Media: New Scientist plays up QMC Collaborative Music for Mobiles

New Scientist reports on new software that enables people to "jam" together to improvise music. The idea comes from UN's own advisor Nick Bryan-Kinns and colleagues at Queen Mary College.

They have developed software that let will groups of people phone into a mobile number and work together to improvise short, looping tunes, says the science magazine.

The idea is that 'people will be able to engage with their friends in the same way jazz musicians appear to "mentally connect" when jamming.'

The Java-based software, called daisyphone, 'looks like a floral join-the-dots puzzle. Unlike a musical stave's horizontal sequence of notes, the daisy's circular design "reinforces the looping nature of the music,".'

Associated Link: New Scientist: Cellphone software allows a musical jam

The Difference Between Usability and User Experience
Source: CMS Wire, 22 March 2010
 
Never hurts to be reminded: semantics, or genuine conceptual distinction?

Use Your Users’ Language - And Use It Well!
Source: Multilingual Search, 20 March 2010
 
British English is very different from (US ) American English and Australian English. It is so very important to use your users’ language.

Cyber-criminals don't need Technical Skills
Source: SFGate, 19 March 2010
 
The unexpected downside of great usability.

Advice on Designing Mobile Sites and Apps
Source: Poynter Online, 18 March 2010
 
Series of useful tips from a recent panel discussion.

Website Usability and Conversion
Source: UsabilityBlog, 17 March 2010
 
Useful presentation on the relationship between website usability and conversion.

Tips for Usability Testing with Children
Source: Econsultancy, 16 March 2010
 
Not even chocolate will help you here.

The Hygiene Factor of Usability
Source: inspireUX, 15 March 2010
 
Is it true that usability can no longer take us 'beyond lack of dissatisfaction'?

The Business Benefits of building Accessible websites
Source: Econsultancy, 13 March 2010
 
There’s a good business case for making your website more accessible to the UK’s disabled community.

Internet access is 'a fundamental right'
Source: BBC, 12 March 2010
 
Almost four in five people around the world believe that access to the internet is a fundamental right, a poll for the BBC World Service suggests.

The Net generation, Unplugged
Source: The Economist, 11 March 2010
 
Is it really helpful to talk about a new generation of "digital natives" who have grown up with the internet?