http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/7716 2013-05-25T08:02:25Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78213 Designing complementary communication systems Harry, Drew We have long assumed that being face to face is the best environment for social interaction. But is "being there" the best we can aspire to? One common approach to improving face-to-face contexts is to add new communication channels - a strategy often described as creating "backchannels." In my work, I use a series of novel complementary communication systems to show how adding communication platforms to collaborative situations can be useful while also arguing for a new conceptual model of a main stage and a side stage (in the Goffman sense) that contrasts with the traditional model of backchannels. I describe a series of projects that embody this approach and explore its limits. My work covers virtual world meetings and presentations, an audience interaction tool for large groups (backchan.nl), a tablet-based system for small group discussions (Tin Can), and a platform for connecting huge distributed audiences (ROAR). In each of these projects I trace my three major research themes: understanding how conversational grounding operates in these environments, how non-verbal actions complement text-based interaction, and how people make decisions about how to manage their attention in environments with multiple simultaneous communication channels. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2012.; This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.; Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. [163]-172). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78202 Designing for remixing : supporting an Online community of amateur creators Monroy-Hernández, Andrés This work describes a framework for the design and study of an online community of amateur creators. I focus on remixing as the lens to understand the contexts and processes of creative expression as it is fostered within social media environments. I am motivated by three broad questions: 1) Process: how do people remix and what is the role of remixing in cultural production and social learning? 2) Conditions: what kind of attributes influence people's remixing practices? 3) Attitudes: what are people's attitudes toward remixing? As part of this work, I conceived, developed and studied the Scratch Online Community: a website where young people share and remix their own video games and animations, as well as those of their peers. In five years, the community has grown to more than one million registered members and two million community-contributed projects. In the spirit of the theme of this work, this dissertation remixes several articles and blog posts written by myself or in collaboration with others. Wherever possible, the sources of the material are noted. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 169-176). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78201 The anatomy of an urban modular electric vehicle : how the architecture of the CityCar enhances personal mobility and supporting industries Lark, William, 1981- Growing populations, increasing middle-class, and rapid urbanization - for today's urban dweller, all of these escalating factors continue to contribute to problems of excessive energy use, road congestion, pollution due to carbon emissions, and inefficient personal transit. Considering that the average vehicle in a city weighs thousands of pounds, usually caries only one person per trip, and expends significant proportions of its gasoline simply searching for resources such as parking, new efficient and intelligent modes of transportation are in need of exploration. This dissertation presents the design and development of an electric vehicle called the "CityCar" that confronts the aforementioned problems of urban mobility with a novel vehicle architecture. The assembly of the CityCar derives from a subset of "urban modular electric vehicle" (uMEV) components in which five core units are combined to create a variety of solutions for urban personal mobility. Drastically decreasing the granularity of the vehicle's subcomponents into larger interchangeable modules, the uMEV platform expands options for fleet customization while simultaneously addressing the complex rapport between automotive manufacturers and their suppliers through a responsibility shift among their respective subcomponents. Transforming its anatomy from complex mechanically-dominant entities to electrically-dominant modular components enables unique design features within the uMEV fleet. The CityCar for example exploits technologies such as a folding chassis to reduce its footprint by 40% and Robot Wheels that each are allotted between 72 to 120-degrees of rotation to together enable a seven-foot turning circle. Just over 1,000 pounds, its lightweight zero-emitting electric platform, comprised of significantly fewer parts, curbs negative externalities that today's automobiles create in city environments. Additionally, the vehicle platform developed from the assembly of several core units empowers a consortium of suppliers to self-coordinate through a unique modular business model. Lastly, the CityCar specific uMEV confronts problems within urban transit by providing a nimble folding mobility solution tailored specifically to crowded cities. Benefits, such as a 5:1 parking density and its reduced maintenance demands, are especially reinforced in the context of shared personal transportation services like Mobility-on-Demand. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-124). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/78200 Smart customization : making evidence-based environmental decisions Chin, Ryan C. C., 1974- This thesis examines the environmental benefits created by the manufacture, distribution, and consumer use of products that are mass customized (MC) or produced "on-demand" and tailored to individual end-user preferences. Traditional mass production (MP) models take advantage of economies of scale by efficiently producing multiple copies of the same standard product. However, this also creates waste throughout the product life cycle. The waste of stocks, transportation, overproduction, and non-actuality (markdowns and disposal due to inability to move products in time) pose a problem for manufacturers to achieve financial and environmental sustainability. Studies have found that the textile industry can lose approximately one-third of total revenue ($300B) a year due to waste alone. The men's dress shirt industry serves as a comparative case study in this research, demonstrating the trade-offs between MC and MP methods and enabling evidence-based environmental decisions by manufacturers and consumers. In addition to an examination of the carbon footprint created by the manufacture and distribution of MC vs. MP men's dress shirts, this study includes experiments to understand, in detail, the environmental consequences of shirt acquisition and consumer use. Experiment participants are provided coupons to "purchase" two new dress shirts (one MC, one MP), which are embedded with washable and dry-clean proof RFID tags. A RFID tracking system deployed at the entrance and exit of the participants' offices collects data over a period of 60 working days to determine overall utilization patterns. Armed with this "post-transaction" information gathered by this tracking methodology and ethnographic findings (information that manufacturers often lack), this thesis provides an evidence-based guide that takes into account the environmental benefits of both MC and MP models to enable manufacturers to produce more sustainable products and consumers to practice "Responsible Consumerism." Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2012.; Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 177-179). 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z