Stephen's Den

A paper I co-authored a year back has just been accepted into EdMedia 2006.

The theory of the paper was basically using a visualisation technique to display the “relationships” between students in online education courses.

One of the interesting things I found was that it was very easy for the lecturer to “dominate” discussion forums by responding to every message. The visualisation made it clear that the discussion became very “hub-and-spoke” with the lecturer in the middle and students on the periphery.

If lecturers delayed in responding just a little, the profile of the discussions changed and a group of “core” students would be drawn into the centre of the discussion.

The opportunities for using this in real course discussions are quite appealing because it would encourage lecturers to think more about the “overall” picture of the “health” of a given discussion topic rather than the immediate problem of answering students’ questions.

The conference is in Orlando in June. Hmm….

Abstract below: Continue reading Visualization of Asynchronous Discussion

I live near Mt. Wellington. In fact, I live so close to Mt. Wellington that I often go for walks up the mountain for a bit of exercise and some time to think.

Now, it’s called a mountain not because it’s particularly big, but because it is, technically, a volcano. I took a number of photos up there but this is my favourite (click for more detail):

Where else in the world can you walk up a mountain and look at the skyscrapers of the biggest city in the country with a bunch of cows grazing nearby? I love Auckland.

I had an interesting run-in with a financial advisor these past few weeks that I would like to relate to you. It all started when I decided on the spur of the moment that I needed superannuation (super is best arranged on the spur of the moment, I am sure).

Now, I know that the University has a fantastic scheme where they pay more than dollar-for-dollar. What this means is: for every dollar you pay into the scheme, the University will pay a little over a dollar in as well. That’s frigging fantastic, let me tell you right now. Continue reading Almost shafted

Disclaimer: Some of my friends, colleagues and family may be weirded out by this post but really, guys, it’s just sex.

A few years ago I came up with an idea that I thought could make millions: what if we built computer peripherals that used haptics (force feedback, touch-sentitivity, sensation etc) to provide sexual stimulus?

Imagine, people could hook themselves up and engage in perfectly safe sex. Imagine the enhancements to cyber sex, imagine “interactive” porn. Imagine how much money there is to be made and how it could further research in to real improvements in technology? Let’s face it, sex sells, and haptics is an exciting research area that deserves mor funding.

Before you call me a rotten pervert, I should point out that this idea is about 20 years old and is known as teledildonics. Who originally coined the term? Oh, just the guy who came up with the term “hypertext” and “hypermedia”, that’s all.

dDot of Slashdong (that’s right, slashdong) currently has a paper accepted at the prestigious CHI (Computer Human Interaction) conference this year, the paper is to do with this very topic. *waves to qDot*

So, the idea is alive and well. Sadly, the technology is, to be frank, in the dark ages. Here are a few links to examples (warning, not safe for work):
Full stroke – who is going to attach that to their privates?
Priceless – you want me to put my cordless drill where?
Venus – An air compressor? Are you crazy?

Will a future brain-to-brain iterface as depicted in the movie Demolition Man eventually supplant the need for actual sex altogether? I hope not.

I had a very interesting discussion with my friend & colleague Brendon on Friday after work. He had suggested that we get together sometime over a drink to discuss sex and religion. Seeing as I really like sex, religion and drinking, I considered this to be a fantastic offer.

We met up after work at a bar in custom’s street and had a few drinks. Well, I had a few drinks, he had one ;).

Continue reading Sex, religion and pluralism

This month has been pretty lean. Not only is it the longest month of the year pay-wise (we got paid early in December) but Christmas was heavy on the pocket. So I have been thinking about money lately. I despise money, in general. That’s why I plan on gathering as much of it as I possibly can, so I can willfully ignore it.

I am afraid I am not so good at gathering money. This is the time when I reflect on old debtors and kicking myself for not enforcing contracts.

One such debtor is Bill. Sarah & I did a website for him nigh over a year ago. $2k (the website has some application stuff built in) but he was slow with the content. We got most of the content from him but he held off on the finishing touches. So, we waited, and once we’d waited enough we installed a content management system and told him that was that. Have a look for yourself. I have tried to contact him a number of times, but still no money, despite the fact that he called me once because his insert key was stuck *sigh*. Ok, I’ll give him a few more months and then his pretty website will turn into a page referring vaguely to failing to pay suppliers ^^

Another debtor, Jim, owes me $10k for some software development I did for him in early 2004. That’s been a year and a half overdue. He complains that the customer hasn’t paid him because of testing and bugs etc etc. He never asked me to fix said bugs and he was working on the same code as me. Grumble, grumble. I think I will eventually get some money out of him but I know people who have had to threaten litigation to get money out of this guy.

My goal with work is simply to earn money working 9-5. I tried changing the world at my last job and that was a miserable failure. So now I content myself with a stable job with no surprises.

Although I’d like to ask for more money from work, now is certainly NOT the time for me to be asking for a raise. The beginning of this year was quite a blow to my work ethic. I think it’s a combination of the post-Christmas blues and the *ahem* possibility of a love life (no, mom, I am still saying nothing, let it go) that have managed to distract me from my first love: work.

This has all been exacerbated by the fact that I am becoming increasingly involved in what could easily be considered the biggest hospital pass software project of all time.

I hope my work-mojo is back now.

On the plus side, Cecil offered me an exorbitant hourly rate to fix something for them today (Monday). Most lucrative 3 hours I have ever spent 🙂

My father visited me before leaving for South Africa on holiday and we got to talking as usual. Something he said struck a chord.
“You know, I am so proud of Susan graduating medicine.” he mused
“Yeah, me too” I replied wholeheartedly
“You know she always kind of lived in your shadow.” He peered at me over the top of his glasses
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” Sometimes it seems we think exactly alike, frightening.

I have always been painfully aware that I am the eldest and so I got most of the opportunities. I won the cultural prizes at school, got all the good grades. I started Uni first, did postgrad, got a job first. I knew (or seemed to know) what I wanted from life and pretty much got there first too. Susan has now also achieved her goal. It’s unique, it’s difficult and she is successful. I couldn’t be more pleased or more proud of her. To top it all off, she’s married into a loving relationship and is well on her way to success.

Then, he continued with something else I was also thinking in the back of my mind
“Because, of course, you just did what everyone expected of you, she exceeded all our expectations.”
“Yeah…”

That’s just it. No one ever doubted that I would be outrageously successful. They all jokingly referred to me as the next Bill Gates. They expected me to go to University, study, do something academic and then go on to make lots and lots of money before the age of 30. I may not be Bill Gates but I am working on the making money part the old fashioned way: hard work.

But really, it’s as he said: I haven’t actually achieved beyond what was expected of me. Susan exceeded expectations and I met them. When students simply meet expectations at Uni we give them a B. In some ways, it seems like my life just got a B.

Today I had lunch with an old friend, Viren (known as “V” to his friends). I bumped into him a month or so ago but hadn’t seen him in what seems like years. Looks like a lot of things have happened in the meantime.

I won’t go into the all too private details here on this very public blog, but I will say that after talking to him I realise he’s going through his “quarter life crisis”. I went through mine recently and am still dealing with the aftermath at the moment. It’s a fantastic experience: you re-evaluate things and realise things about yourself that are perhaps a little frightening. It’s well worthwhile. I recommend it to anyone 24+ 😉

One of the most interesting changes in V (from my perspective) is the change in his approach to religion.

Continue reading Holier Than Thou

I took Lara out to dinner at Angus Steak House on Friday last week.

No, Mom, it’s not like that.

It all came about because Lara was lamenting that she is always the person who organises things and unless she organises things, they never happen. So, as I tend to do, I spontaneously suggested something random: “ok, I will take you out to dinner at Angus steak house and we can have a steak, since K doesn’t eat steak. How does that sound?”

Continue reading Dinner for two

So, I got to use one of my tools today (so wah)! I brought the laser measure into work to lend it to Dean and it turned out to be useful for something vaguely work-related as well.

Continue reading Geek