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Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
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Publication Search Results
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ItemSpecial Editorial from Michael Best(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012) Best, Michael L.
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ItemFrom the Editors(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011) Best, Michael L. ; Bar, François
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ItemExploring Facets of Community(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011) Best, Michael L. ; Bar, François
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ItemDesigning a character avatar model for the Mermaids MMO(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-12-20) Ead, Samer OmarThis paper describes the technique formed for the creation of an efficient, simply rigged, customizable mermaid avatar model for the Mermaids massively multiplayer online game (MMOG). Our goal was to improve the in game customization of the player s 3D mermaid model, while maintaining rendering efficiency. We devised a procedure that utilizes the iterative nature of design without sacrificing the scientific and technical aspects of the project. Our procedure begins by a method known as Partitioning where we break down the model s body into distinct sub-models. During development, this partitioning allowed us to focus on smaller concise areas of interest, whereas during game-play this change granted the player greater strands of customization freedom. Since the model relied on a skeleton for its animations, it s partitioning required Skeletal Reformations to reassess the control scheme of the rig over the sub-models. In this method, individual sub-skeletons were designed to provide increased local control over their respective sub-models in contrast to the global control that the previous rig allowed. The sub-skeletons were then joined together forming a combined and complete skeletal rig for the mermaid model. We iterated through the previous methods refining their procedures in efforts of Balancing Customizability with Efficiency , which in turn provided us with the results of our novel technique. Our technique utilizes innovative methods that localize skeletal control over respective sub-models in a novel way, which allows increased customizability with limited costs to efficiency.
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ItemThe Online Community Grid Volunteer Grid Computing with the Web Browser(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-05-12) Miller, Daniel MenachemCurrent community grid projects, such as IBM's World Community Grid (www.worldcommunitygrid.org), have successfully developed standalone applications to connect thousands of clients to one huge network of users. Each client donates their machine's idle time to compute mathematical operations to help solve multiple humanitarian projects requiring massive amounts of data to be computed (examining tissue microarrays, human proteome folding, ect). These projects have been relatively successful; however, there are multiple design problems that hinder a multitude of users to join the network. These problems include yet are not limited to: ● Required user registration and email verification ● Once a user registers, a large standalone application to transmit and receive data from a central server is required to be downloaded and installed ● The program runs as a background process and is only active when a user's computer is idle ● The program may not work due to firewall restrictions on the client machine This research, as shown by prototype, eliminates all of these barriers. No registration, no installation, no required idleness, and no firewall issues. According to Adobe/Macromedia, roughly 96-98% of all home computers have the Flash Player installed. This figure is greater than any operating system, browser, program, or other virtual machine (including Java). The purpose of this research project is to determine whether it is possible to create a grid community on the Internet utilizing browser technologies such as Flash and or AJAX technology.
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ItemCommunity Mosaic: Finding Ways to Eat More Healthfully in a Low-Income African American Community(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010-05-12) Sharma, MansiCommunity Mosaic is a system to promote healthy eating amongst low-income African American people. This thesis analyzes a study I conducted that encourages people to talk about what they think are the barriers against as well as the resources for trying to eat healthfully. The results of this study will be useful for the low income African American community as well as the HCI (Human Computer Interaction) community. More specifically, the results will facilitate towards finding ways to eat more healthily due to the correct understanding of the barriers against and available resources for eating healthfully in a community. The African American community is known to have more diet-related health problems than other ethnic communities in the US; by understanding the reasons behind these problems the goal is to help minimize them.
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ItemThe Contribution of User-Based Subsidies to the Impact and Sustainability of Telecenters: The eCenter Project in Kyrgyzstan(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010) Best, Michael L. ; Thakur, Dhanaraj ; Kolko, BethWe examine the extent to which user-based subsidies can promote the financial/social sustainability and development impact of telecenters. We do this by looking at a coupon scheme used by the USAID funded eCenter network in Kyrgyzstan. We found that user-based subsidies have, to a certain degree, aided financial sustainability by bringing new users to the center. However, the distribution of the coupons did not improve social sustainability since, for instance, the process favored more regular users of the eCenters. Finally, the coupon program had a limited development impact on participating communities. We argue that, if the eCenters had narrowly targeted particular participants for the coupon programs, it is likely that the benefits of the program could have been enhanced. A method of incentivizing eCenter management to perform such targeting is probably required.
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ItemBuilding on Seven Years of Collaborative Effort(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010) Best, Michael L. ; Tomaya, Kentaro ; Bar, François
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ItemUses of Mobile Phones in Post-Conflict Liberia(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010) Best, Michael L. ; Smyth, Thomas N. ; Etherton, John ; Wornyo, EdemLiberia is a country emerging from years of protracted and devastating civil conflict. Left without any fixed-line telephone infrastructure, it relies solely on the mobile phone for telephony. This study investigates the usage of mobile phones in this immediate post-conflict setting. In particular, we adopt the uses and gratifications approach to media research, giving focus to both instrumental and intrinsic motivations for use. We surveyed 85 mobile phone users in both the capital city of Monrovia and various rural areas, as well as interviewing experts from two major service providers and the industry regulator. Users were interviewed using the Q methodology, which identified distinct perspectives within these urban and rural groups. These identified perspectives included sets of users who saw their phones as productivity enhancers, means of connectivity to family and friends, essential business tools, technological curiosities, and sources of personal security. The idea of a phone as a stylish object was markedly rejected, especially in rural areas. Expert interviews confirmed and supplemented these findings. We contrast these results from Liberia with previous work from Kigali, Rwanda, finding differences especially as related to security.
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ItemUnderstanding Our Knowledge Gaps: Or, Do We Have an ICT4D Field? And Do We Want One?(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010) Best, Michael L.
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