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As the use of wireless communication technologies begins to settle into particular patterns, this essay considers the impact of such devices on workplace culture--particularly that of the professional middle class engaged in information work. While the study of workplace culture is usually the domain of sociology, management theory or organisational behaviour, media and cultural studies methods such as semiotic and discourse analysis, media consumption and theories of everyday life have a useful role to play in understanding how technology is marketed and subsequently used in and outside work contexts. As a starting point for this kind of approach, the paper combines an account of recent wireless advertising in Australia with research that is developing in 'production-side cultural studies' (Liu, 2004; Du Gay, 1997). In recognising the significance of new media technologies in contemporary labour practice and politics, it aims to move discussions beyond the notion of 'work-life balance' as a research endpoint to allow more variegated notions of freedom and flexibility for the workplaces of the present and near future.

At first, the concept was very simple. The new IUPUI library information system should have 'multimedia capability.' More specifically, the new information system should be capable of receiving video on […]

A lot of enthusiasm has been generated by the concept of the information superhighway,' inspired by the Internet. Although the Internet experience demonstrates the importance of narrowband linked PCs as […]

New Look has launched interactive technology in the windows of three of its key stores, allowing passers-by to see themselves dressed in the fashion retailer's collections. Ultimate Window Shopping, by [...]

In 'Teaching via ITV: Taking Instructional Design to the Next Level' (T.H.E. Journal, April 1999), Karen Jarrett Thoms presented a set of visual literacy and instructional design guidelines based on […]

LIKE A BASEBALL PROSPECT whose performance hasn't lived up to expectations, Blu-ray Disc's BD-Live feature--which offers access to refreshable online content not contained on the disc--has been a slow starter. One reason: With some exceptions, interactivity has largely been limited to a few basic features, such as previews of upcoming movies, trivia games, and downloadable ringtones. In fact, the most talked-about BD-Live event to date came courtesy of last year's Iron Man Blu-ray Disc. Fans crashed Paramount's servers when their players started connecting online, disabling the playback of the movie and making many people think their discs were defective. The arduous registration process that users typically have had to go through hasn't helped. But after early experiments with BD-Live last fall, many of the major Hollywood studios are retooling their efforts to make interactivity both more compelling and easier to use. Many are also beefing up back-end systems so they can handle both heightened levels of interactivity and more users. Unfortunately, since studios tend to treat information about upcoming titles like matters of national security, details remain sketchy about any upcoming breakthrough BD-Live features. So we've taken a look at what studios are currently doing to get a sense of what might be coming. Whether it's Nell Young regularly adding new songs and videos to his Blu-ray Archives retrospective, or action films allowing viewers to get into a game with avatars bearing their likenesses, it's clear that what we've seen so far has just scratched the surface of BD-Live's potential. 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT 20th Century Fox kicked off its BD-Live efforts last year with X-Files: I Want to Believe, where viewers could create a special-agent avatar and solve four different 'X File' forensic challenges using clues from message boards, 14 Web sites, MySpace pages, and multiple 'dossiers.' New cases were posted weekly, with fans encouraged to collaborate on solving them by corresponding on message boards. More recently, in Notorious (a biopic about the late rapper Chris 'Notorious B.I.G.' Wallace), viewers can use BD-Live to create a personalized playlist while watching the movie, then get a link to buy songs from the soundtrack via iTunes. And X-Men fans got a jump on the competition when the Blu-ray version of X-Men Trilogy let viewers use BD-Live to buy advance tickets for X-Men Origins: Wolverine prior to its May 1 debut. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LIONSGATE Lionsgate jump-started the BD-Live movement with its January 2008 release of War and Saw IV, the industry's first two BD-Live-enabled titles, which introduced the concept of an interactive MoLog (or movie blog). This year the studio expanded its BD-Live presence with a complete BD-Live portal, called Lionsgate Live, where fans can get updates on all the studio's BD-Live-enabled releases and new bonus features via onscreen widgets, and download exclusive content such as games, wallpaper, ringtones, and directors' chats. In May, the company released My Bloody Valentine 3D, which includes a new, easier-to-use MoLog feature. It also released two Terminator-related titles: T2: Skynet Edition and Terminator 2 Limited Edition Complete Collector's Set. Both included BD-Live quizzes and games, with extra content promised. PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT For Paramount, Iron Man was a learning experience that didn't diminish its belief in the potential of online interactivity. With Transformers, BD-Live offered access to a video called 'Robot Ninjas,' which showcased the battle between Bumblebee and Barricade, and home videos shot by the movie's stunt crew. (A second BD-Live feature, called 'What Effing Happened in Mission City,' was promised but hasn't so far been delivered.) And in DreamWorks' Tropic Thunder, viewers can download deleted scenes, video rehearsals, and outtakes of improvisations that didn't make the final cut. Included in the Star Trek catalog releases is access to an interactive online community and a Star Trek IQ game. SONY PICTURES Last fall, Sony established the Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club, a customer loyalty rewards program that awards points for discounts and freebies on Sony products, plus chances to win cash and prizes. The program allows Sony to keep connected with its best video customers This year, the company's Blu-ray release of Kramer vs. Kramer let viewers connect to Sony's BD-Live Web site to see a live Q&A with the film's director, Robert Benton, and co-star Justin Henry, held following a live screening in Los Angeles. And the recently released The Da Vinci Code: Extended Cut includes 'CineChat,' an in-movie chat feature that debuted with Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. The feature can be used to set up online viewing parties around specific titles. The title also used BD-Live to offer $10 in 'e-Movie Cash' that could be redeemed for a ticket to see the next movie in the series, Angels & Demons, in theaters. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS Late last year, Universal earned fanboy props by holding the industry's first live BD-Live chat, with Hellboy II: The Golden Army director Guillermo Del Toro. More recent releases include The Incredible Hulk, which let friends chat while watching the movie and share favorite clips via 'My Scenes Sharing,' and Mamma Mia!, where viewers can share scenes, get exclusive bonus content, and even create accompanying video, audio, or text tracks. Similarly, Wanted and Deathrace let viewers create their own play-by-play movie commentary and share it with friends. In the latter, would-be sportscasters can show their play-by-play skills in a pivotal race, then post the commentaries to the site. Director Paul W.S. Anderson picked his favorites, earning winners prizes such as a 52-inch Sharp Aquos LCD TV or a PS3 game system. WARNER HOME VIDEO Thanks to the blockbuster success of the Blu-ray Disc release of The Dark Knight--3 million units and counting--Warner has as much experience engaging fans by way of BD-Live as any studio. In April, the company launched its WB Insider Rewards Blu-ray loyalty program, which lets viewers access exclusive online content, see sneak peeks of upcoming films, and create and manage a wish list of upcoming Blu-ray releases. The Dark Knight tapped BD-Live for an exclusive live 'community screening' with director Christopher Nolan, who personally answered more than 270 of the 34,000 questions that were submitted. Other BD-Live features include My Web Commentary, where fans can use a webcam to record commentary over the film, then share the video with friends or post it to the BD-Live community at large. In Gran Torino, BD-Live provides access to a Jamie Cullum music video performance of the title song, written by director Clint Eastwood. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] June is shaping up to be a great month for music fans, with Warner releasing both the three-disc Woodstock: The Director's Cut, 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition and Nell Young's 10-disc retrospective on Blu-ray. Woodstock will have a BD-Live-enabled media center offering downloadable content, live community screenings, and Web commentary. One of the more ambitious BD-Live projects is Young's Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972), which hits June 2 with an interactive timeline feature. In a note on Young's Web site, he wrote that when you pop in a disc, you'll get a message from him asking if you want to get new material, which could range from new photos or songs discovered after the discs' release to reviews or even a new online video of a song recorded after you've bought the collection. WALT DISNEY STUDIO HOME ENTERTAINMENT Disney was one of the first companies to offer in-movie chats, video e-mail, and celebrity-hosted live events. Its BD-Live efforts to date have been primarily focused on key 'tentpole' titles, with all BD-Live titles including movie mail, movie chat, movie rewards, and games. Its first BD-Live release, Sleeping Beauty, had a real-time virtual castle whose weather reflected the local conditions and time of day of the viewer. Its follow-up, Tinker Bell, connected viewers to a virtual fairy world developed by Disney Online, and included a game where players had to collect parts to assemble a music box that played songs once all the pieces were assembled. Other BD-Live releases included Wall*E, which had a music challenge with scores tallied and posted online; Prince Caspian, which offered 14 exclusive downloads to Disney BD-Live Network members; and High School Musical 3, which included a virtual yearbook ('My Pages') that let viewers upload photos and add profiles to an East High School yearbook that appeared onscreen. The animated adventure Bolt included two movie-challenge games, 'Bolt Meets Mittens' and 'Bolt the Action Hero.' Disney says it will offer new types of BD-Live interactivity later this fall and winter. MANY BELIEVE 2009 will be a make-or-break year for BD-Live acceptance. If so, as big Blu-ray fans, we're hoping the studios will step up to the plate later this year with some game-changing BD-Live interactivity. After all, any prospect has only a limited time in which to make an impact. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Use of fiber optic cable to provide high-quality interactive distance learning is increasing. An August 1995 survey by the Software Publishers Association noted that, 'School use of distance learning services, […]

Ever since Time Inc. president Don Logan described Pathfinder as 'giving new definition to the term 'black hole,'' many new media publishers have taken a second look at the online […]

We're still about 13 years away from any fully immersive sexual computer experience (though I hear Puss in Boots 3-D comes pretty close). According to Ian Pearson, futurist at Swiss [...]

We have all learned that the Internet is home to experts on--and fans of--every subject we'll ever want to explore. Now, finding the right contact, especially in the business world, [...]

WASHINGTON -- Interactive computing will become a valuable tool in helping obese patients lose weight, Dr. Jeremy Nobel said at a meeting on obesity sponsored by Global Business Research Ltd. [...]

Nine months ago, Motorola showed off its Symphony technology for digital radio, emphasizing that it enhances sound quality and decreases static. Today, the company is set to announce a partnership […]

DigiGuide is a computerised version of the traditional printed television guide. DigiGuide call it an 'Interactive Programme Guide' or IPG. The main difference being that it's PC based, intelligent, constantly […]

Digital TV may be the dawn of a new generation, but the market is crowded and the options are not very clear. So tread carefully, says Danny Bradbury The next […]

LOS ANGELES -- The California construction industry has been hammered by recession over the past few years. To better serve its 33,000 members, the Southern California District Council of Carpenters […]