High-Technically Correct

My Tumblr Blogfolio

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:00:00 +0000

I have successfully transitioned to a new blogfolio format. I hope that you will find the new design to be both aesthetically pleasing and easy to read. My former blog, along with all of its content, will remain archived here on Blogger. However, I will not be posting new content here. Instead, I will continue with regular updates over on Tumblr. In line with the Tumblr format, I am also hoping to keep my posts brief and to the point, whereas I have tended to write more fully-developed articles in the past. Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any thoughts on the new format and design.

R Beginner's Guide Book Update: Statistical Analysis with R Released

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:00:00 +0000

In the final days of October, my beginner's guide to R was released. The book's official title is Statistical Analysis with R and it can be found on the Packt Publishing website.

The primary focus of Statistical Analysis with R is helping new users become accustomed to R and empowering them to apply R to suit their own needs. No prior experience with R, statistical software packages, or programming is necessary to learn from this book. It is written for a broad audience and should be well received by businesspeople, IT professionals, researchers, and students alike. Statistical Analysis with R takes readers on a journey from their first installation and launch of R, to analyzing and assessing data, to communicating and visualizing results. This guide is an excellent way to rapidly become an experienced R user and learn the skills that you need to apply R to your work.

Samples

A sample chapter from Statistical Analysis with R is available from the Packt website. This chapter, the book's eight, introduces the graphical capabilities of R, such as generating, customizing, and exporting various plots, charts, and graphs. You can download the sample chapter and its accompanying R files for free. If you like this chapter and are interested in learning more about R's graphical capabilities, you should know that chapter 9 demonstrates in depth how you can build and customize your own R visualizations.

The publisher has also posted a few brief samples from the book, which can be accessed via the following links. These samples are taken from chapters 7 and 8 of Statistical Analysis with R. Respectively, they cover the common process behind all R analyses and introduce the graphical capabilities of R.

Feedback

If you decide to read Statistical Analysis with R, please feel free to provide me with your feedback. It would be great to know what you learned from the book, how future guides could be improved, and your overall experience with R.

Meaningful Play 2010 Conference Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:00:00 +0000

I attended the 2010 Meaningful Play conference from October 21-23 at Michigan State University. Meaningful Play 2010 was the second rendition of the international conference on designing and researching serious games. Much like I did after the 2008 conference, I will highlight some of the thoughts, ideas, and inspirations that I took away from this year's Meaningful Play.

James Gee - Design, Learning, and Experience

James Gee, from Arizona State University, gave the opening speech for the conference and set and excellent tone for what was to follow. His primary argument rested on the concept that all people are smart... when they are given a meaningful context in which to think and act. Stakes and emotions are crucial to human performance. Accordingly, when our educational systems give people demotivating, uninteresting, and meaningless challenges, it should be no wonder that only a small percentage of them "succeed" on assessments and the rest are considered stupid, at-risk, or problematic. Building from this idea, Gee further points out the outdated hierarchical nature of institutional knowledge. That is, in essence, that the one genius is smart and everyone else is dumb, because the genius knows the answers to obscure and meaningless questions. In contrast, Gee believes that expertise now resides in the communities in which one resides. Therefore, expertise itself has become the ability to draw precious knowledge from the community, rather than to possess it oneself. Gee ends by suggesting that the only institutions that are capable of innovating are those that do not have a reputation to protect. He also mentions that while games can be used well for STEM education, they are most powerful in empowering people as learners and preparing them for future learning. Through gaming, people can recognize that they are smart and begin to question the status quo that tells them otherwise. His final ironic note to designers was to remind them that although people are smart (and games can make them realize that), they will not necessarily think the same way they do.

Renee Shull - Leading Change - Managing Pace LEGO Workshop

I attended a fun workshop that involved exploring creativity through Legos. During the workshop, we were asked to build our answers to very abstract concepts. Photos of my creations are shared below. Feel free to guess the meaning behind the designs or interpret new meanings into them.

My random warm-up creation

My current belief/attitude towards meaningful play on social behavior

How beliefs/attitudes towards meaningful play on social behavior could be improved

Ben Sawyer - What Will Great Serious Games Look Like?

Ben Sawyer of Digitalmill gave the somewhat depressing closing speech to day one of the conference. His perspective on the future of serious games was highly corporate in nature and focused on the infrastructure investments necessary to bring serious games to the masses. His criticism of the current industry is that while serious games are a known and accepted concept, they have failed to make an impact on a broad scale. While I agree with that assessment, I do not necessarily agree with the implied assertion that individual serious games should or must be scaled to make a valuable contribution. Sawyer sees successful serious games of the future as being tied into online service networks, pervasive and platform agnostic, supported by real curriculum and materials, and of course, good games. They will implement the following "world class" technological and social infrastructures:

Realtime data
Notifications, reminders, achievements
Accessibility
Adaptive play
SCORM compliance
Security
Support
Deployment.

The reason I find is to be a disheartening perspective of the future is that if these were indeed the requirements for the success of serious games, I see the industry as devoid of a future. Quite simply, no games, including those made by the most wealthy and powerful of commercial companies, have achieved these lofty aspirations. Further, serious games typically have little to no financial resources available to them, let alone those of Electronic Arts and the like, and are reliant predominately on intellectual capital and hard work.

Fortunately, there is always room for diverse visions of the future. I do not believe that serious games of the future need to meet all of Sawyers requirements at the "world class" level to be great. While I agree that Sawyer's suggestions are important, insightful, and conducive to generating more scalable games, I do not think that games need to be scaled to the masses to be successful. I do see a handful of exorbitantly funded projects striving for Sawyer's aims, perhaps with a few achieving them. But, I believe that the most substantial change from serious games will be born from the body of small experiences that many "insignificant" games instill in players. To me, dreaming of one game that can reach everyone is both an unachievable and undesirable outcome. Instead change will be enacted on a person to person level in classrooms, web browsers, and walks in the park.

Katherine Isbister - Games That Move Us: Designing More Powerful Emotional and Social Play Experiences

Katherine Isbister brought an inspiring perspective of psychology and physiology in gaming to day two of the conference. She gave multiple examples of commercial and research games that require input that engage players physically and socially in gaming. She explained that the physical feedback loop involved in games can be used to explore the social and physical experiences that are possible with modern gaming technologies like the Wii and iOS devices. For instance, Wii dancing games can make players feel silly by requiring certain movements and iPads can allow multiple players to collaboratively solve problems on a single screen. Her big challenges to game designers were to leverage the abilities of virtual realities to impact real world relationships and to discover the advantages of gaming as a medium.

Isbister's presentation was personally inspiring to me, because it caused me to reflect on MultiVerse, which I released for the iPad last summer. In MultiVerse, I explored the capabilities of multitouch technology in excess to experiment with the kinds of solo and multiplayer experiences that it could create. This presentation and the attendees' reaction to it reminded me that I am where I want to be as an innovator.

Robin Hunicke - Finding the Feeling: Experimental Development @thatgamecompany

Robin Hunicke of thatgamecompany closed out day two with an intriguing tale of experimental game design. She took us through the process of developing, testing, and revising the yet to be released title Journey. This game seeks to employ collaborative, but noncooperative, gameplay. Certainly, this is an epic challenge, but it leaves me all the more anxious to see what becomes of Journey as it nears its ultimate release. Hunicke's takeaway message was that it is worth failing to try something new. As someone who appreciates experimentation and strives to innovate, I greatly sympathize with this viewpoint.

Like Isbister's presentation, I found inspiration in Hunicke's account as I empathize with the experimental game design process. MultiVerse is indisputably a commercial failure, but I do hope that it's existence is worth the efforts that I put in to create it. My greatest goal all along was that MultiVerse would inspire other designers to explore the full capabilities of multitouch devices, rather than recycling the same hit games of generations gone by on new systems year after year. I will know this pursuit was worth it when a megahit game reaches the masses using the same principles and interactions that are present in MultiVerse. I believe that day will come within the next two years.

Debra Lieberman - Motivation and Rewards in Serious Games: Impacts on Player Engagement, Learning, and Behavior Change

Debra Lieberman, representing Health Games Research, gave an interesting overview inspection of the impact of rewards systems on different types of players. While the presentation's perspective emerged from health intervention games research, I think that its offerings are widely applicable to serious game design. Lieberman described rewards systems as primarily having internal (intrinsic) or external (extrinsic) motivational impacts on players. In light of a recent health product that appears to be solely based on extrinsic rewards, she posed the question: do we always need intrinsic rewards in games or are extrinsic enough in some cases? In addition to rewards systems, she identified two types of players, those who are highly involved (motivated) in the game content and those that have low involvement (unmotivated). The reward systems and player types can be arranged to yield the following 2x2 grid.

The conversation then turned to identifying the impacts of different rewards systems on these types of players, as well as the pros and cons of rewards in general. For example, intrinsic rewards may not be well suited to players with low motivation and extrinsic rewards have the potential to undermine players' internal motivation. Lastly, a few design tips were offered based on past experience and research in health gaming. These included making use of cooperative play, avoiding stealth content in health intervention games, designing based on players' motivation levels, and using rewards consciously.

Constance Steinkuehler - The Intellectual Life of Online Play

Constance Steinkuehler, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, opened day three of Meaningful Play with an intriguing look at the ethnography of MMORPG players. She spent a significant amount of time analyzing message board discussions on gaming sites related to popular MMORPGs, such as World of Warcraft. She found that while some nonsensical, infantile, or otherwise unproductive conversation does take place, the vast majority of player conversation can be considered productive and meaningful. Interestingly, she found examples of players exercising the scientific method as they created complicated spreadsheets to understand the underlying features of the game. They were also working to theorize and test hypotheses related to their data in the game world. All the while, the players did not see themselves as being involved in science, instead being gamers who were looking to cheat the system. Steinkuehler followed her ethnography with a study on reading levels in a K-12 classroom. The startling results indicated that while many students placed well below their reading levels using the content selected by the school, they placed 4-5 grade levels higher when allowed to choose their own reading content. The takeaway message here is that our current reading assessments do not factor interest or motivation into performance. At the same time, we witness players exercising the scientific method on their own accord in a gaming context. Clearly, there are unexplored potential connections between gaming, interest, motivation, scientific thinking, and performance. Perhaps games are a solution to the gap that exists between motivation/interest and performance.

Conclusion

There is something about the Meaningful Play conference that I have found indescribably valuable. It is inspiring to have so many people dedicated to advancing the use of video games for educational, health, social and other meaningful purposes. I have taken away excellent design and research ideas from both the 2008 and 2010 conferences. I recommend Meaningful Play to anyone who is interested in the design, use, or research of the impacts that games have on our world. I am looking forward to 2012.

Measuring The Physiological Experience of Gaming

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 18:06:00 +0000

Robert Christopherson, a fellow researcher in the Learning Sciences Research Lab (LSRL) at Arizona State University, recently created a video demonstrating some of the technology involved in our video game engagement project. This line of research is currently examining the physiological aspects of gaming, which include brain activity, eye activity, facial expression, skin conductivity, and the force of button presses. These items all relate to a player's level of engagement in a game. For example:

Brain activity relates to several detectable mental states, such as engagement, frustration, and meditation.
Eye activity indicates where players are focusing on the screen and for how long, which tells us about how they play and what attracts their attention.
Facial expressions indicate emotional states such as concentration, frustration, and happiness.
Skin conductivity (moisture) may indicate states such as nervousness, stress, or intense activity.
The force of button presses may indicate states such as intense activity, frustration, or calmness.

This research is working to explore cutting edge technologies and data analysis techniques that allow us to examine things about human experience that have previously not been possible. Robert's video and his original post can be found on the LSRL website. As you can see, I make a guest appearance in the video. In the session, I was wired up with the equipment and playing Guitar Hero, similar to our testing event back in May 2010.

Squarrelz Drey: A Tumblr Comic Series

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Through random and timely events last month, I was inspired to create a new breed of cartoon characters. These simply-crafted, cute, and silly creatures are a cross between a square and a squirrel. Hence, the Squarrel has been born.

At the same time, I have also been wanting to test out Tumblr, the Twitter-Blogger compromise of sorts, for some time now. I have been wondering whether my blog posts are too long for most interested readers and if I could reach people better through posts with a few hundred words rather than one or two thousand. I still have not made up my mind on that point nor begun to test the concept, but I have started using Tumblr in another way.

I created Squarrelz Drey, a comic series that is run through Tumblr. Periodically, I will doodle a few Squarrel drawings and post them to the site. I do not have a specific goal for Squarrelz Drey or the Squarrelz in general, but feel free to visit the site and indulge in the humorous antics of our skittish squarish friends.

R Tutorial Series: One-Way Omnibus ANOVA

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Testing the omnibus hypothesis via one-way ANOVA is simple process in R. This tutorial will explore how R can be used to perform a one-way ANOVA to test the difference between two (or more) group means.

Tutorial Files

Before we begin, you may want to download the sample data (.csv) used in this tutorial. Be sure to right-click and save the file to your R working directory. This dataset contains a hypothetical sample of 60 participants, who are divided into two groups (control and treatment) of 30. The values represent a scale that ranges from 1 to 5. For instance, this dataset could be conceptualized as a comparison between two professional training programs, where the control group participated the company's longstanding program and the treatment group participated in an experimental program. The values could represent the attitudes of employees towards the training programs on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

Beginning Steps

To begin, we need to read our dataset into R and store its contents in a variable.

> #read the one-way ANOVA dataset into an R variable using the read.csv(file) function
> dataOneWay <- read.csv("dataset_ANOVA_OneWay.csv")
> #display the data
> dataOneWay

The first ten rows of our one-way ANOVA dataset.

One-Way ANOVA

Now that our data are ready, we can conduct a one-way omnibus ANOVA test using the anova(object) function.

> #use anova(object) to test the omnibus hypothesis in one-way ANOVA
> #is the difference between the group means statistically significant?
> anova(lm(Values ~ Group, dataOneWay))

Our one-way ANOVA table.

The output of our ANOVA test indicates that the difference between our group means is statistically significant (p < .001). Conceptually, this suggests that employee attitudes towards the experimental training program were significantly higher than their attitudes towards the preexisting program.

Note that the object argument in our anova(object) function contained a linear model generated by the lm(formula, data) function. This is the same type of model that is used when conducting linear regression in R. A more detailed explanation of the lm(formula, data) function and examples of its use are available in my Simple Linear Regression article.

One-Way Multiple Group ANOVA

Conducting a one-way omnibus ANOVA with multiple groups is identical to the demonstrated two-group test. The only difference is that the values in your dataset would be associated with more than two groups. Subsequently, the omnibus hypothesis would test for mean differences across all of the groups. The anova(object) function and its contained lm(formula, data) function would remain the same.

Complete One-Way Omnibus ANOVA Example

To see a complete example of how a one-way omnibus ANOVA can be conducted in R, please download the one-way ANOVA example (.txt) file.

Foursquare Series: The Art of Checking In

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Now that you are aware of Foursquare and have some friends, you should be checking in on a daily basis. There is a certain amount of delicacy and consideration that must go into every Foursquare check-in. If you check in too much, you become a spammer or cheat. If you check in too little, you fail to make the most out of your social network. In this article, I will share my guidelines for checking in. These are the principles that I follow when deciding whether to check into a particular location on Foursquare.

Foursquare's Definition

While it is not explicitly stated, I can see from using the network that Foursquare has a certain definition of checking in that does not match my own. Essentially, Foursquare expects you to stay at each check in location for roughly one hour. When you begin to check in to multiple places at a faster rate, it will tell you to stay put and stop counting your check-ins, even if you actually are visiting places at that pace. While this policy may be fine for long-term visit locations, such as restaurants, theaters, bars, offices, and sporting events, it is abysmal when one considers the way people actually use Foursquare and all of the places that they encounter in a given day.

My Definition

My definition of an appropriate check-in differs from Foursquare's. It is more flexible and meaningful. It can vary by type of location. Also, duration of visit is not the one and only, nor even the primary, indication of whether a check-in is valid or not. Instead, the actions of the user and the propriety of the check-in are more important in determining validity. Below is a list of the considerations that should be made in determining a valid check-in.

Proximity

First and foremost, you must actually be at a location to check into it. It is not appropriate to check in to locations that you are not currently visiting. Doing so defeats the purpose of Foursquare altogether, as it does not provide meaningful location information to yourself or your friends. Ask yourself, "Am I there?"

Activity

Your activity at a given location should be significant enough that it has some meaning to your day. As an absolute minimum, I would say that you have to go to the bathroom at a location to make it a viable choice. More likely, you will want to check into places where you have an important meeting, make a purchase, or something else worth mentioning. Ask yourself, "Would I describe this activity to someone else when telling them about my day?"

Duration of Visit

Hand in hand with the activity considerations, the duration of a visit should be sufficient enough that it has some noteworthiness in your day. If I had to put a number on it, I would say the minimum is five minutes. However, you should always consider all of the factors in this list, rather than making a check-in decision on time alone. Ask yourself, "Have I been here long enough to make it a significant part of my day?"

Location Type

I believe that the biggest problem with Foursquare's current (lack of) artificial intelligence is that it is incapable of distinguishing between location types. For instance, while the rough one-hour requirement might be fine for a museum visit, it is not so fitting for touring public landmarks and monuments, where you might pass by several notable locations in a matter of minutes. The following list gives specific guidelines for different types of check-in locations. For these, it is assumed that you have already met the activity and duration requirements. If you cannot meet those, then you should not check in at all. When considering a check-in at a particular location type, ask yourself, "Have my actions and duration been appropriate to this location?"

Buildings: you must go into the building to have a valid check-in
Manmade landmarks: If you encounter a manmade landmark and somehow interact with, admire, or photograph it, then you should feel free to check in there. In certain cases, this can be an exception to the preceding building rule. For instance, if you run the Rocky steps outside the Philadelphia Art Museum, then you may check in, even if you do not go inside the museum.
Parks and natural landmarks: If you walk through a park, or climb over a mountain, or have some other interaction with a significant natural landmark, feel free to check in there.
Public transportation: If you wait at a public transportation stop, then you should feel free to check in there.
Malls: Although it may become tedious, feel free to check into every store that you step foot in, but not any that you just pass by.
This is not a comprehensive list, so if you have other location types to add, please leave a comment and let me know.

Checking Out

The idea behind checking in is a simple one, although the variety in activities that you complete and location types that you encounter can complicate the process. These challenges are compounded by the fact that Foursquare's current system is not very flexible or knowledgeable in dealing with the practical realities of checking in. Yet, by following the guidelines of proximity, activity, duration, and location, you can apply your Foursquare check-ins in the most appropriate and meaningful manner. Remember to ask yourself these questions prior to making each check-in:

Am I there?
Would I describe this activity to someone else when telling them about my day?
Have I been here long enough to make it a significant part of my day?
Have my actions and duration been appropriate to this location?

If you encounter a no at any point, it is better not to share. On the contrary, if you can answer yes to all of the above, then you should feel free to check in.

R Beginner's Guide Book Update 10/1/2010

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:00:00 +0000

I recently submitted the final drafts of all chapters of my R Beginner's Guide book, which is to be published through Packt. The official publishing timeline is set to December 2010, although the book may release ahead of schedule if all continues to go well. Below is an updated list of the major topics covered in the R Beginner's Guide.

Over the course of this book, you will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to:

Conduct organized data analyses in R
Communicate data analyses conducted in R
Generate, customize, and export detailed charts, plots, and graphs
Build your own custom data visualizations
Program in the R language
Create your own custom functions
Extend the functionality of R via external packages
Manage the R workspace and console
Import external data into R
Manipulate data using variables
Execute a wide array of multi-argument and variable-argument functions
Develop and employ predictive regression models
Assess the practical and statistical significance of predictions
Understand R, its benefits, and how to use it to maximize the impact of your data analyses

Photo Explorer for iPhone v1.7 Released

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Photo Explorer for iPhone version 1.7 has been released. This update features the following enhancements.

300 unique levels featuring wildlife, butterfly, flower, and landscape photography.
a new freeplay game mode that allows you to explore at your own pace
an options menu to for toggling between game modes
improved iAd integration
requires iOS 4.0 or higher

The main addition to this version of Photo Explorer is the new freeplay game mode. In freeplay, you can explore photos at your own pace. There are no time constraints and scoring, so you are relieved from any pressures to act fast or avoid using hints. In freeplay you can take the time that you need to thoroughly explore each level and indulge in its photography. You can toggle between freeplay and time modes by using the switch located in the Options menu.

You can find Photo Explorer for iPhone on the iTunes App Store. Do not hesitate to tweet about Photo Explorer v1.7 on Twitter. Also, feel free to leave ratings and reviews in the App Store. The new freeplay mode was implemented in direct response to a review left by a fellow player!

Video Tutorials: Getting Started with SurveyMonkey

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

SurveyMonkey.com is an online survey creation and hosting website. It is the survey site that I most prefer to use when conducting research, organizing an event, or soliciting design feedback. Registration for a (limited) account is free, so you can start exploring SurveyMonkey without making any commitments. I recently put together a series of fast and easy screencasts to help introduce new users to SurveyMonkey. You can access each 1024x768 SurveyMonkey tutorial video using the links provided below.

Even if you do not plan to use SurveyMonkey directly, the information provided here is applicable to several similar websites. If you would like to see more SurveyMonkey tutorials, please let me know by leaving a comment at the end of this post.

SurveyMonkey Video Tutorials

Create a Free Account

Learn how to create a free account on SurveyMonkey.com

Login to Your Account

See how to login to your account on SurveyMonkey.com

Create a Survey

Explore the available themes, question types, and question customization options as you create a survey on SurveyMonkey.com

Change a Survey's Options

Change a survey's options to make global adjustments to its design.

Preview a Survey

Once completed, preview your survey to see and interact with it the same way that participants will.

Collect Data Online

To collect your data through the SurveyMonkey website, create your own custom URL and distribute it to participants. Also consider setting specific conditions and restrictions on the collection of your survey's responses.

Note: a paid account is required to create custom URLs, however data can be collected through the auto-generated link on free accounts.

Analyze Data

Use SurveyMonkey's built-in features to summarize and analyze your survey's data at the group and individual levels.

How To Resize a Safari Window Using AppleScript

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

I came across a valuable tip today, which involves the use of AppleScript to programmatically resize a Safari browser window. This can be extremely useful in instances where a specific window size is desired, like screencasting. For instance, perhaps you want to make a screen capture of a specific/standard size, such as 1024x768 or 800x600. In this case, setting the exact dimensions of your browser window is not only a time saver, but it also eliminates the guesswork involved in sizing up your recording.

AppleScript

The AppleScript needed to resize your Safari browser window is displayed below. AppleScript can be executed using the AppleScript Editor, which is standard software on any Mac OS X computer.

tell application "Safari"
set bounds of window 1 to {0, 0, 1024, 768}
end tell
#source: http://www.red-sweater.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=1471

Remember to change the 1024 and 768 values in the code to the respective width and height that you would like your window to be. You may also change the zero values to position your window with x and y coordinates.

Alternatively, you can simply download the complete AppleScript file, double-click it to open the AppleScript Editor, and then press the Run button to execute the code on your own computer.

Note that the code provided in this post came courtesy of this online discussion. I am merely helping to spread the knowledge related there. In fact, even more detailed browser window manipulation code is offered in that discussion, in case you are interested in learning more.

R Tutorial Series: Labeling Data Points on a Plot

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

There are times that labeling a plot's data points can be very useful, such as when conveying information in certain visuals or looking for patterns in our data. Fortunately, labeling the individual data points on a plot is a relatively simple process in R. In this tutorial, we will use the Calibrate package's textxy function to label the points on a scatterplot.

Tutorial Files

Before we begin, you may want to download the sample data (.csv) used in this tutorial. Be sure to right-click and save the file to your R working directory. This dataset contains information used to estimate undergraduate enrollment at the University of New Mexico (Office of Institutional Research, 1990). Note that this tutorial assumes that this data has already been read into R and saved into a variable named enrollmentData.

Plot

To begin, we need to create a scatterplot using the plot(x,y) function. With our example data, we will plot the year on the x axis and the unemployment rate on the y axis.

> #generate a plot using the plot(x,y) function
> #plot year on the x axis and unemployment rate on the y axis
> plot(enrollmentData$YEAR, enrollmentData$UNEM)

For a more detailed description of plotting data in R, see the article on scatterplots.

Textxy

Within the calibrate package, the textxy() function can be used to label a plot's data points. The textxy() function accepts the following arugments ("Label points in a plot," n.d.).

Required

x: the x values of the plot's points
y: the y values of the plot's points
labs: the labels to be associated with the plot's points

Optional

cx: used to resize the label font
dcol: used to set the label color; defaults to black
m: sets the origin of the plot; defaults to (0,0)

Here, we will use textxy() to add labels for the enrollment at the University of New Mexico to each of our plot's data points.

> #if necessary, install the calibrate package
> #install.packages("calibrate")
> #load the calibrate package
> library(calibrate)
> #use the textxy() function to add labels to the preexisting plot's points
> #add labels for the total enrollment
> textxy(enrollmentData$YEAR, enrollmentData$UNEM, enrollmentData$ROLL)

In this case, adding labels to our data points helps us to better assess the relationships in our dataset.

Complete Data Point Labeling Example

To see a complete example of how a plot's data points can be labeled in R, please download the Data Point Labeling (.txt) file.

References

Label points in a plot. (n.d.). Retrieved September 19, 2010 from http://rss.acs.unt.edu/Rdoc/library/calibrate/html/textxy.html

Office of Institutional Research (1990). Enrollment Forecast [Data File]. Retrieved November 22, 2009 from http://lib.stat.cmu.edu/DASL/Datafiles/enrolldat.html

Foursquare Series: Friends

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Now that you have been introduced to Foursquare, your next major consideration involves choosing who to allow into your social network. On Foursquare, it is particularly important to select your acquaintances wisely. These individuals will be exposed to your very personal location information in real time. In this article, I will discuss tips for deciding who to include, and who to exclude, from you Foursquare friends list.

Who to Friend

The following list describes some of the people who you might consider befriending on Foursquare.

friends who you like and would not mind bumping into on account of Foursquare
family members or lovers who you are comfortable telling where you are and who you trust not to abuse the ability to watch your every move
coworkers who you have a very good relationship with and trust with your location information
your own, but not others', pets
inanimate, but possibly personified, objects

Who Not to Friend

The following list describes people who you should not befriend on Foursquare under any circumstance.

friends who you do not like, who would abuse their power to track your location, or who you would be annoyed to run into thanks to Foursquare
family members who you do not want to know your location or who do not have enough self control not to stalk you
superiors/supervisors with any control over your fate at work/school
coworkers who you do not want to encounter outside of work
crazed ex-lovers who might stalk you and pull the hairs out of your kneecaps one by one
anyone who is on your Facebook friends list
shady characters that you find hanging around bus stops, back alleys, or public restrooms

Deciding Whether to Friend

I have put together a handy flowchart that you can use to determine who to friend and who not to friend when building your Foursquare network (1). This summarizes the basic thought process that I go through when choosing friends for my social networks. I recommend that you adopt this procedure or one that is similar, but catered more directly to your personal needs.

1: Choosing friends on Foursquare

How to Find and Add Friends

After logging into your Foursquare account, you will see the Find Friends button near the top right-hand corner of the Foursquare homepage (2). If you click on this link, you will be taken to a page that allows you to invite friends from your Gmail, Twitter, or ~~Facebook~~ accounts, as well as directly contact potential acquaintances via email (3).

2: Find Friends button

3: Invite friends from other networks

Alternatively, you can search for users by name using the box on the Foursquare homepage (4). If you find someone who you want to befriend (5), you can do so by clicking on the large Add as friend button on his or her profile page (6).

4: Search box

5: Search results

6: Add as friend button

Conclusion

You should be careful about who you befriend on any social network. This principle is all the more true when considering who you will share your location information with on Foursquare. If you follow the guidelines set forth in this article, you are much more likely to have safe, beneficial, and productive interactions with your network of friends on Foursquare.

Foursquare Series: The Basics

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Starting today, my plan is to put together a collection of Foursquare articles that introduce the social network and its capabilities to new users. Foursquare is a location-based social network that you can use to experience new places, meet up with friends, and find discounts at local venues. In this guide, I will explain the basic components of Foursquare.

Registering

Registering for Foursquare is a relatively straightforward and simple process. The URL for the Foursquare homepage is http://foursquare.com. When you visit the Foursquare site for the first time, you will be greeted with a large JOIN NOW button (1). After clicking on this button, you will be taken to the registration page. To sign up for Foursquare, you are required to provide a name, password, email address, hometown, gender, and birthdate (2). Note that this information is not shared with other users. If you are averse to placing it on the network, it can be falsified or removed after your account is created. After registering, Foursquare will ask you to add or invite friends and link your account with your other social network profiles. You may optionally participate in these steps or choose to explore Foursquare first and save them for a later time. To see what a public profile looks like, visit my Foursquare page.

1: Foursquare join button

2: Foursquare registration page

Apps

Once registered, you will want to download the appropriate Foursquare application for your mobile device. Foursquare is available for several devices and operating systems. See the GET IT NOW heading on the Foursquare homepage for a complete list (3). If your mobile device does not support applications, Foursquare offers a mobile optimized version of its website.

3: List of Foursquare devices

Note that while the certain screenshots used in this guide are from the iPhone version of the Foursquare app, the features and functions discussed are uniform across the different platforms.

Check-ins

Your primary activity in Foursquare will consist of checking in to the various locations that you visit each day. A check-in tells your friends where you currently are and records the visit in your history (4). Since there may be times when you want to check-in, but do not want to share your location with friends, Foursquare optionally allows you to privately check-in off the grid.

4: Check-in history

Foursquare uses your mobile device's GPS location to determine your approximate location and will continually present you with an up to date list of nearby places, such as businesses, workplaces, schools, and public landmarks (5). You can select your present location from this list or, if your location is not listed, you can add a new venue to the Foursquare network.

5: List of nearby locations

Tips

Tips are optional tidbits that you can post when checking into a particular venue. For instance, you might recommend a dish at your favorite restaurant (6) or relate a funny observation about a given place (7). The idea behind tips is to share your insights and experiences with others who might find them useful in deciding whether or not to visit a location or choosing what to do while there. Other users can check off as having experienced your tips, so you will even see the impact of your contribution to the network.

6: A recommendation tip

7: An observation tip

Tips are added to the wall of a venue's page (8) and the tips that you share are logged on your own profile (9).

8: Tips logged on a venue page

9: Tips logged on a profile page

To Dos

To dos are identical to tips, but with a twist. A to do is a tip that was left by another user and that you have decided to add to your list of future things to accomplish. For example, if you happen to see an intriguing dish recommended by another diner at a restaurant, you can add it to your to do list. Similarly, if you learn of a new venue that you would like to visit, you can mark it as a to do item. Essentially, your to do list is a collection of tips from other users that you would like to experience yourself in the future (10). Once you have completed a to do item, it will be added to your profile's Things Done tally (11). As you can see, tips and to dos are a major component of the information sharing that takes place within the Foursquare network.

10: To Do list on profile page

11: Things Done tally on profile page

Bagdes

Badges are personal accomplishment tokens that can be earned by using Foursquare. A badge commemorates the achievement of a noteworthy action as a Foursquare user. For instance, you will unlock the Explorer badge once you check into 25 different venues (12) and the Swarm badge when you check into a venue along with 50 or more fellow Foursquare users (13). In addition, special badges often appear on Foursquare for a limited time to celebrate special events, such as the 2010 World Cup (14). Earning badges can be a fun challenge and you often will be surprised when you unknowingly earn a badge by accomplishing a Foursquare feat. A complete list of available badges with instructions on how to unlock them is available from 4squarebadges.com.

12: Explorer badge

13: Swarm badge

14: World Cup 2010 badge

Mayorships

One holds a mayorship when he or she is the most loyal visitor to a given venue (15). For example, if you frequent a local coffee shop daily, you are likely to become the mayor of that location (16). Foursquare calculates mayorship based on the number of days checked into a venue in the last 60 days. Therefore, a person who checked into a venue on 30 different days in the past 60 days would have a score of 30, even if he or she checked in 100 times on a single day. A Foursquare mayorship indicates that you are a frequent visitor of a location and is a way of showing your support for it. Mayorships are meant to be temporary and can change hands as users alter their check-in habits and compete for the coveted position.

15: A venue's mayor is shown on its profile page

16: Your mayorships are shown on your profile page

Friends

Your friends on Foursquare are much like your friends on any other social network. These are users with special access to your profile and the ability to see when and where you check in. Due to the sensitive nature of the information shared on Foursquare, exercise caution in choosing who to let into your network. I plan to write a separate article with advice on handling friends on Foursquare.

Businesses

One of the biggest benefits of using Foursquare is being able to access discounts and coupons from the stores, restaurants, and other businesses in your area. Many are already participating in Foursquare and offer discounts for check-ins and mayorships. For instance, Chili's currently offers a free chips and salsa appetizer to anyone who checks-in (17). Others are just learning about Foursquare. If you know of a favorite location that is not participating, be sure to suggest Foursquare as a way to generate new business and reward frequent customers. You can find special offers when using Foursquare by looking for the flag that reads SPECIAL HERE or SPECIAL NEARBY atop venue pages (18).

17: Example Foursquare special offer from Chili's

18: Look for the special flag atop venue pages

Conclusion

This concludes your basic introduction to Foursquare. If you are ready to begin checking in, be sure to visit the Foursquare homepage and register. Also remember to return to this blog for more Foursquare articles.

Photo Explorer for iPhone v1.6 Released

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Photo Explorer for iPhone version 1.6 has been released. This update features the following enhancements.

50 free new levels (25 wildlife, 25 Malaysia -- now 300 total)
all images and graphics have been updated for the iPhone 4's retina display
the interface buttons have been enlarged for easier tapping
unobtrusive iAd integration has allowed Photo Explorer to retain its low price

Photo Explorer for iPhone now features a total of 300 levels! Along with enhanced graphics and improved usability, Photo Explorer for iPhone is better than ever before. This calls for a celebration...

Get Photo Explorer for iPhone FREE in the App Store

Photo Explorer v1.6 is currently available in the Apple App Store. For one week, Photo Explorer for iPhone will be free! This is the first time that Photo Explorer has been made available at no cost (offer ends 9/3/2010). Download now and enjoy! Also, do not hesitate to tweet about Photo Explorer v1.6 on Twitter.

Free for one week!

Tweet it around the world!

What about Photo Explorer for iPad?

Currently in version 1.4, Photo Explorer for iPad is awaiting Apple's release of iOS 4. Once the new operating system is available, Photo Explorer for iPad will be updated shortly after.

Jailbreaking Education: Two Apps for iOS Instruction

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Shortly after the iOS 4.0 jailbreak for iPhone and iPad became available early this month, developer Ryan Petrich (@rpetrich) released two of the most useful apps that I have ever encountered for iOS. Ironically enough, they both require a jailbroken iPhone or iPad device and bring essential functionality to iOS that is not offered nor approved by Apple. The apps, Display Recorder and Display Out, allow users to screencast and project the contents of their mobile devices.

Display Recorder

Display Recorder enables screen recording on iOS devices. Anything that is displayed on the iPhone or iPad screen, such as a website, setting configurations, gameplay, or application can be captured. All files are saved in the .avi format, which yields quality video, although some slow-down and artifacting occasionally occurs during the recording process. Optionally, the taps and touches placed on a device's screen can be recorded. Audio is not recorded with screencasts and therefore must be added in postproduction, if desired. One of the nicest features of Display Recorder is the built-in web server, which allows users to download their videos directly from an iOS device to the desktop via an ad-hoc webpage. The software also offers to upload videos directly to YouTube. Display Recorder is available through the Cydia store for $4.99 (a one-time purchase covers both an iPhone and iPad).

Display Recorder application window

Display Recorder settings

Photo Explorer screencast made with Display Recorder

Display Out

Display Out enables projecting from iOS devices. Anything that is displayed on the iPhone or iPad screen, such as a website, presentation, gameplay, or application can be broadcast via Apple's VGA display adapter. This a huge advancement in iOS screen broadcasting, since the VGA cable is by default only enabled on the iPad and only functional in very limited instances (essentially it is restricted only to displaying a Keynote presentation). However, with Display Out, the VGA adapter works just as one would expect from any computer. When the adapter is plugged into a monitor, projector, or similar VGA device, whatever is happening on the iPhone or iPad is instantly displayed on the connected screen. This makes it fast and easy to share anything from the iPhone or iPad with an audience larger than the two or three people who can huddle around a device. Display Out is available from the Cydia store for $1.99 (a one-time purchase covers both an iPhone and iPad).

One important warning regarding Display Out is that it should always be disabled before shutting down. I experienced a bug upon booting my iPad with Display Out enabled that rendered the screen completely out of proportion and almost unusably disfigured. While reproducible, this occurrence is both temporary (corrected by respringing) and completely avoidable by making sure that Display Out is turned off when it is not in use.

Display Out settings

Instructional Functionality

Display Recorder and Display Out turn educators' iOS devices into powerful instructional tools. With Display Recorder, screencasting has come to mobile devices, whereas it was previously restricted to the desktop. With Display Out, an iPhone or iPad is a presentation device to the same extent as any laptop or interactive whiteboard. These apps open doors for educators to use their iOS devices for presentations, demonstrations, tutorials, and interactions that were previously barred by Apple's restrictive device controls. Most intriguingly, the possibility is there for educators to interact with their pupils and collaborators in previously unforeseen ways. For instance, an instructor's iPad could be used for presenting content, interactive gameplay, and collaborative creation all at the same time. Furthermore, several devices could feasibly be linked together, thereby simultaneously involving multiple users in an engaging and cooperative learning experience.

iPhone Running: Jog Log vs. Nike+

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:52:00 +0000

I recently tested two health applications for the iPhone 4 - Jog Log and Nike+. Both of these apps are designed to track one's running (or walking) workouts by recording data about the distance traveled, duration of the trip, pace, and calories burned. While testing Jog Log and Nike+, I found advantages, disadvantages, and areas for improvement in both. This article will present the results of my testing and compare the two applications across several categories.

Jog Log vs. Nike+

Accuracy

In general, both Jog Log and Nike+ can accurately record workout data. At their best, they recorded similar, although not identical, data when I used them simultaneously during multiple test runs. For instance, on a given workout, either of the apps may underestimate the distance, while the other overestimates it (give or take 0.1 mile; calculated via Google Maps). On the next workout, the opposite may be true. In terms of calories burned, Nike+ always overestimates relative to Jog Log, whereas Jog Log underestimates relative to Nike+. The following images depict both Jog Log's and Nike+'s summaries of the same test workout.

Jog Log summary of a 1.6 mile test walk.

Nike+ summary of a 1.6 mile test walk.

Both applications can also experience problems recording accurate data.

Jog Log relies solely on 3G GPS data. Therefore, in areas where a GPS signal is hard to come by, it can have difficulty detecting one's location. The only trouble I experienced with Jog Log was when initially starting a workout in a poor reception area. In this case, Jog Log tended to think that I started my run in a somewhat nearby location. Once it figured out where I was, it "warped" me back into position and then correctly identified the remainder of the trip. However, the warping unduly credits distance to the run that did not happen. Conveniently, Jog Log will warn users of a weak GPS signal before beginning a new workout. Therefore, warping can be avoided altogether. Furthermore, Jog Log provides in-app route maps via OpenStreetMap.org, which can be used to identify warping when it does occur. GPS data can also be exported for use in OpenStreetMap, where any inaccuracies in a workout can be manually corrected. For optimal performance, it is recommend that Jog Log be launched in an area with a strong signal and that workouts be started only when the app is able to detect the one's actual location. Under these conditions, no inaccuracies are expected.

Jog Log map provided in-app via OpenStreetMap.

Nike+ has more than its fair share of data collection problems. Regularly, the Nike+ app on my iPhone 4 crashes, especially when switching back to the app while multitasking. At other times, Nike+ is completely unable to detect my sensor, or worse, detects my sensor initially and then stops part of the way through a workout. This has happened during and outside of the test trials for this article. I even tried keeping my sensor in different places with little success. In my back pocket, it recorded a half workout. In my shoe, the place where Nike recommends the sensor be placed, it failed to even connect to my iPhone. I experienced the best results when keeping the sensor in my side pocket. Furthermore, another problem is the potential of the app to malfunction when saving workouts. Although a more rare phenomenon, I have had more than one workout lost. When this happens, the app records the correct duration, but nothing (0.00) for the distance, pace, and calories, in spite of the interface saying otherwise directly before saving. This is a very frustrating experience, especially since the workout data is necessary for sharing and interacting with Nike's online websites.

Advantage: Jog Log - so long as you have a clear GPS signal, it is going to work well every time. Nike+ is too buggy and unreliable at the moment. Expect to have crashes, inaccurate distance and pace recordings, and potentially lost workout sessions.

Settings

Jog Log has a wealth of robust settings. Custom workouts can be designed with variable pacing, which allows for the inclusion of warm-up, cool-down, and tiered segments. Each of these segments can also have an iPod playlist, or even individual songs, attached to it. Audio cues are also an excellent feature implemented in Jog Log. These can take the form of beep or voice notifications that indicate the completion of workout segments, distance traveled, or pacing. Another nice feature in Jog Log is that the run display can be toggled to show pacing in either increments of time (i.e. minutes per mile) or speed (i.e. miles per hour).

Jog Log custom workout sample.

Jog Log audio cue settings.

Jog Log data display during workout.

In contrast, Nike+'s features are limited to just the basics. While Nike+ also allows for custom workouts, they are restricted to pairing a default workout type with an iPod playlist without any other modifications. Nike+ is also missing customizable audio cues and the data display cannot be toggled.

Nike+ custom workout sample.

Nike+ data display during workout.

Advantage: Jog Log - it has a robust implementation of settings and customization options, whereas Nike+ only offers the bare minimum.

Website Integration

Workout data gathered with Nike+ can be funneled both to the informative Nike Running site and the entertaining Nike+ Active website. Nike Running keeps formal track of one's workouts with numbers and visuals. It also allows for goal setting and achievements. Meanwhile, Nike+ Active features digital maps of world locations that users and their friends can race through and learn about. To explore, users have to spend points that they have earned during physical workouts recorded via the Nike+ app. This brings an attractive social element to the NIke+ system and adds much value to it.

As mentioned, Jog Log is integrated with OpenStreetMap. It is also capable of exporting GPX (an open-source GPS log standard) and CSV data log (raw information) files, which means it is set up to be integrated elsewhere in the future. It is nice to be able to download one's complete log history and have control over that data, which is something that Nike+ does not allow. However, while this option may be useful on an individual level to verify workouts and to keep track of journeys, Jog Log completely lacks the social and game-like elements that make Nike+ Active so entertaining. Without a fun, social component, Jog Log is isolated to personal use only.

Advantage: Nike+ - it has gone above and beyond to offer compelling things to do with recorded workout data, although it does not offer users the ability to apply their own data outside of the Nike+ system. Meanwhile, Jog Log offers users with control of their data, but no way to share and play with it, which leaves me feeling like something is sorely missing.

Cost

As of this writing, Jog Log is available in the App Store for a one-time fee of $1.99, although its standard price is listed as $4.99. At a minimum, Nike+ requires the purchase of an external sensor for iPhone and iPod Touch ($19) or a sensor and detector for iPod Nano ($29). The Nike+ sensors are estimated to last roughly one year, suggesting that the $19 cost is at least an annual fee. Also, various accessories, such as shoes, cases, and alternative sensors are available at various prices for the Nike+ system.

Advantage: Jog Log - It only has to be purchased once per device and comes at a significantly reduced cost compared to Nike+. Nike+'s choice to rely on pricey perishable external sensors and expensive accessories renders the system cumbersome for users in both a financial and practical sense.

Overall Experience

All things considered, it is difficult to decide which app is the best to use at this time. In terms of the application and the system itself, I believe that Jog Log has a tremendous advantage over Nike+. However, its lack of social website integration is a major pitfall. On the other hand, while Nike+'s Nike Running site is nice, its Nike+Active site is phenomenal. Hence, Nike+ has a huge advantage when it comes to sharing with others and interacting with one's workout data. Yet, Nike's buggy and ineffective software, as well as its pricey external hardware, make it much more of a burden to use than Jog Log.

Ultimately, neither application is perfect and both require significant improvements. For users who want a full-featured and reliable app, but are comfortable holding out for the possibility of social web integration, I recommend Jog Log. For users who must connect with friends and interact with their workout data extensively, do not mind paying more, and are willing to wait for fixes, I recommend Nike+.

Summary

Jog Log

Advantages

high accuracy with few exceptions
exportable GPS and CSV data
in-app OpenStreeMap integration
robust customization settings
fully customizable workouts
low, one-time cost
compatible with 3G iPhones and 3G iPad

Disadvantages

interface and graphics not up to par with other apps
relies entirely on GPS data
may consume small amounts of cellular data plan (tested at 850 Kb per hour on iPhone 4)
may increase battery drain during use
not compatible with iPod Nano or iPod Touch
sorely missing social web integration

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Nike+

Advantages

well-polished and simple user interface
excellent integration with Nike Running and Nike+ Active websites
compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPod Nano

Disadvantages

poor accuracy due to frequent problems with the external sensor
relies on an external sensor to function
often crashes; lost workout data may occur
limited customization options and settings
no way to verify workout data from within the app
large up-front cost, plus recurring costs required for use
the bugs, problems, and errors must be fixed for it to work reliably and consistently

Overall Rating: 6/10

Areas for Improvement

Jog Log is in desperate need of website integration, similar to the offerings made by Nike+. One possible solution is to integrate with DailyMile.com, which appears to offer very similar services to the Nike Running website. Should Jog Log somehow match the online features of Nike+ Active, it would far and away be the best running app. However, it seems unlikely that anything short of a large corporation of Nike's stature could achieve such a feat. Further, Jog Log needs a visual makeover. Perhaps outsourcing the design of the application to an experienced graphics and user interface professional would be the best solution for bringing its aesthetics and usability up to par with what is expected from an Apple iPhone application. Should website integration and improved aesthetics be incorporated in Jog Log, its overall score would improve to a 9 or 10.

Nike+ is in desperate need of a system that works a specific way, every time it is used. Right now, there is no predicting whether my next walk will be recorded accurately or not. Unlike Jog Log, there is no way to verify or correct the data in the event that something goes wrong. Especially considering the added cost and equipment involved in using the Nike+ system, it needs to be free of bugs that interfere with the user experience and it needs to work effectively, always. Nike+'s unreliability also hurts the value of its websites, because users are less able and less likely to participate online if their workouts are not recorded accurately. If Nike+ incorporated improves its functionality and reliability, its overall score would increase to an 8.

Where to find Jog Log and Nike+

Jog Log was created by Serenity Integration and is available in the Apple App Store. The Nike+ iPod app is packaged with select iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPod Nano models. Nike+ accessories are available for purchase in the Apple online store.

MultiVerse Demonstration Videos

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000

I have put together a few videos of MultiVerse to help demonstrate the game to new players. The first shows the interactions discussed in the getting started guide in live action. The second previews the cooperative play that is possible in MultiVerse. The third contains a time-compressed rendition of an entire game of MultiVerse.

Getting Started in MultiVerse

Multiplayer in MultiVerse

A Complete Game of MultiVerse

Play MultiVerse

You can find MultiVerse in the Apple App Store. More information about the game can also be found on the MultiVerse website.

How to Jailbreak Your iPhone 4

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:35:00 +0000

On August 1, 2010, a leading iOS hacker/developer known as Comex released the latest jailbreak for iOS 4 devices, including the iPhone 4. This is by far the simplest to execute jailbreak to date. Here is the visual step by step procedure for jailbreaking your iPhone 4.

8/21/2010 Update

The jailbreak technique described in this article has been thwarted by iOS 4.0.2. It is recommended that current jailbreakers do not update their OS until a new method is created. Anyone who has already jailbroken a 4.0 or 4.0.1 iPhone and is concerned about the PDF exploit that made the jailbreak possible should download Saurik's PDF Patch through Cydia.

How to Jailbreak Your iPhone 4

Sync and backup your iPhone 4 via iTunes.

This is necessary just in case something completely unpredictable happens during the jailbreak process and you need to restore your device to its former state.

Open Safari on your iPhone 4 and browse to http://jailbreakme.com

Slide the unlock button to begin the jailbreak.

Wait for the jailbreak process to complete.

A Downloading... message will appear, followed by a Jailbreaking... notification.

When the jailbreak completes, click on the OK button.

As you can see from the screenshots, the jailbreak process takes only 2-3 minutes to complete.

Cydia will be added to your home screen and can be used to install jailbreak software.

See modmyi.com for a list of compatible iOS4 Cydia packages.

8/4/2010 Update: Carrier Unlock Available

The carrier unlock is now available in Cydia. If you would like to unlock your iPhone 4, search for and install the "ultrasn0w" package. Note that installing ultrasn0w will significantly decrease your battery life and is therefore only recommended for users who absolutely need to unlock their phones.

Conclusion

Gone are the days of complicated instructions, terminal code, and obscure file downloads that were difficult for novice hackers to use and could lead to disastrous consequences when improperly executed. Yet another recent serendipitous event for the jailbreaking community is the explicit legalization of the practice by the FCC. It seems today that we are headed towards a mobile world that affords the user power over his or her own property. Hence, we are moving in the right direction.

Photo Explorer for iPhone and iPad v1.4 Released

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:26:00 +0000

Photo Explorer version 1.4 has been released for the iPhone and iPad. Both games now feature 250 levels. The latest additions to the Photo Explorer Collection include 25 macro butterfly and 25 wildlife images. Photo Explorer for iPhone comes with 250 images and is available in the iTunes App Store for $1.99. Photo Explorer for iPad comes with 50 free levels and is also available in the iTunes App Store. The entire Photo Explorer Collection, along with free future expansions, is available for $2.99 or individual expansion packs can be purchased for $0.99 each.

R Beginner's Guide Book Update 7/19/2010

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:31:00 +0000

I am excited to announce that I have submitted the entire first draft of my R Beginner's Guide book, which is to be published through Packt. The tenth and final chapter was submitted a full month ahead of schedule. The printed book could become available in as little as three to four months.

Below is a list of the major topics covered in the R Beginner's Guide.

Understanding what R is, its benefits, and why to use it
Downloading, installing, and running R
Dissecting the anatomy of R
Programming in R
Handling external data
Using variables
Managing the R workspace and console
Using multi-argument and variable-argument functions
Creating predictive data models
Assessing practical vs. statistical significance
Regression modeling
Creating custom functions
Assessing the viability of predictions
Organizing and communicating data analyses
Generating, customizing, and exporting graphics
Building custom visualizations
Extending R via packages
Taking advantage of electronic learning resources

Integrity Lost: Invalidating Steve Jobs' iPhone 4 "Hard Data"

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 02:15:00 +0000

On July 16, 2010, Apple held a press conference to address a well-known and widespread defect in its recently released iPhone 4 smartphone. Throughout the presentation and Q&A session, CEO Steve Jobs repeatedly referred to his company's "hard data," which proved that the "Antennagate" scandal was virtually nonexistent and was an overblown media creation. Having been displeased with Apple's reaction to consumers' reactions to its defective product, I would like to take this opportunity to point out how every defense statistic that Jobs' revealed in his presentation was entirely invalid. Thus, his data shield as it were, was about as "hard" as it is to drop a call when holding the iPhone 4 in your left hand.

One who cannot put a finger on his own phone, should not point it at other people's phones

To begin, Jobs sought to point the finger at every other phone manufacturer, rather than taking accountability for his own product. To do this, he showed multiple demonstration videos of smartphones losing signal when held in one hand. This, he claims, proves that the iPhone 4 is no worse than any other phone. However, besides the fact that this is a cowardly and excuse-ridden defense, it is quite obvious that Apple's comparison and conclusion are invalid.

Take the following image of the BlackBerry Bold for example. Notice that the holder of the phone is completely engulfing it with his left hand.

While the iPhone 4 would also lose its signal in this scenario, what goes unexplained is the fact that the iPhone 4's signal depreciates with only the touch of a fingertip, as demonstrated in this YouTube video (as well as hundreds more around the internet). Furthermore, as When Will Apple? pointed out, an independent test performed by AnandTech revealed that the iPhone 4 loses significantly more signal strength when held than does its closest competitors. Thus, the issue here is not so much that "all phones lose signal strength when held" as Apple would have you believe, but rather that the iPhone 4 experiences signal loss at an unprecedented level. Hence, Jobs' defense is invalid as it is actually a feeble attempt to dodge the real matter at hand.

Ignoring 99.45% of the data will leave you with 0.55% of the story

Jobs' next defense was the statement that only 0.55% of iPhone 4 users have called AppleCare about reception issues. Thus, he believes, and wants you to believe, that only 16,500 of the purported 3,000,000 iPhone 4 owners have a problem with their antennas. The fatal flaw with this argument is that, while 0.55% looks like a nice, pretty, tiny number in Apple's favor, it ignores a significant portion of the data. Why only take into account the people who have called AppleCare? Why not count those who have also submitted electronic communications via the Apple support site or posted to Apple's own message boards? Also, why not count all of the message board posts, blog articles, and related comments? Clearly, to arrive at a convenient number for its defense presentation, Jobs and Apple selectively ignored 99.945% of the data and chose to present 0.55%. The verdict? Invalid.

You cannot adequately report this year's year-end data on January 31

Quite similarly, Apple once again ignored most of the story by reporting that only 1.7% of iPhone 4 owners have returned their phones to AT&T, compared to 6.0% for the iPhone 3GS. This point is invalid on two accounts. The first is that only data from AT&T is reported. Certainly the number would be higher if Apple were included. It is quite suspect that Apple was not included in the report, when it is the primary retailer of the iPhone 4. The second, and much worse, fault is that these data take advantage of an inappropriate reporting period. The 6.0% return rate reported for the iPhone 3GS could cover a large portion or the entire year-plus since the device was introduced. However, the iPhone 4 had only been out for three weeks at the time of this conference. That means that the earliest purchasers were not even beyond their 30-day return window when these data were reported. Most users will wait until the end of the window to return a product. Moreover, many people were aware of this press conference and therefore chose to hold onto their devices to see if Apple would correct the situation. I guarantee that the return numbers were higher by the night of Jobs presentation and that they will climb above 1.7% across the lifespan of the iPhone 4. Reporting on the iPhone 4's return rates less than one month into its existence is equivalent to reporting the annual number of 70+ degree days in Michigan at the end of January. Needless to say, it is invalid.

Less than one of what with whom?

Jobs' final tidbit was that, compared to the 3GS, the iPhone 4 drops "less than one" more call per hundred. The data themselves are questionable here for the reasons already mentioned in this article - sources, reporting period, faulty comparison. Yet, even more is wrong with this fact. Apple is clearly trying to convolute the information by reporting it ambiguously. Why doesn't Jobs just tell us how many dropped calls the iPhone 4 has per hundred? Is it because having a size 1000 font "1" on the screen is prettier and makes his company's defense look better? Furthermore, take a second to imagine how many calls are placed on iPhone 4s every day. Apple's design defect is causing not just one, but one more than the 3GS dropped calls per hundred on 3,000,000 iPhone 4s. Quickly, it becomes evident that a significant number of calls are being dropped due to the iPhone 4's defective antenna. Another consideration to make is that it is highly unlikely that all users will experience X number of dropped calls per hundred. The antenna issue may very well manifest itself more for some users than others. Therefore, it is likely that some consumers are utterly unable to place any calls without dropping them, while the others are experiencing more dropped calls in more places than ever before. Thus, Jobs' defense is invalid here due to making a convoluted mess of the real information in an attempt to spin the data to reflect his own preconceived notions. Can you hear me now? Nooo, whaaat? I SAID, "INVALID!"

Conclusion

To me, "Atennagate" is much less about the iPhone 4 than it is about integrity and consumer perceptions of Apple as a company. In my opinion, Apple has failed this test miserably and handled it inappropriately at every opportunity. While the free bumper case option is a reasonable solution, it came "the least we could do, far too late," and after far too much consumer-bashing and disrespect. Had it occurred immediately after the release of the iPhone 4, then it might be a different story. Virtually overnight, I have transformed from a de-facto Apple purchaser every upgrade cycle to being just as wary of purchasing from Apple as any given electronics company. This means that I will be searching over the options long and hard the next time I need a phone, tablet, laptop or related computer. Regardless of my position, it is undoubtable that the even more drastic implications for Apple are going to come from the lost business of undecided and non-customers. After this incident, these buyers will be afraid of Apple and are likely to curtail or forgo would-be purchases. In the long-term, this will have a significant impact on Apple's profitability and sustainability as a company.

I can never stress enough these three points. First, consumers are not stupid, although corporations believe that they are. Second, mistakes happen. Third, it is always better to do what is right and truthful when you are in error than to hide, deny, and lie. Our consequences always meet up with us in the end.

iPhone 4 Nintendo Game Boy Case from Etsy.com

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000

While searching for slip-cases for my iPhone 4, I came across Etsy.com. As far as I can see, Etsy is the anything unique, handcrafted, and homemade online flea market that Ebay originally set out to be. It is home to many wonderful creations that cannot be found in stores.

iPhone 4 Gameboy Case

One interesting creation that caught my eye was an iPhone 4 case designed to look like an original Nintendo Gameboy. The crafter of the item, cb Sew, has several retro cases available, including those designed to look like cassette tapes, cameras, calculators, and more. The Game Boy case that I received is sized perfectly and snugly fits my iPhone. Although the felt lining is smooth and soft, it may leave a few particles on the iPhone that need to be wiped off. The printing of the Game Boy image is crisp and clear on both sides. The case seems durable enough to stand up to the rigors of pocket travel. Below are a few pictures of the Game Boy iPhone 4 case.

If you are in the market for a unique, handmade case, or are interested in exploring the work of craftspeople worldwide, I recommend taking a look at Etsy.com.

More Retro Gaming from ThinkGeek.com

While I am on the topic of modern day objects taking on retro gaming forms, I will also share a pair of photos (taken with my iPhone 4) that capture a recent gift that I received. The artwork on the Heat Changing Arcade Mug, sold by ThinkGeek.com, bears a striking resemblance that of Pac-Man. When it is cold (top photo), only the game board is shown. However, once hot liquid is added to the mug (bottom photo), ghosts, "Pac Boy," fruits, and power pellets appear!

P.S. ThinkGeek is definitely another site worth checking out. It is home to unique creations such as the awesome iCade - iPad Arcade Cabinet and Star Wars TaunTaun Sleeping Bag.

Getting Started in MultiVerse

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:00:00 +0000

MultiVerse, my latest iPad game, launched this week in the Apple App Store. Considering that it is an exploratory experience by nature, MultiVerse can leave new players wondering what exactly to do. This article will give you an idea of how to start manipulating your planets in MultiVerse by explaining a few of the game's basic interactions.

Update: Video Demo

The content of this guide is now available in video form.

Additional MultiVerse videos are also available from this blog.

Drag

Any time that you are not touching a planet, it will gradually fade away. You can increase the brightness of a planet by dragging it through your universe. Once it has reached its maximum brightness, you will hear a positive sound.

Drag a planet to make it brighter.

Throw

While dragging a planet, it will sometimes morph into a strange shape. To restore your planet to its original shape, you must throw it off the edges of your universe. You can do this by dragging the planet quickly and then releasing it. This flinging motion will give your planet the momentum it needs to move for a short period of time. Make sure to hit as many edges as possible with each throw to increase the odds that your planet will return to its original shape.

Throw a planet to restore its shape.

Pinch

Any time that you are not touching a planet, it will gradually shrink in size. You can make a planet larger by pinching it outwards using two fingers. Once it has reached its full size, you will hear a positive sound.

Pinch a planet outwards to make it larger.

Wiggle

Sometimes while pinching a planet, it will morph into a square. To restore your planet to its original shape, you must wiggle it from side to side. You can do this by dragging the planet quickly back and forth or up and down.

Wiggle a planet to restore its shape.

Draw

To add a new planet to your universe, draw a circle with your finger. A larger circle will create a larger planet and will cost more points to generate than a smaller one. Be sure that your start and end points are close to each other and that you draw only a single circle (i.e. not many loops overtop one another). Creating new planets works best when you relax and draw a slow, smooth circle. Once your circle is complete, your planet will appear when you lift your finger from the screen.

Draw a circle to create a new planet.

Interacting with Your iPad

In addition to manipulating your planets, you can also interact with the iPad itself while playing MultiVerse.

Shake

You can pause a game at any time by shaking your iPad a few times either back and forth or up and down. Once paused, you can resume your game by shaking your iPad a second time.

Shake your iPad to pause and resume the game.

Rotate

You can organize your planets into a grid by rotating your iPad into either the landscape or portrait orientation. Each time you rotate your iPad, you planets will be neatly repositioned within your universe. This is a useful technique for managing vast universes with many planets!

Rotate your iPad to organize your planets.

Conclusion

These interactions - drag, throw, pinch, wiggle, draw, shake, and rotate - are all you need to know to begin exploring MultiVerse. If you are just beginning, I recommend that you start slow by manipulating just one or two planets at a time in Freeplay mode. Experiment with the various interactions and possibilities that are available in MultiVerse. Gradually, you will become more comfortable with the game and start to build large and complex universes.

Play MultiVerse

You can find MultiVerse in the Apple App Store. More information about the game can also be found on the MultiVerse website.

MultiVerse: Enter the Multitouch Universe

noreply@blogger.com (John M. Quick) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000

My latest iPad game, MultiVerse, has been approved to appear in the Apple App Store. Here is a brief description of the game:

MultiVerse is a unique gaming experience that explores the full capabilities of multitouch technology. Create your own universe by interacting with its planets through touching, dragging, pinching, drawing, and throwing them. Use as many fingers, hands, or limbs as you can to sustain the biggest and brightest universe possible. Multiverse can handle as many touches as you can fit on the iPad, so you may want to bring a friend or five to play along! MultiVerse is an aesthetic gaming experience that engages the mind and imagination. Enter the Multitouch Universe...

I have also set up a website with some screenshots of MultiVerse in action.

MultiVerse Website

The Idea

MultiVerse was originally inspired by a dream that I had in late April. Basically, I dreamt that I was physically searching through my own memory. I found myself in a past place that was frozen in time. I was trying to remember some very specific details about that moment. There were objects, sort of panels or pictures, in front of me that I could manipulate with my hands and arms. These were very clear and represented what I did remember. However, I failed to recall the details that I was searching for due to the fact that the essential information was blurred or illegible on these objects.

This dream caused me to reflect upon the human memory and think of a way that it could be represented through a digital experience. For example, some memories have a more lasting impact on our minds and therefore are more prevalent (or nearer to the front), whereas others are fleeting. All of our memories fade over time, especially if we do not exercise or recall them regularly. Meanwhile, tons of new information is perpetually bombarding us from all directions. There is only so much that our minds can handle and manage. Ultimately, the very first working version of MultiVerse (at that time titled Memory), was a very true simulation of my original brainstorm about conveying human memory through a digital medium. Unfortunately, it was just something to play with and did not make for a very compelling game.

As I developed and refined MultiVerse, it felt more and more like a game that was about creating and managing a universe, rather than the human mind. I thought that the game's semi-transparent circles resembled celestial bodies that were being born and then gradually aging and fading into nonexistence. Therefore, I began to revise the rules, interactions, and behaviors around the game to resemble a universal system, rather than a mental one. Gradually, MultiVerse increased in complexity and its game dynamics became refined and engaging. Interestingly, I have found that once I start playing MultiVerse, I completely lose track of time and become engrossed in managing my universe. During testing, I ended up playing several half hour long games, which is very atypical for me nowadays (I usually go for brief casual games). Now, I feel that MultiVerse has evolved enough that others can begin to enjoy it as well. Nonetheless, I expect that new players will point out areas in which it can continue to be improved.

The Game

In the end, MultiVerse is all about interacting. It makes the tremendous use of the iPad's multitouch technology. I have not encountered any other apps to date that accomplish this. I believe that when a revolutionary device like the iPad comes along, as creators we must push its limits and explore its capabilities to the fullest. This deviates greatly from the common practice of recreating the same old games over and over on new systems. I have no idea how people will react to MultiVerse, but I do know that they have never played a game like this before. I hope that many people will play MultiVerse and enjoy it as an engaging gaming experience. I also hope that MultiVerse inspires other designers and developers to innovate beyond the boundaries of traditional gaming and technology.

Play MultiVerse

You can find MultiVerse in the Apple App Store. At launch, I am offering MultiVerse free of charge to all players. It is my aim to get as many people playing, talking about, and critiquing MultiVerse as possible, such that I can turn your ideas into a better MultiVerse for all.

High-Technically Correct

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R Beginner's Guide Book Update: Statistical Analysis with R Released

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Renee Shull - Leading Change - Managing Pace LEGO Workshop

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Robin Hunicke - Finding the Feeling: Experimental Development @thatgamecompany

Debra Lieberman - Motivation and Rewards in Serious Games: Impacts on Player Engagement, Learning, and Behavior Change

Constance Steinkuehler - The Intellectual Life of Online Play

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