Inside View

Lessons from Junior Infants

Bernie Goldbach in Clonmel | Photo of Mia.

"TODAY MY TEACHER wanted to take some things off my iPod."

At first we thought that meant Mia had kept her mom's iTouch out on her desk but that wasn't the case. No, Mia was being asked to describe what she used on the little screen so the same apps might be put on the primary school's iPads. Mia has watched us move files around with cables and Bluetooth. She wondered if she might carry a white cable in her pencil case so she could swap things around on the iTouch like she sees me do with our laptop and peripherals. It's not that simple, we told her.

The concept of cloud storage, file permissions, digital rights management and incompatible formats will wait for another day. We mark today as the significant first time that our junior infant was asked for advice by her teacher. At least it felt that way for our five year old daughter.

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Bernie Goldbach contributes items about parenting to Audioboo.

 

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Unwound by Gestures

Bernie Goldbach in Cashel | Screenshot from Felix on iTouch.

ONE REASON MY contributions to online social networks has declined is because of an explosion of new gestures. I have to learn those gestures while watching our 18 month old attempt them.

I give my touchscreens to little Dylan because he likes to pull down and refresh content on screens. However, he also interacts with the screens from both top and bottom simultaneously and that sometimes results in unexpected actions.

Dylan has sent garbled tweets on my behalf. He has sent blank direct messages and he unfollows several people every week. Surprisingly, it is the unfollowing that fosters a string of emails between me and online friends.

So if you know you've been deleted or unfollowed by me, blame the gestures of a digital native.

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Bernie Goldbach teaches creative multimedia to family and friends. Gestures are part of a Games Development module in the Limerick Institute of Technology.

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Instagram Crashes

Bernie Goldbach's Instagram profile at Christmas 2012.

 

I THINK NEW FILTERS added to Instagram can cause memory problems that result in the Instagram iOS app crashing.

I run an old version of Instagram on an 8GB iTouch and encounter no problems even though the device has less than 20 MB of memory free. But when I run the updated app on a 32 GB iTouch with 50 MB free, the app crashes. This happens with 2MB images and with 50 kb images.

I have rebooted my iTouch and also deleted and reinstalled Instagram to no effect. Thankfully the Android version of Instagram works fine. I will use it for occasional uploads during the Christmas holidays, with most of my content automatically headed to Google Plus and Dropbox.

If you're interested in the visual side of an American in Ireland, check out Irisheyes on Flickr.

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Bernie Goldbach wishes Instagram had fewer filters. That way, things in visual journals would be more authentic.

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The Most Evil iPhone Alarm

Bernie Goldbach in Cashel | Screenshot from iTouch.

WAKE N SHAKE for iOS (€0.89) is the alarm I needed to get up in time to meet the first morning train to Dublin. Although Rise is a nicer interface, Wake N Shake is the ruthless real deal.

If you are a career snoozer--and you want a dominatrix characteristic for your phone alarms--you need Wake N Shake. However, I wouldn't buy this app if your iPhone does not have a shock-resistant case. That's because you may want to throw your phone across the room if your shaking fails to turn off the phone's alarm. I can't turn Wake N Shake off when I'm groggy but I can turn down the volume. 

There is no snooze button on Wake N Shake. It is not easy to shut off Wake N Shake when you're groggy. You must shake your iPhone to turn off the alarm. And it needs a mixmaster's energetic gesturing to shake the alarm into the off mode.  

Have you ever tried to shake your arm vigorously for a solid 30 seconds while laying in bed? That's the default setting for Wake N Shake.

I bought the app because I cannot afford to miss the early morning taxi rides.

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Dave Caolo -- Wake N Shake for iPhone an effective, evil alarm on 52 Tiger, December 20, 2012.

Rise Alarm Clock is my preferred (and much more polite) iOS alarm.

Bernie Goldbach discusses gesture-based interfaces in a module on the Creative Multimedia degree programme on the Clonmel campus of the Limerick Institute of Technology.

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When Apps Fail to Update

Bernie Goldbach in Cashel | Screenshot from an iTouch 4th Gen.

AFTER TWO YEARS of use, I can't update iOS apps on our 4th generation iTouches.

Part of the reason is related to limited storage space. The iTouch used by our five-year-old won't update unless more than two gigabytes are free on its small 8GB operating system. This means I need to delete heavy apps like Brave if I want over-the-air updates for the rest of her favourites. With my 32GB iTouch, I need to update one app at a time, starting with the App Store icon and then completing the update with the app itself. When things work perfectly, I can tap the app, watch it switch from Waiting to Loading and then finally download the update over the air. But a lot of the time, the update doesn't work. As a result, no fewer than 50 of my apps always need to be updated all the time.

I might delete all apps and start again, keeping fewer than 100 apps on my iTouch at any one time.

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Bernie Goldbach's favourite app is Evernote.

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My Life Is Better With Evernote

Bernie Goldbach in Clonmel | Screenshot of Everclip.

I HAVE ACHIEVED more in less time by using Evernote to source, cross-check, produce and share work.

A nice add-on to Evernote is Everclip for iOS. I let it run in the background and whenever I copy something on screen it is snapped directly into Everclip. When I view an Everclip item, it goes straight into the Evernote folder I have selected.

I collect big dividends, and get a great deal of satisfaction, when I put finished items into my Evernote archive. Every week, Evernote plugs holes in my failing memory by serving up important documents, audio clips and images from projects, meetings, emails, podcasts, book extracts, legal briefs, patent filings and family scrapbook treasures.

I cannot remember life without Evernote. I'm glad Evernote is a 100 year company.

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Filing this under GTD.

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First Screen Icons

Bernie Goldbach in Poulmucka | Screenshot from aging iPad.

I TEACH SOCIAL MEDIA for business and part of the module involves a time-motion analysis of how to manage media flow for best effect. Inevitably, discussion ensues about the apps on your home screens.

I've snapped a shot of from the first screen of my iPad, as much for student discussion as for peer review. I'll explain what's on the first screen and that might offer a clue about how I try to balance content creation and product shipping.

Learning Gestures by Watching Experts

Bernie Goldbach in Cashel | Mia with iPad.

YEARS AGO, I defined computing expertise by the number and kind of keyboard shortcuts I knew. Now that's supplemented by the gestures I know.

Remarkably, I uncover gestures that work on my touchscreens by seeing our five year old work her magic on screen when using three different operating systems. Mia likes trying different kinds of swipes, pinches and long presses of her fingers. In fact, she taught me what long swipes can do.

Some of the most delightful gestures I've enjoyed have arisen in iOS apps developed to support App.net. I'm particularly impressed with Felix and hope its gestures soon incorporate a response to a shaking motion.

In the meantime, I'm entertained by the gestures Mia (with iPad in photo) shares with me.

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Bernie Goldbach is following the development of digital natives.

Discovering Words

Bernie Goldbach in Cashel | Screenshot from iPad.

DR SEUSS BRINGS a lot of joy into the lives of our fledgling readers. It is especially joyful with Seuss on screen.

"I like it best when I press on words," says our back seat tester. Mia knows that pressing on words causes the narrator to shout them out. Pressing on objects gets them identified with written and spoken text. This pleasant result makes "Warren K Mooney Won't You Please Go Now" a lot of fun for little fingers.

Sitting in the corner, Mia has flattened the iPad while testing her memory of characters and words. But even more intriguing is watching our 5yo showing our 1yo how to interact with words and characters on screen. I feel we have facilitated vibrant self-directed learning in our home and for that I think Apple deserves some credit.

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Screenshot of Mia's favourite Seuss app accompanies this post. We're saving this evidence for #ictedu.

Calving iPhone

Bernie Goldbach in Cashel | Image of Calving.

RESEARCH INTO INSURANCE claims made by mobile phone owners reveals some limitations that extend beyond notes offered at purchase points.

One farmer damaged his iPhone while calving, accidentally inserting it into the rear of a cow while using the phone as a torch.

Another woman lost her Samsung Galaxy to a rogue seagull. In another claim, a couple lost their handset while re-enacting a scene from Titanic, dropping it over the side of a cruise ship while attempting to take a photo of themselves.

The newest iPhone, super slim and slippery, easily slides out of pockets and plops into toilets. Let the squatter beware.

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Filed under #firstworldproblems.