Consumer Algorithmic Trading
Wouldn’t it be great if you’re driving by the local gas station and your in-car computer tells you that if you were to stop RIGHT NOW and fill up your tank you could fill the whole thing for $1 a gallon? If cars could talk to gas stations and tell them exactly how much gas you need and gas stations could talk to suppliers and find out how much they have sold this week and then add in other variables like nearby competitors, latest trends in the area, days of the week, and how low the station is willing to go on price etc. You could essentially apply the idea of Algorithmic Trading on a consumer scale.
Let’s say I walk into an electronics store and my phone registers me with the store’s computer. They would know I’m looking for a new TV. Well, they haven’t sold enough TVs this week, so I get a text message giving me a $100 off the model I’ve looked at online.
Doesn’t this sound good? Sign me up.
Mark Bell @BGSU
From BGSU Zoom News
Second Life expert to discuss research in virtual worlds
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Second Life expert Mark Bell will discuss “The Future of Research in Virtual Worlds: Developing Virtual Data Collection Interfaces” at 6 p.m. March 16 in 308 Bowen-Thompson Student Union. His talk is part of the Tech Trends Series.
Bell’s research interests are in trust in mediated environments including virtual worlds, mobile networks and augmented reality. He is highly involved in the Second Life research community, managing the SL Researchers mailing list and presenting at several conferences, including NCA and AoIR. He has published on trust, web 2.0, Second Life, graphic novels and technical books. Bell has also developed an innovative virtual data collection interface for use in the virtual world of Second Life.
His talk is sponsored by the BGSU Virtual Campus in Second Life and Tech Trends.
FATE: Blowed Up
FATE Session Proposal 2011:
Blowed Up, or Reverse Engineering A Foundations Program
Imagine a Foundations Program where students must burn every project, superhero powers are assigned to each student, or classes are held in tents on the campus football field. This panel will examine 3 of the most creatively imagined Foundations Programs that will NEVER exist in order to discover the principles, objects or systems missing from the conventional Foundations Program. Presentations will feature video and/or illustrations in a mockumentary style format that aim deconstruct the inner workings of Foundations Programs to order reverse engineer a program that HAS thrown the baby out with the bath water. A discussion on the relevance of these ideas and their innovative underpinnings will follow.
Submissions should be thorough, witty, sarcastic, comical, intelligent AND utterly ridiculous. Panelists are barred from using more than 140 characters of text in any slides or speaking in a monotone. Performative, poetic, or other compelling presentation ideas are welcome! Conventional ideas or papers will NOT be accepted.
Going site-less?
There’s been a bunch of chatter over the last week about the so-called “site-less” web. See here, here, and Steve Rubel’s change of strategy here. I’m reconsidering the need for an “old fashioned” website anymore. Should I be pushing all of my content, be it blog, micro-blog, status update, photo upload, video artwork, etc to multiple feeds and sites collectively? Are making blog posts the same as making Facebook Notes?
For me, I have tried to maintain a sense of separate identity between my artistic endeavors and my educational technology work. I’m not so sure that makes sense anymore. Maybe I should be pushing my content to my Anthony Fontana fan page…
Totally Cool Dogs Pin-Up!
I think one of the best gifts I received this holiday season was a piece of art from artist Jory Griffis. It’s a pin-up from my graphic novel THE DOGS (click here to read it FREE online). I will add this pic to my Dogs site as soon as I can. Thanks Jory!!

Immersive Education: How Virtual Objects Have Meaning (UOIED)
A presentation I did at the University of Oregon’s Immersive Education Days conference on Immersive Education with virtual worlds and technology.
This presentation talks about how art can be used to understand the way virtual objects exist and thereby create “Immersion” in virtual worlds.
This slideshow has been modified from its original presentation for online viewing
Updated ArtRoll
I’ve been adding some updated links to my ArtRoll or list of artist friends and websites (on the right hand column on my blog here). Here’s a list as well. If you’re a friend of mine and would like your artist site listed… please let me know!
- Amy Sacksteder
- Anna Kell
- Christi Nielsen
- Christopher Wood
- Erin Hoffman
- Graham Turner
- Inter.Sect Art Collective
- Jason Nelson
- Jen Bock-Nelson
- Jen Locke
- Jeremy Bastion
- Jesse Payne
- Joe LoPresti
- Joe Meiser
- Kelly Mueller
- Matt King
- Michael Arrigo
- Michael Reedy
- Shaurya Kumar
- Stacy Isenbarger
- Thomas Roese
- Tyler Hennings
- Valerie Wallace
- Yasmin Kackar-Demirel


