Exercise 38: Upload the project to SourceForgeNovember 15, 2008
SummaryAny project of a reasonable size should live in a source code repository.
SolutionFortunately SourceForge is free. Setting up a project with a CVS repository was a little more involved than I thought it would be, but I got it working.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/platoai/Kitchen computingNovember 10, 2008
Something that I'm coming to realize is that my interests in natural language processing, voice interface, and home automation all converge on the kitchen.
And so this concept of "kitchen computing" comes to mind, which seems like a relatively untapped area. We've been using our PCs in the study, bedroom, or in the den for a couple of decades. In the last 10 years, computing has entered the living room in the form of the Media Center PC, Xbox, and PS3. But the kitchen has yet to change much. I think that the lack of progress in the areas of natural language processing, voice interfaces, microphone technology, and home automation are the reasons for this, and so as I explore these areas, I'm intrigued by the possibilities.
Some random thoughts:
  | I see kitchen computing as being much more "hands free" than in other areas, more so than the living room. More often our hands are busy or we're in the middle of doing something and don't want to walk across the room to use a traditional PC. (Or our hands aren't clean) This is where the need for better microphone, voice interface, and natural language parsing technology come in. |
| The kitchen is really the hub of the family's operations, and it's the place that most often brings us together, so it's an area that is ripe with opportunity. |
| Meal planning |
| Meal preparation |
| Purchasing groceries |
| Managing the family calendar |
| Email is a very efficient means of communication, and the BlackBerry and other hand held devices have pushed (hah) email to the next level. But there's still room to grow. Paired with a voice interface and home automation system, email can be gotten and sent on behalf of a person greatly extending their reach. For example, consider standing in the kitchen working on supper and saying "Grace, ask Meredith when she'll be home", or "Ask Billy where he is", or "Tell Billy that supper is at 6". A person with a BlackBerry receives the question within seconds, and their typed reply can be spoken to the person who asked the question in the kitchen: "Meredith has replied. She says: I'll be back by 6". There are many advantages to this kind of communication over making a voice phone call. |
| HD video conferencing: An LCD in the kitchen becomes a viewport into the world, and brings with it the possibility of "replacing" the phone with HD video conferencing, the next leap after VOIP. Back in the '90s we would imagine the day when we'd have video phones, and that day is getting closer. Both the broadband Internet and camera technology exist today to make this a reality. |
LifeSize video conferencingNovember 10, 2008
Just for fun today I Googled for HD video conferencing and came across
LifeSize, a company that specializing in making that very thing happen. I'm really impressed! I'd love to see a demo of their stuff.
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