Crystal by Studio Roosegaarde

“A Dutch design studio has created thousands of flickering crystal tokens that can be rearranged endlessly and prompt participants to think about light”

19 Interesting Facts About Human Behaviour

Many of these facts about human habits are related to psychology. Psychological wellness that is to say.

 

 

 

• 94 per cent of professors at a large university believe that they are better than the average professor.

• Roughly speaking, losing something makes you twice as miserable as gaining the same thing makes you happy.

• If two people live together for a long time, they start to look like each other. They grow to look alike partly because of nutrition – shared diets and eating habits – but much of the effect is simple imitation of facial expressions. Couples who end up looking alike also tend to be happier!

• Obesity is contagious; you’re more likely to be overweight if you have a lot of overweight friends.

• On average, those who eat with one other person eat about 35 per cent more than they do when they are alone; members of a group of four eat about 75 per cent more; those in groups of seven or more eat 96 per cent more.

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

• High priced entrees on the menu boost revenue for the restaurant – even if no one buys them. Why? Because even though people generally won’t buy the most expensive dish on the menu, they will order the second most expensive dish.

• If you want to enhance the experience of your guest, invest in a nice set of wine glasses. Moreover, if you’re really serious about your wine, you may want to go all out and purchase the glasses that are specific to burgundies, chardonnays, champagne etc. Each type of glass is supposed to provide the appropriate environment, which should bring out the best in these wines (even though controlled studies find that the shape of the glass makes no difference at all in an objective blind taste test, that doesn’t stop people from perceiving a significant difference when they are handed the ‘correct glass’).

Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

 

• People are much more likely to report being in ‘flow’ on the job than during leisure.

• If we watch how people’s brains respond, promising them monetary rewards and giving them cocaine, nicotine or amphetamines looks disturbingly similar.

59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot

 

• 50 per cent of your overall sense of happiness is genetically determined, and so cannot be altered. The better news is that another 10 per cent is attributable to general circumstances (educational level, income, whether you are married or single, etc.) that are difficult to change. However, the best news is that the remaining 40 per cent is derived from your day-to-day behaviour and the way you think about yourself and others.

• In terms of short and long term happiness, buying experiences make people feel better than buying products. Why? Our memory of experiences easily becomes distorted over time (you edit out the terrible trip on the airplane and just remember those blissful moments relaxing on the beach). Our goods, however, tend to lose their appeal by becoming old, worn-out, and out-dated. Also, experiences promote one of the most effective happiness-inducing behaviours – spending time with others.

• Those who sit upright are much happier than those who slouch.

• To increase happiness, try walking in a more relaxed way, swinging your arms slightly more and putting more of a spring in your step. Also, try making more expressive hand gestures during conversations, nod your head more when others are speaking, wear more colourful clothing, use positively charged emotional words more (especially ‘love’, ‘like’, and ‘fond’), use fewer self-references (‘me,’ ‘myself’ , and ‘I’), have a larger variation in the pitch of your voice, speak slightly faster, and have a significantly firmer handshake.

• If you want to increase your chances of making a good impression in a meeting, sit toward the middle of the table.

• People develop a special fondness for other people, objects and statements if they are introduced to them while eating a meal. The effect may be attributable to the fact that good food puts people in a happy mood and can cause them to make faster, and more impulsive, decisions. More recently, researchers discovered that people who have just consumed caffeinated drinks were more likely to be swayed by arguments about various controversial topics.

• The next time you are trying to be creative in a meeting, gently lean forward and pull against the table.

• If you want to get someone to help you out, try the briefest of touches on the upper arm.

• Long-term couples will feel more attracted to each other when they regularly engage in novel and exciting joint activities that involve working together to achieve a goal.

• Research suggests that telling children that they are bright and talented is a terrible thing to do. Telling children that they possess a certain trait, such as being bright or talented, is not good for their psychological health because it encourages them to avoid challenging situations, no to try so hard, and quickly to be become demotivated when the going gets tough. In contrast, praising effort encourages people to stretch themselves, work hard, and persist in the face of difficulties.

 

What makes a SUSTAINABLE game?

 

Question in mind: 
Why are some games forgotten by players even though they used to top the popular games? What makes Angry Birds so popular after so many years? What are the values of games?

What is a Game?
“One or more players make decisions through the control of game objects and resources in pursuit of a goal” 

Continuous Challenge

A good game designer gives his players continuous challenges, each of which leads to another challenge, to keep them “hooked” on playing a game. This can be done by setting clear, short-term goals appropriate to the level of the player and the context within the game. Each challenge should satisfy some kind of learning objective. For example, answering a question, identifying a sample or completing a measurement or a portion of a map could be a challenge, part of a larger game.

Interesting Storyline

This isn’t essential to every kind of game (for example, not for a scavenger hunt), especially when players are competing against each other. In that case, the excitement of the competition is likely to engage them. However, a good storyline can liven up a competition still further (look at pro wrestling!).

In various Internet forums and game-magazine columns about video and board games, a good plot or storyline is cited as essential to a good game. Oddly enough, a fantasy context makes players more motivated to succeed at a game. So instead of having students memorize types of ores, have them play as miners prospecting for minerals and needing to identify profitable sources. Rather than using games to escape from their studies, encourage students to use games to escape into their studies.

Flexibility

Make sure that there are many different ways to accomplish each goal. Simply plotting out a step-by-step progression through the goals can be stifling. As much as possible, let each player (or team) work out their own strategy to the endpoint while still keeping the game challenging and achieving the learning objectives.

Immediate, useful rewards.

Instead of just points towards victory, successful players (or the pieces or characters they’re in charge of) can be rewarded with new capabilities, a new part of the board to explore or even a new task. These are surprisingly motivating, as the point of the game is not just to win it, but to keep playing.

Combining Fun and Realism

Many so-called games are actually simulations without goals and challenges. Excessive realistim can also be boring. But even good games often incorporate incorrect assumptions (i.e. Sim City favors public transportation) or reward unrealistic behaviors, such as giving players too much time to make decisions (Prensky, 2002b ).

Source: http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/goodgame.html

What are some important elements needed for a good game?

Motivation – In order to sustain, a game needs to have a motivation for the user to play constantly. The benefits for them which encourage continuous playing of that game. Whether is it social or physical benefits, there must be a sustainable value and goal for them to achieve after gaming. Think of long-term benefits like personal wellbeing instead of short-term pleasure.

Engagement of senses – most of the video games engage only visual and audio senses, tablet games also engage touch sense. There is potential in developing games which engage taste and smell.

Why is Angry Birds so popular?
(source: http://www.youmotivation.com/inspirational-articles/5-reasons-why-angry-birds-is-so-successful-6407)

1 | Simplicity – Easy to pick up

The game is simple to pick up and play even for those who’ve never played it before. It does not matter your age or intelligence level because the basic concept of the game is soeasy to understand that there isn’t even a need for words to explain directions or objectives. That removes any language barriers that might otherwise cause non-English speakers to hesitate from buying the game.

The simplicity of the game means that no challenge is impossible, and that the game is beatable as long as you put in the time and effort. Simplicity helps you relax and reduce your stress because there is not too much to “think” about when playing the game.

2 | Achievement – Feeling of accomplishment and progression

You always know that you are progressingbecause the levels aren’t too long nor difficult. And with each completion of a level you will know just how well you did. The best part is, for those perfectionists out there you can always achieve a better score than your previous best.

And upon beating the game, there will always be some levels where you had not unlocked the maximum 3 stars. This creates an incentive to go back and play those levels again thereby increasing the replay value of the game. Progression gives you an incentive to keep going and achievement gives you a sense of satisfaction.

3 | Satisfaction – It is highly addictive

The sound effects, explosions, music, gameplay, and colorful graphics are what make the game so satisfying and enjoyablefor anyone. Every green pig you destroy, every stone wall that goes crumbling down, it’s all just so exciting! ‘Angry Birds’ does not do one thing right, it does a whole bunch of things right. It is highly satisfying to know that you’ve just demolished a castle filled with little piggies inside, and you did it all with a single bird.

You are sure to release endorphins when you finally beat that one level that you’ve been stuck on for so long! Satisfaction makes you happy and happiness translates into playing the game more and more.

4 | Casual – Play for 1 minute or 1 hour

Whether you are playing the game while waiting in line or during your lunch break, it’s really up to you. Although ‘Angry Birds’ was meant primarily for the casual gamer, there are plenty of goals, objectives and personal achievements that hardcore gamers can work to attain.

Casual means that one does not need a huge time commitment before deciding whether or not he or she should turn on the turn and play. The majority of people today cater to casual games which is why ‘Angry Birds’ fits the bill perfectly.

5 | Popularity breeds more popularity

Why is it that when people do anything remotely new or interesting you have a sudden urge to do it as well or at least find out what it is they are doing? It goes back to us humans being curious creatures. We all want to know what we don’t know and figure out what hasn’t been figured out yet.

That is why when Angry Birds first came out, it created a mini-buzz around those who picked it up and played. This of course spread like wildfire, and soon enough, everyone felt like they had to have this $0.99 cent app. The hit single, Gangnam Style from Psy was a clear example of popularity breeding more popularity.

Why Angry Birds is so successful may still be a surprise to some of you but when Rovio saw an opportunity to grow their company, they did not hesitate even for a second. They seized every opportunity they were given and made ‘Angry Birds’ more than just a game. They made it into a globally recognized brand that has revolutionized the physics puzzle genre forever.

Other relevant article: http://www.mauronewmedia.com/blog/why-angry-birds-is-so-successful-a-cognitive-teardown-of-the-user-experience/

Learning alphabets

This was one method TinyGrads educate toddlers about alphabets. Forming alphabets with real people is funny and interactive and thats why kids enjoy it.

 

MyNetDiary Diabetes Tracker App

The most frequent words in thousands of MyNetDiary reviews by its users are “easy” and “very user-friendly”. It’s both comprehensive and friendly – the features are there when you need them, making tracking easy and you – successful! – See more at: http://www.mynetdiary.com/diabetes-tracker-for-iPhone.html#sthash.CpanR34K.dpuf

MyNetDiary Diabetes Tracker App includes:

#1 Food Database, Easy Food Tracking

Carb Tracking for Diabetes

Blood Glucose

Blood Glucose Ranges

Optional Insulin Tracking

 

Medication Tracking

 

More Trackers

Diabetes Reports

 

Weekly Reports

 

Diabetes Charts

 

and more! see more + info at : http://www.mynetdiary.com/diabetes-tracker-for-iPhone.html

Taxi complains

Complains, Feedback and Lost & Found

The above is a web for Singaporeans to find information about taxis (even includes limos and wedding taxis, etc etc) and also a feedback place that allows people to share their experience.

there’s a section called:

Complains, Feedback and Lost & Found

If you wish to report a complaint against the service of a taxi driver or provide feedback, you may contact the customer service hotlines of the respective companies.

and there are actually A LOT of complains

eg.

SHA5706J – Dangerous driving

2 Aug 2013   Lenard | Taxi Company: SMRT Taxis

I Hav on this date notice that the above taxi filtering left or right without signaling. I hope you should get them to practise it as a habit. It also allow the vehicle for early response.

 

This eg. is a relatively short complain already, most complains are actually REALLY long and detailed.

Justifies the taxi app feature 🙂

Internet of Things (IoT) and the Smart Fridge

As product designers, we live in exciting times. We’re on the verge of another technological revolution that will change the way we live and interact with our surroundings. This technological revolution is called the Internet of Things (IoT).

The Internet of Things refers to uniquely identifiable objects or “things” that have a digital presence. There are two main categories of these objects: identified objects and connected devices. These objects or devices can be connected to one another (to create a digital ecosystem), as well as to the Internet. Hence, the name, Internet of Things.

To better understand how a future smart fridge might work, it’s important to distinguish between the categories of objects (the Things), and to explain their meaning.

So What’s a Smart Fridge to Do?

The core functionality of the smart fridge is to maintain, with minimum effort, an inventory list of perishable food items and their expiration dates.

This is where RFID technology and the Internet of Things starts to kick in. RFID technology will eventually replace the barcode, therefore any product that has a barcode today will have an RFID tag in the future. The smart fridge will have an RFID reader embedded in every shelf. This reader will scan for RFID tags every time the refrigerator door is opened and closed.

This technology is already available. Smart Cabinets or RFID Cabinets are used to keep track of high value products in a wide range of markets, including healthcare, medical device, biotechnology, and security. Smart Cabinet users first identify themselves with a personal key card card to open the door. Then they remove any item from the shelf. Information is captured in real-time so managers always know what they have in stock.

…

The article also talks clearly about Identified Objects (barcodes & RFID), the Connected devices and more about the Smart Fridge.
Read it at: http://uxmag.com/articles/the-internet-of-things-and-the-mythical-smart-fridge

 

 

75 Fun Ways to Practice and Learn Spelling Words

Found this web http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/2012/10/75-fun-ways-to-practice-and-learn.html where moms share with each other their secret formulas to educate kids. This is about practicing spelling words.

Picked out some of the ones that are more relatable to the group who’s doing the Kinect! Kind of justifies your game and you can see how else you can improve it!

Writing & Fine Motor Practice

1. Play Dough Words – use play dough to form letters to spell out each word.

10.  Rainbow Words – spell words using different colored markers or crayons for each letter.

12. Trace – have fun and let kids trace their words on your back or palm. Have them focus on properly forming each letter so you can feel it being drawn.

15. Trace in the Air – watch as children trace the letters in the air to spell each word.

30. Hidden Spelling Words – on a white piece of paper let your child write out the spelling words using a white crayon. Once all words have been written use watercolors and paint to make hidden words appear.

37. Other Hand – if you are right handed write your words using your left hand, if you are left handed write words using your right hand.

Oral Practice

52. Sing – Use whatever song or beat you like but a simple B-I-N-G-O like song & some clapping works wonders especially on that first day of practicing words. It really helps kids begin to remember those words.

54. Partner Spell – take turns adding a letter to spell each word. For example, for the word FUN – child starts by saying the letter F, parents adds letter U and child then completes word by adding the letter N. This requires focus and listening and is a great exercise for elementary aged learners.

Gross Motor Practice

66. Jumpin’ Jack – do jumping jacks as you spell words – 1 jump per letter

Games and Online Fun

74. Spelling BINGO – Make or print a few blank BINGO cards to use with spelling practice. Kids love to play BINGO. Write spelling words in boxes and randomly call out (or use flashcards) words. Child should cover appropriate words when called. To make things extra challenging, write words spelled incorrectly in a few spaces as well so child has to discriminate between the correctly spelled words and the incorrect ones.

Picky Eating – what NOT to do

What not to do

Don’t force your child to eat. Pressuring will only backfire and make meals unpleasant for everyone. You’ll also be teaching him to ignore his internal signals for hunger and fullness, which can lead to overeating later on.

Don’t use dessert as a bribe. It may work in the short-term, but eventually your child will start hating the food you’re asking her to eat because she’ll view it as a punishment. Better to let her have a little dessert no matter what she eats at dinner. It’ll help her learn that sweets can be a small part of a healthy diet.

 

To see more about what TO do, visit : http://www.parenting.com/article/picky-eating, Guide to Picking Eating

Educational Wii Games for Children – What’s important to attract kids

Nintendo Wii Family of Games

The Nintendo Wii features a line of interactive video games that teach kids all sorts of things from musical instruments and dancing to identifying animals, learning math and even learning how to spell. There are word games and games that are intended to help children build problem solving skills. The great part about these games is that the kids are active while playing and this does a lot to help eliminate the issue of sitting idly and playing video games for hours.

My Word Coach
Learning new words + spelling. It uses a number of interactive activities such as spray painting in whatever letters appear to be missing and also choosing the correct definitions to go with each word.

WordJong
Mahjong + Scrabble. Up to 4 players. For kids who enjoy competitive games then this game will offer that along with the same mental exercises other puzzle games offer. Parents love this game as it teaches logical progression, problem solving and creative thinking. In addition, new words are discovered with just about every game.

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Academic version of the Wii Fit Plus game. Can be improved through practice and time played. Up to 8 players. Teaches children how to use determination and fast thinking as well as diligence in order to improve their rankings.

Endless Ocean
Educates about Marine life. Use the Wii to swim around a make believe island called Manoa Lai to check out a variety of underwater zones and examine different species of marine life. no element of danger, not even when a shark encounter takes place.

JumpStart Pet Rescue
Most kids love the idea of pet rescue and are drawn to television shows like animal cops and the like. This game allows children to care for stray or abandon pets. Kids can do a variety of things like change their appearance, decorate their homes, change outfits, feed and groom their pets and even win story books and earn a series of rewards.

Most parents whose children play Wii educational games regularly find themselves pleased with the results.  The Wii allows children to move and exercise while they play and that in itself is a wonderful feature.