Michael G. Lamming

Locating systems at work: implications for the development of active badge applications

Abstract The paper reports findings from a sociological examination of the use of ‘active badge’ location information systems in two research laboratories. The use, distribution and control of location information is examined in reference to the social roles individuals have in what will be called the ‘moral order’ of workplaces. Suggestions for subsequent versions of location systems are made, and the use of sociological methods in design remarked.

Towards a Human Memory Prosthesis

The HMP project sets out to discover if computer systems can aid human recall. The experiment will take many months to complete. There are many difficult challenges ahead. These include: discovering what information users would benefit from being able to recall; designing and building a multi-media distributed system that is sufficiently robust to support our application; designing a low-intensity user-interface for the HMP; improving the accuracy of our analysers; and most importantly, devising acceptable techniques for evaluating the system.

A simple method for improved color printing of monitor images

To print image data optimized for display on a color monitor, the red, green, and blue values that drive the display must be transformed into data that control the amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black on the print. The differences in the way display and print images are produced have important consequences for the transformation. Matching the appearance of the monitor and print images may be impossible, and achieving satisfactory results is complex. A method for obtaining pleasing prints from display image data is presented. This method assumes that good results can be achieved by users who do not have extensive knowledge of color reproduction and who have a minimum of color measuring equipment available.

Intimate Computing and the Memory Prosthesis: A Challenge for Computer Systems Research?

At EuroPARC we are trying to build a human memory prosthesis -- a portable device to help individuals remember things. It will automatically capture and organise predefined classes of information and provide easy ways to recall it when needed, perhaps without even being asked. We call this device a memory prosthesis because it augments normal human memory. It differs from most other information systems in that it focuses on helping the user recall things they once knew. Our objective for the memory prosthesis is to assist users with everyday memory problems. Target tasks for the memory aid include: recalling names of people, places, and procedures, finding files, papers and notes, in whatever medium they are expressed, and remembering to perform tasks.