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Well, since I am going to be working on user interfaces and HCI issues this summer I figure I should brush up my interest in the subject. But, what does that mean? One of the things I have learned about myself this past recruiting season is that I am the kind of person who is able to get excited about many different subjects. While I have been working with Dr. Lee I have been really excited about search technologies and databases. Now, with a sweet internship on the horizon in HCI, I find myself becoming increasingly interested in user interfaces and more specifically how search technology and data management fits into the equation. In other words I am very fickle! I really do see this as a good thing though. It makes it possible for me to enjoy the most boring of activities associated with computers so that must be good for something.

With that said, I do have an interest in HCI. I have always been fascinated with web design and being an artist (more in the music than visual), I can really appreciate the hard work that can go into an interface or design. Beyond the aesthetic reasons, HCI is of interest to me because I enjoy being more productive on my computer! Not to mention the fact that HCI is one of those things that really is a part of all kinds of technology uses. For example, we are going to make a blogging tool for a class I am in. The idea is to integrate some meta-data into the blogs that will allow users to search and make connections between posts after a while. Blogs contain tons of interesting information but very little of it gets used in a meaningful way. The idea is to take these blogs and show the ideas of them in a visual way that could be manipulated similar to the way a spatial file manager works. The other important addition is some drawing type abilities that allow the user to draw boxes and group ideas together. You could then have things like unions and intersections that are the basis of relational databases in a visual way! Imagine taking the diagrams you see in class and getting real result by simply drawing them.

What I think is innovative here is that it doesn't change much between what users know already. I think too much time is spent creating interfaces that are "innovative" and "new". A good example is the qwerty keyboard. If everyone was forced to switch to dvorak then I would imagine there would a week of work where billions could be lost just b/c people could type as fast as they could before! It goes to say that using proven interfaces (even if they are sub-optimal) can be the best way to be productive. The innovation in our blogging tool is that it allows for a visual interface to a non-trivial amount of data. This could make those forced to learn it have huge benefits while those that are already familiar with it (basic visual file management) could be creative and "play" with it to see the best means of usage.

We will be doing some user testing on our ideas so we'll see what happens. At the very least I think I will be able to put together a pretty cool concept from the database management standpoint so that should be fun. Wish us luck!

I wanted to take a minute to let the world know that I will working for Novell this summer! I have been offered an internship working with Ximian's user interface group and will have the priviledge to hang out in Boston and get the autographs of tons of great Gnome hackers while looking into the user interface issues of Gnome! I am really excited (to say the least). I have always thought highly of Ximian. Miguel de Icaza has been an inspiration for me because of his involvement with Gnome. Ximian is what actually caused me to switch to Gnome (it was those darn rounded corners at the top that did it). I always liked the way Ximian wanted to be professional when it came to Gnome. I have always gotten the impression that Ximian was not about making tons of money or taking over the desktop but rather, it has always seemed to be about spreading the word on how great Gnome is. Having been a window manager junkie for as long as I have used Linux, I find I always come back to Gnome. I have had my ups and downs of course, but there is something about it that makes me want to use it. It is a true honor to get to work on the usability team at Ximian/Novell and I am anxious to learn as much as I can. So, if anyone has any photos of Nat or Miguel they want signed, I will do my best to get them (for a modest fee ;).

Well, today I have had to learn patience. I am waiting to hear from numerous people on numerous issues, all of which are very important to me. I cannot say I am angry, but anxious seems to describe how I have been feeling today. It is very strange to be blogging about how I feel since I really try to keep my blogging to daily events and technology but sometimes you just need to let off some steam. I don't know where I am going with this so that means it is time to move on to another topic.

Besides doing quite a bit of waiting today, I have also been doing quite a bit of work. It would have been nice to catch up on some reading and things over the break but that did not happen. I am no where near complaining of course. Tour was great. I just have tons to do this week. Hopefully things will go alright. I am going to be giving a presentation on WSDL and Web Services as well as a presentation comparing the user interfaces of drupal and phpwcms. This is in addition to a Java assignment and a user interface design reflection paper. Fortunately, some friends were able to get a great spot at one of the local clubs so Lauren and I get a date to unwind.

Speaking of Lauren... She is one of the few consistant readers of my blog. I would go so far as to say that she is the only consistant reader in fact! So, I think it is appropriate to give a bit of a thanks to the dedicated audience that reads my ramblings. Lauren is my best friend and I have no idea what I would do without her. She knows me better than anyone else and while we seem to just cruise along without any major hiccups, we are continually growing in our relationship. The greatest thing about Lauren is that she is Lauren! I know that is a pretty vague reason for caring for someone but it is the honest truth. She is tough, tender, intelligent and fun. She can step up and stare down the most intimidating of personalities while still making me feel needed and desired. She rocks like most guys wish they could (including myself) and proves without a shadow of a doubt that she is force to be reckoned with in everything she does. In other words "Lauren" is more than just a name or person but a lifestyle and culture that takes over your life, making you the best you can be. That is why I love Lauren and can't live without her. Thanks Love!

I am back from tour and ready for a long nap. It was a ton of fun but it was also quite a bit of hard work. We had our ups and downs along with making tons of new friends and enjoying local flavors (my favorite part of the trip). Overall, it was a success!

Thanks to all who helped out and came out to shows. Since I usually keep things somewhat technical here, a special thanks goes to dobey for coming out (I had a great time)! Also, thanks to Anna for letting me come by the office and checking out the magic that is Ximian. I hope I will have an opportunity to come back.

Make sure everyone keeps an eye out for the record. It comes out May 30th. Check out Pretty Activity or Southern to get a copy.