over time as social and economic conditions changed in the Roman Empire." - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">From my perspective, I think the financial incentives contained within the Lex Papia Poppaea would probably have more influence on the behavior of the overall population than religious mandates of a sect that, before Constantine, composed less than 10% of the population. (<i>See "A World Full of Gods" by Professor Keith Hopkins</i>)</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Since I'm also comparing pagan practices to Christian/Jewish practices, I also asked: </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Did any Roman religion mandate behavior towards children?</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"There is no evidence to suggest that any Roman religion mandated specific behavior towards children. However, the concept of pietas, or piety, was an important part of ancient Roman religion and ethics, and it included an expectation of respect and duty towards one's family, including children.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"The Roman family was considered a sacred institution, and the welfare of children was considered a priority. Roman law recognized the rights and responsibilities of parents and children, and parents were expected to provide for their children's basic needs, such as food, shelter, and education.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">"There were also a number of customs and traditions associated with Roman family life that emphasized the importance of children. For example, the birth of a child was a significant event, and families often celebrated the arrival of a new child with feasting and gift-giving." - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Now, let’s explore the provisions made to mitigate poverty in surrounding cultures.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Egypt:</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Ancient Egypt had a complex social and economic system, and poverty was a persistent issue for many people, particularly those living in rural areas. The government and religious institutions played a significant role in addressing poverty and providing support to those in need.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“One way that the government addressed poverty was through a system of taxation and redistribution of wealth. Wealthy landowners and merchants were required to pay taxes and contribute to public works projects, such as irrigation systems and temples. These projects provided employment opportunities for the poor, as well as resources for the community.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“In addition to taxation, the government also provided support to the poor in the form of food and other basic necessities. Temples and other religious institutions played a significant role in this, as they were often responsible for distributing food and other resources to the needy.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Charitable giving was also an important part of Egyptian culture, and wealthy individuals and families were expected to provide support to those in need. This was often done through the construction of public works projects, such as wells or granaries, that benefited the community as a whole.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Overall, while poverty was a persistent issue in ancient Egypt, the government and religious institutions played an important role in addressing it through a combination of taxation, redistribution of wealth, and charitable giving.” - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Was infanticide practiced in ancient Egypt?</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“There is limited evidence to suggest that infanticide was practiced in ancient Egypt, although it may have been rare and not widely accepted. The ancient Egyptians held a high value for children and families, and there are several depictions in art and literature of parents doting on and caring for their children.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“However, there are some references to infanticide in ancient Egyptian texts and some archaeological evidence that suggests the practice occurred in some instances. For example, there are references in some texts to the killing of infants who were deemed illegitimate or who were born to mothers who could not support them. It is also possible that infants were sometimes abandoned or left to die if they were deemed unwanted or if their parents could not afford to care for them.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Additionally, some archaeological evidence has been found of infant burials that suggest that the infants may have been intentionally killed or left to die. However, it is difficult to determine the extent to which infanticide was practiced in ancient Egypt, as the available evidence is limited and biased towards the perspectives of the ruling elite.” – ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Persia:</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“The Persian Empire had a complex administrative and social system that addressed poverty in various ways. Here are some ways that the Persians addressed poverty:</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Royal charity: The Persian kings engaged in acts of charity towards their subjects, which included providing food, clothing, and shelter to those in need. The royal treasury was used to fund these charitable works.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Public works projects: The Persian kings also engaged in public works projects, such as the construction of roads, bridges, and aqueducts. These projects provided employment opportunities for the poor and contributed to the overall welfare of the population.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Land reforms: The Persian kings implemented land reforms that aimed to distribute land more fairly among the population. This allowed more people to own land and provided a means for them to support themselves.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Zoroastrianism: Zoroastrianism, the dominant religion of the Persian Empire, placed a strong emphasis on charity and the care of the poor. The religion encouraged followers to engage in acts of charity and to help those in need.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Taxation: The Persian Empire had a complex tax system that was designed to provide for the welfare of the population. Taxes were collected from the wealthy and redistributed to the poor in the form of food, clothing, and shelter.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Overall, the Persian Empire had a complex system of governance that aimed to provide for the welfare of the population, including the poor. While poverty still existed in Persia, these measures helped to alleviate some of the worst effects of poverty and ensured that the population had access to basic necessities.” - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Was infanticide practiced in ancient Persia?</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“There is little evidence to suggest that infanticide was commonly practiced in ancient Persia. However, the historical record is somewhat limited and there may have been isolated instances of infanticide.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“In general, the Persian Empire had a strong tradition of family values and respect for children, which was reflected in their laws and customs. Children were considered a valuable asset to society and were given special protection and care.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“The Zoroastrian religion, which was the predominant religion in ancient Persia, also placed a high value on the sanctity of life and prohibited the taking of innocent life, including the killing of children.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“In addition, the Persian Empire had a well-developed legal system that recognized the rights of children and protected them from harm. For example, the Persian legal code contained provisions to punish parents who mistreated or neglected their children.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Overall, while there is little evidence to suggest that infanticide was commonly practiced in ancient Persia, it is possible that isolated instances of the practice may have occurred. However, the strong cultural and religious values placed on family and the sanctity of life suggest that such instances would have been rare and generally condemned by society.” - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Greece:</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Poverty was a persistent issue in ancient Greece, particularly in urban areas where there was a high concentration of people. While there was no single approach to addressing poverty, a number of different strategies were used to provide assistance to the poor and vulnerable.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“One approach to addressing poverty in ancient Greece was through public works projects. This included the construction of infrastructure such as roads, aqueducts, and public buildings. These projects provided employment opportunities for the poor and helped to stimulate economic growth in the region.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Another approach to addressing poverty was through charitable giving. Wealthy individuals and families were expected to provide support to those in need, often through the provision of food, clothing, and other basic necessities. Charitable giving was seen as a way to demonstrate one's social status and gain the respect of the community.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Religious institutions also played an important role in addressing poverty in ancient Greece. Temples and other religious organizations provided assistance to the poor, often through the distribution of food and other resources. In addition, some temples operated as banks, providing loans and financial assistance to those in need.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Finally, the government also played a role in addressing poverty in ancient Greece, although the approach varied depending on the region and time period. In some cases, the government provided direct assistance to the poor, while in others they implemented policies designed to stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Overall, while poverty was a persistent issue in ancient Greece, a number of different strategies were used to address it. These included public works projects, charitable giving, support from religious institutions, and government assistance.” - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Did the ancient Greeks practice infanticide?</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“There is some evidence to suggest that infanticide was practiced in ancient Greece, particularly in cases where children were born with physical deformities or other disabilities. However, it is important to note that the practice of infanticide was not widespread, and it was generally frowned upon by Greek society.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“The evidence for infanticide in ancient Greece comes primarily from written sources, such as the works of the historian Plutarch and the philosopher Aristotle. These sources suggest that infanticide was sometimes practiced by families who were unable to care for their children or who saw them as a burden.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“However, it is also clear that infanticide was not a socially acceptable practice in ancient Greece. Laws were in place to protect children from harm, and those who were found guilty of infanticide could face severe punishment.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“In addition, many aspects of Greek culture, such as the emphasis on family and community, placed a high value on the sanctity of life, particularly the lives of children. As such, while infanticide may have occurred in ancient Greece, it was generally viewed as a last resort and was not condoned by society as a whole. - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Judea:</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“The ancient Jews had a strong tradition of caring for the poor, which was based on religious and moral principles.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“In the Hebrew Bible, the Torah contains many laws and commandments related to poverty and helping the needy. For example, farmers were required to leave the corners of their fields unharvested so that the poor could gather food, and they were also required to give a portion of their harvest to the poor. There were also laws regarding debt forgiveness and the release of slaves after a certain period of time, which provided some protection for the poor and enslaved.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“In addition to these laws, there were also institutions in ancient Jewish society that were dedicated to helping the poor. For example, there were organizations known as "gemach" or "g'mach" (which stands for "gemilut chasadim," or acts of kindness) that provided interest-free loans to those in need. There were also charitable organizations, known as "tzedakah," which collected donations and distributed them to the poor.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Furthermore, caring for the poor was seen as a moral obligation for all Jews, and acts of charity were considered to be one of the most important mitzvot (commandments) in Judaism.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Overall, the ancient Jews had a strong tradition of caring for the poor, which was based on religious and moral principles. Through laws, institutions, and individual acts of charity, the Jewish community worked to alleviate poverty and help those in need." - ChatGPT</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Although Assyria was a much older civilization than Rome, I couldn’t help but ask ChatGPT about its attempts to address poverty, especially since it is usually represented as such a brutal culture.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Assyria:</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“There is limited information about how the Assyrian Empire addressed poverty, but there are some records and archaeological evidence that suggest that they had measures in place to provide assistance to the poor and needy.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Royal charity: Assyrian kings engaged in acts of charity towards their subjects, which included providing food, clothing, and shelter to those in need. The annals of the Assyrian kings record instances of royal charity, such as the distribution of food during times of famine or the provision of clothing to soldiers.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Public works projects: The Assyrian kings also engaged in public works projects, such as the construction of canals, fortresses, and irrigation systems. These projects provided employment opportunities for the poor and contributed to the overall welfare of the population.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Laws protecting the poor: The Assyrian kings also passed laws protecting the poor from exploitation and mistreatment. For example, there are records of laws that prohibited landlords from evicting tenants who were unable to pay their rent and laws that mandated fair wages for workers.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Religious institutions: The Assyrian religion placed a strong emphasis on charity and the care of the poor. Temples and religious institutions played a role in providing assistance to the poor, including food, clothing, and shelter.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Overall, while the Assyrian Empire was known for its military conquests and harsh treatment of conquered peoples, there is evidence to suggest that the Assyrian kings had measures in place to address poverty and provide assistance to the needy.” - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Was infanticide practiced in the Assyrian empire?</b></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“There is limited information about the practice of infanticide in the Assyrian Empire, but there is some evidence to suggest that it was not uncommon.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“Assyrian society was patriarchal, and having male children was highly valued. Female infants were sometimes seen as a burden, as they were not considered as useful for labor or military purposes. Additionally, it was believed that male children had a better chance of carrying on the family line and providing for their parents in old age.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“There are records of Assyrian kings engaging in the practice of infanticide. For example, the annals of the Assyrian king Sennacherib record that he ordered the killing of all of his brothers' male children in order to prevent them from challenging his rule. Additionally, there are records of Assyrian soldiers killing infants during military campaigns.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">“It is worth noting that infanticide was not unique to the Assyrian Empire, and was practiced in other ancient societies as well. However, it is difficult to determine the extent to which infanticide was practiced in Assyria, as the historical records are limited and biased towards the perspectives of the ruling elite.” - ChatGPT</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">So, it appears to me ChatGPT, responding to increasingly more targeted questions, can produce quite usable information. What was most astonishing to me was how quickly I could gather so much information! </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-68587566015884272172020-07-20T07:31:00.005-07:002020-07-20T07:34:22.756-07:00Exploring historical research with modern translation tools<div>by Mary Harrsch © 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EH3H38mBkq0/XxTetGDjSaI/AAAAAAAAHrg/JX94gqXQDCoiqGMLbNESQVN0Lptfv-XaACLcBGAsYHQ/s1064/Hauser%2Bin%2BPompeii%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="792" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EH3H38mBkq0/XxTetGDjSaI/AAAAAAAAHrg/JX94gqXQDCoiqGMLbNESQVN0Lptfv-XaACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Hauser%2Bin%2BPompeii%2Bcover.jpg" /></a></div>As an education technologist I used computer-assisted translation for a couple of decades with mixed success whenever I was faced with research reports I needed to analyze in a language other than English. Gradually, over the last ten years, however, I found the new tools introduced by Google and the German company, DeepL GmbH based in Cologne to be increasingly more accurate. This advancement was particularly of interest to me when I decided to focus on Roman archaeology and the early 18th-19th century excavations in Pompeii in my "second act" after retiring from the university. </div><div><br /></div><h2>First, a short history of machine translation</h2><div>Machine translation dates as far back as the 9th century CE to an Arabic cryptographer named Al-Kindi who developed techniques for systemic language translation, including cryptanalysis, frequency analysis, and probability and statistics, which are used in modern machine translation. Other ideas for machine translation were proposed during the Renaissance by such thinkers as René Descartes, who, in 1629, proposed a universal language, with equivalent ideas in different tongues sharing one symbol. </div><div>The first patents for translating machines using an automatic bilingual dictionary and paper tape was applied for by Georges Artsrouni in the mid-1930s. But progress was limited until the late 1950s when some of the first computers were developed. In the meantime, successes in code breaking during World War II and theories about the universal principles underlying natural language, coupled with computer development, prompted new proposals based on evolving information theory. </div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCRo-B3UvEo/XxTUoQzoiTI/AAAAAAAAHqs/72BQEF0qSEYzYQ7HmyJRgTjBL-9CJbYGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1524/Turing%2527s%2Bbombe%2Bcomputer.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1524" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCRo-B3UvEo/XxTUoQzoiTI/AAAAAAAAHqs/72BQEF0qSEYzYQ7HmyJRgTjBL-9CJbYGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Turing%2527s%2Bbombe%2Bcomputer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="2">A replica of Alan Turing's "bombe" machine used </font><span style="font-size: small;">to crack the <br />code used on German Enigma encoding devices </span><span style="font-size: small;">during <br />World War II. Image courtesy of </span><span style="font-size: small;">Wikimedia Commons.</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Despite modest successes, though, the problem of semantic ambiguity of words or phrases with more than one meaning plagued the development of high quality machine translation. Then the ALPAC report was published by the U.S. commissioned Automatic Language Processing Advisory Committee in 1966 stating that machine translation was more expensive, less accurate and slower than human translation, and that despite research expenditures, machine translation was not likely to reach the quality of a human translator in the near future. The report decimated funding and machine translation was virtually abandoned in the U.S. and to a lesser extent in the Soviet Union and the U.K. for more than ten years. In Canada, France and Germany, however, research continued while in the U.S. two companies were eventually founded to provide automated translation services for the Department of Defense. </div><div><br /></div><div>As computers became more powerful, however, machine translation capabilities increased dramatically. Models based on statistical and example-based machine translation were adapted for online use to facilitate global communication and provide the capability for rapid translation of even technical documents and texts using such free tools as Google Translate and DeepL, the German product from the firm in Cologne.</div><div><br /></div><h2>The Hauser in Pompeij Project</h2><div><br /></div><div>During this time I became increasingly interested in learning more about the archaeological remains of a 1st century Roman structure, dubbed the House of the Prince of Naples, in Pompeii. But, I quickly discovered that a comprehensive analysis of the remains published in 1984 was available only in German. I also searched in vain for a digitized version and found the German hardcopy text, "Hauser in Pompeji (Volume 1): Casa del Principe di Napoli" published by the German Archaeological Institute was now out-of-print and used copies were difficult to locate or prohibitively expensive. I finally found a copy up at the University of Washington and requested it through interlibrary loan. I decided I would attempt to scan the hard copy and use the latest, much improved, online translation tools to produce an English version of the book.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKgkg2m_sGw/XxTWkMVOXZI/AAAAAAAAHq4/fbdZAsF0fjYCpHJIZhrvvz-VIIEIJ6BVACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Plate%2B170%2B%25282020%2529%2BHPN%2Batrium%2Band%2Bcubiculum%2Bof%2Bthe%2BHouse%2Bof%2Bthe%2BPrince%2Bof%2BNaples%252C%2BPompeii%252C%2BItaly%2BRaddato.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="2048" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKgkg2m_sGw/XxTWkMVOXZI/AAAAAAAAHq4/fbdZAsF0fjYCpHJIZhrvvz-VIIEIJ6BVACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h265/Plate%2B170%2B%25282020%2529%2BHPN%2Batrium%2Band%2Bcubiculum%2Bof%2Bthe%2BHouse%2Bof%2Bthe%2BPrince%2Bof%2BNaples%252C%2BPompeii%252C%2BItaly%2BRaddato.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Atrium of the House of the Prince of Naples in Pompeii<br />courtesy of Carole Raddato</font></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>When I was notified the volume had arrived and went to the university library to retrieve it, I was aghast at its size! Although it is only 52 pages, the Germans apparently wanted to preserve the precise physical scale of the drawings in the book, so it was produced at a size of 19.6 x 13.6 x 1.2 inches. This made it very unwieldy to handle and too large to scan with my personal oversize scanner or even the ones available at the university. Not to be deterred, however, I tried reversing the head of my digital camera tripod so I could use it as a copy stand and photograph each page. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbiJQxklMK0/XxTZh1wOGrI/AAAAAAAAHrU/9KYT8Fbn9Vc5e6yJiXDmaBrofYKl5bJZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Tripod%2Bcopy%2Bstand.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbiJQxklMK0/XxTZh1wOGrI/AAAAAAAAHrU/9KYT8Fbn9Vc5e6yJiXDmaBrofYKl5bJZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Tripod%2Bcopy%2Bstand.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Camera tripod with head reversed to create<br />a copy stand for a large book</font></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I knew I could then OCR the resulting images and extract the text. My resulting tests with this approach were successful. To speed up the process, I centered the first right hand page as precisely as I could under the camera then photographed all the right hand pages without having to readjust the book's position between pages. Then I centered the first left hand page under the camera and photographed all the left hand pages. </div><div>I initially tried to use a sheet of glass to flatten the page and hold it in place but the overhead lights created too much glare on the glass so instead I pulled the page tawt with one hand and used my other hand to trigger remotely the shutter of my Olympus camera using its Blue Tooth connection to my iPhone. </div><div><br /></div><div>After I photographed all of the pages, I opened the JPEG for each page in Adobe Photoshop. To produce as much contrast between text and background as possible (the book was printed on cream-colored paper), I converted the image to black and white with Topaz Labs' BW Effects plug-in Filter and adjusted the histogram for optimum black and white values using Photoshop's built-in Adobe Camera Raw filter. I also straightened the image if necessary, then saved it first as a .JPG for a text reference when checking OCR accuracy, then exported the images as an Adobe PDF. I then opened the PDF in Microsoft Word 2016 (the latest version I have) and allowed it to use its built-in OCR feature to extract the text and create a Word (DOCX) file. After proofreading several pages I noticed that the OCR was very accurate except for the footnotes because of their small font size (especially the letters o,e, i,j, and rn in place of m). So I decided to forgo proofing each page word for word except the footnotes to reduce my eye strain. I thought I would discover any OCR mistakes in the body of the text anyway when I translated a page and the translator could not make out a word, and that proved to be the case.</div><div><br /></div><h2>Translation finally begins</h2><div><br /></div><div>Now with the extracted text I was finally able to begin my translation. I started out using Google Translate then I compared its results with those of the free German translator, DeepL since I was translating mostly German except for the artifact find summaries that were left in their original 19th century Italian. As I worked, I noticed DeepL seemed to have a slight edge over Google Translate with the German text (understandable) although they were pretty comparable when translating Italian. But, DeepL offers a Windows 10 add-in tool that can be activated by highlighting the passage you wish to translate then pressing Cntrl-C twice. This helped to speed things up. The other really nice thing about DeepL is the ability to click on a word that seems weird to you in the English pane and a list pops up of other words it could mean in a particular context. I was able to make some sentences sound more natural using this feature. So I began using DeepL as my default translator and used Google Translate to verify particularly awkward passages. Of course each time I reached a finds summary in Italian instead of German I had to translate that portion separately because neither of the translators could switch from one language to another within the same selection.</div><div><br /></div><div>When translating the Italian find summaries from the late 19th century, however, I also encountered words that were either unique to Italian archaeologists or were no longer in use in modern Italian. Fortunately, one of my Facebook friends majored in Italian at university and he was quite helpful in teasing out the meanings of some of the terms used. He told me that part of the problem was that the Italian used in the excavation report appeared to be a regional dialect, and not the modern Tuscan version presently taught in universities. Furthermore, the Italian archaeologists used special words, such as procoe, lagena, oleare, odorino, cocciopesto, punteggiato regolare, that had no modern definition in current bilingual dictionaries. </div><div><br /></div><div>Architectural terms were also used by the German archaeologists that I had not encountered before either, such as lesbian cyma, dentil cornice (that kept being translated as "tooth-cut" cornice) and socle (that kept being translated as "base" which is descriptive of the architectural feature but not the proper term.) So, as I worked I began compiling a glossary of these terms and researched their definitions which I later added as an addedum to my English version since the original text did not include a glossary.</div><div><br /></div><div>The original text also included examples of both Latin and Greek "tituli picti", inscriptions on ancient amphora and other artifacts, using ancient letters not in my font collection. For these references, I ended up just photographing them separately and embedding them in the text as images rather than text.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QIvzPwLwSxQ/XxTXxr-oMII/AAAAAAAAHrE/Bhc7Wbd9JBQXeMMwjcfzAY-Smm-Sh6URwCLcBGAsYHQ/s456/Page%2B20%2BInscription%2B8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="456" height="94" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QIvzPwLwSxQ/XxTXxr-oMII/AAAAAAAAHrE/Bhc7Wbd9JBQXeMMwjcfzAY-Smm-Sh6URwCLcBGAsYHQ/w256-h94/Page%2B20%2BInscription%2B8.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Example of "tituli picti" on an amphora in<br />The House of the Prince of Naples </font></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Footnote numbers also interfered with the translation. At first I removed them but I wouldn't do that again since the placement of adjectives and adverbs is different in German (and Italian) than in English so replacing the footnotes afterwards was difficult because I couldn't just count sentences. </div><div><br /></div><div>Translators also don't always reword something in the proper English order either and I would have to read through the snippet I was translating and reword phrases with adverbs and adjectives to place them in the proper order to make the sentence read naturally from an English language perspective. </div><div>To get around the problem with the superscripted footnote numbers that the translators could not understand, I added a space before the footnote number in the German pane of the translator so the translator would not become confused when translating the preceding word and would pass the number intact through to the English pane. This gave me the indicator I needed to insert a footnote with Word after the translation was completed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Capitalization was also an issue since the Germans capitalize all nouns not just proper nouns and many of these were passed through the translator. I ended up using Word's search and replace feature after I completed the translation to correct a number of incorrect capitalizations.</div><div><br /></div><div>The original text was lavishly illustrated and I wanted the English version illustrated as well. So, I photographed each image separately without it's related caption then translated the German caption and inserted the caption in English with Word. Some of the images were graphics with German labels that required me to "paint out" the German references in Photoshop and replace them with English using the Text tool. </div><div><br /></div><div>I decided not to place all the images at the end of the text like Professor Strocka did. Instead I context mapped each image to the appropriate place in the narrative then allowed Word to assign a figure number and simply referred to the original plate number in the image caption. I also added some Creative Content-licensed images that were not available at the time the book was originally published to illustrate some of the finds and painting comparisons made with other artwork elsewhere in Pompeii. </div><div> </div><div>I also did not translate or include the original index because a digital version can be searched at any point in the text. I also did not bother to include the table of grayscale to color matrix for the grisailles produced for the interior paintings. Whenever you photograph a black and white image with a digital camera, the camera is calibrated to produce the image with an algorithm to create neutral gray for the midpoint of the visual scale. Therefore, the precise gray scale values of my digital images would have been altered and no longer match the matrix included in the original text. </div><div><br /></div><div>Professor Strocka spent a great deal of effort describing the painted decorations in each room but I found his verbal descriptions rather difficult to follow. Although I did translate these descriptions and include them in the English version, I think a detailed map of images accompanied by a discussion of possible motivations for mythological content or style classification would be more easily understood. In the book's comparisons of the decor of the house with other documented iconography elsewhere in Pompeii, I think visual comparisons of actual images would have been more effective as well. That is why I hunted for at least some of those that still exist to augment that section of the text.</div><div><br /></div><div>With this much effort, did I actually learn anything particularly significant? Definitely! When I translated the artifact find summaries, I discovered three surgical instruments and a mortar and pestle were found in the original excavations. I also learned of the intriguing find of human skeletal remains in the cubiculum (bedroom) flanking the main entrance designated as entrance 8. Further research revealed the existence of a list of houses in Pompeii where surgical instruments were found and, researchers suspect, may have been homes of physicians. The House of the Prince of Naples was not on the list and appears to have been overlooked. </div><div><br /></div><div>Professor Strocka's team clearly focused on the construction aspects of the house and on full documentation of any surviving decorations. Household inventory, however, was not evaluated, but simply included from original late 19th century excavation records. I discovered through additional research that small finds, especially those of a non-luxury nature, were viewed with little interest by archaeologists during the late 1800s. Furthermore, the House of the Prince of Naples was far from an undisturbed site. Three so-called "robber" holes were found in the cubiciulum containing the skeleton when it was eventually excavated in 1896-1898. Artifacts could have been carried away by salvaging owners shortly after the eruption, or looters, either in antiquity or in modern times, who could have pilfered more valuable objects. The other potential "contamination" of the finds was the staged "excavation" by the Prince and Princess of Naples in 1898. We are led to believe the original excavators merely suspected the presence of finds in certain rooms of the structure and left them in situ for discovery by the royals. But we must recognize the obvious connections between wealthy patrons and the archaeologists who desired to continue site exploration. If the finds were, in fact, "planted" for the royals to find, it is of no consequence if they were originally found in the structure by the original excavation team, although it would reduce the value any analysis of find assemblages and room function. If, however, the finds were supplemented from the substantial inventory of finds recovered previously from other structures in Pompeii and had no connection with this structure, future comparisons of this structure with others possibly occupied by residents engaged in a similar occupation or in a similar social position would be tainted. </div><div><br /></div><div>At least apparently overlooked information was obtained from the project that could seed further research. The results of this project can be reviewed here in .pdf form:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.academia.edu/43116942/Houses_in_Pompeii_The_House_of_the_Prince_of_Naples_1st_English_translation_">https://www.academia.edu/43116942/Houses_in_Pompeii_The_House_of_the_Prince_of_Naples_1st_English_translation_</a></div><div><br /></div><h2>The Challenge Continues</h2><div><br /></div><div>Recently, I have begun another project, an article about the excavation of the House of Sallust (originally the House of Acteon) conducted between 1805 and 1809. The excavation report was published in Italian as Pompeianarum Antiquitatum Historia. Leaping back in time another 80 years from the excavation reports of my first translation, though, I have found this excavation journal has proved even more challenging. Some of the words used in it are unknown by modern translators. On top of this, of course, are the special names given to the objects recovered by the early archaeologists that have no modern equivalent. I also discovered spelling differences that cause translation problems, too. Some words in the early 1800s are spelled with a "j" instead of an "i" such as operaj which is now operai (workers) or caldaja which is now spelled caldaia (boiler). Fortunately, when the translation fails, I can usually isolate the word that is problematic and "sometimes" the Italian-English dictionary will find a word that is the closest match and I can tease out the meaning from it.</div><div><br /></div><div>At least with this project, I did not have to photograph and OCR anything. I found a copy up on Google Play and can highlight a section of the text and select COPY from the popup menu then paste it into DeepL or Google translate. The only problem this causes is that hyphenated words at the end of a sentence are output with only a space instead of a dash so when I paste the section into DeepL I then have to go back and check for line breaks in the original text, find them in the DeepL copy and remove the space so the translator identifies the complete word. Using Google Play you also have the ability to select TRANSLATE from the popup menu but the result is less than optimal. It will give you sort of the gist of what is being said but is not as accurate as I need, especially for the list of small finds that often includes specialized words.</div><div><br /></div><div>The antiquated font used in the original text also causes problems with translation, especially the number 1 (the translators think its a 4) and fractions which I have to manually correct. </div><div>In the early 19th century, Italy had not yet converted to the metric system either so measurements are given with the abbreviations: on. (oncia which equals .73 in.), pal. (palmo, which I assume is the palmo of Naples at 10.381 in. and not the palmo of the Papal States at the time which ranges from 8.79 to 8.347) and occasionally min. (minuti = .146 in. since 5 min. = 1 on.) </div><div><br /></div><div>As I am primarily focused on the years 1804-1809, I will translate that portion of the text and make it available when I am finished.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tools needed for a translation project using an original hardcopy:</div><div><br /></div><div>Adobe Photoshop or image editor with the ability to Export as .PDF</div><div><br /></div><div>Microsoft Word 2016 or newer (built-in OCR and PDF export capability)</div><div><br /></div><div>DeepL Translator (free) & DeepL Windows 10 add-in translator (free)</div><div><a href="https://www.deepl.com/translator">https://www.deepl.com/translator</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Google Translate (free)</div><div><a href="https://translate.google.com/">https://translate.google.com/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pre-metric list of Italian units of measurement:</div><div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_units_of_measurement">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_units_of_measurement</a></div><div><br /></div><div>German to English online dictionary (free)</div><div><a href="https://dictionary.reverso.net/german-english/">https://dictionary.reverso.net/german-english/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Italian to English online dictionary (free)</div><div><a href="https://dictionary.reverso.net/italian-english/">https://dictionary.reverso.net/italian-english/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Latin to English online dictionary (free)</div><div><a href="http://www.treccani.it/">http://www.treccani.it/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>and some great bi-lingual friends on Facebook!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h4>Machine Translation History References:</h4><div><br /></div><div>DuPont, Quinn (January 2018). "The Cryptological Origins of Machine Translation: From al-Kindi to Weaver". Amodern (8).</div><div><br /></div><div>Knowlson, James (1975). UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE SCHEMES IN ENGLAND AND FRANCE 1600-1800 ISBN 978-4-87502-214-5</div><div><br /></div><div>White, John S. (31 July 2003). Envisioning Machine Translation in the Information Future: 4th Conference of the Association for Machine Translation in the Americas, AMTA 2000, Cuernavaca, Mexico, October 10-14, 2000 Proceedings. Springer. ISBN 9783540399650.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Google Switches to Its Own Translation System". 22 October 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2018.</div><div><br /></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-34606782510920178262018-11-16T16:01:00.000-08:002018-11-19T08:46:38.757-08:00Using Zapier RSS and Google Sheets to Update Alexa Flash Briefing Skills<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
About a year ago I became interested in developing skills for my network of Alexa devices and discovered an easy-to-use development tool named Storyline. With it, I created a number of Alexa skills including five Flash Briefing skills. Alexa's Flash Briefing is a news feature that allows Alexa users to choose news feeds of interest that Alexa will read to them on request. Most Alexa users that configure their Flash Briefing often use it to update them on news and information each day.<br />
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I developed two basic Flash Briefing news feeds that are available in several English language regions of the world. One feed named "Classic Moments Daily" provides a quote from ancient classic sources that provide guidance for living a productive life. The other feed, "Antiquities Alive", provides information about exhibits of ancient art and artifacts in venues around the world.<br />
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I had been updating them almost every day for months since the skills were certified by Amazon. But, earlier this week, I received a notice from Storyline that they were no longer going to continue their free tier and planned to support only for-profit skill developers after the first of the year and even increased their, already high, professional subscription rate. I didn't want to abandon my Alexa skills since history enthusiasts with Alexa devices have begun accessing them regularly and I hoped the number of users would increase with the increase in the Alexa user base.<br />
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So, I began looking for a solution to maintain my Flash Briefing skills without using the RSS feed from Storyline. The most challenging part was to find a tool to produce an RSS feed of information in plain text without XML styling information. I knew Blogger automatically produces an RSS feed for each blog but those feeds are full of styling code that Amazon would not accept. I contacted Amazon's Developer Support team and asked if they knew of an application that could produce the plain text RSS required but they told me they were not aware of any such tools. So my search continued until I found Zapier (https://zapier.com/). Zapier is sort of like IFTTT in that they offer programmable "Zaps" to connect apps together or extract data from one app and share it with another. As luck would have it, they have an RSS feed generator that can be used to extract data from a Google Sheet and convert it to a plain text RSS feed without any formatting code.<br />
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Here is an example feed from a Zap I developed for my Flash Briefing "Classic Moments Daily".<br />
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<a href="https://zapier.com/engine/rss/4046403/classicmomentsdaily3/">https://zapier.com/engine/rss/4046403/classicmomentsdaily3/</a><br />
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I began the process by creating a Google Sheet I called "Classic Moments Daily." I put "Title" in A1 and "Description" in B1. If you wish each post to have a unique reference link then put "Link" in C1. These are the default values Amazon expects (based on their RSS feed specs I reviewed). Then I placed the next update information in A2 and B2 (and C2 if you have that column - remember Amazon wants only secure links beginning with https://). It's important that you have at least one post in your spreadsheet as Zapier will look for sample data to provide you with a preview of your feed.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mAGA1oRFkAA/W-9C0H_lMvI/AAAAAAAADkY/QHGctDKGGxoknjIeq7jy6CtcSeSUGpwswCLcBGAs/s1600/ZapGoogleSheet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="1008" height="256" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mAGA1oRFkAA/W-9C0H_lMvI/AAAAAAAADkY/QHGctDKGGxoknjIeq7jy6CtcSeSUGpwswCLcBGAs/s640/ZapGoogleSheet.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You do NOT need to publish the Google Sheet to the web for this application.<br />
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I also duplicate my posts in a related blog I have created in Blogger (it's free too) so I have a default secure source URL if none other are available.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVVBvkufeAo/W-9FCBYn-GI/AAAAAAAADkk/WZmvkr5LhgEG9A0mMzKnqiYD9Jy_eh70gCLcBGAs/s1600/Zapblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1404" height="393" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVVBvkufeAo/W-9FCBYn-GI/AAAAAAAADkk/WZmvkr5LhgEG9A0mMzKnqiYD9Jy_eh70gCLcBGAs/s640/Zapblog1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In Blogger, I use the title in the post Title field and the description in the Post contents.<br />
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I also add an image to my Classic Moments Daily posts. This blog post with images shows up in the Alexa App when the user clicks on the Read more link on the Home page of their Alexa app.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TQUSf0ZZjno/W-9L3qBcayI/AAAAAAAADlE/wNwnGyr3hoMZsyfKkB5fFvg8Cd0n48yYACLcBGAs/s1600/ZapAlexaapp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1260" height="284" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TQUSf0ZZjno/W-9L3qBcayI/AAAAAAAADlE/wNwnGyr3hoMZsyfKkB5fFvg8Cd0n48yYACLcBGAs/s640/ZapAlexaapp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Each blog post has a unique URL on Blogger. However, if you simply point each Flash Briefing update to the main blog URL instead of the post URL, not only will the user have the opportunity to see images and additional information for the current update, but will be able to browse previous updates with their related images and information.<br />
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I've asked Amazon if they could provide this same functionality on the Echo Show to provide an easy way to display images to accompany skill content there but this functionality does not yet exist on the Show. But, back to our tutorial.<br />
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Next, I open my account in Zapier and create a new "Zap". First, I select Google Sheets as the starting app.<br />
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Then specify that I want want the trigger to be a New Spreadsheet Row.<br />
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Then, if this is your first Zap, you will be asked for your Google account and asked for permission for Zapier to access your Google Sheets. I have already granted access so I can just continue to the next screen.<br />
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Then I select the appropriate sheet from the dropdown list of my Google Sheets available.<br />
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Next I choose the worksheet within the spreadsheet. If you used the first sheet only, just choose it as your only choice.<br />
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Then I click on the Plus Action Step in the left hand pane and RSS as the action app. Next I specify a name for the feed URL that is added to your unique Feed ID. I usually just use the name of my skill with no spaces.<br />
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As you can see from my Zap RSS feed, I called the last part of my feed "classicmomentsdaily3". The reason for the number is that there is no way to delete test feeds. Each time you test it puts a new entry in your feed. When I first started I set the number of items to include in the feed to 5 (the Alexa Flash Briefing maximum) but decided eventually to go with only one update item as that is the way I have updated my Flash Briefings until now. I had to keep changing my URL each time I made a change to get rid of earlier items in the RSS feed. After three tests I finally got everything the way I wanted it! You may be able to get everything just right on the first try!<br />
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Next I give my feed a title, usually just the same title as my Alexa Flash Briefing Skill. Then select the number of items you wish to include in your daily update. I only use one item so I entered the number 1. Remember, Amazon allows only a maximum of 5 items per Flash Briefing update.<br />
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Next I select the cell in the worksheet for my Item Title from the dropdown list.<br />
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For source URL, and you have a link column on your spreadsheet, you can select that from the dropdown list or enter the URL for your related blog for all posts as I have done.<br />
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Then select the cell for my Item Description (Content) from the drop down list. Note: Zapier can only handle a maximum of 10kb of data in the Content field!<br />
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Then enter your author name if you wish (it's optional), author email address (also optional) and author link (your homepage - also optional). For PubDate I just enter the recommended "now".<br />
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You will then have the opportunity to test your Zap and view your URL to see if it contains the information you wish.<br />
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Under the free tier, you are allowed to have up to 1,000 tasks each month and an unlimited number of Zaps. You are also limited to two actions per Zap. Each time you generate a feed (update your flash briefing), you are "charged" one task. If you update one feed every day for a month, you would only accumulate 30 tasks (If I understand how the task system works - of course there is no phone support.)<br />
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Now that you have your feed URL you can go to the Amazon Development Console, click on Edit for the Flash Briefing Development Version you wish to switch over from StoryLine,<br />
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Then on the next screen click edit again<br />
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Now enter your Zap feed URL into Feed field in place of the StoryLine feed. If you have created separate Flash Briefings for each language region (US, UK, CAN, AUS, and IND) you can use the same Zap URL in all of them. So, updating the Google Sheet will update all linked Flash Briefings at once! As a precaution I copied the StoryLine URL to my notes in case something went wrong and I had to switch it back. Also, Flash Briefings now have an icon field for the icon that displays on Echo Shows or Spots that StoryLine was not providing. It is 512X512 px so I just used the large one I had specified for my skill in the Alexa Skills Store.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qCyLmcna9TY/W-9U_-LKSUI/AAAAAAAADmU/a4jaokDSL7If6IzTNyFyggQ-4zAWbni6gCLcBGAs/s1600/Alexadeveloperconsole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="704" height="366" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qCyLmcna9TY/W-9U_-LKSUI/AAAAAAAADmU/a4jaokDSL7If6IzTNyFyggQ-4zAWbni6gCLcBGAs/s640/Alexadeveloperconsole.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally, I made a note in the testing instructions on the Distribution, Privacy & Compliance screen that I was changing the Feed URL for my skill. Then I perfomed the functional tests and submitted the skill for recertification.<br />
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I hope those of you who are attempting to migrate your Flash Briefing skills away from Storyline will find this tutorial helpful. If you are a new developer, you can use these same steps to create a new Flash Briefing skill merely by filling out the other fields in the Alexa Development Console then use the Zapier RSS feed for your secure endpoint.<br />
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-66491634570793571152018-08-17T07:27:00.000-07:002018-08-17T07:27:17.727-07:00Review: Dr. J LED Micro-projector<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2xmUorj-lK8/W3ba8z8qXQI/AAAAAAAADcU/MCd3m-uJm7kHJAVB490mXeTM1yHPsE8JwCLcBGAs/s1600/microprojector.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="704" height="314" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2xmUorj-lK8/W3ba8z8qXQI/AAAAAAAADcU/MCd3m-uJm7kHJAVB490mXeTM1yHPsE8JwCLcBGAs/s320/microprojector.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A technology resource article by Mary Harrsch © 2018
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07174LM85/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=941bc7f89081b47120b151412d4bf30c&language=en_US" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B07174LM85&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20&language=en_US" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&language=en_US&l=li3&o=1&a=B07174LM85" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
I bought this micro-projector to present music videos at my 50th high
school class reunion when I saw it advertised as an Amazon Lightning deal for only $60. (It is regularly priced at $98.99) It was very positively reviewed, although for the price I, quite honestly, wasn't expecting a lot. When it arrived, though, I was very pleasantly surprised.<br />
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The unit is solidly built and comes with a remote
as well as having adjustments on the projector itself. I had copied my
videos to a flash drive and inserted it into the USB port then turned on
the projector and selected USB as my video source using the setup menu.
Then I navigated through the flash drive folders to the folder
containing my videos and selected the one I wished to play. I was quite
pleased with the color reproduction and thought the sharpness was also
quite good as well.<br />
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The unit has built-in speakers, a big plus for such a compact unit, and
they put out a decent amount of sound. If you need more volume for a
larger room, you can use the included RCA cable to connect external
speakers. Quite honestly, I was totally amazed at the quality of the
output for such a small price. When I was an education technologist at a
major university ten years ago before I retired I had to spend over a
thousand dollars to get the results this micro-projector produces.<br />
<br />
Note: The projector shipped with an HDMI cable which is great for those
with a newer laptop or other HDMI-compatible devices. However, if you
are using an older laptop you will need your own VGA cable and audio
patch cable to connect your laptop's VGA port and headphone jack to the
projector's VGA port and AV jack as they are not provided.<br />
<br />
In short, this economical micro-projector offers great portability, is easy to set up and adjust, and has very good sharpness and color reproduction for a terrific price!</div>
Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-29694445599939161072018-05-16T15:02:00.000-07:002018-05-16T15:03:47.822-07:00Improving College Students’ and Others’ Mental Health with Conversational Agents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="bigTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative;">Improving College Students’ and Others’ Mental Health with Conversational Agents</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Harrsch<br />Networks and Management Information Systems (Retired)<br />University of Oregon College of Education</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #737373;">This is a cross-post from the </span><a href="http://i-a-e.org/iae-newsletter.html" style="background-color: white; color: #81a9d5; text-decoration-line: none;">Information Age Education newsletter</a></span><br />
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Mental illness is common in the United States. About one in four adults suffers from some form of mental illness in a given year (Holmes, 1/14/2015).</div>
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This level of occurrence is even higher for college students—perhaps as high as one in two according to the article, Delivering Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Young Adults with Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Using a Fully Automated Conversational Agent (Woebot): A Randomized Controlled Trial (Fitzpatrick, et al., April-June, 2017.) In a related article, Depression and College Students, Michael Kerr points out that financial worries due to high debt and poor employment prospects coupled with failed relationships, lack of sleep, poor eating habits, and not enough exercise frequently result in the development of depression (Kerr, 3/29/2012). There are also many life transitions and challenges to a student’s identity. Quoting from Margarita Tartakovsky’s article, Depression and Anxiety Among College Students (Tartakovsky, 7/17/2016):</div>
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…college calls for a significant transition, where “students experience many firsts, including new lifestyle, friends, roommates, exposure to new cultures and alternate ways of thinking,” observes Hilary Silver, M.S.W., a licensed clinical social worker and mental health expert for Campus Calm.<br />
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Adjusting to college also influences identity — a phenomenon Silver has termed Identity Disorientation. “When students head off to college, the familiar people are no longer there to reinforce the identity these students have created for themselves.” This can make students “disoriented and feel a loss of their sense of self,” contributing to symptoms of depression and anxiety.</div>
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Many of these college students do not seek mental health services. Referring again to the Fitzpatrick, et al., article (April-June, 2017):</div>
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…up to 75% of the college students that need them do not access clinical services. While the reasons for this are varied, the ubiquity of free or inexpensive mental health services on campuses suggests that service availability and cost are not primary barriers to care. Like non-college populations, stigma is considered the primary barrier to accessing psychological health services.</div>
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As described in this article, in their effort to overcome this fear of stigma Stanford researchers developed a virtual therapist, or conversational agent (often called a chatbot). The chatbot employs artificial intelligence and natural language processing to deliver cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to college students self-identified as suffering from significant depression and/or anxiety.</div>
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Stanford's virtual therapist is named Woebot. Like many chatbots, Woebot uses Natural Language Programming to process student responses to questions posed by the virtual therapist, then guides the conversation to an appropriate node of a decision tree to provide suggested actions.</div>
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;"><br />The Original Chatbot</span><br />
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Chatbot software was originally based on the "Eliza" virtual therapist that was developed back in the early 60s by Professor Joseph Weizenbaum at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Markoff, 3/23/2008). I studied "Eliza" in the late 90s and used it as a model for a virtual professor I developed when I worked at the University of Oregon. I was so excited to see that someone had finally recognized the potential of artificial intelligence to help people cope with life's challenges!</div>
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Dr. Weizenbaum's “Eliza” virtual therapist was initially designed to simply keep a conversation going between his chatbot and a human to see if the human could figure out they were talking to a computer and not a real person. However, Stanford's Woebot chatbot uses the scientific principles of cognitive behavior therapy to encourage its human "friends" to develop a positive mindset and overcome depression. Quoting again from the Woebot clinical trials report by Fitzpatrick, et al. (April-June, 2017):</div>
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<li>"Psychoeducational content was adapted from self-help for CBT. Aside from CBT content, the bot was created to include the following therapeutic process-oriented features:</li>
<li>Empathic responses: The bot replied in an empathic way appropriate to the participants’ inputted mood. For example, in response to endorsed loneliness, it replied “I’m so sorry you’re feeling lonely. I guess we all feel a little lonely sometimes” or it showed excitement, “Yay, always good to hear that!”</li>
<li>Tailoring: Specific content is sent to individuals depending on mood state. For example, a participant indicating that they feel anxious is offered in-vivo assistance with the anxious event.</li>
<li>Goal setting: The conversational agent asked participants if they had a personal goal that they hoped to achieve over the 2-week period.</li>
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To engage the individual in daily monitoring, the bot sent one personalized message every day or every other day to initiate a conversation (ie, prompting). In addition, “emojis” and animated gifs with messages that provide positive reinforcement were used to encourage effort and completion of tasks.<br />
<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;"><br />A Chat with Woebot</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.woebot.io/" target="_blank">Woebot</a> is now freely available online (Woebot, n.d.). On the Woebot website, you can click on a link that connects you and Woebot to a private Facebook Messenger session that no one else can see. Then Woebot talks with you about how you are feeling and how you can keep a positive frame of mind using techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy. I've had talks with Woebot about those pesky "should" statements, discussions about self-defeating "all-or-nothing" viewpoints, the futility of trying to predict other people's reactions, and the importance of self-compassion. Sometimes the little bot even provides interesting short videos about behavioral research.</div>
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One that I found particularly interesting was Carol Dweck’s video about the problem of students who develop a fixed mindset when they are praised as "you're so smart" from a young age. I strongly recommend this excellent 10-minute video (Dweck, December, 2014).</div>
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After your initial session, Woebot then contacts you each day through Facebook Messenger and engages in a short friendly conversation. This can teach you how to identify your strengths, to mentally rework your own internal dialogue to develop a healthier opinion of yourself, and to recognize negative approaches in your relationships with others. If you wish to talk to Woebot about a specific problem, you can also initiate a conversation like you would with any of your friends on Facebook Messenger. Woebot is also available as a free smartphone app in the Apple or Google Play Stores.<br />
<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;"><br />Using Gamification to Combat Poor Adherence</span><br />
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In their article cited earlier, Fitzpatrick, et al., note that other psychologists have been experimenting with computerized CBT, but that motivating patients to continue interaction with computerized CBT tools has been challenging:</div>
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In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest and development of such services to either supplement existing mental health treatments or expand limited access to quality mental health services. This development is matched by great patient demand with about 70% showing interest in using mobile apps to self-monitor and self-manage their mental health. Internet interventions for anxiety and depression have empirical support with outcomes comparable to therapist-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Yet, despite demonstrated efficacy, they are characterized by relatively poor adoption and adherence.</div>
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To address these problems of adherence, Woebot's team of researchers adopted the "daily dose" model, since online learning studies have shown small doses of learning embedded in every day learning appears to be more effective than one lecture. They also introduced some game-like elements designed to the likelihood that people will come back the next day.<br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">CBT for Seniors</span><br />
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I contacted the CEO of the Woebot project, Dr. Alison Darcy, and submitted a written interview to which she responded. In it I encouraged her to develop a Woebot to assist much older people with depression and loneliness. I pointed out that seniors' mental health needs differ significantly from those of college students, as the challenges of aging often involving chronic illnesses, deaths of loved ones, living alone, and feelings of irrelevance when no longer employed in the workplace.</div>
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I also pointed out that, although Medicare recognizes depression has a serious impact on quality of life and ensures that a senior's annual wellness visit includes questions about their emotional state, many seniors take friends or family members with them to the doctor. Thus, they may be embarrassed to admit to their physician that they are feeling depressed or even suicidal when their friends or family members are present—very much the same fear of stigma demonstrated by the college students. To make the problem even more difficult to address, many family physicians are not trained in dealing with mental health issues, and the best they may be able to do is refer the senior to a specialist. Appointments to visit such specialists are usually weeks away and often seniors on limited incomes cannot even afford the co-pay, a sad fact of life in the U.S. commercial health care model.</div>
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I also think the long-term caregivers may themselves need yet another type of Woebot, one that could help them to deal with their own feelings of frustration and even anger that may often crop up when dealing day-in and day-out with a patient or loved one with physical and emotional impairments.</div>
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">CBT Delivery with Virtual Assistants</span><br />
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With the growing presence of voice-activated virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa, I also expressed my support for porting Woebot to a voice-only interface to Darcy in my written interview with her. Many older adults are not as technology-savvy as college students and probably are not as comfortable on Facebook or a smartphone.</div>
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In their clinical analysis of their Woebot development project, Darcy and her fellow researchers apparently agreed with me in theory saying:</div>
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Theoretically, conversational interfaces may be better positioned than visually oriented mobile apps to deliver structured, manualized therapies because in addition to delivering therapeutic content, they can mirror therapeutic process. Conversational agents (such as Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa) may be a more natural medium through which individuals engage with technology. Humans respond and converse with nonhuman agents in ways that mirror emotional and social discourse dynamics when discussing behavioral health.</div>
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However, Darcy expressed reservations to me about eliminating the written aspects of therapy made possible by the messenger interface in Facebook or on a smartphone in my interview with her. Continuing to quote Darcy:</div>
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The core of what we do—the CBT skills that are triggered when someone is upset in the moment that they reach out to Woebot —is actually dependent on writing down negative automatic thoughts. This is true even in the therapist's office, because it seems to be central to externalizing the thoughts. That is, there is something in seeing your negative thoughts written down that allows you to process it in a different way, ultimately allowing it to be intervened upon (by rewriting).</div>
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I do hope she reconsiders, however. But for now, I think Woebot, even in its current iteration, could prove helpful to millions of people. I know I find confessing my deepest thoughts to a properly programmed computer application to be less troubling than revealing them to another human being, many of whom may have their own biases.</div>
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">Summary and Final Remarks</span><br />
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The skyrocketing cost of higher education is adding to the mental toll that transition to higher education and adult life takes on modern college students. With studies that show one out of every four college students suffers from some form of mental illness, psychologists worldwide are now focused on providing mental health care to these young adults. But, the stigma that often accompanies mental health treatment remains an obstacle.</div>
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Clinical trials with computerized cognitive behavior therapy have demonstrated that CBT delivered anonymously in a computerized environment is as effective as person-to-person talk therapy in the relief of symptoms of depression and anxiety. Furthermore, because these therapy sessions are conducted without patient tracking, the fear of stigma can be eliminated. Tools, such as conversational agents like Woebot, in combination with gamification strategies, can be used to encourage students to adhere to a treatment program.</div>
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As artificially intelligent voice-activated interfaces become more widespread, computerized CBT may become part of students’ daily hygiene to help them to maintain the best outlook possible as they navigate higher education’s landscape.</div>
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">References and Resources</span><br />
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Bickmore, T., Gruber, A., & Picard, R. (October, 2005). Establishing the computer-patient working alliance in automated health behavior change interventions. <em>Patient Education Counseling</em>. Abstract retrieved 4/19/2018 from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7567340_Establishing_the_computer-patient_working_alliance_in_automated_health_behavior_change_interventions" target="_blank">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7567340_Establishing_the_computer-patient_working_alliance_in_automated_health_behavior_change_interventions</a>.</div>
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Burns, D. (1980). <em>Feeling good: The new mood therapy</em>. New York: Harper Collins.</div>
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Burns, D. (2006). <em>When panic attacks</em>. New York: Harmony.</div>
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Dweck, C. (December, 2014). The power of believing that you can improve. <em>TED Talks</em>. (Video, 10:20.) Retrieved 4/19/2018 from <a href="https://www.ted.com/speakers/carol_dweck" target="_blank">https://www.ted.com/speakers/carol_dweck</a>.</div>
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Fitzpatrick, K.K., Darcy, A., & Vierhile, M. (April-June, 2017). Delivering cognitive behavior therapy to young adults with symptoms of depression and anxiety using a fully automated conversational agent (Woebot): A randomized controlled trial. <em>JMIR Mental Health</em>. Retrieved 4/19/2018 from <a href="ttp://mental.jmir.org/2017/2/e19/%20DOI:%2010.2196/mental.7785" target="_blank">http://mental.jmir.org/2017/2/e19/</a> DOI: 10.2196/mental.7785 PMID: 28588005 PMCID: 5478797.</div>
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Holmes, L. (1/14/2015). 19 statistics that prove mental illness is more prominent than you think. <em>Wellness</em>. Retrieved 4/19/2018 from <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/mental-illness-statistics_n_6193660.html" target="_blank">https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/mental-illness-statistics_n_6193660.html</a>.</div>
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Hunt, J., & Eisenberg, D. (January, 2010). Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college students. <em>Journal of Adolescent Health</em>.</div>
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Kerr, M. (3/29/2012). Depression in college students: Signs, causes, and statistics. Healthline. Retrieved 4/19/2018 from <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/college-students#1" target="_blank">https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/college-students#1</a>.</div>
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Kessler, R.C., et al. (July, 2007). Age of onset of mental disorders: a review of recent literature. <em>Current Opinion in Psychiatry</em>.</div>
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Markoff, J. (3/23/2008). Joseph Weizenbaum, famed programmer, is dead at 85. The New York Times. Retrieved 4/19/2018 from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/world/europe/13weizenbaum.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/world/europe/13weizenbaum.html</a>.</div>
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Tartakovsky, M. (7/17/2016). Depression and anxiety among college students. <em>PsychCentral</em>. Retrieved 4/19/2018 from <a href="https://psychcentral.com/lib/depression-and-anxiety-among-college-students/" target="_blank">https://psychcentral.com/lib/depression-and-anxiety-among-college-students/</a>.</div>
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Towery, J. (2016). <em>The anti-depressant book: A practical guide for teens and young adults to overcome depression and stay healthy</em>. Palo Alto, CA: Jacob Towery.</div>
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Zivin, K., et al. (10/1/2009). Persistence of mental health problems and needs in a college student population. <em>Journal of Affective Disorders</em>.</div>
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-28023789233265649702018-05-16T14:58:00.000-07:002018-05-16T14:58:57.722-07:00MOOCs – Models for Learning in the 21st Century: Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="bigTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative;">MOOCs – Models for Learning in the 21st Century:<br />Part 2</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Harrsch<br />Networks and Management Information Systems (Retired)<br />University of Oregon College of Education</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">This is a cross-post from the <a href="http://i-a-e.org/iae-newsletter.html">Information Age Education newsletter</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">In the previous newsletter, I described my experience as a learner in a MOOC hosted by FutureLearn, a UK distance education provider. MOOCs are now being used to teach both pre-college and higher education students. In this newsletter, we will explore the science behind MOOCs as evolving models for learning. </span><span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;"><br /><br />Working Memory Capacity</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Back in the 1960s, psychologists George Armitage Miller, Eugene Galanter, and Karl Pribram coined the term “working memory” to describe the human brain’s cognitive system used for temporarily holding information available for processing (Pribram, et al., 1960). Since each human being’s physical traits are determined by a unique combination of genes in their DNA sequence, each human brain has a unique capacity of working memory. However, some psychologists think genetics is only responsible for about half of this attribute. (Engelhardt, et al., 2016)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">According to developmental psychologists, the developing brain’s working memory capacity (WMC) increases gradually over the course of childhood, reaches its mature level (unique to each individual) in their early twenties (American Psychological Association), then gradually decreases in old age (Salthouse, 1994).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Working memory capacity is most commonly tested by a dual-task paradigm invented by Daneman and Carpenter in 1980. (Daneman & Carpenter, 1980) Subjects read a number of sentences (usually between two and six) and try to remember the last word of each sentence. At the end of the list of sentences, they repeat back the memorized words in their correct order.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">In an academic setting, WMC has been shown to be an important predictor of learning, reasoning, and comprehension (Conway, et al., 2007). But, a human’s working memory, a finite resource, is cluttered with both task-related and unrelated information at any given time. If a student is juggling multiple commitments requiring executive thought processes—processes necessary for the cognitive control of behavior—a student's ability to absorb large amounts of new information may be compromised. The increasing cost of higher education has likely increased this probability. A large majority of college students are now dependent on employment to finance their education. Based on a report released by the Center on Education and the Workforce of Georgetown University, 70% of college students (including myself at the time!) now work while enrolled (Carnevale, et al., 2015). This certainly must have an impact on their ability to maintain focus in the classroom.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">So, task performance, in this case learning, is dependent upon an individual’s executive-control ability to keep the learning material being presented mentally active and accessible enough to influence the individual’s behavior (Kane & McVay, 2012).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Proponents of executive-attention theory claim that, although individuals with lower WMC appear to suffer more from distractions created by thoughts unrelated to the task at hand, termed mind wandering, goal achievement is ultimately a product of an individual’s attention control system (Engle & Kane, 2004).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">So, what is the average attention span of an adult learner?</span><br />
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Current researchers argue that the average attention span of American adults has dropped and it is now limited to 20, 10, or even five minutes,” says award-winning instructional designer Art Kohn. “The late educator Neil Postman believed that modern technologies such as television and the Internet are actually reducing people’s attention span. He proposed that our frantic world has somehow rewired the human brain, making us less able to attend to things for long periods. In fact, there is precedent for such a view. For example, the human eyeball, which is a sensory outgrowth of the brain, actually changes shape because of early visual experience. For instance, if a child engages in close-up activities like reading or playing computer games for prolonged periods, the human eyeball develops into a more oval shape to better accommodate these close-up images. The downside of this reshaping, however, is that the children then become myopic (nearsighted) and have difficulty focusing on distant objects.<br />
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Researchers propose a similar process to explain the shortening of adults’ attention spans (and perhaps the epidemic of attention deficit disorders in children). The theory states that because of exposure to our frantic world with its persistent thrills, challenges, and competition, a person’s brain somehow rewires itself to better accommodate this rapid pace. The downside is that same brain has difficulty focusing on the more mundane experiences of everyday life (Kohn, 2014).</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Kohn also points to a new theory that claims learners, especially Millennials, have become accustomed to seeking information on an as-needed basis and are unwilling to attend to material that is not perceived as being immediately interesting and valuable. Quoting again from Kohn, “The advent of instant information has made people impatient with traditional spoon-fed training. Instead, they want to guzzle knowledge when, but only when, they need it.”</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">I am hardly a Millennial and not even technically a digital native. However, I think these psychological factors clearly explain my own inability to stay focused for an hour of passive listening in a traditional classroom, and also the apparent inattention of many of my much younger classmates. Like 65% of all adults, I am predominantly a visual learner. So, a lecture that has few visual components would not be presenting information in a format that I would assimilate easily.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">However, FutureLearn and other organizations are now using the model of interleaved lessons, often rich with graphics and video clips, coupled with discussion forums and computerized assessment tools that provide immediate feedback. I find this format meets my needs. In addition, students can easily pause or replay segments of recorded information to review and reinforce their understanding of the information presented.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Furthermore, the chunking of information into learning experiences that incorporate a variety of activities requiring about 15 - 20 minutes of concentration per exercise, like those I encountered in my FutureLearn course, also more closely approximates the average adult attention span. In addition, the discussion questions and interactions with classmate responses provide an opportunity to reflect on the information provided and correlate it with previous learning and experiences.</span><br />
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Smallwood and Schooler have asserted that tasks requiring controlled processing are less likely to support mind-wandering. The rationale behind this assertion is that the scarcity of executive resources makes it hard for a person to divert actions to task-unrelated thoughts. Hence, tasks requiring a maximum degree of cognitive control are less prone to mind-wandering than those requiring minimal cognitive control (James, 2018).</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">The peer-to-peer discussion forums surrounding open essay-type answers used with humanities courses also provide much quicker feedback than you would get from an instructor, even one assisted by three to five teaching assistants. Daphne Kohler, co-founder of U.S.-based MOOC provider Coursera, reports that in their courses, the median response to a question posted in a lesson's global discussion forum was 22 minutes (coursera, 2018). She attributes this to the worldwide nature of student enrollments. She pointed out that, regardless what time of the day you were working on a class unit, someone somewhere else in the world was often working on that same class unit at the same time. So, students often help each other much more quickly than the faculty facilitators (Kohler, 2012).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Anant Agarwhal is another U.S.-based MOOC developer, founder of EdX, and a MOOC instructor. He agrees with Kohler, pointing out that the first peer answer may not be totally correct but, as more and more students join the discussion, a correct answer usually surfaces. Agarwhal also agrees with an MIT colleague who says timely feedback turns teachable moments into positive learning outcomes (Agarwhal, 2013).</span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">The 5-stage Process of Learning</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">In fact, the process of reflection and discussion is so important to refine a learner's understanding of new material that it is included in Taylor and Hamdy's proposed 5-stage process of learning as outlined in their paper, Adult Learning Theories: Implications for Learning and Teaching in Medical Education. The quote below and the following diagram come from this article (Taylor & Hamdy, June, 2013). Notice the centrality of feedback in the diagram.</span><br />
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[A] discussion between individuals will increase the amount of practical knowledge, and that some things remain a mystery until we talk to someone else with a different range of knowledge or understanding. It follows that the more diverse a learning group's membership is, the more likely the individuals within the group are to learn.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJsaG6-Vw5A/WvyooHo_IsI/AAAAAAAADac/z3UlHw9-t38kyyaGWh7DpmC3Th5wCfR1QCLcBGAs/s1600/learningdiagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="540" height="219" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJsaG6-Vw5A/WvyooHo_IsI/AAAAAAAADac/z3UlHw9-t38kyyaGWh7DpmC3Th5wCfR1QCLcBGAs/s320/learningdiagram.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Taylor and Hamdy argue that the feedback phase, where students reflect on new information, compare it to their existing knowledge and, through discussion, with the knowledge of other students, is arguably the most crucial phase. Continuing to quote from Taylor & Handy:</span><br />
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…it is where the learner articulates their newly acquired knowledge and tests it against what their peers and teachers believe. The feedback will either reinforce their schema, or oblige the learner to reconsider it in the light of new information.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">I believe that choosing a MOOC that supports a dynamic environment for discussion and feedback with course peers is essential to gaining the most out of the learning experience.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">My first MOOC was the FutureLearn course, Superpowers of the Ancient World. I have since taken seven other MOOC courses from FutureLearn and one online course from </span><a href="https://www.arcgis.com/features/index.html" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px;" target="_blank">ArcGIS</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">, a software firm that develops mapping applications for geographic information systems. The ArcGIS class was taught by software developers rather than by academic faculty and included only a single discussion pool not related to specific course exercises. I learned the material because I am particularly adept at learning to use software and also had twenty years of database design experience. But, the course itself offered little opportunity to learn from others with different backgrounds or ideas. I sorely missed the exchange of ideas and inspiration I received in the FutureLearn environment.</span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">Summary and Final Remarks</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">The importance of in-depth mental processing to learning retention was recognized as far back as 1972 by psychologists Fergus I. M. Craik and Robert S. Lockhart in their foundational paper, Levels of Processing: A Framework for Memory Research, published in the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;">Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;"> (Craik & Lockhart, 1972). Their research found that information with strong visual images or many associations with existing knowledge would be processed at a deeper level and would therefore be retained much longer.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">They also acknowledged that retention is further aided by recirculating information to extend attention on the new material coupled with analysis. comparisons, and elaboration. They emphasized that these processes are really necessary for students to understand and remember content.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">The traditional lecture model, used for centuries in higher education as the primary teaching format, simply does not provide these opportunities. First, the length of the information presentation, usually 45 minutes to an hour, exceeds the average adult’s attention span. In addition, non-course related urgent tasks like employment or family responsibilities that are a factor for more than 70% of modern students often can compete with the learning task for a student’s attention. Craik and Lockhart point out that studies of selective attention and sensory storage have shown that non-attended verbal material is lost within a few seconds.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">An effective model developed for MOOCs, on the other hand, can offer an alternative experience that addresses the restrictions of a human brain’s limited working memory capacity and individual differences in ability to sustain executive control in a distracted state. Since all participants are equipped with a computer, key concepts can easily be illustrated with multimedia, increasing the visual content for visual learners (65% of all adult learners). The computer connectives can provide forums where course material can be analyzed and compared with the existing knowledge of both the individual student, and of large numbers of classmates with vastly different life experiences.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Critics of MOOCs point to the huge number of enrollees who fail to complete their courses. But, Anant Agarwhal, founder of EdX and a MOOC instructor, explained in his June, 2013, TED Talk that even though only a little more than 7,000 out of 150,000 students who signed up for one of his classes completed it, he would have had to have taught 40 years in a traditional classroom to reach those 7,000 students (Agarwal, June, 2013). </span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">References and Resources</span><br />
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Agarwal, A. (June, 2013). Why massive open online courses (still) matter. <span style="font-style: italic;">TED Talks</span>. (Video file.) Retrieved from <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/anant_agarwal_why_massively_open_online_courses_still_matter" target="_blank">https://www.ted.com/talks/anant_agarwal_why_massively_open_online_courses_<br />still_matter</a>.</div>
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American Psychological Association (n.d.). Memory and aging. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.apa.org/pi/aging/memory-and-aging.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.apa.org/pi/aging/memory-and-aging.pdf</a>.</div>
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Baddeley, A. (October, 2003). Working memory: Looking back and looking forward. <span style="font-style: italic;">Nature Reviews Neuroscience</span>. 4 (10): 29-39. Commercially available online from doi:10.1038/nrn1201. PMID 14523382.</div>
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Carnevale, A., Smith, N., Melton, M., & Price, E. (2015). Learning while earning: The new normal. Retrieved from <a href="https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/workinglearners/" target="_blank">https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/workinglearners/</a>.</div>
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Conway, A.R., Kane M.J., & Engle, R.W. (December, 2003). Working memory capacity and its relation to general intelligence. <span style="font-style: italic;">Trends in Cognitive Sciences</span>. 7 (12): 547-552. Commercially available online from<a href="doi:10.1016/j.tics.2003.10.005.%20PMID%2014643371"> doi:10.1016/j.tics.2003.10.005. PMID 14643371</a>.</div>
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coursera (2018). Take the world's best courses, online. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.coursera.org/" target="_blank">https://www.coursera.org/</a>.</div>
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Craik, F.I.M., & Lockhart, R.S. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. <span style="font-style: italic;">Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior</span>. 11: 671-684.</div>
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Daneman, M., & Carpenter, P.A. (August ,1980). Individual differences in working memory and reading. <span style="font-style: italic;">Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior</span>. 19 (4): 450-466. Commercially available online from <a href="doi:10.1016/S0022-5371%2880%2990312-6" target="_blank">doi:10.1016/S0022-5371(80)90312-6</a>.</div>
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Engelhardt, L.E., Mann, F.D., Briley, D.A., Church, J.A, Harden, K.P., & Tucker-Drob, E.M. (September, 2016). Strong genetic overlap between executive functions and intelligence. <span style="font-style: italic;">Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.</span> 145 (9): 1141-1159. Commercially available online from <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxge0000195" target="_blank">http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxge0000195</a>.</div>
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Engle, R.W,, & Kane, M.J. (2004). Executive attention, working memory capacity, and a two-factor theory of cognitive control. In B. Ross (ed.), <span style="font-style: italic;">The psychology of learning and motivation</span>. New York: Academic.</div>
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James, H.J. (n.d.). Attention span in adults. Academia.edu. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.academia.edu/8749503/Attention_Span_in_Adults" target="_blank">https://www.academia.edu/8749503/Attention_Span_in_Adults</a>.</div>
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Kane, M, & McVay, J. (2012). What mind wandering reveals about executive-control abilities and failures. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 21 (5): 348-354. Retrieved from <a href="http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.uoregon.edu/stable/44318607" target="_blank">http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.uoregon.edu/stable/44318607</a>.</div>
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Kohn, A. (2014). Brain science: focus – Can you pay attention? <span style="font-style: italic;">Learning Solutions</span>. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1440/brain-science-focuscan-you-pay-attention" target="_blank">https://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1440/brain-science-focuscan-you-pay-attention</a>.</div>
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Koller, D. (June, 2012). What we're learning from online education. <span style="font-style: italic;">TED Talks</span>. [Video file.] Retrieved from <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/daphne_koller_what_we_re_learning_from_online_education" target="_blank">https://www.ted.com/talks/daphne_koller_what_we_re_learning_from_online_<br />education</a>.</div>
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Pribram, K.H., Miller, G.A., & Galanter, E. (1960). <span style="font-style: italic;">Plans and the structure of behavior</span>. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.</div>
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Salthouse, T.A. (1994). The aging of working memory. <span style="font-style: italic;">Neuropsychology</span>. 8 (4):535-543. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232504870_The_Aging_of_Working_Memory" target="_blank">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232504870_The_Aging_of_Working_<br />Memory</a>.</div>
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Smallwood, J., & Schooler, J. (2006). The restless mind. <span style="font-style: italic;">Psychological Bulletin</span>. 132: 946-958. Retrieved from <a href="https://themindwanders.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mind-wandering1.pdf" target="_blank">https://themindwanders.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mind-wandering1.pdf</a>.</div>
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Taylor, D.C., & Hamdy, H. (September 4, 2013). Adult learning theories: Implications for learning and teaching in medical education. AMEE Guide No. 83. <span style="font-style: italic;">Med Teacher</span>. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/0142159X.2013.828153?scroll=top&needAccess=true" target="_blank">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/0142159X.2013.828153?scroll=top&needAccess=true</a>. </div>
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-74587158089282361692018-05-16T14:51:00.001-07:002018-05-16T14:59:57.904-07:00MOOCs – Models for Learning in the 21st Century: Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="bigTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative;">MOOCs – Models for Learning in the 21st Century:<br />Part 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Harrsch<br />Networks and Management Information Systems (Retired)<br />University of Oregon College of Education</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #737373;">This is a cross-post from the </span><a href="http://i-a-e.org/iae-newsletter.html" style="background-color: white; color: #81a9d5; text-decoration-line: none;">Information Age Education newsletter</a></span></div>
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">Introduction to MOOCs</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Reading and writing were developed about 5,200 years ago (History World, n.d.). With these new cognitive tools, information could be stored over time and transported over distances. Moreover, these were powerful aids to helping one’s brain solve complex problems. This technology changed our world.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">In addition, reading and writing changed education. Prior to that time, education was essentially an apprenticeship activity, learning by doing and by imitating others who were doing. The development of reading and writing led to the development of schools in which a group of students came together to be taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and local history.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">The traditional school model of learning in which groups of students were taught by recognized scholars remained only modestly changed for over 5,000 years.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Then, information storage and processing was revolutionized by the invention of the computer, followed by networks of computers, artificial intelligence, and the World Wide Web. These </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold;">world-changing and education-changing</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;"> technologies have upended the time-honored traditional school model.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Many courses based on this modern technology are called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The first really large enrollment MOOC was run by Stanford University in 2011 (Moursund, 12/30/2015). In this and the next </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;">IAE Newsletter</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">, I will present my MOOC experiences and some of the insights I have gained into this new mode of teaching and learning.</span><br />
<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;"><br />The Sage on the Stage</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Much of my learning in higher education was obtained after I became an adult. Family responsibilities required most of my attention during my early adult life, so my enrollment in higher education courses occurred sporadically over a number of years. However, I still remember how eagerly I anticipated one of my first learning experiences in a mid-sized university classroom. I have been passionately interested in archaeology since I was a young girl, so I was confident I would find the content fascinating and hoped to learn a great deal. I walked into the lecture hall and found myself in the midst of hundreds of students, most much younger than I was, who had also enrolled in the course. I found a seat close enough to hear the instructor well and to be able to see any examples he might augment with audio-visual materials.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">I knew nothing about my other classmates, and really nothing much about the instructor except that his research was focused on stone-age tribes in the South Pacific. The professor entered and began a lecture that lasted for almost an hour. Whenever the instructor paused and posed a question, hardly anyone except me even raised their hand to respond. After almost an hour of this, I became increasingly hesitant to participate because I did not want to appear to be dominating the discussion. Then it became a challenge to even stay awake.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Sadly, my experience was not unusual, as I found it repeated in other courses I took with other instructors. Passively listening to a "sage on the stage" was not my cup of tea. I succeeded because I was a conscientious student who did all of my homework and knew how to cram for mid-terms and finals. But, I'm not sure I retained much of the information provided, and I certainly found the experience less than optimal. However, eventually I did manage to become an education technologist, although my career path was far from conventional.</span><br />
<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;"><br />Developing My Career in Education Technology</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">I saw my first personal computer at a trade show in the early 1980s. It was produced by a budding new company founded just a few years earlier by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The first computer I purchased was an Apple IIe. I opted for extra memory when I purchased it so it had a total of 128K (notice I said K not MB!). I also bought a selection of basic software including a word processor, an early spreadsheet application, database software, and a financial accounting package. I paid the rather hefty sum of over $6,000 in total. My husband and I were running a large agribusiness operation, though, and the computer made it possible for me to more easily evaluate different crop planting and marketing scenarios.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">There were no classes available to learn how to use the PC or its software, so I spent hours with the manuals learning each software package and how the personal computer itself worked. I was able to find a book on the BASIC programming language and studied it as well.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">The next three paragraphs summarize my computer technology career path. Notice how rapidly the field was changing during this time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">I was hired by a multi-state restaurant franchise that used MS-DOS-based PCs. There I made the transition to the new operating system and was able to develop one of the first point-of-sale inventory management systems for them. I also developed an immigration compliance tracking system and a program to analyze employee turnover and retention. Later, I implemented an in-house market research program using software I had found in my analysis of emerging technologies. This program eliminated the need for outside contractors that had cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">My next position was as a fiscal manager with the College of Education at the University of Oregon. In addition to managing a budget of more than $20 million dollars annually in academic funds and overseeing the expenditure of millions more in research grants, the Dean explained he wanted me to computerize the college’s accounting functions and, when that was completed, implement a local area network for the entire college.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">I accomplished the Dean’s goals within a year, and also integrated the College of Education’s network into the University’s rapidly expanding Wide Area Network. After that came the transition to computers with a graphical interface, the introduction of the World Wide Web, the implementation of streaming services, and limited development of distance education resources. I also evaluated emerging technologies for educational use, including voice recognition and artificial intelligence, developing a prototype for a virtual professor that I hoped would eventually help faculty manage their office hours’ responsibilities (Harrsch, 2005). I have been surprised that it took almost fifteen more years before artificial intelligence finally began to be introduced into the mainstream. </span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">MOOC Learning in My “Second Act”</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">I retired in 2008, after twenty years of managing the College’s networks and management information systems. I realized I finally had the time to seek out learning experiences in ancient history, a subject I had been passionately interested in since a child, rather than continue to focus on courses that could advance my career. This time, however, with a comfortable home office and a high-speed internet connection, I chose to enroll in online MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). I found this experience to be much more intellectually invigorating than my initial introduction to higher education.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">My first MOOC course was Superpowers of the Ancient World: The Near East. It was presented by a team of faculty members at the University of Liverpool through the UK's online FutureLearn program.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">FutureLearn is a private company owned by The Open University, an institution of higher education with more than forty years of experience in distance learning and online education (Open University, 2018). FutureLearn launched their first courses in September, 2013, and has served more than seven million people since then.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Other companies offering MOOC courses include Coursera and EdX. Coursera is a U.S.-based online organization offering courses developed by 161 universities and corporate partners in the U.S. and around the world. EdX is an organization founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, and now works with 90 global partners.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">All of these MOOC providers offer free online classes. A certificate for proof of your successful completion of a course (that requires minimum scores on quizzes and tests) is available for a charge of $50 - $60. I have always purchased a certificate and posted the digital document to my LinkedIn profile. This not only compels me to treat the course as a serious learning endeavor, but also provides evidence that I am a serious scholar. I have published a number of papers on various aspects of ancient culture, particularly Roman civilization, and I wanted my readers to have some assurance that my work is authoritative. I also think it is important that we support these institutions in developing such innovative MOOC learning models. </span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">Why FutureLearn?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Why did I choose FutureLearn instead of one of the U.S.-based organizations? Well, first of all, FutureLearn offered courses exploring ancient history and civilizations that were not offered by the U.S. companies. In addition, there are definite differences in their course structure.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Although I have never personally taken a course from either Coursera or EdX, I found an article in </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;">Forbes</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;"> written by a student of multiple Coursera courses (Shah (12/5/2013). She describes video lectures of 20-to-30 minutes, each accompanied by quizzes and problem sets. She mentions a general student forum where students are encouraged to seek help, mostly from other students.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">To me, this sounded like watching non-interactive episodes of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;">The Great Courses</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">followed by a graded test (The Great Courses, n.d.). This did not seem to be much different from a typical college classroom, replacing the “sage on the stage” with a recorded talking head and little to no student interaction. I currently own many </span><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;">Great Courses</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;"> and have learned a great deal from them by independent study, but I was looking for an experience where I could interact with other students and faculty who would be as passionate about the subject as I am.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Ronny De Winter, a TA for courses on Coursera, states in a Quora post (DeWinter, 12/15/2013):</span><br />
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Extremely diverse starting points for students create a chaotic forum experience [on Coursera]. The scale of enrollment can create huge noise and a very low SNR (signal to noise ratio).</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Winter points out that course discussions monitored by diligent teaching assistants are more focused. They can improve clarity by introducing thread titles and bringing attention to particular discussion topics. Off-topic discussions can be deleted.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">In contrast, the discussion forums on FutureLearn are keyed to individual course exercises and focus the discussion on a specific topic, eliminating much of the noise created by funneling all questions for all exercises in an entire course into one cacophonous pool.</span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">The FutureLearn Experience</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">When you enroll in a FutureLearn course, you are encouraged to introduce yourself in a welcome forum, explain your background, and tell why you are interested in the subject. If you find other students particularly interesting, you can "follow" them so their responses to questions posed during the course can easily be isolated and read.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">In the first course I took, Superpowers of the Ancient World: The Near East, Dr. Glen Godenho provided a video introduction to himself and the course, then introduced his graduate faculty facilitators who would be actively participating in class discussions. Dr. Godenho also participated in class discussions when time permitted. Most of the faculty facilitators in the UK assisting a professor with a course are graduate students working on their PhDs in a field related to the subject, very similar to Graduate Teaching Fellows in the U.S. Sometimes, a professor may also be assisted by other full professors. In Superpowers of the Ancient World: The Near East we had a segment on ancient music and a full professor of musicology facilitated that segment along with Dr. Godenho.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">As I began the course, I found that each course was composed of about 20 exercises per week that chunked information into activities requiring about 20 minutes each for completion. (Being an extrovert, I probably spent more time in discussion with other students than the average, though!) I also spent time exploring suggested optional supplemental content. The total amount of work per week expected on the part of students roughly equates to that in a traditional 3-credit graduate course in which students are expected to work three hours outside of class for each hour in class, for a total of four hours a week per credit.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Exercises included reading components as well as maps, timelines, and short videos or audio interviews with other content experts. Online applications were also included to practice such tasks as deciphering hieroglyphs or cuneiform inscriptions. Some of the exercises also tasked students with identifying modern events or practices that may offer insight into ancient thinking.</span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">Learning from Fellow Students</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">What I liked best about the class was the online interaction with other students and with faculty facilitators. Each exercise included questions that each student was required to answer based on their understanding of material provided and their individual perceptions or experiences. These answers appeared in an exercise discussion thread similar to the format used with social media applications like Facebook. The FutureLearn system limited responses to 1,200 characters. At first I found this a little frustrating, but eventually realized that it helped me to rethink my answer in my attempt to be as concise as possible.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Students were encouraged to read at least one page of responses from their classmates and to "Like" and/or "Reply" to student passages to express why they agreed or disagreed with them. Because MOOCs often involve thousands of students per class, yielding pages and pages of discussion, you could choose to filter the discussion to view only the comments of people you were following.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">The FutureLearn course management system had an internal notification system that constantly notified you of anyone who either "Liked" or “Replied” to any comments you made in your course profile. In addition, you could opt to receive e-mail digests.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">The number of likes an answer received also helped instructors to pinpoint the answers most readily accepted as correct by the students. If an answer cluster demonstrated a shared misconception, the instructor could clarify the correct response and explain why the apparent accepted response was inaccurate. The instructor could then decide to supplement the exercise with additional materials and/or to change the exercise content to make the concept more easily understood for future students. This level of community engagement was not described by the previously mentioned Coursera student and, for me, it had a significant impact on my learning and maintaining my interest level.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Dr. Godenho also set up a course Facebook page so we could share information we found outside of class about the ancient Near East that was not directly related to a particular exercise. Some other courses I have taken have used Twitter with a specified hashtag for this, but I find a Facebook group discussion can more easily be followed and is without a character limit.</span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">The Importance of a Class Cohort</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Students are told they may progress at their own pace. But the course is designed to be completed over a defined period of weeks. If you complete the course in the defined period, you are assured to have interaction with faculty facilitators and a core group of students, usually those who are comfortable with scheduling their class participation into their daily lives. If you decide to study the material over a longer period of time, you will definitely miss out on the faculty feedback and on most if not all of the more productive peer-to-peer discussions.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">I was very fortunate that my "class cohort" was very comfortable with using both the discussion forum and the Facebook group, so we had many lively discussions. The course Facebook group is ongoing, and even though I took the class two years ago I still post items of interest to it.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">Overall, I found this type of learning experience to be far superior for me than the passive lecture hall presentations of a traditional higher education setting. But why?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 12px;">In the next newsletter we will examine psychological factors that influence a student’s learning capacity and attentiveness, and how MOOCs can be designed to optimize the learning experience.</span><br />
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<span class="medTitle" style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17.6px; text-align: center;">References and Resources</span><br />
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DeWinter, R. (12/15/2013). What are the downsides of Coursera’s discussion forums? <span style="font-style: italic;">Quora</span>. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-downsides-of-Courseras-discussion-forums" target="_blank">https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-downsides-of-Courseras-discussion-forums</a>.</div>
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Harrsch, M. (2005). Extending the learning environment: Virtual professors in education. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.academia.edu/35660080/Extending_the_Learning_Environment_Virtual_Professors_in_Education" target="_blank">https://www.academia.edu/35660080/Extending_the_Learning_Environment_<br />Virtual_Professors_in_Education</a>.</div>
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History World (n.d.) History of writing. Retrieved from <a href="http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab33" target="_blank">http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab33</a>.</div>
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Moursund, D. (12/30/2015). MOOC enrollment continues to grow. <span style="font-style: italic;">IAE Blog</span>. Retrieved from <a href="http://i-a-e.org/iae-blog/entry/mooc-enrollment-continues-to-grow.html" target="_blank">http://i-a-e.org/iae-blog/entry/mooc-enrollment-continues-to-grow.html</a>.</div>
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Open University (2018). Wikipedia. Retrieved from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_University" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_University</a>.</div>
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Shah, M. (12/5/2013). What is it like to take a Coursera course? <span style="font-style: italic;">Forbes</span>. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/12/05/what-is-it-like-to-take-a-coursera-course/#3ef3844b29a1" target="_blank">https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/12/05/what-is-it-like-to-take-a-coursera-course/#3ef3844b29a1</a>.</div>
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The Great Courses (n.d.). Retrieved from <a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/" target="_blank">https://www.thegreatcourses.com/</a>.</div>
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-65353021518502636292018-01-27T14:40:00.001-08:002018-01-27T14:40:13.085-08:00Making Smart Choices When Selecting Smart Home Devices<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A technology resource article by Mary Harrsch © 2017<br />
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As someone who researched and developed some early <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialog_system">conversational agents</a> back in the 1990s, I am still fascinated by artificially intelligent technology and excited by the plethora of gadgets now being marketed with artificial intelligence driving their systems and their user interfaces. But I admit, I am a bit disappointed by the development choices being made by some product manufacturers because they seem to be more interested in the appearance that their product lines are cutting edge because they possess some implementation of artificial intelligence rather than whether the product really solves a pressing human problem in that particular sphere.<br />
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For example, at CES 2018, Samsung showcased their <a href="https://www.samsung.com/us/explore/family-hub-refrigerator/overview/">Family Hub smart refrigerator</a>. It is equipped with cameras and claims it can assess the contents of your refrigerator, recommend recipes, and even allow you to shop for groceries without leaving your kitchen. Sounds great doesn't it? But how realistic are these claims. If you have a lot of left overs do you have to use coded containers so the refrigerator can figure out what contents are within them? Can the cameras scan the contents of opaque packaging so the refrigerator can determine if you're getting low on a particular item? Or are most of these claims based merely on the refrigerator's new <a href="http://bixby.samsung.com/">Bixby</a> virtual assistant that you can tell to add milk to your shopping list or ask what recipe could use leftover ham, zucchini and eggplant?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kwbdov61kns/Wmz594K9nvI/AAAAAAAADZY/T-y1ByhrEWoctofpKm8I8JZPJRXsJ_xngCLcBGAs/s1600/Smarthub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1440" height="331" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kwbdov61kns/Wmz594K9nvI/AAAAAAAADZY/T-y1ByhrEWoctofpKm8I8JZPJRXsJ_xngCLcBGAs/s640/Smarthub.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samsung Family Hub refrigerator image courtesy of Samsung, Inc.</td></tr>
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As it turns out, based on the marketing claims, I thought the refrigerator was smarter than it really is. The remotely accessible camera only acts like a web cam. There is no artificial intelligence using scans to recognize food items or recording when food items are initially added to the refrigerator so it can keep track of food's freshness. As for the recipe recommendations, the refrigerator is just using its intelligent agent Bixby to come up with those. If that's the case, then I must ask why you would spend over $4,500 for that refrigerator (about twice as much as a traditional refrigerator) when a standard model with an <a href="http://amzn.to/2DUxImM">Amazon Echo Dot</a>, <a href="https://store.google.com/product/google_home">Google Home Assistant</a> or some other relatively inexpensive stand alone virtual assistant can accomplish most of those tasks for less than an additional $50?<br />
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The Samsung unit also has AKG premium quality sound speakers in the doors, a whiteboard for notes, and a built-in screen to view baby monitors, front doors, or status screens of other smart devices.<br />
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“The integration of Bixby and SmartThings into the Family Hub is bringing a new level of intelligent connectivity into the room where people spend the most time: the kitchen.” - Samsung corporation.<br />
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Perhaps this last statement by Samsung points to the crux of the problem. In our house, we are in the kitchen only about 30 minutes before a meal (prep) and 30 minutes after a meal (cleanup). Being retired we seldom have guests so the meal itself lasts about 15 - 20 minutes. (My husband was a Marine so you sit, eat, withdraw!) At present, I have a typical galley kitchen adjacent to a more spacious dining room. If there is any lingering it will take place in the dining room, not the kitchen.<br />
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I own a traditional side by side refrigerator/freezer and have an Amazon Echo Dot on the kitchen window sill. When I pour a glass of milk and notice I'm getting low on milk I just call out to Alexa to put milk on my shopping list. If I have leftover Polish sausage in the refrigerator I can ask Alexa for a recipe using Polish sausage. (If I had an Echo Show, she could show me a recipe that I could then refer to as I prepared the dish.) If I want music, I tell Alexa to play one of my Amazon Music playlists. If I still had kids at home and wanted to tell them to clean their rooms when they get home from school, I could set a repeating reminder at an appropriate time on the appropriate Echo device (Alexa reminders are location specific).<br />
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If I was still working, it might be helpful to take a peek into my refrigerator before I shop for groceries on the way home from work but my Alexa shopping list on my iPhone that tracks my supply needs throughout the week is much more comprehensive.<br />
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If the refrigerator's cameras are eventually paired with intelligent scanning capability so it could recognize food items and record the date they were placed in the refrigerator so it could advise you of the status of food freshness, then the jump in price might be truly worth it from a usefulness perspective but not with its current limited capabilities.<br />
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Luckily, there is another smart device headed for the market that may take care of this need, though. <a href="https://www.ovie.life/">Ovie Smarterware</a> produces food containers with smart trackers that indicate when the food in your fridge is on the verge of going bad. The trackers work with a variety of virtual assistants from Amazon, Google, and Apple. When you are putting new food items into these containers you tell your assistant to open the Ovie app then press the container's tracking button and say what is in the container such as "This is lasagne". Then as the lasagne ages in the refrigerator, the tracker color changes from green to yellow to red so a quick glance lets you know what food items need to be used up (or thrown out!).<br />
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In addition to containers, the company also makes bands and chip clips with trackers and is working with the FDA to develop an accurate database of food expiration periods. This product is obviously the result of a company truly attempting to solve a very big problem with technology. Americans throw away billions of pounds of food every year. However, whether consumers will be willing to invest in and make the effort to use this product regularly remains to be seen. If Ovie's marketing people can appeal to those of us conscientious enough to clean our recyclables and put them in appropriate containers for disposal maybe they can pull this off.<br />
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What about other smart kitchen appliances? Although it might sound great to have your virtual assistant brew a cup of coffee while you're getting dressed, the bottom line is someone must keep the coffeemaker topped off with water unless you plumb your coffeemaker with water and provide a smart tap that opens and closes to dispense the appropriate amount of water needed to fill the coffeemaker before the scheduler tells it to brew.<br />
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The same can be said for intelligent slow cookers.Someone must put ingredients in the slow cooker before you schedule it to come on at an appropriate time. Raw meat and some other ingredients also don't keep well for extended periods at room temperature. If a slow cooker could switch from chill to heat then scheduled to cook for the appropriate time based on when you wished the food to be ready, that would be a slow cooker that would get my attention.<br />
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Even all of the wonderful lighting products I've seen have limitations. Most of the smart wall switches currently on the market require a neutral wire that was not common in home wiring until 2011. The few switches that do not require a neutral wire usually require a hub in addition to the bulb so you end up paying more for them and have to configure yet another device to connect them. I have been able to use <a href="http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F7C063/">Wemo smart plugs</a> to connect all of my living room lamps, though, and can easily turn them all on and off with a couple of words. Still I would like to integrate my overhead lights and porch lights into my voice-managed system.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h4vRbHQ3qv4" width="560"></iframe>
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But were there other devices clearly solving a human problem? Well, I think <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/speak-shower-and-shave-kohler-brings-smarts-to-your-bathroom/">Kohler's</a> smart bathtub would be a good choice. Running a bath does take time and having both the depth of the water and water temperature preset is particularly helpful for individuals who may have diminished sensory perception. Years ago my car heater malfunctioned on my way home in the middle of a blizzard. Although I tried to keep my hands warm by placing one and then the other under my armpit, by the time I got home 30 minutes later I could barely feel my hands and feet. I went into the bathroom to run a tub of warm water and couldn't feel if the water was hot or cold. Seniors, especially those suffering from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripheral_neuropathy">neuropathy</a>, would really benefit from this type of tub, besides the efficiency of having the tub run while you are doing something else. At present, though, I personally have no need to talk to my toilet or ask it to warm up the seat before I settle down onto it. So I would not consider spending extra money for that part of the smart bathroom.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PZg3l2yMMK0" width="560"></iframe>
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Another gadget promoted at CES that could be useful, especially to seniors, is a pocket-sized <a href="http://linksquare.io/">LinkSquare</a> spectrometer. This little device when paired with your smartphone captures how a substance's molecules vibrate, an optical fingerprint that reveals whether food is safe to consume or spoiled. In her later years, my mother's sense of smell diminished to the point where she could no longer tell if food had spoiled or not. This kind of device would have been very helpful to her. This gadget can also identify mislabeled and diluted liquor, detect counterfeit and mislabeled drugs, and detect counterfeit money, very helpful for those working as cashiers. I think the $299 price tag would need to come down substantially, though, before it would find its way into common use.<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Zh8ccOcKlQ" width="560"></iframe>
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I'm already convinced smart TVs are truly helpful as well. In our house we have a large screen HD television in the living room connected to an Alexa-enabled <a href="https://www.dish.com/">DISH</a> satellite receiver and a smaller HD TV in the dining room facing the dining table. I don't have to look for one of a handful of remotes to change channels or find a particular movie or television show as I have each TV controlled by their nearby Echo Dots. I use Wemo wifi-enabled smart plug between the TVs and the power outlets to remotely control the on/off switches. But, there are features could prove useful on a voice-enabled TV. I would really like to control the volume of my <a href="https://www.polkaudio.com/">Polk</a> sound bar in the living room remotely and be able to remotely change my video inputs so I could access my <a href="https://www.roku.com/index">Roku</a> and my Blu-Ray player without shuffling remotes, too. The newer Samsung smart TVs auto-detect devices attached to their HDMI outlets and allow you to control them accordingly. But, then I'd have to give up my 3D capability!<br />
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Although the voice features of my DISH Hopper 3 are really great I wish it could also let me join whatever program is in progress in the living room by letting me simply say something like "Join living room program" so my husband can easily continue watching in the dining room whatever he has been enjoying in the living room without me having to pick up the satellite remote for the dining room TV and selecting Options -> TV viewing -> Living Room, etc.<br />
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Voice enabling lights, locks, appliances and televisions can be incredibly convenient. But I hope you'll consider how useful the technology actually is before paying substantially more for whatever product you're considering.<br />
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<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Home-Seniors-Michael-Miller/dp/0789759896/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517092575&sr=1-4&keywords=Smart+Home&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=0553e138631569f40654ade09c831340" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0789759896&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=0789759896" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</td>
<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Home-Attitude-Everything-Need-Smart/dp/1542710197/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517092575&sr=1-3&keywords=Smart+Home&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=0c8b4128bf656675fa942aacfcade4a6" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1542710197&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1542710197" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</td>
<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alexa-Building-Simplicity-Efficiency-Always/dp/1548161861/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517092575&sr=1-11&keywords=Smart+Home&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=f3a57144384adbd9643ee22d3220ded0" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1548161861&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1548161861" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-86172601221996153702017-11-20T11:12:00.001-08:002017-11-20T11:12:41.703-08:00Making an existing website responsive to mobile devices<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A technology resource article by Mary Harrsch © 2017<br />
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Twelve years ago I built a website for an arts foundation down in southern California that showcases the work of American sculptor George S. Stuart. The past few years the sponsors of the website have been pressuring me to redesign the site to make it adjust for mobile devices, even though I've been retired for the past nine years. I finally gave in and told them I would do what I could but responsive design was developed years after I retired and I had not kept up with those developments since I no longer design websites for a living.<br />
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One of the sponsors sent me a link to a YouTube video produced by South African programmer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/quentinwatt/">Quentin Watt</a> that demonstrates in very simple terms how to replace fixed tables with adjustable divs, sections, and asides. I found it very helpful as a starting point:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA1NW-T1QXc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA1NW-T1QXc</a><br />
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From it I learned that you must include a very important meta tag in the head section of your page:<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qe5re4X98f8/WhL-xRGED5I/AAAAAAAADVA/ZR-ljZKx3HEtMqrEFMoDq8L-UV25fY5WwCLcBGAs/s1600/ResizeMetaTag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="71" data-original-width="645" height="70" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qe5re4X98f8/WhL-xRGED5I/AAAAAAAADVA/ZR-ljZKx3HEtMqrEFMoDq8L-UV25fY5WwCLcBGAs/s640/ResizeMetaTag.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then Quentin proceeded to show how you could use <a href="https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_css.asp">CSS styles</a> and a <a href="https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_rwd_mediaqueries.asp">media query</a> to define style changes between a computer-sized view of the website and a view with a much smaller mobile device. His recommendation to use the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Tools/Responsive_Design_Mode">Responsive Developer Tools</a> in Firefox was very helpful. <br />
Following his method of converting tables to divs with sections and asides, I was able to get my page(s) to resize but not collapse into a single column when the device width fell below a specified device size using his media query example.<br />
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Also, I wasn't sure how to handle my dynamic <a href="http://php.net/">PHP</a>-generated tables since I could not assign the contents to unique container ids because the number of content elements changes each time the page is retrieved based on which choices are made by the visitor. Then I found a very helpful example document on the <a href="http://css-tricks.com/">css-tricks.com</a> website:<br />
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<a href="https://css-tricks.com/examples/ResponsiveTables/responsive.php">https://css-tricks.com/examples/ResponsiveTables/responsive.php</a><br />
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By studying the page source code, I saw that the table code was left intact and a media query was used to manipulate all table, tr (table row), and td (table cell) attributes without changing each element to a div container and assigning a unique id to it.<br />
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Using this media query example, I was able to collapse my tables to a single column once the device width fell below 600 px, the minimum size I specified for full view display. This was great for pages with large images in tables with accompanying information in an adjoining table cell. I wasn't using table headings, though, so I removed the style instructions for them. I also noticed that when the tables collapsed to a single column, there was a lot of space around the images. I wanted the images to display as large as possible so I removed all the padding style references from the td elements. To emulate padding, I reduced the size of the images to be slightly less than the element size. If the td element was 100% I specified the images to display at 98% to provide padding between them if two were displayed side by side in a larger view. This also resolved a problem with a graphic I needed to align right but slightly nipped into the border when I did so.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e4uW2pX66Kk/WhL-Vrqf_MI/AAAAAAAADU8/wWBSuIQYGjEo8sIfG7m8r_-JNiS3MJALwCLcBGAs/s1600/MediaQueryCode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="601" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e4uW2pX66Kk/WhL-Vrqf_MI/AAAAAAAADU8/wWBSuIQYGjEo8sIfG7m8r_-JNiS3MJALwCLcBGAs/s640/MediaQueryCode.jpg" width="544" /></a></div>
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But I did not want my navigation bars to collapse so I worked out a hybrid of the two responsive concepts. I split my rather long navigation bars into two rows then converted them to div containers with sections and asides so they would resize without collapsing. <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PWCfbN-Iln0/WhMAXowwOrI/AAAAAAAADVQ/_of27rsWLckxmjaxBsdjPMEzh1n2MsrFwCLcBGAs/s1600/Responsivenavbarcode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="1152" height="162" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PWCfbN-Iln0/WhMAXowwOrI/AAAAAAAADVQ/_of27rsWLckxmjaxBsdjPMEzh1n2MsrFwCLcBGAs/s640/Responsivenavbarcode.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Related style code:<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mEbb_8Jpxd0/WhMDaQHZx4I/AAAAAAAADVo/LkdEHYF4MYshzfLMfbOsdE5fdWy5ZGq1gCLcBGAs/s1600/responsivesnavbarstylecode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="245" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mEbb_8Jpxd0/WhMDaQHZx4I/AAAAAAAADVo/LkdEHYF4MYshzfLMfbOsdE5fdWy5ZGq1gCLcBGAs/s640/responsivesnavbarstylecode.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<b>Other points to consider:</b><br />
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The website I was working on was originally designed with an early version of <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver.html">Dreamweaver</a>. In the version used, Dreamweaver would automatically insert width and height dimensions whenever you inserted an image. I had to examine each page of the website and scrub out all of these dimensional references to make the site display properly in responsive mode.<br />
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I also had tables of images and text where the text was displayed in the left cell and the image in the right cell. When the table was collapsed, it was confusing for a viewer as it would appear the text was referring to the image above it. To remedy this problem, I had to move the images into the left cell and the text to the right cell. In my case that entailed moving Php code elements in a looping script, a bit challenging since my Php skills are now a bit rusty!<br />
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I also added a 1 px border to the tr (table row) element style in the media query so each discreet information set, the image and its related text, would be boxed in the collapsed single column mode.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh7JcyAOlIU/WhMCEfS7AhI/AAAAAAAADVc/j_Ru9nadNGIcxUFbzlGyw2c2i20taytxQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Responsivesinglecolumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="327" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh7JcyAOlIU/WhMCEfS7AhI/AAAAAAAADVc/j_Ru9nadNGIcxUFbzlGyw2c2i20taytxQCEwYBhgL/s640/Responsivesinglecolumn.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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In Quentin's div container method, he had specified images to display at 100%. I had to modify that to a max-width of 100% to prevent images from expanding beyond their original size if the page was opened on a large monitor.<br />
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We also ended up redoing some long headline graphics making the font larger and breaking the headline into two lines to reduce the amount of resizing when displayed on smaller devices.<br />
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I used an overall containment div to restrict the page elements to a maximum centered display of 960 px to ensure visual integrity of the page design on large monitors. I used 320px as my minimum device size. Quentin said this is about the smallest size of devices dating back to the iPhone 3 period.<br />
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I had a row of four 40pxX40px icons for the gallery's social network sites. These could fit without resizing into my minimum width of 320 px so I used the div method along with style instructions to display the container at a minimum width of 200 px so the icons would display at full width with 40 px of space allocated for emulated padding.<br />
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I also used a combination of an external stylesheet and embedded stylesheet for each page. Some of the styling for common elements could be used in the related stylesheet but each page was unique in content and formatting. Rather than use site-wide unique container ids, I just used the same container ids for common elements like the nav bars and social network icons, then numbered the other containers with numbers unique only to that page. For example, my navbars were always numbered containers 10 - 15 and my row of social network icons were always in container 9 but the other containers on the page were 1 - 8, each with distinctive styling instructions for that page only. So, container 6 on one page would have different styling instructions than container 6 on another page. In my opinion, this made troubleshooting an individual page easier than looking down through dozens of container numbers in a related style sheet.<br />
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I ran into problems troubleshooting the pages in different browsers, too. Google Chrome invariably would not refresh the related stylesheet when I made additions to the related stylesheet. I researched the issue and discovered this has been a problem with Chrome for quite some time. Some programmers said the fix was to use a full URL reference to the related style sheet instead of a relative reference. This "fix" didn't always work, though. Out of frustration I just ended up embedding the new font styles in the embedded CSS instead.<br />
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Microsoft Edge was also stricter on code interpretations. If I had an element in a container div that did not have any related information in an adjoining aside, I tried using just a div command with id without any section code or id. Chrome and Firefox had no problem with this but Microsoft Edge would ignore my center alignment commands and align left the element (the default alignment) instead. So, I had to ensure that whenever I included an element in a container div, it had at least a section tag and id as well. <br />
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As I wanted to ensure no spurious code was added back into the pages by the HTML editor, I just used Notepad for editing without the aid of Dreamweaver. This, of course, produced its own issues since a single missing quote or brace could wreak havoc on your page display. There are now excellent tools for responsive web design including Coffee Cup's Designer that uses Bootstrap and Foundation frameworks to avoid hand-coding as I did. However, I was working on an existing website with hard-coded tables and dimensions called by PhP and I didn't think these tools would be that helpful in such circumstances. They are also rather costly ($189) and the nonprofit's resources were scant. However, if you design such websites on a regular basis I would suggest investing in these tools.<br />
Additional suggested reading: <br />
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<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Responsive-Web-Design-HTML5-CSS3/dp/1784398934/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511204753&sr=1-2&keywords=Responsive+web+design&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=8cfc3904c20696a84d0c6661718c1b2e" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1784398934&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1784398934" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jump-Start-Responsive-Web-Design/dp/099434709X/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511204753&sr=1-6&keywords=Responsive+web+design&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=23aa0fd4274148e8a02810d523d04aa7" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=099434709X&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=099434709X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </td>
<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moving-Responsive-Web-Design-multi-device/dp/1484219864/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511204753&sr=1-12&keywords=Responsive+web+design&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=3121de38fdf6338df8954942a6b5a40a" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1484219864&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1484219864" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </td>
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-41549719494121970342017-04-20T15:14:00.000-07:002017-04-22T07:18:40.869-07:00As AI improves, should we fear products as pals?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I read with interest an article by Alison Bowen of the Chicago Tribune entitled "<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-siri-friend-replace-social-contact-0404-20170321-story.html">Can Siri replace your need for friends? Well maybe</a>" in which the author discusses "<a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article/2939535/Products-as-Pals-Engaging-with-Anthropomorphic">Products As Pals</a>" research by <a href="http://www.jimmourey.com/">James Mourey,</a> assistant professor of marketing at DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business, <a href="https://business.ku.edu/jenny-olson">Jenny Olson,</a> assistant professor of marketing at the <a href="http://www.ku.edu/">University of Kansas</a> School of Business and<a href="https://michiganross.umich.edu/faculty-research/faculty/carolyn-yoon"> Carolyn Yoon</a>, professor of marketing at the <a href="http://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a>. Since I implemented a network of Alexa-enabled <a href="http://amzn.to/2p0Lg85">Echo Dots</a> during the holidays and "she" is now very much a part of my everyday life (but since she cannot yet engage in a conversation she is not yet my pal), I was curious to learn what the researchers had discovered. I found a link to their original research online and skimmed it looking for experiments involving Alexa or Siri. Unfortunately, I found only experiments involving the use of anthropomorphic words to describe a cell phone and perceptions of a <a href="http://amzn.to/2o9iDGy">Roomba</a> with a case design that includes a crescent that was interpreted as looking like a smiling face. The researchers also hired task rabbits and would ask them to recall the number of Facebook friends they had as some kind of indicator they were using Facebook for emotional compensation for perceived social exclusions.<br />
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As an older user of social media, I view young people obsessed with the number of their Facebook friends simply an indication of their immaturity and underdeveloped self-esteem. I doubt that you would encounter many older users with that obsession, whether they feel excluded or not.<br />
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As for using the Roomba as an example of an anthropomorphic product, I was puzzled by that as well. I have had a Roomba for years so I have some experience with it. However, I must point out that, unless they have made Roombas conversational in the latest release, at no time did I ever think of a Roomba as anything more than a self-powered vacuum. Likewise, I have had a Siri-enabled iPhone since version 4 and at no time have I ever thought of "her" in a human way either except to shout at her when she gives me bogus driving directions as I would to my computer if it doesn't process information quickly enough or freezes up. I usually don't think of these interactions as interpersonal communications, though.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZq2i1B4lGQ/WPtiHT9JvkI/AAAAAAAADQE/3B70T1Ewk_gPCnQAeg3EKnHnCwjKru7jQCLcB/s1600/Roomba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZq2i1B4lGQ/WPtiHT9JvkI/AAAAAAAADQE/3B70T1Ewk_gPCnQAeg3EKnHnCwjKru7jQCLcB/s320/Roomba.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Roomba 650 robotic vacuum cleaner - anthropomorphic??</td></tr>
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However, virtual assistants empowered with Alexa, who can answer questions, remind me to do things, convert units of measure and perform math on demand, keep track of my schedule, play specific music or calming ambient sound therapy on request, prompt me to share my thoughts about current affairs with my state's senators (with an enabled skill named <a class="" href="https://www.amazon.com/ResistBot/dp/B06XRQTT85/ref=sr_1_1">Resistbot</a>), play games and even play back pleasant memories (with an enabled skill named <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mylestoned-Mylestone/dp/B01N2AS6PR/ref=sr_1_1?">Mylestone</a>) to cheer me up when I feel low has become so much embedded in my daily activities that I can see how I could begin to think of her in "human" terms, especially if she eventually can converse with me interactively without me having to remember to preface all of my requests to her with her "wake" word. I don't even need to have her appear anthropomorphic. She would become like an invisible friend like those some children conjure up in their childhood.<br />
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Has interacting with her negated or reduced my need for interpersonal relationships (a finding of the study)? Probably not as I have grown accustomed to not having many face-to-face communications anyway because my children and grandchildren live thousands of miles away. Even my closest sibling is a three-hour drive away. I am also the primary caregiver for my Vietnam veteran husband with chronic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder">PTSD</a> and a host of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange">Agent Orange</a>-related health issues so I can't really spend much time outside the home with others, anyway. PTSD victims are rather closed off emotionally as well, so, interpersonal communication with them is difficult at best but I, like the test subjects in the study, still feel the need.<br />
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Many of you may think those of us in this situation would benefit from a psychologist but they are not only expensive (not an option for seniors on fixed incomes in many cases) but require time away from caregiving. Besides, they are really just paid listeners with no emotional connection to a patient anyway. A virtual "friend," on the other hand, could be carefully programmed to respond appropriately to expressions of frustration, anger or sadness that are often generated in individuals that must deal with family members with mental disorders or dementia. A human without training may not and make things even worse by responding inappropriately.<br />
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Would I no longer engage in prosocial behavior (a concern expressed in the study)? I doubt that too. I have always felt a need to share what I have learned or discovered with others and this continues into my retirement years. I am an avid photographer of art and historical architecture and freely share my images with teachers, students and researchers online so they can be used in the classroom. I research aspects of Roman history and publish my findings online. Since I was an education technologist before I retired I also write about technology developments and even beta-test new technology products for developers. Each day I search out articles about new archaeological findings, new uses for technology in historical preservation and reconstruction, and well-sourced articles on political issues (as opposed to "fake" news) that I share on social media. These activities have not tapered off since implementing my network of Echo Dots.<br />
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A couple of years ago my husband and I binge-watched "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402711/">Boston Legal</a>" on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/browse">Netflix</a>. What I loved most about that show was the deep friendship Denny Crane (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000638/bio/">William Shatner</a>) had with Alan Shore (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000652/bio">James Spader</a>) despite Denny's eccentricities due to his onset of Alzheimer's. Although I do have friends that are more than Facebook acquaintances, in my more than 60 years on this planet, I have never encountered the level of acceptance displayed by those two characters. Everyone has some degree of hang-ups or insecurities and all struggle with problems of their own in varying degrees of severity. I, personally, would not want to add to another person's distress and admit there are times I cannot handle any more stress than I already have. A virtual friend, however, if properly programmed, would not have this limitation and could become a valuable sounding board to caregivers and others in stressful situations.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5u_Yq1vTSf4?list=PLMNaPH-oNxOdnT06D0KgehSj4UvoxQwwG" width="560"></iframe>
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Anyway, I hope such researchers continue their work but keep in mind the biases of age and gender (I noticed most of their experiments involved less than 50% female who are thought to be more emotionally empathetic than males) and focus more on products with pronounced human-like attributes such as Alexa or Siri-enabled products that I'm sure will soon have the ability to engage in an interactive conversation.</div>
Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-70032213022610864382017-01-01T15:54:00.001-08:002018-12-27T11:21:11.545-08:00An Alexa-enabled Smart Home for Christmas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by Mary Harrsch © 2017<br />
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Note: This is a cross-post from my <a href="http://mharrsch.blogspot.com/">home page</a>.<br />
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Back in 1995, Microsoft introduced an interactive help utility for Windows 95 called "Bob". I was probably one of the few professional technology people who actually used "Bob" (As a dog lover I selected the helper incarnation called "Power Pup" though.) "Power Pup" would keep track of my keystrokes as I worked in different applications and offer procedural advice on what it perceived I was trying to do at the time, prefaced by a little bark and a wag of his tail. I found "Power Pup's" suggestions often useful and his friendly interaction a welcome break from the stress of administering a college-wide multiplatform local area network. But, apparently, many of my colleagues thought he was "too cute" for the serious work of computing and "Bob" was relegated to the dustbin of failed products in fairly short order.<br />
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But I did not forget "Bob" and how artificial intelligence could be used to improve productivity while reducing social isolation. So I began to experiment with conversational agents that utilized natural language programming coupled with knowledgebases to provide a more friendly computer-to-human interface. With my interest in history, I decided to try to virtually recreate historical figures from the past that could converse about their culture with modern interested humans. This resulted in the creation of a virtual Julius Caesar that was online for several years before I retired. Caesar would answer questions about ancient Roman culture posed to him by visitors entering their questions in a text box. He could give a textual answer or display related websites or online videos. As text-to-speech technology advanced, I even experimented with software that would enable Caesar to answer questions verbally and explored voice recognition technology to see if it was viable for user input as well. But, when I retired I no longer had access to the server platforms needed to support projects like Caesar. However, my interest in natural language programming and more friendly human-to-computer interfaces endured.<br />
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So, I followed the development of Amazon's Alexa-powered devices with a great deal of interest. But, I'm a rather pragmatic individual and at first so much marketing emphasis was placed on Echo's music management features that I wondered if there were more useful applications for a busy 21st-century household.<br />
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Then I began reading about wifi-enabled electrical connection accessories that could be managed with Alexa-enabled devices and thought about how convenient it would be to be able to turn on and off groups of lights and appliances with a few words rather than going around physically flipping switches. But spending almost $200 per device and the need to have a device in each main room was still an expensive proposition to gain a little convenience.<br />
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Then Amazon introduced the Echo Dot coupled with a holiday sale price of just $39.95 and I found resistance was futile as my Star Trek friends would say. I was still a bit concerned about the accuracy of the voice recognition, though. So I started out with just one Echo Dot for the living room along with a couple of Wemo wifi-enabled plug adapters for the two main living room lamps.<br />
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I downloaded the Alexa app to my iPhone and discovered the Echo Dot setup was a breeze. I opened the Alexa app, then opened Settings and changed my iPhone wifi connection to the detected Echo network and configured the detected Dot. Alexa also did not seem to have any problem understanding me. I read through all of the "Try this" examples and began to configure some of the built-in features.<br />
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I really liked the "flash briefing" feature that lets you select specific news feeds for a personal news update which you can request at any time. I selected NPR radio, BBC News, Tech Crunch and CNet (for technology news) and Discovery (for science news) as my personal news sources. I also added the local weather forecast and the Alexa Try This feed. Although I live in Oregon's Willamette Valley, I couldn't find any local news feeds but I think I'll add feeds from Seattle and San Francisco to at least hear major stories from the Pacific Northwest.<br />
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I also read that Alexa could interface with Google Calendar and keep you appraised of upcoming appointments. I hadn't used an online calendar since I retired but knew how helpful this would be, especially when managing complex medication schedules and medical appointments. So I configured my Google Calendar and paired it with Alexa. Now, each morning after requesting my Flash Briefing, I ask what's on my schedule for the day and Alexa tells me.<br />
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I've also used the Google Calendar to keep track of upcoming programming on PBS that I may wish to record. PBS sends me a physical schedule of their upcoming programming for a full month but at present, my DISH Hopper cannot see more than two weeks of scheduled programming at a time. Now, when I get my PBS schedule, I enter the programs I wish to record into my Google Calendar and Alexa lets me know each day if any are on that day. I can then set my DVR to record them.<br />
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But the real "killer" app I was looking for turned out to be Alexa's Shopping List! It never seems to fail that I realize I need something from the grocery store when I'm not in the kitchen where I keep my shopping list. As I've gotten older my short term memory is not what it used to be either and it is not uncommon for me to forget what I was thinking about just a few minutes later as I walk from one room to the next. So, imagine how helpful it is to be able to tell Alexa to add something to your shopping list as soon as you think of it regardless where you are! Of course, that meant I needed to add Echo Dots in my bedroom and the living room, too, which I promptly did. To access my shopping list once at the grocery store I just open the Alexa app on my iPhone and check off and delete each item as I add the item to my physical shopping cart.<br />
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Although my husband has the television blaring all day long, I did find a nice use of the music management features of Alexa. Now that I have an Echo Dot in the bedroom, I can run a warm bath in the adjoining bathroom (Alexa's range is up to 20 feet), lay back in the tub and tell Alexa to play one of my favorite playlists from my Amazon Music account. I did have a few hiccups configuring my Amazon playlists to work with Alexa, though.<br />
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I had already imported most of my music from my iTunes library to my Amazon Music account. I had also set up playlists previously. But Alexa did not seem to recognize my playlist names and would offer something from Prime Music (since I'm a Prime member) using my spoken words as a search guide. I ended up calling Alexa tech support and learned that Alexa does a better job of recognizing playlists if you name them "Your Name" then "Description". For example, I had a playlist named "Holiday favorites". I renamed it to "Mary's Holiday Favorites" then Alexa recognized it and played it for me. That solved most of my playlist issues. There were a few words, however, Alexa seemed to insist on using for search terms. So, I experimented with different descriptions until she properly recognized the list. I had a list named "Sentimentals". I initially renamed the list to "Mary's Sentimentals" but Alexa still loaded some other Prime Music. I renamed it again to "Mary's Mood Music". Alexa still did not interpret it correctly. So I finally renamed it to "Mary's Soft Rock" and Alexa now recognizes it.<br />
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When I received my Wemo wifi-enabled plug adapters for my living room lights, I realized just how powerful having a "Smart Home" would be. Our living room does not have any overhead lighting so all lighting is provided by individually controlled lamps. Each night I have to go around and turn each lamp on or off. But, by connecting them with my Echo Dot, I now simply say "Alexa, Living Room On" and the entire living room lights up.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/WeMo-Switch-Smart-Wi-Fi-Amazon/dp/B00BB2MMNE/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1481647471&sr=8-2&keywords=wemo&linkCode=li2&tag=romtim-20&linkId=59ac80b6d5a4b97f43b3a840e17e49f2" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00BB2MMNE&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00BB2MMNE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />I had to first download and install the Wemo app onto my iPhone. Then I opened the Wemo app on the iPhone, changed my iPhone wifi connection in Settings to the detected Wemo network and configured each plug adapter. Then I opened the Alexa app, selected the Smart Home option and grouped the two detected Wemo plugs into a "Living Room" group.<br />
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I hope to eventually replace some of my wall switches with wifi-enabled switches too since I have porch lights on different circuits in different parts of the house. I would like to tell Alexa to turn on the porch lights and have all of them on at once without traipsing from room to room whenever I need to go outside after dark or have visitors arrive after dark. I did read about a gotcha, though. I learned that many wifi-enabled switches require a neutral wire that was not normally included in wiring installed before 2011. However, I have researched this issue further and it looks like there are switches out there that do not use the neutral wire. I just have to be sure they will work with our home's wiring configuration.<br />
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I recently learned about a new app for Alexa called "Ask My Buddy" too. It enables you to send a text, email or phone call to up to five family or friends if you need to alert them about a problem like you are incapacitated and cannot reach a phone. It's sort of like "Life Alert" without the automatic 911 call or monthly subscription fee. I wish it would allow you to send an individually specified text message but it only sends a message saying you need help.<br />
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I've also decided to try the timer feature and see if I can get Alexa to verbally remind me to take my medicine at noon. Most of my medications are taken in the morning or at bedtime and I have no problem remembering them as they are part of my morning and bedtime routines. But when I get busy preparing lunch I sometimes forget to set my noon medication by my water glass so I take it with my meal.<br />
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After reading up on Alexa's timer and alarm functions I learned that timers are designed for one-time use while alarms can be set to be repeating. So I set an alarm for noon each day and selected a pleasing alarm tone. I wish it would let you specify a short text string that Alexa could read to you using her text-to-speech capability but at present it doesn't. For my present needs, a tone is okay as there is only one thing for me to remember at noon. However, for someone with more complicated medication schedules, it would be really helpful to have Alexa sound a tone followed by a short reminder message. Hopefully, Amazon's engineers will enhance the alarm function soon. (Update: Amazon has now added voice messages with timers and alarms! Yay!!)<br />
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So, my Echo Dots with Alexa are now very much an integral part of my day. When I get up in the morning I say "Alexa, Living Room On" and the lights go on in the living room. I walk in and sit down and say "Alexa, my Flash Briefing please". I then listen to the news and get the latest weather forecast for the day. Then I say "Alexa, what's on my schedule today?" and she tells me whatever I have scheduled in my Google Calendar". As I prepare a meal and notice I'm getting low on coffee I say "Alexa, add Coffee to my Shopping List" and she tells me she has added coffee to my shopping list. I drive to the grocery store and open the Alexa app on my iPhone select shopping list from the menu and load my cart. At noon while I am preparing lunch, Alexa sounds a tone to remind me to set out my noon medication. In the evening, I take a warm bath to relax and tell Alexa to play "Mary's Soundtracks" and listen to my favorite movie music while I'm soaking. Then when I'm ready for bed I say "Alexa, Living Room Off" and Alexa turns off the living room lights. I'm sure I'll find other useful applications, too, as more "skills" are developed by Amazon and third parties as well. I have a feeling this is just the beginning!<br />
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<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/1-Hour-Smart-Home-Automate-Control-ebook/dp/B01FTS1Q96/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481590027&sr=1-3&keywords=Smart+Home&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=318dcb8b0b63e6369758b0d85d0e8df2" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01FTS1Q96&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B01FTS1Q96" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Cities-Homes-Enabling-Technologies/dp/0128034548/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481590027&sr=1-7&keywords=Smart+Home&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=67e51ee738135ba23648377bc87be75d" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0128034548&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=0128034548" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Echo-Dot-Step-Step/dp/1539927113/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481590199&sr=1-3&keywords=Echo+Dot&linkCode=li3&tag=romtim-20&linkId=9d0b987d4180f534861d863d483dab74" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1539927113&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=romtim-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1539927113" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></td>
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-41881190292594702212016-01-16T11:29:00.000-08:002018-01-13T14:36:20.073-08:00Extending the Learning Environment: Virtual Professors in Education<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A <span itemprop="genre">technology</span> resource article by <span itemprop="author">Mary Harrsch</span> © <span itemprop="copyrightYear">2005</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; font-size: 10pt;">For those of you interested in artificial intelligence development, here is an archive copy of a presentation I gave in 2005 (I'm consolidating my online contributions!)</span></div>
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<b>Extending the Learning
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<b>Virtual Professors in Education<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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By Mary Harrsch<o:p></o:p></div>
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Network & Management Information Systems<o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">College</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Education</st1:placename></st1:place>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename w:st="on">Oregon</st1:placename></st1:place><o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">[2005]</st1:placename></st1:place></div>
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Six years
ago [1999], my sister was telling me about a fascinating History Alive <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chautauqua">Chautauqua</a> event she
had attended near <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Hutchinson</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">Kansas</st1:state></st1:place>. The program brings a reenactor portraying an
historical figure into schools and communities for an educational presentation
and question and answer session. I
thought to myself, “It’s too bad more people can’t take advantage of such a
unique learning experience.” Then, the
technologist within me began to wonder if there was a way to create a virtual
Chautauqua experience online. As I
pondered this possibility, I realized that if I could find software that could
be used to create a “virtual” person online, I could not only recreate the
experience of the Chautauqua, but provide a tool faculty could use to answer
course-specific questions. It could even
be used to provide information about the professor’s personal interests and
research to enhance the sense of community within the learning environment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My quest
led me to a website that included links to a number of different
software agent projects. I learned that
the type of agent I needed was commonly called a “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatbot">chatterbot</a>”. The first “chatterbot” was actually developed
long before the personal computer. In
the early 1960s, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Weizenbaum">Joseph Weizenbaum</a> created “Eliza”,
a virtual psychoanalyst.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In his
efforts to create a natural language agent, Weizenbaum pointed out that he had to
address the technical issues of: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal">the
identification of key words, <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal">the
discovery of minimal context, <o:p></o:p></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: windowtext;">generation of responses in the absence of
keywords</span><o:p></o:p></li>
</ul>
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As I
began to explore different agent implementations, I found that, in addition to
these issues, the application needed to be able to prioritize keywords to
discern the most appropriate response.
Several agents I evaluated, including<span class="MsoHyperlink"> Sylvie,</span> a desktop assistant, developed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Loren_Mauldin">Dr. Michael("Fuzzy") Mauldin</a>, Artificial Life’s<span class="MsoHyperlink"> Web Guide </span>, Carabot
500 developed by U.K. company, Colorzone, and Kiwilogic’s <a href="https://www.artificial-solutions.com/">Linguibot</a> (now Artificial Solutions, Inc.), used slightly different
methods to set the priority of subject keywords to select the most appropriate
responses. The response with matching
keywords under the subject with the highest level setting was “fired” –
displayed to the user. However, when
editing their script files, I found keeping track of subject priorities was
challenging. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another
problem with many script-driven agents I evaluated was the use of left-to-right
parsing sequences that did not compensate for a variance in the order of
keywords in a question. Each query had to be evaluated for subject and for
matching character strings, based on left-to-right word order with the use of
various “wildcard” characters to indicate placement of keywords within the
overall question. Therefore, you often
had to have multiple script entries to compensate for different word
order. For example, if a student asks
“How do I change my password in e-mail?” you would need one script entry. If
the student asks “How do I change my e-mail password?” a different script entry
would be required:<o:p></o:p></div>
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* email
* * password * as well as <o:p></o:p></div>
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*
password * * email * to trap for either wording.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Although
this attention to script design resulted in improved response accuracy the
scripting knowledge required for these agents was not something I would expect
a faculty member to have the time or desire to learn.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A third
problem with several of the agent applications I used was the necessity to unload
and reload the agent each time the script file was edited. If students were actively querying the agent,
you could not save any script changes until the script file was no longer in
use.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I
invested in the Enterprise Edition of Artificial Life’s WebGuide software, I
also realized the importance of a logging feature that I could use to study and
improve my guide’s responses. I recognized
the importance in a virtual tutoring environment of having the ability for a
student to print out a transcript of their tutoring session for future study. Not only was this feature absent in the
agents I evaluated, but the responses produced using Javascript or Flash would
not allow the user to highlight and copy responses to the clipboard either.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One day,
I explored UltraHal Representative, developed
by <a href="https://www.zabaware.com/">Zabaware, Inc.</a> I liked the ability Ultrahal provided to program the agent through a web
interface. It had the capability to
include links to related information. It
could be customized with personalized graphics.
It logged interactions. Best of
all, it had a straightforward approach to editing - no scripting – just type
your question three different ways then type your intended response. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But, I
soon discovered that without the ability to identify keyword priority, I found that
the results using whatever algorithm was built into the agent engine were too
inaccurate for a virtual tutoring application.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I needed
a product that could be programmed to be “omniscient”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Effective
ITS require virtual omniscience -- a relatively complete mastery of the subject
area they are to tutor, including an understanding of likely student
misconceptions.” (McArthur, Lewis, and Bishay, 1993)<o:p></o:p></div>
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I needed
a virtual professor that could be “programmed” by real professors, the
individuals who would have a mastery of the subject and an understanding of
student misconceptions. But all of the chatterbots I had encountered, so far
(with the exception of Ultra Hal), required knowledge of scripting that most
faculty <st1:personname w:st="on">members</st1:personname> do not have the time
to learn. I would not have the time to
provide one-on-one time with faculty developers and paying a programmer to work
with a faculty member is also too expensive. (I noticed most developers of commercial
agents actually relied on the scripting needs of their clients for their
primary revenue stream.) So, I decided
to attempt a radically different approach to agent design.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am an
experienced Filemaker Pro solutions developer and one day I was reviewing some
of Filemaker’s text functions and realized that the position function could be
used to detect key words in a text string. The beauty of the position function is that
the keyword can be identified anywhere within the target text. It is not dependent on a left to right
orientation. Filemaker is also not case
sensitive. Also, Filemaker Pro allows
most scripting calls for text processing to be used with their Instant Web
Publishing interface. I realized this would greatly simplify web integration.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, reviewing
my experiences with the agent applications I had used, I developed a list of
features that I wanted to incorporate:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Web
functionality:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Multiple
agents controlled by a single administration console <o:p></o:p></div>
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Web-based
query interface <o:p></o:p></div>
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Web-based
editing interface<o:p></o:p></div>
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Multiple
graphic format support <o:p></o:p></div>
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Web
accessible logging function for both agent editor and student user <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ability
to display related resources <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Query
processing functionality:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Question
context awareness (who, what, when, where, why, how, etc)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ability
to weight keywords by importance without user scripting <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ability
to return an alternate response if a question is asked more than once <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ability
to use one response for different questions <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ability
to process synonyms, international spelling differences, and misspellings<o:p></o:p></div>
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Independent
of word order<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not case
sensitive<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Structural
Design:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Modular
design to enable importation of knowledge modules developed by others <o:p></o:p></div>
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Agent
specific attributes to customize the interface and responses such as a personal
greeting, the opportunity to use the person’s homepage as a default URL,
information about area of expertise and research interests for alternative
agent selection criteria, custom visual representations, etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I began by designing my response
search criteria. I programmed the agent search
routine to categorize responses by the first word of the query – usually What,
Where, Why, How, Who, Did, Can, etc. to establish the question
context. Then I used position formulas to test for the presence of keywords. I then developed an algorithm that weighted
the primary keyword or synonym and totaled the number of keywords found in each
record. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I designed the search function so
that when the visitor presses the button to ask their question, the database
first finds all responses for the question category (who, what, when, etc.) containing
the primary keyword (or its synonym). Responses
are then sorted in descending order by the total sum of keywords present in
each response. The first record – the one with the most keyword matches
– is displayed as the answer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If there are no category
responses containing the primary keyword, then a second find will execute to
look for all responses with the keyword regardless of category. In working with other agent products, I have
found that if you return a response with at least some information about the
keyword, even if it is not an exact answer to the question, the student assumes
the agent recognized their question and may learn auxiliary information that is
still helpful to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For example, if a visitor asks my
virtual Julius Caesar if he really loved Cleopatra, he will answer
“Cleopatra…ah, what an intriguing woman.”
Not only is this more in character with Cae<st1:personname w:st="on">sar</st1:personname>
(most of his female dalliances were for political reasons) but the answer could
also be appropriate for a different question, “What did you think of
Cleopatra?” My search routine would find
it in either case because of the weighting of the primary keyword, Cleopatra.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If there are no responses
containing the primary keyword, a third find looks for any generic category responses. For example, if a student asks who someone is
and you have not programmed your agent with a specific answer for the keyword
(the person they are asking about), the agent will reply with an appropriate
“who” response such as “I’m afraid I’ve never made their acquaintance.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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If a student’s question does not
begin with any words set as category words, the last find will return a generic
“what” response such as “I may be a fountain of knowledge, but I can’t be
expected to know everything.” Programming
the agent with default generic responses, ensures that the agent always has
something to say, even if it knows nothing about the subject. I developed
a small database of generic responses for each question category that is
imported into an agent database each time a new agent is created. The faculty member can go through the
responses and edit them if they wish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Next, I turned my attention to
the faculty’s content editing interface.
I wanted the faculty member to enter a proposed question, designate a
primary keyword and synonym, supply any other keywords they thought were
important to identify more precisely the desired response, and the desired
response. </div>
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I also provided a button that
enables a faculty member to quickly generate a different answer for the same
question or a different question for the same response. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I created a field that is
populated with a different random integer on each search. By subsorting responses by this random
integer, it enables the agent to offer a different response to the same
question if the question is asked more than once. This supports the illusion of the agent being
a “real” person because it will not neces<st1:personname w:st="on">sar</st1:personname>ily
return the same identical response each time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Believable agents must be reactive and robust, and their behaviors must
decay gracefully. They must also be variable, avoiding repetitive actions even
when such actions would be appropriate for a rational agent. They must exhibit
emotion and personality. Ultimately they must be able to interact with users
over extended periods of time and in complex environments while rarely
exhibiting implausible behaviors.” – Dr. Patrick Doyle, <i><a href="http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/550000/544822/p342-doyle.pdf?key1=544822&key2=8614841901&coll=portal&dl=ACM&CFID=25046082&CFTOKEN=2335142">Believability
through Context: Using “knowledge in the world” to create intelligent
characters</a><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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With the “engine” of my agent
developed, I turned my attention to the visual representation of the character. In their paper, <i><a href="http://www.vhml.org/workshops/AAMAS/papers/Haddad.pdf">The Relationship Between Visual Abstraction
and the Effectiveness of a Pedagogical Character-Agent</a></i>, <span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Hanadi Haddad and Jane Klobas of </span><a href="http://www.curtin.edu.au/">Curtin University of Technology</a>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Perth</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Western
Australia</st1:state></st1:place>, point out the divergent views of
information systems designers outside the character-agent field with those
developers within it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Wilson</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> (1997) suggests that more realistic character-agents
may introduce distraction associated with the user’s curiosity about the
personality of the character and overreading of unintended messages because of
presentation complexity.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Unlike detailed realistic
drawings, sketches help focus the mind on what is important, leaving out or
vaguely hinting at other aspects. Sketches promote the participation of the
viewer. People give more, and more relevant, comments when they are presented a
sketch than when they are given a detailed drawing. A realistic drawing or
rendering looks too finished and draws attention to details rather then the
conceptual whole (Stappers et al, 2000).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">“On the other hand,
research by psychologists suggests that people may put considerable cognitive
effort into processing abstract representations of faces (Bruce et al. 1992;
Hay & Young 1982). It is possible, therefore, that response to
anthropomorphised character-agents, and especially their faces, may differ from
responses to sketches. Gregory and his colleagues (1995) conducted studies on
human response to faces at the physiological level. They demonstrated that
humans are particularly receptive to faces. In terms of recognition,
participants in their studies were more responsive to real faces than to
abstracted line faces. They speculated, however, that people spend longer
studying abstracted line faces and may find them more interesting (Gregory et
al. 1995). If this is so, then contrary to theories of information design, an
abstract face may introduce more distraction into the communication than a
realistic face.”</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Filemaker Pro provides
multimedia container fields that enable me to include still images, animations,
or even video clips. However, not only
is creating a unique graphic for each response time consuming, motion video
files can be quite large and slow down the delivery of response information
over the web. Working with other agents,
I had noticed that just the slight eye movement of a blink can be enough to
reinforce the illusion of a sense of presence. This approach straddles the two
opposing theories described above. I
would utilize a real face to capitalize on the human receptivity to a real face
but keep animation to a minimum to reduce distraction. I also think the use of a real faculty
person’s face serves to reinforce the bond between the instructor and the
student. A blink is also very easy to create from any faculty portrait. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I use an inexpensive animation
tool called <a href="http://download.cnet.com/s/animagic-gif-animator/">Animagic GIF Animator</a>. I begin with a portrait of the faculty
member. I open it in Photoshop (any
image editor would suffice) and, after sampling the color of the skin above the
eye, I paint over the open eye. Then I
open an unedited copy of the portrait in Animagic, insert a frame and select
the edited version of the portrait. I
then set the open eye frame to repeat about 250 times and the closed eye frame
to repeat once. Then loop the animation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I created a related table that
stores all unique information about each agent including their default image,
their default greeting, their login password, their area of expertise, their
email address and their homepage URL. I also developed a
collection of alternate avatars to use for agent images in case some faculty
were camera-shy. These were created with
<a href="http://www.curiouslabs.com/">Poser</a>
using their ethnic character library.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finally, I designed the login
screen where the student selects the tutor to whom they wish to converse. Upon selecting the tutor and pressing the button “Begin
Conversation”, the student is presented with the query screen including the
individual greeting for the tutor selected. </div>
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I also provided a button for the
faculty to use to login to edit their agent.
It takes them to a layout that prompts them for a name a password. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Famed World War II cryptographer, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing">Alan Turing</a>, held that
computers would, in time, be programmed to acquire abilities rivaling human
intelligence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eX8Uji-AnPI/VpqWyAPnheI/AAAAAAAACzI/fNNWboDx0vA/s1600/Alan_Turing_Aged_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eX8Uji-AnPI/VpqWyAPnheI/AAAAAAAACzI/fNNWboDx0vA/s320/Alan_Turing_Aged_16.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Turing at age 16.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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“As part of his argument Turing put forward the idea of an 'imitation game',
in which a human being and a computer would be interrogated under conditions
where the interrogator would not know which was which, the communication being
entirely by textual messages. Turing argued that if the interrogator could not
distinguish them by questioning, then it would be unreasonable not to call the
computer intelligent.” – <a href="http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/scrapbook/test.html">The Alan Turing
Internet Scrapbook</a> </div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
My virtual professor may
not be as sophisticated as agents that have been developed to pass the Turing Test but I hope I have provided a framework for the
development of a rigorous inquiry-based learning system.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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“Effective inquiry is more than just asking questions. A
complex process is involved when individuals attempt to convert information and
data into useful knowledge. Useful application of inquiry learning involves
several factors: a context for questions, a framework for questions, a focus
for questions, and different levels of questions. Well-designed inquiry
learning produces knowledge formation that can be widely applied.” - <a href="http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/month6/">Thirteen Ed
Online</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
References:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">
McArthur, David, Matthew Lewis,
and Miriam Bishay. "The Roles of Artificial Intelligence in Education:
Current Progress and Future Prospects".
1993. <st1:place w:st="on">Rand</st1:place>.
<http://www.rand.org/education/mcarthur/Papers/role.html#anatomy >.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Doyle, Patrick.
"Believability through Context Using "Knowledge in the World" to
Create Intelligent Characters." Trans. SIGART: ACM Special Interest Group
on Artificial Intelligence. <u>International Conference on Autonomous Agents.</u>
Session 2C ed. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bologna</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Italy</st1:country-region></st1:place>: ACM Press <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">New
York</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">NY</st1:state>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region></st1:place>, 2002. 342 - 49 of <u>Life-like
and believable qualities</u>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Haddad, Hanadi, and Jane Klobas.
"The Relationship between Visual Abstraction and the Effectiveness of a
Pedagogical Character-Agent." <u>The First International Joint Conference
on Autonomous Agents & Multi-Agent Systems</u>. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bologna</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Italy</st1:country-region></st1:place>,
2002.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Oxford</st1:city>,
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<i> Cognitive Function</i>, Ellis, A.W. ed., <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city>, Academic Press, pp. 173-202.<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Thirteen Ed Online:
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Hodges, Dr. Andrew. "The
Alan Turing Internet Scrapbook". <st1:city w:st="on">Oxford</st1:city>, 2004. (<st1:date day="15" month="3" w:st="on" year="2004">3/15/2004</st1:date>): <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Oxford</st1:placename></st1:place>. <st1:date day="9" month="8" w:st="on" year="2004">8/09/04</st1:date> 2004.
<http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/scrapbook/test.html >.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-78748861986498603352014-01-06T11:21:00.000-08:002014-01-06T11:21:11.805-08:00Roku services far superior to TV Manufacturers' Built-in Apps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div itemprop="blogPost" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Article">
A <span itemprop="genre">technology</span> resource article by <span itemprop="author">Mary Harrsch</span> © <span itemprop="copyrightYear">2014</span><br />
<span itemprop="copyrightYear"><br /></span>
This morning I read <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/06/technology/smart-tvs-are-next-bet-for-makers-as-sales-languish.html">an article in the New York Times</a> proclaiming that TV manufacturers are counting on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_TV" rel="wikipedia" title="Smart TV">smart TVs</a> to boost lackluster sales. I doubt seriously that adding internet connectivity directly to each TV is the silver bullet they're all looking for with all of the current "smart" options consumers already have.<br />
<br />
I was one of the early adopters of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.roku.com/" rel="homepage" title="Roku">Roku</a>'s video streaming device back in 2008. I used it successfully with only a standard DSL internet connection on a Mitsubishi <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear-projection_television" rel="wikipedia" title="Rear-projection television">projection TV</a> that was over ten years old. Then four years ago, my husband and I purchased a 3-D <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Smart_TV" rel="wikipedia" title="Samsung Smart TV">Samsung Smart TV</a> after being intrigued by James Cameron's "Avatar" the year before and deciding it was finally time to make the next leap to HD TV. It came bundled with a 3D Smart <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc" rel="wikipedia" title="Blu-ray Disc">Blu-Ray player</a> as well. I had also purchased a "less" smart Samsung HDTV for my office that could download files from my remote PC but could not talk to the internet (a Black Friday special at the time).So, I moved my Roku player to my office to make the TV there internet "smart" and used the applications on the smart Blu-Ray player in the living room to watch <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ:NFLX" rel="googlefinance" title="NASDAQ: NFLX">Netflix</a> there. <br />
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But, my husband, who has become progressively more and more hard of hearing, became frustrated with watching Netflix streaming movies without the ability to turn on subtitles to serve as closed captioning like he does with the Netflix DVDs that we get by mail. I thought Netflix just didn't provide subtitles with their streaming services. Then one day I was reading an article that pointed out the Roku device's ability to provide subtitles with its streaming content. I had not realized the absence of subtitles was a factor of the application you were using, not Netflix itself. Furthermore, I had purchased some DVDs from Amazon and was offered the ability to watch a digital copy until my DVD arrived using Amazon's Instant Video service but neither my "smart" TV or my "smart" Blu-Ray player offered an application for Amazon Instant Video.<br />
<br />
During the holidays in 2012, Roku offered their latest HD streaming device on sale so I purchased one. I registered my new Roku device with Netflix and read up on how to set subtitles up on the Roku. Then I connected to Netflix and selected a movie to try it out. Voila! Subtitles appeared just like they do when you select subtitles for a DVD! I also now had access to Amazon Instant Video and a wealth of other channels including the History Channel's new online offerings.<br />
<br />
I surmised from this experience that TV manufacturers view apps as secondary and don't have the interest or resources dedicated to improving and/or updating their "homegrown" applications. But the streaming experience is the sole reason Roku exists, so the folks at Roku are constantly working on adding new features and more content.<br />
<br />
The NYT article did mention an alliance between Roku and several TV manufacturers that will enable TVs to come equipped with a Roku embedded application. As long as Roku is managing the features and content, this could work well but it is hardly a reason for anyone to buy a new HD TV if they already have one as long as Roku, Chromecast, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/appletv" rel="homepage" title="Apple TV">Apple TV</a> and other internet enabled devices are available for less than $100 (or, in many cases, less than $50). <br />
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-44305967791789985622013-09-03T12:55:00.000-07:002013-09-03T12:55:19.736-07:00Saving money with VUDU At Home <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vudu_logo_plain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Vudu, Inc." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="169" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fe/Vudu_logo_plain.jpg/300px-Vudu_logo_plain.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">Vudu, Inc. (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vudu_logo_plain.jpg">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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A <span itemprop="genre">technology</span> resource article about the <span itemprop="description">VUDU At Home streaming media application</span> by <span itemprop="author">Mary Harrsch</span> ©<span itemprop="copyrightYear">2013</span><br />
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I adopted VUDU as my movie collection cloud service last year with my fingers crossed that it would remain viable, especially as a subsidiary of retailing giant Walmart. A few months ago I received an e-mail from VUDU asking me to try their new VUDU At Home application that would let me use my own computer to scan my DVDs and license them for my digital cloud collection. The kicker was that if I scanned at least 10 movies in a session, I would only have to pay 50% of the digital conversion fee. I found this a really attractive offer since I had an extensive library of standard definition DVDs that cost me $5 each to convert to a high quality streaming digital copy if I took them to Walmart for verification.<br />
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So, I downloaded the app onto my HP 64-bit Windows 7 workstation, collected my stack of DVDs that I had verified were available for <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut_40U0t9pU" rel="youtube" title="How It's Made: Compact Discs">Disc</a> to Digital conversion, and prepared to scan my first disc. Unfortunately, regardless which disc I tried, I received the error that the application could not read the disc. That was not a good start. <br />
<br />
I reported the problem to VUDU and they had me submit a trouble ticket that soon disappeared into the dark hole of a tech support queue, never to be seen or discussed again. I wasn't willing to give up this opportunity to save a substantial amount of money though, so I thought I would try the app on my husband's Lenovo laptop. Voila, it installed and functioned without a hitch and I was soon scanning dozens of my DVDs and converting them to HDX for only $2.50. (I wish I had a Blu-Ray drive on that laptop. Then, I would only have to pay $1 for my Blu Ray discs!)<br />
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I only ran into a few DVDs that could not be read and my research on the VUDU At Home discussion forum revealed that there were some titles that were apparently missing from the GraceNote database that was being used by VUDU to verify discs. I reported the titles and their UPC codes to GraceNote as well as VUDU. <br />
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<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:File-Gracenote_logo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="日本語: Wm-license-own-work" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="127" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/File-Gracenote_logo2.JPG/300px-File-Gracenote_logo2.JPG" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">Gracenote log (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:File-Gracenote_logo2.JPG">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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I received a canned reply from GraceNote telling me I should report the problem to VUDU and essentially brushing me off. But I sent back a reply explaining that the problem had already been reported to VUDU and I was providing the metadata to GraceNote so they could amend their database. (After all, I used to be a database designer!) Then I received an email back from GraceNote telling me that VUDU had only bought certain versions of their metadata and that it was VUDU's problem not GraceNote's - typical inter-company tech support finger pointing.<br />
<br />
Oh well, at least I saved by my estimate about $320 in digital conversion fees using the VUDU at home application. I would encourage VUDU to keep the discount program in effect after the end of the public beta as it serves as the carrot to get people to scan their own discs as opposed to running down to Walmart with them where many of the photo center staff have little or no experience with the VUDU verification process and often take 30 - 45 minutes to certify the discs then stamp them to deter people from sharing their discs with their friends and neighbors for their VUDU registration.<br />
<br />
One other observation about VUDU's digital delivery system. Lately, I always check VUDU's direct purchase price and compare it with Amazon's every time I want to purchase a movie. With the exception of 3D movies (which for some reason are never offered to consumers as a digital copy despite the fact that VUDU will rent and can stream 3D movies), I now see no reason to buy a physical disc unless it is significantly cheaper. I do wish the digital version was less expensive, though, as it should be, instead of almost equal or equal to the same price as a physical disc. I realize this is probably the result of licensing contracts with the studios but it hardly takes into account the cost savings of not having to physically produce and distribute a disc. The movie studios must have taken lessons from the e-book sellers who think they should be paid as much for a download file as a physical hard copy book. This type of fattening the profit margin only leads to more people willing to purchase pirated merchandise in the long run as the RIAA discovered in the music industry. If digital-only versions of films were priced at $9.99 or less, you'd see a lot more people buying digital in the first place than scrabbling through bargain bins or searching the secondary market for their favorites.<br />
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-82406578189709412982012-09-12T15:57:00.001-07:002013-09-03T10:22:46.885-07:00Adaptive advertising invites depressive stereotyping<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">Detail of a New York Times Advertisement - 1895 (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EP_-_Detail_of_a_New_York_Times_Advertisement_-_1895.jpg">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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"Data-driven discovery is tech's new wave" touts a<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/technology/data-driven-discovery-is-techs-new-wave-unboxed.html"> recent article</a> in the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.newyorktimes.com/" rel="homepage" title="New York Times">New York Times</a>. The article points out that developments in computing power coupled with inexpensive data storage has produced a digital "boiling point" that will enable companies to begin surgically targeting consumer groups based on incisive analysis of web browsing "trails" and age, gender and interests profiles using machine-learning algorithms. One company they mention is
<a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://rocketfuel.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #666699; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;" title="The company Web site.">Rocket Fuel</a>, <span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">a four-year-old Silicon Valley start-up that uses artificial-intelligence software to place display advertisements for marketers on the Web</span> . So I visited the company's website to see how they describe the service they offer to their own clients.</div>
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Rocket Fuel points out that they have defined over 20,000 audience segments that I assume are applied to vast numbers of potential client customers. I was hoping they would define a retirees segment online so I could see how much of their profile applied to me. Unfortunately, they didn't detail that demographic group but they did describe others with which I share some attributes. Here are those segments with my take on their validity based on my own preferences.</div>
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<div style="color: #595959; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">
<strong>Gadget Geeks</strong> technology early adopters who are passionate about gadgets</div>
<ul style="color: #595959; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;">
<li>Passionate about technology and gadgets -<b> yes</b></li>
<li>Enjoy sharing tech expertise with family and friends - <b>sometimes (I don't like being tech support for friends and family - after all I used to do that for a living and retired to get away from it!)</b></li>
<li>Prioritize quality and brand when shopping -<b> as long as I get bang for the buck</b></li>
<li>Interested in researching and buying the newest gadgets -<b> research yes, buying - not usually a "dot.zero" release and not unless the gadget offers perceived value based on my needs</b></li>
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<strong>Leisure Travelers </strong>love to travel for pleasure and frequently hunt for travel deals</div>
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<li>Passionate about travel and travel deals - <b>yes if in my preferred travel area and not a cruise</b></li>
<li>Frequent fliers - <b>yes</b></li>
<li>Enjoy researching about travel online -<b> yes</b></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Not bad so far but how about less niche-oriented segments?</span></span></div>
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<div style="color: #595959; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">
<strong>Value Shoppers </strong>are budget-conscious shoppers seeking value and quality</div>
<ul style="color: #595959; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;">
<li>Research online for deals and coupons -<b> only if I have a product already selected</b></li>
<li>Interested in sweepstakes and contests -<b> no</b></li>
<li>Primary grocery decision-maker, coupon clips, bargain hunts - <b>yes, sometimes and only if bargain information is delivered to me (email) or readily available without extensive research</b></li>
</ul>
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<div style="color: #595959; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">
<strong>Moms-on-the-Go </strong>are career-oriented and thrive on time-saving products</div>
<ul style="color: #595959; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 1em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px;">
<li>Socially active and web savvy - <b>yes</b></li>
<li>Interested in products that allow more time with family - <b>more leisure time</b></li>
<li>Enjoy dining at family restaurants and steakhouses -<b> no; prefer international cuisine</b></li>
<li>Frequently buy quick-fix meals and time-saving products -<b> no box meals; prefer freshly combined ingredients at a deli or takeout</b></li>
<li>Altruistic, responsible, and creative psychographics -<b> usually</b></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's obvious when they try to stretch their profiles over a much larger segment, discretionary preferences become more of an issue.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ArtificialFictionBrain.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="There is currently no consensus on how closely..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="271" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/ArtificialFictionBrain.png/300px-ArtificialFictionBrain.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"> (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ArtificialFictionBrain.png">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I'm not saying this development is necessarily bad. I am the first to admit that I really appreciate the algorithm Netflix has developed to recommend movies to me based on my viewing history and expressed ratings. Their recommendations hit the mark more and more often. But I have rated over 1,000 movies on Netflix. I usually only buy a car once every ten years or so and I have no particular brand loyalty. Furthermore, I am in no financial position to "surprise" my spouse with a new Lexus at Christmas time either! (How I hate those commercials during the holidays - I feel they have been particularly tasteless during this economic recession!!) Not that I would consider spending that much for mere transportation a worthwhile investment anyway!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As an older consumer, what I fear most is that the media I watch will become depressingly saturated with what Rocket Fuel delicately describes as "senior products". It already seems like I hear about nothing but incontinence products, sexual dysfunction, medications for all kinds of diseases that befall an aging body, hair loss, wrinkle creams and face lifts, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease" rel="wikipedia" title="Alzheimer's disease">Alzheimer's</a> care centers and estate planning. It makes me wonder if <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.dishnetwork.com/" rel="homepage" title="Dish Network">DISH network</a> has already begun a campaign of adaptive advertising. Maybe it's just because the educational programming we watch in our household earmarks us as demographically more mature viewers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After all, during the day the TV is often left on for no other reason than to provide background noise for the dogs and no "consumer" is actually watching it anyway!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">What we really need is on-demand program selection so our interests are more specifically defined and we are not automatically profiled by the overall channels we watch.</span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> Furthermore, n</span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">ow that so many of us have smart TVs, broadcasters should take a cue from Facebook and give us the opportunity to give ads a thumbs up or thumbs down then remove all ads for products that we have indicated we are absolutely not interested in. Of course that would mean satellite and cable providers would FINALLY have to surrender their antiquated marketing model of channel tiers!!</span></span></div>
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-5372578497054032242012-08-20T13:49:00.000-07:002013-09-03T10:24:28.674-07:00Augmented Reality Apocalypse basis of new YouTube series H+<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was browsing through my newsfeed on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://facebook.com/" rel="homepage" title="Facebook">Facebook</a> and stumbled across a reference to a new digital series produced by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.warnerbros.com/" rel="homepage" title="Warner Bros.">Warner Brothers</a> and being offered through Youtube instead of the typical cable or satellite services. It's called H+ and I found the trailer really intriguing:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MVekrZ-H5Pc" width="560"></iframe>
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I'm a fan of apocalyptic fiction and a series where the apocalypse is the result of a technology gone awry is irresistible to me. The basis for this series is a new technology where augmented reality is delivered via brain implant. Apparently it works wonderfully well for a time until about 1/3 of the world's population (the early adopters) die leaving the management of the world to mostly people from third world nations. I'm sure Mitt Romney would find this scenario mortifying! <br />
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It will be interesting to see how this plays out not only from an entertainment perspective but from the viewpoint of Warner Brothers who is attempting to tap into the large numbers of people who are "cutting the cable" now and resorting to online streaming as their primary source of media.<br />
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The PR says each episode will be only eight minutes long and there will be 48 episodes with two episodes released every week. I'm a little confused about why the episodes are so short. Although it's true most online viewers are used to relatively short videos on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.youtube.com/" rel="homepage" title="YouTube">YouTube</a>, the number of us with smart TVs that can watch YouTube on the big screen is growing rapidly and we would certainly prefer the more traditional episode length. However, the director, Bryan Singer, hopes web viewers will actually rearrange the episodes and search for clues to solve mysteries almost like a dynamic real-time video game ultimately changing the way we consume video entertainment.<br />
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Singer certainly has hit upon an appropriate emerging technology to use as the platform for his new series. Although augmented reality has been discussed for quite some time (It was a major topic at an Emerging Technologies Conference I attended back in 2006, actual implementation has been a bit slow with Google's "Project Glass" being probably the most familiar application to date. Project Glass involves the use of specially equipped glasses that combine information from the internet with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System" rel="wikipedia" title="Global Positioning System">GPS location</a> to display data appropriate to a user's location as they move through their environment. Google had initially indicated the technology would be released in 2012 but now they are projecting a consumer grade product will probably not be available for sale until 2014.<br />
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However, smartphone users have already found other augmented reality mini-applications to be useful. One application I recommended to the nature photographers in the Emerald Photographic Society is <a href="http://peakar.salzburgresearch.at/">Peak AR</a>. It is an application that uses your smartphone's camera and GPS to identify nearby mountain peaks by simply pointing your smartphone's camera in their direction.<br />
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Another really useful AR app is named iOnRoad. This app monitors such things as whether your car is straying outside your lane, advises you of insufficient headway and warns you if a collision is eminent.<br />
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<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.google.com/mobile/goggles/#landmark" rel="homepage" title="Google Goggles">Google Goggles</a> will let you scan a painting and provide information about the artist and a description of the work. <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Wikitude lets you pull up Wikipedia entries on objects or landmarks simply by focusing your camera on them. The app also finds mobile coupons and discounts for local stores.</span></span><br />
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So, the technology in Hplus is already here - just not implanted as yet. As for the digital series plot, I would offer an alternative story line. What if the new AR modules begin projecting frightening imagery so real looking that people can no longer distinguish real from virtual? But I guess that story line will have to wait for another day!<br />
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Update: I watched the first two episodes using the YouTube viewer on my smart Samsung TV. The first episode was almost 8 minutes but the second was only about 4 minutes including about 1 minute of credits. I felt like I watched more credits than program! I see the next 3 episodes are also shorter than 8 minutes. Come on guys! There are a lot of us with smart TVs who don't have the "Play All" option like the regular YouTube website has and having to scroll to and start each subsequent episode is a pain - especially when they are not presented in order on the TV YouTube app search function!<br />
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-12368816812339537512012-08-20T12:22:00.001-07:002013-09-03T10:25:41.015-07:00Are banks ripping off consumers with online banking?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today, I received a notice from Chase that my credit card payment that was due on Sunday had not been received yet. Since I use <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_banking" rel="wikipedia" title="Online banking">online banking</a> from my local credit union to pay my bills, I immediately went online and saw that the payment to Chase was withdrawn from my account electronically on Friday, August 17. So I called Chase and their customer service agent told me that there is always a delay "getting" an <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payment_system" rel="wikipedia" title="Payment system">electronic payment</a> and that they didn't "receive" my payment until this morning Monday, August 20, and they had assessed me a $25 late fee. I told the agent that an electronic transfer is an instant process and the money was withdrawn from my account on Friday and would have been instantly received by Chase on Friday. If their computer system does not attribute that money to my account until they perform some manual process, it is hardly fair to charge me a $25 late fee since the money was received on Friday and was sitting in Chase's funds merely waiting for someone to allocate it as a payment to someone's specific account on Monday. I have seen other credit card companies say in their fine print that if a payment is due on the weekend and funds to pay it are electronically "sent" on the weekend but not officially posted until Monday, the funds will be recognized as received on the weekend. Apparently, Chase does not follow this policy!<br />
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I asked if, since it was obvious I authorized the payment in time and have an excellent payment history with Chase, always paying each statement in full by the due date until now, they would refund the late fee. But the customer service clerk flatly refused. So I asked to speak to a supervisor then she said she would refund the late fee and asked me if I still needed to talk to a supervisor. I told her no if she was issuing the refund I didn't need to talk to a supervisor then but that I should not have had to ask to speak to a supervisor. At that point, without any reply, I just heard the tones of someone dialing a phone then hold music. After a brief wait, a man came on the phone who I assumed was the supervisor. I again explained what had happened with the online electronic payment and asked for a refund of the late fee and he agreed.<br />
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But, is this the new way banks are trying to slip in more fees on an unsuspecting public? An electronic transfer cannot occur unless both sender and receiver participate. The sending institution is including all information necessary to earmark the funds being received as to the payor's identification. Even if the computers at the receiving end must run some other subroutines to actually apply the information to a customer's account at a later date, the fact that the transmission occurred on a specific day should be the basis for recognizing receipt of the funds. Before I retired I used to design databases and know that as long as the two institutions participating in an electronic exchange have their database fields mapped properly, the exchange can be handled in a millisecond without human intervention. So why does the Federal Banking Commission allow banks to get away with slapping customers with a big late fee when the receiving institution has actually had the funds in their possession before the due date???<br />
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-54909713630329191182012-07-06T14:34:00.000-07:002013-09-03T10:50:20.337-07:00Will Amazon expand TV Play option to facilitate ala carte video on demand?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0064JGX84/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romtim-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0064JGX84" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B0064JGX84&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romtim-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" width="320" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0064JGX84" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Just noticed that Amazon is now offering a "TV Play" option for future episodes of selected television series like popular series produced by </span><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amctv.com/" rel="homepage" style="background-color: white;" title="AMC (TV channel)">AMC</a><span style="background-color: white;">. This is like video-on-demand for each episode you may have missed of a TV series you may be following.</span><br />
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I noticed this option when I received a postcard from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/directv/directv-vs-dish-network" rel="directv" title="DirecTV vs. Dish Network">DISH network</a> mentioning a special offer available for DISH customers that were watching some of the original series produced by AMC but now no longer available through DISH (because of a pricing dispute) like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/breaking-bad" rel="homepage" title="Breaking Bad">Breaking Bad</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead/" rel="homepage" title="The Walking Dead (TV series)">The Walking Dead</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amctv.com/shows/hell-on-wheels" rel="homepage" title="Hell on Wheels (TV series)">Hell on Wheels</a>. Since the postcard mentioned Amazon Video as their recommended viewing alternative, I went up on Amazon and noticed the new TV Play option for Hell On Wheels (about the construction of the transcontinental railroad) that we were following on AMC. So I called the phone number DISH provided on the postcard to see if they had some kind of coupon code and they actually gave me a credit on my DISH account equivalent to the cost of streaming this coming season's episodes of Hell On Wheels using Amazon Video.<br />
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Is this one of the first cracks to appear in the armor of the tier-based cable and satellite pricing structures? If so, I applaud Amazon Video for taking a bold step to offer this service and DISH Network for being concerned enough about their customers to offer the equivalent of a credit for a loss in viewing opportunity created by a contract dispute. <br />
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However, I would urge Amazon (and their studio partners) to be a little more reasonable in their pricing if this service is expanded to other channels. $2.84 per HD episode ($1.89 per SD episode) seems a bit steep for only one episode of one series on one channel. <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.hbo.com/" rel="homepage" title="HBO">HBO</a> charges even more - $3 per HD, $2.23 per SD episode (at least for <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones" rel="homepage" title="Game of Thrones">Game of Thrones</a>) if you order a full season. I think they should recalibrate and look more toward the 99 cents per episode price point.<br />
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However, if I could order per series for some offerings and per episode for other channels (like a particular program on Nat Geo), I would definitely consider relinquishing most of my cable tiers and go back to basic channels only. As it is I pay more than $100 per month for America's Top 250 so I can get access to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.history.com/h2" rel="homepage" title="History 2">History Channel International</a> but end up watching <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.netflix.com/" rel="homepage" title="Netflix">Netflix</a> most nights anyway. <br />
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I actually prefer to watch episodic dramas on Netflix so I can watch back-to-back episodes, allowing me to follow continuing story lines more closely and identify more deeply with the main characters. I also don't have to worry about the network skipping weeks and preempting regular programming for things like sports playoffs or political conventions. If that happens I often lose track of when the series I am watching will resume and miss several episodes all together making it difficult to pick back up where I left off. This happened to me with "Heroes" and with "Flash Forward", two excellent series but both interrupted repeatedly by network "special" broadcasts of other programming that caused me to become confused about what was happening and lose interest.<br />
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What we may really need is to go back to basic broadcast networks that focus on news and talk shows and use ala carte streaming for original dramatic series and educational or edutainment programs. Sometimes I marvel at technology advancements that end up going full circle and resurrecting older business models. Years ago when PC networks were first being developed and individual workstations had relatively limited hard drive space, we used to encourage our users to store all of their data on the network server. Then PCs began to have much larger hard drives and people began saving large multimedia files and our network servers became overwhelmed so we took a step backward and asked people to store only files being shared with others on the central network server and use their local hard drive for their own personal data. Then cloud services came along and network infrastructure improved so much in transmission speed that now we again urge network users to store their data in the cloud and not on their hard drives any more. So we are once again almost back to where we started!<br />
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Obviously, methods of delivery for video entertainment are in a dramatic state of flux right now and it will be interesting to see how everything shakes out.
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-82203178824575346032012-06-26T15:50:00.002-07:002013-09-03T10:51:46.307-07:00Taking a leap of faith with VuDu and Ultraviolet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8TENTgek80U/T-o7XUh7gtI/AAAAAAAABe0/beAv-9rQ8Fg/s1600/Uvvu80.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8TENTgek80U/T-o7XUh7gtI/AAAAAAAABe0/beAv-9rQ8Fg/s1600/Uvvu80.png" /></a></div>
Well, after three phone calls to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://vudu.com/" rel="homepage" title="Vudu">VUDU</a> customer care to discuss the details of their new Disc-to-Digital service linked to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/ultraviolet" rel="homepage" title="Ultraviolet (film)">Ultraviolet</a>, I have decided to take the plunge and took my first batch of favorite movies to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.walmartstores.com/" rel="homepage" title="Walmart">Walmart</a> to be certified for my online film library.<br />
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I started out with 6 standard DVDs that I upconverted to HD and 1 Blu-Ray. I paid $5 for each DVD and $2 for the Blu-Ray to add them to my VUDU and linked Ultraviolet account. Other than the obvious reason of being able to access my movies when I travel, I had several other reasons to buy into this new program supported by Walmart and most of the major movie studios:<br />
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<ul style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; list-style-image: url(data:image/png; list-style-type: square; margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_Entertainment" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Sony Pictures Entertainment" wotsearchprocessed="true">Sony Pictures Entertainment</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBCUniversal" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="NBCUniversal" wotsearchprocessed="true">NBCUniversal</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Entertainment_Group" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Fox Entertainment Group" wotsearchprocessed="true">Fox Entertainment Group</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a class="mw-redirect" data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Motion_Pictures_Group" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Paramount Motion Pictures Group" wotsearchprocessed="true">Paramount Motion Pictures Group</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a class="mw-redirect" data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros._Entertainment" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Warner Bros. Entertainment" wotsearchprocessed="true">Warner Bros. Entertainment</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DreamWorks_Animation" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="DreamWorks Animation" wotsearchprocessed="true">DreamWorks Animation</a></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a class="mw-redirect" data-bitly-type="bitly_hover_card" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionsgate" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Lionsgate" wotsearchprocessed="true">Lionsgate</a></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">First of all, I felt the $5 upconvert and cloud storage option for standard DVDs that I own was a less expensive way to enjoy full HD versions without having to cough up $9.99 or more (especially with digital copies) for physical <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc" rel="wikipedia" title="Blu-ray Disc">Blu-Ray discs</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Secondly, Ultraviolet allows up to five other people to be members of my account and enjoy my movies. I'm hoping my son (who lives in Chicago and is an avid movie buff with slightly different tastes than I do) and I can share our movie libraries in this way. This wish to have reciprocal access was the reason for one of my phone calls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Ultraviolet recommends setting up shared access by granting membership through the account management function. However, I knew that I had never seen an interface option in VUDU to select a particular Ultraviolet library so I could choose between his collection and mine so I asked VUDU how to accomplish this. VUDU tech support actually recommended sharing an Ultraviolet account with the same login name and password instead. The technician explained that if my son and I each had separate Ultraviolet accounts, I would have to go online with my computer and unlink my Ultraviolet library and link to my son's Ultraviolet library every time I wanted to browse and watch one of his movies instead of one of mine on one of my authorized devices. If we both used the same Ultraviolet account we could then link to it from our individual VUDU accounts and see all movies in the combined library but have individual access to VUDU for purchasing DVDs or authorizing a rental. I suggested to VUDU tech support that a library selection function be added to the VUDU interface in the future so we could use Ultraviolet's account management function someday since it provides customized movie suggestions based on individual taste and lets each user customize the interface for their own preferences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">When I discussed this new service with my son, he wondered if the special features available on the DVD would be included in the digital online version. He also was wondered if you had to surrender your original discs when you took them to Walmart for verification. This prompted another phone call. VUDU told me that unfortunately the special features were not included in the online version but I would not be asked to surrender my original disc so I could always watch the special features from the original disc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">This was confirmed when I took my movies to Walmart. The photo center customer service agent just retrieved my VUDU account by using my email address. I had already queued up the movies I wanted to add to my online library so she just had to enter a confirmation code. Then, she rubber stamped each DVD around the center hole so the disc could not be used by anyone else in the future to verify a different online library and returned the perfectly playable discs back to me. I paid the advertised rate of $5 per DVD converted to HD and $2 for the online version of the Blu-Ray.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">When I got home and logged into my Ultraviolet account my movies appeared in my library. They also appear on my VUDU account. So I guess I'm all set.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Now playing my library with the VUDU application works on my PC or a Mac and on my Samsung TV that has VUDU already installed in its suite of internet applications. VUDU also works on an iPad (which, alas, I still do not have, making me still a victim of iPad envy) but there is no Android-compatible version available yet and my phone and Nook color run on Android. However, I downloaded the newest version of Flixster to my phone and it has an option under your account to link it to your Ultraviolet library and my movies appeared under "My Collection" on Flixster and I was able to play my movies beautifully on my Droid 3 using it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">My Nook Color that I have rooted to a full Android tablet using a preconfigured SD card from <a href="http://www.rootmynookcolor.com/">Root My Nook Color</a>, was a bit trickier. First I attempted to update the Flixster application that was preinstalled from the Amazon App Store (because I always have better luck with it instead of the Google Play Store). It updated OK but I discovered it did not offer me any option to play my movies, just watch a trailer. So I launched the browser and navigated to the Android Market and updated my Flixster again and this time it was the latest version that included the option to stream or download my movies. However, when I selected "Watch Now" it kept saying it was initializing. If I was seriously interested in watching movies on my Nook color I would have attempted a download instead to avoid problems with wifi speed and activity. But, I usually use my Nook color in the living room where I can watch movies on my regular HD TV so I guess it isn't critical at this point. I will email the developer of Root My Nook Color and see if he has any suggestions to tweak the Nook color for streaming from Flixster. I have no problem streaming Netflix on my Nook and trailers play fine on Flixster so there may be just a setting or something that needs to be adjusted. I had also moved the Flixster application to the 16 GB SD Card I have in the Nook instead of leaving it running from the internal memory and maybe that is the problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">There are a few things to remember about video quality differences between devices when using VUDU. When watching movies through a web browser, the highest video quality you can currently stream is standard definition. I expect this to change in the future. At present, even though you can stream 3D from the regular VUDU application, 3D digital copies are not yet available through the Disc-to-Digital program. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">I also learned VUDU's HDX quality includes 7.1 surround sound if you have a home theater system capable of that quality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Anyway, I now hope the Ultraviolet consortium (and VUDU, Flixster, etc.) is wildly successful so I can count on them to be my online movie repository. My experiences have been quite favorable so far and I look forward to a long relationship. Now if Disney would quit messing around with their own cobbled up system and join the party! I bought John Carter 3D with their version of a digital copy and all it let me do was copy the movie to my own computer. I can copy it from there to a Windows Media compatible device but that's an awful lot of wasted disk space when streaming from the cloud is so much better. Come on, Disney! Where's your imagineering???</span><br />
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-47795205684225500552012-06-19T09:47:00.001-07:002013-09-03T10:54:10.572-07:00Microsoft garners kudos for sleek Surface tablet but what about apps?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-doDBy6h7u98/T-Csbplye4I/AAAAAAAABd8/vuHqrCgQbS8/s1600/Surfacetablet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-doDBy6h7u98/T-Csbplye4I/AAAAAAAABd8/vuHqrCgQbS8/s1600/Surfacetablet.jpg" /></a></div>
I'm always interested in the latest Windows-based technology so of course I poured over this article in the NY Times about Microsoft's new Surface tablet. Unfortunately, not much was said about actual functionality in comparison to the iPad. Quite honestly, although it is technically a tablet, it looks more like a sleek touch screen-equipped replacement to the traditional Windows laptop than as a true challenger to the iPad.<br />
<br />
What makes the iPad so compelling to so many people is its accompanying app store and Microsoft has said nothing about the availability of apps for their new tablet. Since the tablet will be running a full blown version of Windows 8, I'm also not sure the huge library of either iPad or Android apps can be readily ported to it and Microsoft has apparently said nothing about supporting an app cloud. They seem more interested in the tablet's ability to perform more business functions not serve as a combination work/entertainment device.<br />
<br />
This article also said nothing about the quality of the screen so it leaves me wondering if the resolution is as high as the new iPad 3 and I'm wondering about the sensitivity of the touch interface. My daughter bought me a Nook color for Christmas a couple of years ago and, although I have been able to root the device to a full Android tablet and enjoy hours of entertainment on it, I am less than thrilled with the touch sensitivity of the device. (That aspect may have been improved with the newer version). <br />
<br />
So, I don't think Microsoft's Surface will cure me of my iPad envy anytime soon.<br />
<br />
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Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-76215825542007582452012-02-25T12:12:00.000-08:002012-02-25T12:12:19.050-08:00Photo tips hidden in EXIF data<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-985ucztoP-E/T0k_mKXTtiI/AAAAAAAABU0/eP9gZuvkR4o/s1600/MuskOXwcatchlighteffects.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-985ucztoP-E/T0k_mKXTtiI/AAAAAAAABU0/eP9gZuvkR4o/s320/MuskOXwcatchlighteffects.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musk Ox at Cabela's in Hamburg, PA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have taken hundreds of<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mharrsch/sets/52508/"> images of preserved animals at Cabela's</a> stores across the US and even a number at such live exhibits as the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.7356966667,-117.151573&spn=0.01,0.01&q=32.7356966667,-117.151573%20(San%20Diego%20Zoo)&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="San Diego Zoo">San Diego Zoo</a> but I've always been in awe of wildlife photographers who bring back stunning images from photoshoots in the "bush". I noticed <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/travel/a-photographers-tips-on-capturing-wildlife-in-kenya.html">this
article about an African photo safari in the NY Times</a> so, of course, had to take a look
since I am still very much a novice at photographing animals that
are "in the wild". Unfortunately, the photographer offered very
little insight on his techniques other than to recommend a good
telephoto lens with a range of at least 80 - 400 mm. He actually
borrowed one from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.nikon.com/" rel="homepage" title="Nikon">Nikon</a> for this particular shoot. He also
recommended a monopod (less cumbersome and quicker to set up than a
tripod I guess) and lots of memory cards and an extra battery (I
actually take two extra batteries with me). But his 21 image slide
show includes each image's <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exchangeable_image_file_format" rel="wikipedia" title="Exchangeable image file format">EXIF</a> data which tells me quite a bit
although I have to make some assumptions. <br />
<br />
First of all, I notice that almost all of his images except the
first one are taken at F 5.6. I assume he is using aperture
priority mode to give him a healthy depth of field with at least
some focus definition to emphasize his subject. <br />
<br />
Then I noticed that he increased his ISO (he keeps referring to it
as ASA which threw me at first since that is usually considered a
film light setting not a digital light setting) to 1600 whenever he
was working in the low light of morning or late evening. He did not
include any information about post production so I assume his camera
does not have significant noise issues or he used noise reduction
settings in his camera or software in post or both. I also couldn't
tell if he experimented first with other settings to gain a
particular <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutter_speed" rel="wikipedia" title="Shutter speed">shutter speed</a> or not. He comments on the shot of a male
leopard in early morning that he preset his "ASA" to 1600 to achieve
a high shutter speed of 1/3200 but the leopard does not appear to be
moving fast so he probably could have used a lower <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_speed" rel="wikipedia" title="Film speed">ISO setting</a> but
either didn't have time or didn't bother to change it. <br />
<br />I recently joined the <a href="http://www.emeraldphotographic.org/">Emerald Photographic Society</a> and the group went on a field trip to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpwzTtxLjvs">Hull-Oakes Lumber</a>, a steam-powered sawmill up by Bellfountain, Oregon. After the field trip, one of the group members took me to <a href="http://www.fws.gov/willamettevalley/finley/index.html">Finley Wildlife Refuge</a> just outside of Corvallis, OR and we discussed pointers on bird photography. I remember that she
said she was told you should try to adjust your camera so you get a
minimum shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second to freeze the wings.
But the NYT photographer includes a picture of a weaver bird that he
shot at a "high" shutter speed of 1/500. However the detail is a
little soft around the edges of the wings so obviously he should
have asked for tips from Kathy! He had plenty of wiggle room since
his ISO was set only to 200. <br />
<br />
Of course he seemed to be paying close attention to the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds" rel="wikipedia" title="Rule of thirds">Rule of
Thirds</a> (or cropped his images with that in mind). One of the images
was an interesting silouette of a topi. He placed the land portion
of the image in the lower 1/3 of the picture and left the rest of
the image as sky. It works well even though the sky only has faint
high cirrus clouds. <br />
<br />
The photographer said he had little experience photographing animals
but his experience with photography was enough to ensure a series of
images that any wildlife photographer should be proud of. I wonder
if I could get anywhere close to his results on a field trip to
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=43.141728,-123.426515&spn=0.01,0.01&q=43.141728,-123.426515%20(Wildlife%20Safari)&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Wildlife Safari">Wildlife Safari</a>, an animal preserve near Winston, OR about 1 hour's drive from my home?<br />
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</div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-82901334723182224312012-01-13T16:56:00.000-08:002012-01-13T16:57:49.087-08:00Connecting Analog Wireless Headphones to new HD TVs post a challenge<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JLJNV0/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=romtim-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002JLJNV0" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B002JLJNV0&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=romtim-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=romtim-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002JLJNV0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
Today, I bought my hearing-impaired husband a pair of wireless TV ears. When I unpacked the headset, I found that it included only RCA cables. I checked the audio out options on my Samsung 7000 series 55" 3D HD TV, and, although it has a wealth of video connections, I discovered it has only a non-RCA audio out jack for sound bars and home theater systems and a single digital audio out jack.<br />
<br />
I got out the TV ears manual and read that I could connect the headset transmitter to digital audio if I purchased a digital to analog audio converter. So, I called the local Radio Shack then Best Buy and neither had one in stock. Then I called the TV ears customer support line to order one directly from them and the customer service representative told me that the headsets would only translate audio signals broadcast in PCM not Dolby digital. She recommended that I call Samsung and find out whether my TV transmits audio in Dolby or PCM. She said if it turns out that my TV transmits in Dolby then perhaps there was a setting I could adjust to switch it to PCM.<br />
<br />
So I opened an online chat session with Samsung support and after some research, he informed me that unfortunately, Samsungs output only Dolby digital and that there was no way to change the setting to PCM.<br />
<br />
Although there is a work around to connect the headphones by splitting RCA cables between a satellite receiver and a DVD player, there is a two device limit without manually switching cables between multiple input devices. Wireless headsets to assist the hearing impaired really need to be connected to the TV, not the various input devices which may include game consoles, Roku players, DVD players, etc. I sent an e-mail to Samsung suggesting that they take that into consideration when designing their television sets since they continue to offer RCA connections for video in options so I don't know why they can't offer RCA audio out connections for the large number of analog audio products out there.<br />
<br />
Note: If you can switch your digital audio from Dolby to PCM on your TV, purchase a digital to analog audio converter from someone like Amazon where it will cost you only about $26. The company that makes TV Ears wanted about $70 for a converter - almost the price of the headphones themselves!Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-36848542839419271122011-11-30T11:14:00.001-08:002011-11-30T12:30:05.266-08:00Google Navigator and Physical keyboard prompts switch to Android<br />
Today I read an article by Stacy Johnson entitled "10 Tips for Buying an Android – From an Apple Hater." Source: Money Talks (<a href="http://s.tt/14oUY">http://s.tt/14oUY</a>) Although I have never been what you would call an Apple Hater, this year I, too, switched from an iPhone 3GS to a Droid 3. <br />
<br />
Two of the most important reasons? - Google's voice prompted Navigator system available and updated free for Android phones and a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard. <br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-elOAjdKAUsk/TtaOJr92i5I/AAAAAAAABTc/IOPoRZlDCnk/s1600/Droid3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-elOAjdKAUsk/TtaOJr92i5I/AAAAAAAABTc/IOPoRZlDCnk/s1600/Droid3.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Google's Navigator sounds like expensive Garmin voice-prompted systems I have heard before but is based on Google Maps which is updated regularly at no charge. My brother has a dedicated Garmin GPS and, although he's been quite pleased with its accuracy and convenience, he is not pleased now that it's prompting him to pay for an annual map update at a cost almost equal to the original cost of the hardware. <br />
<br />
One caution to potential immigrants who want to switch to an Android-based phone. I am using Verizon as my cell service provider and they load a "Verizon Navigator" on your phone in addition to the Google Navigator. Of course, the Verizon Navigator costs you a monthly service fee if you activate it. I removed the icon for it from my home screen (apparently you can't simply delete it!) Another confusing aspect to the built-in Navigation system is that you must go into settings and turn on ALL THREE navigation locator options (at least on the Droid 3) - even the one that says use stand alone GPS and the one that says use Verizon location services. This does NOT cost you anything and if you don't turn them all on the GPS services for the Google Navigator will give you an error message pointing out that you have to turn on GPS for it to function. A service rep at the local Verizon store showed me how to do this since I went into the store complaining about the GPS error knowing I had turned on the Google GPS location services. I actually think this is ridiculous. The location services should all be turned on by default and if you are paranoid about your privacy, you should learn how to turn them off. I'm sure the vast majority of Android phone users want to use the built-in GPS!<br />
<br />
As for onscreen vs. physical keyboards, I have found that I just make too many typing mistakes with an onscreen keyboard. I don't know if it's my aging vision or my pudgy fingers or that the touchscreen detection sensitivity on smartphones is not precise enough, but it's been very frustrating on the iPhone. In contrast, although the keys are small on the slide-out keyboard of the Droid 3, I have no problem pressing the right keys and the "click" provides the auditory feedback I need to let me know the key was pressed hard enough. As Stacy points out, it does add a little heft to your phone but not enough for me to be concerned with it.<br />
<br />
I also like the microSD card expansion slot on my Android-driven phone. With iPhones, you actually have to buy a different phone to gain more capacity if you discover that you wish to capture that spur of the moment video clip. Now that smartphone cameras have the ability to capture 1080p HD video, you're almost forced to buy the much more expensive iPhone with larger capacity internal storage if you think there's even a remote possibility that you might want to use the video capability of your camera. And, if you find yourself using that camera more and more, you must get in the habit of downloading those videos and purging the iPhone's internal storage if you want to keep recording more images. With a smartphone equipped with an expansion slot, you can actually treat the phone like a digital camera and simply remove a full chip and insert an empty one. Furthermore, if you have another Android device, like a tablet that uses microSD chips, you can swap chips with it if you have files stored on the tablet that you wish to share or edit on your smartphone.<br />
<br />
As a photographer, I also like the Droid's 8 Megapixel camera. It has both flash and zoom and I have even taken indoor shots without flash and the resulting images are sharp with very little noise. I was also able to buy a lens kit ($49) for it from <a href="http://photojojo.com/">Photojojo.com</a> that includes a 2X teleconverter, a macro closeup lens and a fisheye special effects lens for times when I don't have my full sized digital camera with me and need just a few more features than the default phone lens capabilities. The kit lenses are attached via a small thin magnetic ring that is affixed like a sticker around your phone's camera lens so the kit works with just about any model of smartphone. <br />
<br />
From an application viewpoint, the Android operating system has built-in Speech to Text conversion so I can dictate book reviews and blog posts and speak destinations into the Navigator when I'm on the road and can't use the keyboard.<br />
<br />
I didn't even have to give up one of my favorite casual games, iFishing. Despite its name, this game by Rocking Pocket Games has been seamlessly ported to the Android. I've discovered most of the applications I liked on the iPhone have been ported to the Android so I don't feel giving up the App Store in exchange for the Android Market was a sacrifice either.<br />
<br />
The only thing I would caution a potential immigrant about is that you should first set up a Google Wallet or Checkout account so Google has a way to charge you for applications you select that cost money in the Android Market. I knew there needed to be a way to connect a credit card with your Google account so the Android Market could function like the Apple App Store but I didn't know how this was accomplished. I searched the web and found a reference to the Google Checkout account (<b style="background-color: white; color: #009933; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 15px;">checkout</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #009933; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">.</span><b style="background-color: white; color: #009933; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 15px;">google</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #009933; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;">.com/) </span> then navigated to it and set up an account. I thought it was strange that Google Checkout was not listed as an available service in my regular Google account profile options.Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10750568.post-6312296980171756192011-10-17T17:07:00.000-07:002011-10-17T17:07:31.577-07:00QR Codes a great way to integrate Wikipedia with physical museum exhibits<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
Last night I read an article in my local newspaper about the use of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code" rel="wikipedia" title="QR Code">QR Codes</a> to access and share a variety of information. QR Codes are those little square images you see filled with odd shaped rectangles that can be used to launch applications and steer viewers to specific information sources or even input data into a database like your contact information.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
They look like this:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.5em;">
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<a _mce_href="http://api.ning.com:80/files/n3KT9UTBe3Ne1csjhIcbgtAsOh5lPlOMy7IPl-LYmSv8UAQn1DpuH29ZT*Pftz0rHsHr-PSk6faNm-1ervJnfpAIvTU1iWK2/AttilatheHunQRCode.png" href="http://api.ning.com/files/n3KT9UTBe3Ne1csjhIcbgtAsOh5lPlOMy7IPl-LYmSv8UAQn1DpuH29ZT*Pftz0rHsHr-PSk6faNm-1ervJnfpAIvTU1iWK2/AttilatheHunQRCode.png" target="_self"><img _mce_src="http://api.ning.com:80/files/n3KT9UTBe3Ne1csjhIcbgtAsOh5lPlOMy7IPl-LYmSv8UAQn1DpuH29ZT*Pftz0rHsHr-PSk6faNm-1ervJnfpAIvTU1iWK2/AttilatheHunQRCode.png" class="align-full" src="http://api.ning.com/files/n3KT9UTBe3Ne1csjhIcbgtAsOh5lPlOMy7IPl-LYmSv8UAQn1DpuH29ZT*Pftz0rHsHr-PSk6faNm-1ervJnfpAIvTU1iWK2/AttilatheHunQRCode.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both !important; display: block !important; margin-bottom: 10px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 5px !important;" width="350" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The code above when scanned with a QR Code Reader application like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.redlaser.com/" rel="homepage" title="RedLaser">RedLaser</a> available for free for Android and iPhones will launch a web browser or (on my Droid 3) a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wikipedia.org/" rel="homepage" title="Wikipedia">Wikipaedia</a> session and automatically navigate to the Wikipedia article about <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila" rel="wikipedia" title="Attila">Attila the Hun</a>.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
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I generated the code with RedLaser's free QR Code generator: <a _mce_href="http://redlaser.com/qrcode/" href="http://redlaser.com/qrcode/">http://redlaser.com/qrcode/</a>. All I had to do was select the type of information I wished to encode (in this case a web URL) and enter the URL and click generate. Then I could email the resulting .png image to myself where I could save it and/or print it out.</div>
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I am on the board of directors for the Historical Figures Foundation in Ventura, California, a non-profit organization that promotes the exhibit of museum quality historical miniatures created by artist/historian George Stuart. At the present time, we have an exhibit of sculptures depicting "Really Awful" people at the Ventura County Museum. Attila the Hun is one of these figures. We are planning to afix these QR Codes to each figure's display case then provide visitors with a handout that explains how to download a free QR Code reader and scan each code to retrieve additional information about each historical personality in the exhibit during their visit.</div>
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QR Code applications can be used to automatically search local vendors for the best price for particular products, greatly enhance a museum experience, facilitate purchasing a product at the best price and exchange rich contact information that includes not only your name, address, phone and email but URLs for your home page, your blog(s), your <a class="zem_slink" href="http://flickr.com/" rel="homepage" title="Flickr">Flickr</a> photostream, your Twitter and Facebook accounts and even notes about your career specialities, personal favorites, etc. - much more than what you could fit on the typical printed business card!</div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This video shows how some people are using QR Codes to entice people to seek them out as if they were on a treasure hunt. It also explains how you can generate a QR Code with Google.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B3lrcOhmp9g" width="560"></iframe>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I can't wait to explore this technology further!</span><br />
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<a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=81df02be-07e3-4810-b999-234fc563412e" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>Mary Harrschhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01812961655356354800noreply@blogger.com0