the two hour solution

Our technology plan is due! We wrote comparatively little, but we hope we achieve what we set out to do - to be clear and concise. With the AmaSingRace, we implemented only entry-level technology as we want to appeal to a mass audience that might not be as up to date as most technophiles. All you need, is a mobile phone with internet access. And all we need, is a web server that houses our database and maintains our website, which is our interactive interface.

We talked quite a bit on scenario planning. "Plan for the worst, but expect the best." An overused cliche that is grossly misleading. Many a times we are tempted to speak of extremes, when what actually happens is something that lies within the grey spectrum in between best and worst. For practice, we were given a case to discuss - Pacific Internet providing free wireless hotspots. My group first discussed how PacNet would generate revenue from this, to better understand such a venture. We then discussed the various factors and motiations surrounding this business model Once we had a clearer picture, we came up with the possible scenarios and the various factors of our scenario matrix. Resources (both capital and labour) and knowledge/technology seem to always come up in most scenarios. We discussed briefly with the class on this before we were driven out of the special applications lab due to some error in booking the venue.

We ended up in SR6, where we were given Presentation 101: How to impress in 2 hours. I thought this was really helpful! I've always thought a presentation should be widely understandable, but actually you only ahe to target important individuals who will influence the opinions of his peers. With such new perspective, it's not just easier to create a presentation, one is also able to be more specific in areas that will interest this particular target. It would also naturally become more personal, like reaching out to a person rather than orating to multitudes. (One still has to be eloquent, but the approach would be slightly different.) This 2 hour solution is really useful and I took home quite a number of great and very applicable tips.

Next up, is our final business prospectus. Oh, and the wiki! I guess one of the reasons why the wiki hasn't be updated a lot is because the entire concept of the wiki is slightly flawed. We are told that the wiki is our textbook. Textbooks are something people fall back on when they don't understand the lecture notes. It's like the last resort, the ultimatum, the final solution. And our assignment here, is the rewrite and add new content to something so revered. I think the idea of rewriting the textbook puts a lot of people off and seems like a rather daunting and wholly intimidating task. That's one of the reasons why the wiki hasn't been as hot as it supposed to be. Perhaps, in future, one could say this wiki is some random text, and then ask the students enrolled in this module to go 'correct it' and make 'appropriate changes' so it's more 'accurate'. This way, to the student, it would be like 'Spot the mistake" or 'find out what's wrong' instead of 'rewrite the holy book'.

Well, I believe that would solve another Education 2.0 problem. One step closer to revamping the system! (I think currently, this course is somewhere at Education 1.762, but soon enough, if the school administration allows, this would probably be THE module the be in.) Cheers. (:

tic tac toe

Edventure is down! But fret not, we can still do things the old fashion way. (: This week my group got to present our proof-of-concept, essentially a working demo of the interface of our game. (Apparently, we were the ONLY group which did this assignment) Anyways, Prof Gilbert and Co. gave some advice on how we could improve on the user interface. One thing that I sorely overlooked was the reference ID, which was utterly redundant since we already have the user's mobile phone and user ID noted. But it was all good advice! Thanks class!

This week we discussed user interface design. We played this seemingly complex number game and came up with various hypothesis on how to solve it, only to have our bubble burst when Prof Gilbert drew Tic-Tac-Toe on the white board. The design of the user interface is of utmost importance. Even if you've got an excellent product, everything will be for nought if the user cannot use it! We analysed user interface design in various industries and realised that not all industries have common standards. This is mainly due to a lack of motivation to create standards. (If I were Sony, why should I make a remote that can control a Samsung DVD player? I'd rather they just buy my products anyway.)

Again, we touched on convergence, or mash ups. This is not just an isolated phenomenon, but convergence of technology is happening across the board in all industries. Why do I need a console, a dvd recorder and a dvd player when I can have just one Xbox that will settle everything? This is just one example of convergence, and more will come.

Back to our project, the technology plan is due next week! I'm really not sure how I can submit a few pages for my technology plan as the AmaSingRace requires only the bare minimum. I guess I'll have to figure this one out soon.

the mr james show

Got our elevator pitch up on youtube!



So far feedback has been good and people love the idea! I guess it's cos' its a game (thus, element of fun/play), and futhermore, my target demographic is the exact one my friends and I belong to. So I totally understand what they are looking for and can thus think from both sides of the table. Either way, everything looks like it's going good and this idea is truly feasible. The startup costs are also low, which helps a lot.

Anyways, the last session we had was about podcasting. Podcasting, popularised by the ipod, is basically like a recording of your favourite radio show. Video killed the radio star? Looks like radio is back, albeit reinvented. The onset of podcasting has caused paradigm shifts in many facets of society. On the corporate side, this has become a way to market or showcase one's products, hold meetings, spread propaganda (-ahem-) amongst a myriad other things. Having a personal car salesman (even a prerecorded one) sure beats reading a prolix catalogue. On the consumer side, there are now many sites that allows users to post podcasts and thus share their views and commentary on new products, sports or anything under the sun.

So.. do I podcast? No. But do I listen to podcasts? Hell yea! I love comedy, especially the stand-up or witty-banter sort. But I can't always listen to my favourite radio shows all the time. Well, podcasts have solved this problem of mine. I especially like the Mr Brown Show, and Ask A Ninja. Podcasting provided a great avenue for these previously lesser known comedians to publicise themselves, and now the AskANinja crew has even landed some roles in bigtime commercials and TV shows.

Another great thing about podcasting is that it allows multi-tasking. You can receive information aurally, while doing your own work at your own time. This is great in a corporate environment where you want to know what's going on in the organisation but don't have time to go thru the minutes or sit through a meeting. Why not hear it while completing the assignments that are piling up?

Actually, podcasting could be integrated into the AmaSingRace. Perhaps we could include some short commentary when the player reaches his destination to talk briefly about the highlight of the attraction they are visiting. This could be optional, as we wouldn't want our users to be spending too much on their phone bills either! This could possibly add value to our game. Just an idea for now!