Here are a few of my predictions for the upcoming iPad 3:

• It will debut on March 7th in Austin, TX at SXSW and I’LL BE THERE!
• A thicker iPad makes no sense! I can’t believe the rumors. Thinner!
• Better Cameras – front and back
• FaceTime Messages – with the new release of Messages for OSX, I think Apple has to realize the potential for FaceTime Messages. You can already send videos in Messages on iOS but it isn’t branded as FaceTime. And if you call someone on FaceTime and they don’t answer… There’s no way to leave a FaceTime message. This is bound to change and it looks like there’s no better time than with the release of iPad 3.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audionote-notepad-voice-recorder/id369820957?mt=8

Looking for a good note taking app for iOS? Audio Notes ($4.99) has a interesting feature that might make it worthwhile: audio recording along each typed line. No matter your note taking skill, audio notes records what was actually said during the meeting and embeds that particular portion of audio with each word or line. This way when reviewing notes, you can simply touch and hear the conversation/lecture/meeting again. Excellent for multitasking!

Although, I’m having a hard time giving up my favorite note taking app: Evernote. I wonder how long before they work something like this into their app?

Star Wars The Old Republic (SWTOR), the new Star Wars MMO, is out. While it has a superb new questing system with real story development and the ability to have companion avatars help you along the way… it surprisingly does nothing else to advance the MMO genre.

Certain elements from the last Star Wars MMO, Star Wars Galaxies, that we also saw in Second Life that weren’t in World of Warcraft or SWTOR are:

• Pure roles/classes that don’t involve fighting (dancers, musicians, crafters)
• Houses and virtual items for sale, earn, or trade (SWTOR has ships, but eh…)

SWTOR has crafting, but you actually outsource that job to one of your companions. WoW has crafting but most people add that onto another class. In SWG you actually could be a crafter or musician… and that’s all you did. These things actually led to gameplay that was creative and outside of what the creators had developed. Uber geek confession: I once hosted a speeder bike race for about 20 of my guild friends in SWG where we raced from house to house, purchasing cheap vendor items as we went to mark progress. The winner had to turn them all in at the end. This was MMO user generated content at its best – and we had a party at the guild hall when it was over!

Other things that are easily going to make any new MMO stand out are:

• Classes you can play for free (like a dancer, musician, crafter, etc…) without playing the monthly fee – just to get you in the door; let you see and explore the worlds. This type of class would increase the social features and player set of the MMO. Diversity – imagine that!
• Mobile content – like puzzle games that could actually be played to craft items. I mean, Club Penguin has this!? Why doesn’t a major MMO? Players should be able to interact with the world from an iPad, smartphone, etc…

SWTOR does have space battles which look really boring and don’t look like they cost a lot on the processing power. I’m guessing they might actually have plans to push that onto a mobile platform. Now that would be cool.

Final gripe: Travel. SWTOR looks like a giant and spacious world. This is cool – BUT it means that the majority of game time is NOT spent questing, engaging in stories, or otherwise playing the game. The majority of game time will be spent running or traveling by speeder bike or spaceship from one place to another. BOOOoooRING! I still have nightmares in which I run from place to place in SWG, EQ2 (now free by the way), or WoW. Who wants to play something in which the majority of time is spent traveling? I know I don’t.

For some videos on the new story-driven experience of STOR see here and here. Below is a video of the space battles.

Best of 2011

Device: iPad 2
It’s hard to believe that this device isn’t even a year old! Released last March, iPad 2 brought a quicker processor, front and rear facing cameras, and a thinner and lighter look to an already amazing device. I’ve talked to a few folks who bought an iPad and yet still can’t figure out how to work it into their lives?! I use mine for everything from work to play, making art to storing recipes. Thanks to Google Docs, I also used it while writing this post. It even inspired me to build a web app called QizBox (read more here). Also, this is my favorite smart cover.

All Around App: Vox
This little known gem is the most used app on my iPhone. It touts itself as a walkie-talkie app but it’s real function is asynchronous voice messaging – something sorely lacking from every phone OS. With the touch (and hold) of a button, I can send/record a voice message sent directly to another user. If the other user is available, we can talk in real-time (like a walkie-talkie), and if not… they can listen to the message when they are ready! This beats texting and driving. The app is free on iOS and Android.

Biggest Surprise: Siri
The iPhone 4S seems like a dud to me. Sure, it’s faster and… uhm, I think that’s all. Except for Siri. While there have been a ton of awesome jokes about Siri, it marks the third wave of computer interface milestones in the last several years (the touch interface that kicked off a revolution of phones/tablets AND the kinetic/body interface of the Xbox Kinect). It will be exciting to watch how voice interfacing competes and integrates with the others.

Game: Gamification
The best game of the year isn’t Skyrim or the new Star Wars MMO, it’s the gamification of everything. Its hard to throw a stick in any direction and not see how gamification, or the idea of adding game mechanics (badges & awards, levels, co-op or competitive play, and something social), is affecting many different fields. From waiting tables to the classroom, making our lives more playful and engaging is gamification’s goal. Check out Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal and her TED talk that influenced the inclusion of gamification in the design of my web app QizBox. Or these articles about Will Wright’s idea to turn life itself into a game called “HiveMind”.

OS: Google
While Google itself is not an operating system, I use more Google apps on my devices. With a fresh new design and a billion functions, the search giant gets me where I’m going, answers all of my questions, stores my life and work, and connects me to friends. Not a day goes by that i don’t use something Google  Although they aren’t perfect (Gooogle+ = meh) I’m positive that Google will continue to surprise us big in 2012. And I truely can’t wait until it literally gets me where I’m going!

Music: Spotify Desktop
All the music I could ever want. Streaming. Free. Nuff said.

Movie: Winnie the Pooh
Personally, I’ve never liked Pooh, but this movie was hilarious! My kids and I laughter harder and quote more lines from this movie than any other of the year! This movie is another sign of what John Lasseter is doing for Disney. Yes, Cars 2 & Kung Fu Panda 2 were both awesome as well (Ska-doosh), and the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo was crazy suspenseful, but if you haven’t seen Pooh, try it.

Social: Google Hangouts
Apple’s FaceTime & Microsoft’s Skype should be shivering in their boots. Beyond just conferencing Google Hangouts is an amazing collaboration tool. And with an open API, I’m sure we’ll see more and more integration of Hangouts in 2012.

Worst of 2011:

Device: Kindle Fire
I bought a Kindle Fire, not with expectations that it would measure up to an iPad, but with hopes that this device could be the perfect low-cost solution to those entering the tablet world. I was sorely disappointed! My long list of complaints (uncontrollable carousel, poor Amazon Prime movie selection, a sluggish OS, and super small text) were recently featured front and center in a Mashable.com article. Luckily, the majority of those complaints can (and likely will!) be fixed with a software update. I look forward to an even better and cheaper Fire next year.

All Around App: Facebook
I’m not sure if it’s just me… But I receive dozens of Notifications in my on Facebook for Friends I’m not even subscribed to! It extremely annoying. What was once an easy website/app to use, notifying me when someone interacted with me, is now a cluttered mess that looks more like a Twitter feed. Beyond that, on some posts I can “Like” other users comments and on others I can’t. Also, the settings I have on my computer for whose updates I receive don’t seem to translate to my mobile device. WTF? With other options (Twitter & Google+) in the social network realm, Facebook is giving me many frustrating reasons to leave. – Side note: I was sad to see my favorite location based check-in app, Gowalla, first ruin itself, then shut down altogether to join the Facebook team. This has to be my runner up for Worst app of 2011.

Music: Spotify Mobile
I had 48 free hours of all the music I could love on the Spotify mobile app… Then it asked me to pay. Dear Spotify, I’ve spent a total of $9.99 on music in the last two years! I would never ever think of spending that PER MONTH for music! Your business plan is wack. Serve me more ads and give it to me for free. OR make your service free with the purchase of one 99 cent song per month. Also, as much a I love the desktop app, I de-coupled it from my Facebook account. The idea that I want to a) share what I’m listening to with friends or b) learn about music by hearing what my friends listen to are both false assumptions. I’d much rather rely on a computer algorithm to make recommendations – Thank you Pandora!

OS: Xbox
My particular gripe with Xbox isn’t it’s new interface (that’s ok), it’s the $9.99 a month they are requesting from me to use other services like Netflix, HBO, or Pandora that I’m already paying for! This attempt at Microsoft is nothing more than a cheap money grab. My friends who play games together online obviously have a reason to pay. However, if Microsoft is going to tout their new “apps” as a real competitor to Google TV or the upcoming Apple TV they’d better drop the Xbox Gold Live price tag altogether. Google doesn’t have one and I’m pretty sure Apple won’t either.

Biggest Surprise: No iPhone 5
While this shouldn’t have been a big surprise given Apples usual development cycle, the hype and media leaks surrounding an iPhone 5 were at a new peak last August. Rumors of a bigger screen and thinner profile are likely to be true when we finally see this model next year. I will definitely be getting one.

Social: #OWS
The Occupy movement stands for one thing more than any other- Get big business out of government. This message was seemingly lost among the protests and ensuing social media blitz. Furthermore, many smart people I know could not separate the message from the messengers. Yet, I could hardly find a person on either side of the party lines that didn’t agree that our government and politics have been overrun by big business money and lobbyists. It’s time we act like the 99% in a peaceful and cooperative way; without the craziness.

What to look for in 2012:

Devices: iPad 3 (5”x7”) – Sony Gaming TV – iPhone 5
iPad 3: I’m hopeful there will be a 5″x7″ iPad 3 announce in the first quarter of 2012. The 5″x7″ size of the Kindle Fire was one of its best features! Plus, it would make this amazing device more affordable.
Sony Gaming TV: Pushed to 2012, this TV allows two users wearing 3d glasses to see different images when looking at the same screen. I think this tech will quickly move beyond gaming as many families will use the glasses, combined with headphones, to watch different content while looking at the same screen.
iPhone 5 - I think I’ve covered this.

Social: Everywhere

I’ve been working on a few new pieces this semester. The work deals with both personal narratives taken from my own Zen practice and visual iconographies from historical and popular culture.

Darth Mudra

A pair of Darth Vader gloves in the traditional dharmakaya mudra of zazen.

Fist Bumpin Buddha

A bronze cast sculpture of a Buddha… ready to fist bump.

I recently wrote an article called “Making An App” about my collaborative experience creating a web application called QizBox: A Social Learning Environment. You can read the article here:

http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/
EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume46/MakinganApp/238422

More information about QizBox at qizbox.bgsu.edu

August, 2011

The Gallery Project - Ann Arbor, Michigan:

In a recent show, titled “Imagined Communities,” a virtual location was created using Facebook Places, Foursquare and Gowalla GPS location-based Check-In services. Visitors to the gallery could shoot their own photos of the props and upload them to the site when they checked-in or send them via mobile device, email or sms, to others unaware of the location of the gallery goer.

More info about Adobe City

http://picasaweb.google.com/anthonymfontana/AdobeCity

From Adobe City

Toledo Museum of Art – Toledo, Ohio

In August of 2011, #sculpturefail was exhibited at the Toledo Museum of Art exhibition: Toledo Area Artists. I was proud to represent my community in this exhibition and congratulate the prize winners!

More info about #artfail

https://picasaweb.google.com/108388684417086273658/Artfail#

“Developing an Interactive Social Media Based Learning Environment”

Published in the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 8, 2011
“Navigating Informational Challenges”

Co-Author with Joseph Chao and Kevin Parker

Download (click here) PDF

The interactive social media based learning environment is a software system that provides a social media classroom experience for interactive learning. Students log in with a mobile device, such as an iPad or a laptop, and participate in a classroom environment in which they can view lecture slides, “chat” on-line with other users during the lecture, tweet to their followers, post items to their Facebook page, and collaborate with each other on topics. Within the learning environment, the student may also ask, rate, and answer questions on-line. The instructor has the capability of synchronizing lecture slides on the student’s mobile devices as well as administering quizzes throughout the lecture and displaying visual results for the quizzes.

Arts Commission of Greater Toledo Announces Fontana, Stroud, Yarnell Exhibition

The Fontana, Stroud, Yarnell Exhibition will be on display March 7 thru April 22, 2011 in the Parkwood Gallery.  The public is invited to join us for a reception for the exhibition on Friday, March 11 from 6 to 8 pm.

The artists in this exhibition are united in their use of familiar materials calling into question our daily routines, realities and common assumptions.

Anthony Fontana, Learning Technologies Consultant and an Instructor of Art at Bowling Green State University,  uses a conceptual approach to create a dialogue between traditional art and the internet.  Using familiar art materials, like pencils, a sketchbook, a linoleum block and paper, he upturns our preconceived notions of what art is by interjecting supposed high art with contemporary internet experiences and ironic humor.

Another artist, Evaleigh Stroud, carefully considers the power of her materials in her current series of work.  Her mixed media sculpture explores gender roles through pairing the craft of knitting with the iconic and in some cases commonplace subject matter of guns.  The soft, glitter embedded yarn of her knitted firearms ask the viewer to question this powerful historical and contemporary symbol.  Stroud is currently working towards her BFA in Studio Fine Arts at the University of Toledo.

Last, but certainly not least, the work of Meghan Yarnell rounds out the conversation with social as well as personal commentary regarding the long-standing values of wealth, beauty and happiness.  Yarnell enjoys imparting imagery on everyday, functional ceramic vessels to encourage the viewer to reflect upon our social norms while eating breakfast or drinking the morning coffee.  Yarnell received her BFA in 3-D Studies at Bowling Green State University in 2005.

The Parkwood Gallery is open Monday thru Friday 8:30 am – 4:30pm and is located at 1838 Parkwood Avenue, Suite 120 off of Monroe Street in Downtown Toledo.

The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo is the longest standing arts commission in the state of Ohio that develops and promotes the arts in the community, serving Northwest Ohio since 1959. www.acgt.org. 419-254-ARTS

http://www.acgt.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40&Itemid=27

I found this article on the Buddhist website Tricycle.com titled:

10 Mindful Ways to Use Social Media

http://www.tricycle.com/community/discuss-10-mindful-ways-use-social-media

The article really spoke to me in terms of how many people could use social media but often don’t. In fact, it seems to me that many of the complaints about social media stem from their interactions with or understanding of social media by those who don’t practice mindfully. (And I’m sooo guilty of this too!)

Ever hear someone complaint that Twitter is a broadcast medium where everyone is shouting and no one is listening? Or that they’re afraid spending their whole lives on Facebook? If you use social media mindfully, authentically, aware of your intentions, truthfully and in a helpful way, while still being here, now, in the present moment with the people you’re with I believe many of those complaints would begin to dissipate.

It’s when we begin to use social media as a coping mechanism to escape the reality we’re in that often times leads to this all-or-nothing outsider mentality. What mindful social media practice means to me is that when I’m online, I can be totally online. When I’m offline, I can do that with my full attention too. It’s when I get distracted in between… usually on my phone, answering an email or responding to a post while walking down the hallway that I realize I’m not mindful of reality. I’ve found it much more helpful to eat while I eat, surf while I surf, and walk when I walk. And that doesn’t mean that since I have the internet in my pocket I can’t look something up when I need too, even if it’s in the middle of a meeting.

So the question is, are you using social media to escape reality?