lifekludger

Pew Report: Social Isolation and New Technology

dnw — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:58:00 +0000

Interesting things in this report (PDF) about the effects of technology on social isolation. (http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/18–Social-Isolation-and-New-Technology.aspx)

A lot of what it says I can attest to in my own experience, especially in relation to technology providing a platform and mechanism for "core discussion networks" to become more diverse.

This also sets off alarms in my head attesting to the underestimated importance of access to technology and access to social networks for people living with a disability.

It also reinforces how we are being forced to, and in my opinion need to, look differently at entrenched concepts of what constitutes being 'socially isolated'. The highlighting of the importance of core discussion networks acting as social ties I find fascinating as well as true in my experience.

This is another area of culture that is creating upheaval in thinking when we try and rely on an old mode of comparison and an area that the digital age is turning on its head in all manner of inversions.

Some key parts:

Americans are not as isolated as has been previously reported. We find that the extent of social isolation has hardly changed since 1985, contrary to concerns that the prevalence of severe isolation has tripled since then. Only 6% of the adult population has no one with whom they can discuss important matters or who they consider to be “especially significant” in their life.

We confirm that Americans’ discussion networks have shrunk by about a third since 1985 and have become less diverse because they contain fewer non?family members. However, contrary to the considerable concern that people’s use of the internet and cell phones could be tied to the trend towards smaller networks, we find that ownership of a mobile phone and participation in a variety of internet activities are associated with larger and more diverse core discussion networks. (Discussion networks are a key measure of people’s most important social ties.)

Social media activities are associated with several beneficial social activities, including having discussion networks that are more likely to contain people from different backgrounds. For instance, frequent internet users, and those who maintain a blog are much more likely to confide in someone who is of another race. Those who share photos online are more likely to report that they discuss important matters with someone who is a member of another political party.

When we examine people’s full personal network – their strong ties and weak ties – internet use in general and use of social networking services such as Facebook in particular are associated with having a more diverse social network. Again, this flies against the notion that technology pulls people away from social engagement.

Via David Weinberger – Staring at screens makes us more social

- em v p

You can’t have inclusion without openness

dnw — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:47:38 +0000

You can’t have inclusion without openness.

That may seem obvious to some. But it’s true power hit me like a ton of bricks when it popped into my head. More-so as I’ve been hung-up and writing on this openness thing for ages, on many levels, not being able to articulate the importance my gut was feeling about it.

I was reading a post my friend JP Rangaswami wrote titled “When you see a fork in the road, take it“, where he was summarising the book by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser : Born Digital: Understanding the first generation of Digital Natives

In one point in particular, he states:

The issue of the digital divide is also not going to go away. So when we work on these solutions, we need to keep making sure that the inclusiveness is protected, the inclusiveness that is an integral part of the digital native value set.

[emphasis mine]

There’s something inherent in the abundance of a digital world and dawning digital culture that requires, even demands, openness on many fronts. It’s something we who are emerging from a scarce, analog, closed, culture are coming to grips with – or at least will be forced to – sometimes clawing and screaming.

But there’s something about this openness that bodes well for inclusion beyond just the digital world, and largely because of those who are growing up digital as it’s part of them – ingrained in their psyches and in their being.

Abundance demands openness. And openness bring inclusion. Sometimes it just takes a long time … time being an analog concept.

[via: When you see a Fork in the Road, Take it.]

[book: Born Digital: Understanding the first generation of Digital Natives]

Light Activated Auto Blinds

dnw — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:57:00 +0000

More DIY motorised blind mods from over on Instructables:

Build A Motorized Window Blinds Controller For About $15.00 – More DIY How To Projects

[hat tip Liz Henry of hackabilityblog]

Story of ‘good will’ highlights Lifekludger concept – Santa Cruz Sentinel

dnw — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:41:45 +0000

This story from the Santa Cruz Sentinel shows the power of connection and what can be achieved when a Maker (Jon Bjornstad, a Santa Cruz freelance computer programmer) is backed by a Giver (Roy and Ana Cook of Saratoga) to help a Liver (Karadole, a paralyzed woman who lives in Croatia) – with the end result being empowerment and enriched lives for everyone.

Makers, Givers and Livers are key parrts of the Lifekludger eco-system. For more see the Lifekludger wiki.

[via Santa Cruz computer programmer spreads international good will - Santa Cruz Sentinel]

[kudos to Sam on Facebook for the link]

Pressure Sensitive Multitouch pads to come

dnw — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:17:16 +0000

An article in Technology Review reveals development of pressure sensitive touch pads that could be used on future generation devices.

Why is this Lifekludger newsworthy? Because the pads are reported to combine features of both kinds of existing touch pads. To me, this might mean some breaking down of the Touch Barrier and the seeming ubiquitous use of capacitive type touch pads on todays technology.

At very least it could offer options, which is what accessibility is all about.

This small piece I quote below, from the full article, I do so as it offers clues to how capacitive pads work and hence possible alternative materials than a finger for use as an input device.

I might see if I can get in touch [sorry pun] with Ilya or Ken and explore other possibilities.

New York University researchers Ilya Rosenberg and Ken Perlin are developing an interface that goes even further. It’s a thin pad that responds precisely to pressure from not only a finger but a range of objects, such as a foot, a stylus, or a drumstick. And it can sense multiple inputs at once. — Devices like the Palm Pilot, which use a stylus to input data, typically detect touch by measuring changes in electrical resistance when an object taps the screen. But these screens can register only a single touch at a time. Touch screens on smart phones, meanwhile, use a sensor that detects changes in capacitance, or the material’s ability to hold an electric charge; capacitance changes when objects containing water–including fingers–move across the screen. Such screens can sense multiple touches, but they can’t detect pressure.

[Video demo]

[Technology Review: A Touch of Ingenuity]
[via @vinbrown]