Cameron Marlow(at far right), inventor of Blogdex and Walter Bender are giving a presentation on the current types of "emergent intelligence" systems, where the opinions of large, independent groups of people are used to aggregate decisions or collectively build things. Examples shown included Smaller Picture, Wikipedia, Flickr and del.icio.us.

- mike lee - cambridge, ma

Instead of the usual sponsor reception cash bar and hors d'oeuvres, Dan, co-director of the Simplicity research consortium brought in Nicole and John from the Boston store of Best Cellars to do a guided wine tasting. The line-up was Chimney Creek Sauvignon Blanc, Lurton Very Viognier, Ovalle Grand Selection Carmenere and Nederberg Cabernet Sauvignon. I think my favorite was the Viognier--not that I'm any expert. Fine cheeses, fruits crackers and chocolates were on hand to clear our palettes. Nice things about Best Cellars are that they specialize in accessible wines that cost cost no more than $15, and they have a store in D.C. What was special about the tasting was the presence of several MIT professors. Dan ranked everyone's wine favorites in a matrix on the whiteboard and there was lively discussion on the business models of wine selling. This is what I'll call a super smart wine tasting.

- mike lee - cambridge, ma

Justin (from work) and I are here early at the lab, so we're wandering around the LEGO Learning Laboratory.

- mike lee - cambridge, ma

After checking in at the Cambridge Marriott, I walked out the rear of the lobby out onto Main Street for some fresh fall air. I immediately felt a great disturbance in the force coming from the direction of MIT Press Bookstore. Nothing seemed unusual as I paid for a copy of Ellen Lupton's new book Thinking With Type: A Critical Guide For Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students. But glancing at a flyer on the counter, I realized the source of the disturbance: The Fall Loading Dock Sale was in progress behind the bookstore! I followed the yellow and black arrow signs to discover thousands of books on sale for up to 95% off. I fought off an involuntary seizure and didn't pick up any more books. Instead, I cashed out with a bunch of Maeda-designed MIT t-shirts which were priced at $3 each because the logo was off center. The normally $20-a-piece shirts will get shipped back by FedEx. Now, I'm drinking coffee at the Au Bon Pain before venturing back out to walk around until the 7pm wine tasting reception at the Lab.

- mike lee - cambridge, ma

Even though the process of getting on and off airplanes is tough these days, I never get tired of my window seat views once we're in the air. Here are Kent Island and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, upper Eastern Shore, south Jersey shore and the final approach to Boston Logan.

- mike lee - boston

Wow, we heard from a state trooper at a rest stop that both sides of I-95 are still largely shut down north of Baltimore due to massive accident that happened at 4:30pm today, about an hour after we passed through that part of the road headed north. A southbound tractor trailer went out of control and jumped over into the northbound lanes. This caused a chain reaction involving two other tractor trucks and 86 vehicles in 11 accidents. Dozens were injured.

We just passed by the region of the accident without a problem on Rt. 40, a road parallel to 95, and have just 20 miles to go until we're home.

- mike lee -

As you may have seen, there was a wonderful array of pumpkin art this year's Stahl Sisters' pumpkin party--every bit as good as the first year, and all the years since.

We've left the farmlands north of Trenton and are cruising south down I-295. Amy's up front with the pup, and I'm in back keeping an eye on the kid. Two more hours of road hum left. But I've got the last photo of this post, a self-portrait made tonight with Jenna Stahl, one of the best students I've ever taught, to bring back memories of good times had at school back in 1995.

- mike lee -

Prizes are being awarded now...

- mike lee - ringoes, nj

Here are a few photos that have been sitting in my Sidekick gallery from my last visit to the Lab that I should post before I fly there tomorrow again.

The photos are of V. Michael Bove, Jr., principal investigator of the Object Based Media Group, and grad student Arnaud Pilpre demonstrating Smart Architectural Surfaces (SAS) to me.

SAS is a year-old prototype that functions like a modular video wall on steroids. Any number of sensor-enhanced video panels are snapped together on wall mounts which provide power. Each panel has it's own computer processor, WiFi-card and one or more sensors including a video camera, ultrasonic proximity sensor and speaker. The panels cost about $600 each and have the guts of a PocketPC inside.

One of the first applications is a teleconferencing system that connects the Media Lab in Cambridge, MA to the University of Korea where there is a similar cluster of wall panels. Each panel module scans the network for sister panels that are adjacent to it to know their physical location and make use of any special sensors. In a teleconference, face recognition software acquires a participant's face and passes the video image from panel to panel as they walk past the wall and all this is shared with the sister wall on the other side of the world in Korea.

Michael's group is using SAS as a platform to explore modular "ecosystems" of smart devices, and hopes to cover all the walls of a room with these panels.

I was also shown part of the Build Your Own Bag project. Like the smart wall panels, these experimental 4" square fabric pouches contain smart processors and special functional components that are electrically connected at the edges by patches of conductive velcro that carry data and power. Start with a fabric tile that has battery and stick it to another that has a central processor and the device comes alive. As you add other tiles, they are all registered with each other and work together where applicable. Tile modules can have lights, speakers, sensors, microphones and anything else imaginable create an interactive, reconfigurable contruction. What the team is currently showing is an interactive handbag made of the smart fabric tiles.

Not surprisingly, Michael is now head of the recently formed CELab, a Media Lab research consortium formed to work with consumer electronics companies to implement some of these ideas. PC World has a good interview with Michael.

- mike lee - posting from a traffic jam in delaware that is the resulted from the closing of 295 to philly

...New Jersey.

- mike lee - in delaware heading north on 95