Technology Changes Nothing.

Granted, the title of this post might have been crafted for clicks. But the matter of it all is simply this: we can always ignore claims that “this will change the way we do (fill in the blank) forever”. We instead need to improve the way we understand the function of technology in communication.

Good communication technology has one job: to facilitate natural communication.

Let’s take Facetime, for example (even though I never use it). Facetime doesn’t “change the way we communicate” - it instead enhances the form we communicate through. Face-to-face communication drive by verbal language is absolutely primal; Facetime simply provides a stage to do that remotely.

A few notes around semiotics

“Well how about the Internet? Didn’t that change everything?” No, it didn’t change everything. The internet simply does a better job of modeling the way we understand information. Let’s rewind to thousands of years before, we see the advent of writing coming to life. We understand things by symbol. We make connections between representation of information and the actual “representee”. This outlines the meaning of the terms “signifier” and “signified” (basic semiotics). When we speak, we do the same thing; we create sounds that have ascribed meaning through audio-based semiotics. We do this also in a complex way with music; there is a reason why Vivaldi’s Spring sounds like the audio version of the images of spring. The Internet is just an iteration of semiotics; links are crafted in order to connect information together. Let’s begin to concept and create from the opposite direction: what methods are natural or highly precedented in our communication endeavors? Let us craft our applications and other artifacts around this, rather than trying to change things that already work well.

Why Evi is Good News for Apple (and the iPhone 5)

Evi, a new offering from True Knowledge, was recently posed as a “threat” to Siri. And that’s a fair proposition; after all, It uses the same voice recognition technology, Nuance, and also apparently provides better results when searching for apple pie recipes. However, I can imagine the Siri team is getting excited about Evi, and here’s why.

Evi wasn’t ready for primetime
As many people have found, Evi servers have been hit a lot harder than True Knowledge anticipated. More often than not (even in my own experience with the app), Evi would let me know that she was having trouble getting in touch with her servers. Probably because every other iPhone 4 user’s Evi was trying to access them. Which takes us to our next point.

People want voice-recognition AI/assistance
Clearly, the wave of voice-recognition applications, led by Siri and nipped at by Evi and Iris (the Android version of Siri), is in demand. Those using Evi are almost certainly iPhone 3G/3GS/4 or Android users who haven’t had the opportunity to buy a 4S. I bet I’m not the only one whose contract/upgrade time wasn’t in line for the 4S. And I’m not the only one who is holding out for the impending iPhone 5 announcement.

With the poor startup for Evi, Apple can look forward to more people who have been given a small, unsatisfying taste of voice-recognition to jump on the iPhone 5 when it is released.

Hopefully for True Knowledge, the server issues will be fixed fast enough to catch those who are willing to give Evi a second try. But I’m willing to bet that Siri’s classy presentation will win most of us over in the end.

Truth.

(Source: iheart-photos)

(Source: iheart-photos)

(via rachelleisms)

"One of the greatest gifts of God is the ability to transform our finite love into something infinite."

"All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster’s autobiography."

Federico Fellini (1920-1993, Italy) [Fr] (via artchipel)

(Source: artchipel, via rachelleisms)

"We have a tendency to reach for our past, failing to realize that it, too, was once an unwritten future."

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photojojo:

This photo is of the discovered equipment of Bill Biggart, a photojournalist who lost his life on 9/11.

LIFE: They Were There - 9/11 Photographers

Photo by Chip East

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shashankji:

. Lee University Women’s Tennis Team .