<p>RSS is a format for easy information sharing between computers. A RSS-file, also known as a feed or a channel, consist of a list of items. The items are structured with XML-tags and have to be processed in some way before it can be read. RSS¬readers, web-browsers with RSS support and e-mail-clients with RSS support can be used to display the feed.</p><p>This thesis is focused to investigate if RSS can be used within an enterprise for internal communication. We look at different computer based communication tools that are available today and compare them with RSS. All the different tools has there advantages as well as disadvantages, we have tried to find out if there is room for one more information channel within an enterprise.</p><p>Our study shows that RSS is not suitable as a stand alone solution for internal combination. RSS main strengths lies in mass information that has to be pushed out in one direction.</p>

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborg University, 2002.

The impact of instant message interruptions via computer on immediate lecture retention for college students was examined. While watching a 24–minute video of a classroom lecture, students received various numbers of related–to–lecture (“Is consistent use of the eye contact method necessary for success?”) versus not–related–to lecture (“Have you ever missed class because you couldn't find parking?”) instant messages in addition to note taking vs. no note taking. Student self–rating for multitasking ability, typical and maximum instant messaging activity, and classroom computer use were also measured. Contrary to cognitive models of information processing that suggest instant messages will disrupt student retention of lecture information, no effects were found for number of interruptions, presence or absence of notes, or relatedness of interruption on lecture retention. Students’ multitasking self–rating was negatively related to lecture retention. The implications of these results for classroom practice and future research are explored. / text

This article looks into accounts of the computer mediated discourse medium of instant messaging programs. Previous accounts have compared communication within this medium either to solely written or to solely spoken language, thus neglecting its relationship to both or to the constraints generated specifically by the medium. Such accounts have therefore, often come to erroneously alarming conclusions. This article lays out an argument for the treatment of computer mediated communication through instant messaging programs as the beginnings of a set of new registers. / text

A living city must exist at every scale - from the urban to the pedestrian; the development of the 21st century Instant City, however, does not allow for this multiplicity of scales. These cities emerge instead in a type of hyper-reality, driven by the pursuit of capital and power. In the frenzy to grow, the resulting urban condition is alienating - one devoid of human scale. Looking to modern Dubai as an example of the dehumanized city, this thesis explores the reinterpretation of a traditional bazaar as a tool to challenge this existing form of urbanism. By way of an intervention that exploits the connective potential of pedestrian infrastructure, the project seeks to add a layer of social and physical complexity to a ‘dead’ city.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

En étudiant quatre aspects du temps (le temps historique, le temps mythique, le temps existentiel, et le temps eternel) chez l’essayiste et le philosophe roumain d’expression française, Emil Cioran (1911-1995) en m’appuyant sur les théories de Nietzsche, Bergson et Eliade, nous arrivons à la conclusion que la construction et la déconstruction des temps historique, mythique, existentiel et éternel traversent toutes les œuvres de mon corpus. Le je-cioranien ne s’intéresse ni à la durée, ni au temps, ni à l’éternité, ni à la vie. La vie en soi est détruite et méprisée et sa durée est déconstruite ; l’essayiste préfère au contraire la durée pure de l’instant, qui vaut « plus qu’une éternité » ; c’est dans l’instant qu’il trouve la temporalité bergsonienne et une éternité plus « positive ». L’histoire est également déconstruite et considérée comme un spectacle qui n’a ni but, ni sens. La seule dimension utilisée de manière positive et admirée par Cioran reste le mythe, dont les héros (Jésus, Bouddha, Prométhée) et les personnages mythologiques (Phénix, Sisyphe, Atlas, Ulysse) représentent les modèles à suivre dans la vie quotidienne. Le mythe sauve d’ailleurs l’humanité et son histoire. Le retour aux origines, même avant la naissance, est le grand but cioranien, le trajet à rebours de ce « héros négatif » (David, 2006 B : 253) par le biais duquel il voudrait rejoindre l’éternité mythique. La conscience du je-personnage est poussée (par le biais de la mémoire) dans le passé, en évoquant l’enfance (donc la vie) et ce retour suppose la décomposition de l’être, « un être éparpillé » (EC) dont le moi se décompose « en mille souvenirs », état d’âme qui caractérise la plupart de ses aphorismes. Ainsi, en ayant plutôt situé le passé dans le futur, l’être cioranien vacille, décomposé, malade avec de rares étincelles de lucidité. Cette thèse montre dans ses sept chapitres l’attachement cioranien au temps et en même temps son drame personnel, le fait que l’essayiste se situe « en dehors du temps », bien qu’il ne puisse vivre que « par le temps ». Cette existence « par le temps » suppose un double aspect : d’abord, c’est le temps qui représente le je-narrateur et il ne peut ni ne veut s’en débarrasser (comme la mère de ses enfants) et d’autre part il ne peut vivre que dans des parcelles de temporalité, comme si le temps était le labyrinthe où le narrateur se cacherait toujours. Cioran joue ainsi un rôle médiatique entre la conception du temps dans le monde ancien et le monde moderne, comme un acteur qui entre sur scène et répète sans cesse des fragments anciens de la pièce (sur son enfance et sur son passé) et qui regrette d’être obligé de sortir de la scène si vite et donc de ne pas rester jusqu'à la fin de la pièce. L’aphorisme, cette forme d’écriture fragmentaire, est aussi une manière formelle et philosophique par laquelle Cioran répond aux exigences du temps et sa décomposition de la vie : d’une manière facile (par la forme) mais philosophique et ironique (par son contenu).

Text communication is often perceived as lacking some components of communication that are essential in sustaining interaction or conversation. This interaction incoherency tends to make text communication plastic. It is traditionally devoid of intonation, pitch, gesture, facial expression and visual or auditory cues. Nevertheless, Instant Messaging (IM), a form of text communication is on the upward uptake both on PCs and on mobile handhelds. There is a need to rubberise this plastic text messaging to improve co-presence for text communications thereby improving synchronous textual discussion, especially on handheld devices. <br /> <br /> One element of interaction is gesture, seen as a natural way of conversing. Attaining some level of interaction naturalism requires improving synchronous communication spontaneity, partly achieved by enhancing input mechanisms. To enhance input mechanisms for interactive text-based chat on mobile devices, there is a need to facilitate gesture input. Enhancement is achievable in a number of ways, such as input mechanism redesigning and input offering adaptation. This thesis explores affective gesture mode on interface redesign as an input offering adaptation. This is done without a major physical reconstruction of handheld devices.<br /> <br /> This thesis presents a text only IM system built on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE). It was developed with a novel user-defined hotkey implemented as a one-click context menu to &ldquo / fast-track&rdquo / text-gestures and emoticons.<br /> <br /> A hybrid quantitative and qualitative approach was taken to enable data triangulation. Results from experimental trials show that an Affective Gesture (AG) approach improved IM chat spontaneity/response. Feedback from the user trials affirms that AG hotkey improves chat responsiveness, thus enhancing chat spontaneity.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Elizabeth D. Mynatt; Committee Member: Jay D. Bolter; Committee Member: Rebecca E. Grinter; Committee Member: W. Keith Edwards; Committee Member: Wendy A. Kellogg

Magister Scientiae - MSc / Location-based service (LBS) is a geographical location-related service that provides highly personalized services for users. It is a platform for network operators to provide new and innovative ways of increasing profits from new services. With the rapidly growing trend toward LBS, there is a need for standard LBS protocols. This thesis started with introducing the Internet Engineering Task Force GEOPRIV working group, which endeavors to provide standard LBS protocols capable of transferring geographic location information for diverse location-aware applications. Through careful observation, it was found that Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is well suited to the GEOPRIV requirements. The aim of this research was therefore to explore the possibility of the integration of LBS and the SIP protocol and, to some extent fulfill the GEOPRIV requirements. / South Africa