title: Technology and consumer well-being

authors: Weijers, Dan M.

subjects: artificial intelligence

abstract: This chapter reviews consumers’ interactions with technology and its influence on their well-being and especially psychological well-being. Focus areas discussed in the chapter include smartphones, games, social media, health information technology, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Some of the specific technologies considered include chatbots, service robots, the use of virtual and augmented reality in the consumer realm, continuous engagement with digital and mobile technologies, mobile health technologies, and activity-promoting gaming. For the most part, the research shows that technology is not generally detrimental to well-being. Rather, the way technology is used tends to predict whether there are benefits or risks to well-being. The chapter also discusses some extra dangers for the less-tech-savvy and policy recommendations for minimizing and mitigating the risks technology poses without unnecessarily limiting the potentially life-changing benefits. It is recommended that children are educated about the difference between beneficial and problematic smartphone use, that schools should decide when or whether smartphones can be used in classrooms, that cryptocurrencies should be regulated to protect the environment and consumers, and that industry standards are adopted to protect consumers of artificially intelligent friends.

text: Technology and consumer well-being This chapter reviews consumers’ interactions with technology and its influence on their well-being and especially psychological well-being. Focus areas discussed in the chapter include smartphones, games, social media, health information technology, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Some of the specific technologies considered include chatbots, service robots, the use of virtual and augmented reality in the consumer realm, continuous engagement with digital and mobile technologies, mobile health technologies, and activity-promoting gaming. For the most part, the research shows that technology is not generally detrimental to well-being. Rather, the way technology is used tends to predict whether there are benefits or risks to well-being. The chapter also discusses some extra dangers for the less-tech-savvy and policy recommendations for minimizing and mitigating the risks technology poses without unnecessarily limiting the potentially life-changing benefits. It is recommended that children are educated about the difference between beneficial and problematic smartphone use, that schools should decide when or whether smartphones can be used in classrooms, that cryptocurrencies should be regulated to protect the environment and consumers, and that industry standards are adopted to protect consumers of artificially intelligent friends.

year: 2024

title: Tune Retrieval in the multimedia library

authors: McNab, Rodger J.

subjects: music retrieval

abstract: Musical scores are traditionally retrieved by title, composer or subject classification. Just as multimedia computer systems increase the range of opportunities available for presenting musical information, so they also offer new ways of posing musically-oriented queries. This paper shows how scores can be retrieved from a database on the basis of a few notes sung or hummed into a microphone. The design of such a facility raises several interesting issues pertaining to music retrieval. We first describe an interface that transcribes acoustic input into standard music notation. We then analyze string matching requirements for ranked retrieval of music and present the results of an experiment which tests how accurately people sing well known melodies. The performance of several string matching criteria are analyzed using two folk song databases. Finally, we describe a prototype system which has been developed for retrieval of tunes from acoustic input and evaluate its performance.

text: Tune Retrieval in the multimedia library Musical scores are traditionally retrieved by title, composer or subject classification. Just as multimedia computer systems increase the range of opportunities available for presenting musical information, so they also offer new ways of posing musically-oriented queries. This paper shows how scores can be retrieved from a database on the basis of a few notes sung or hummed into a microphone. The design of such a facility raises several interesting issues pertaining to music retrieval. We first describe an interface that transcribes acoustic input into standard music notation. We then analyze string matching requirements for ranked retrieval of music and present the results of an experiment which tests how accurately people sing well known melodies. The performance of several string matching criteria are analyzed using two folk song databases. Finally, we describe a prototype system which has been developed for retrieval of tunes from acoustic input and evaluate its performance.

year: 2000

title: Responsive socio-cultural contexts: Supporting five year olds to become literate in a second language.

authors: Berryman, Mere

subjects: bilingual learners

abstract: Learning one's own indigenous language and culture as a second language learner within formal mainstream education settings can pose many challenges, especially for students who have been raised in the dominant first language and who are just beginning school. This paper discusses a Māori language resource used by a Māori immersion teacher to respond to these challenges. This resource utilises community support to develop students' phonological awareness while simultaneously increasing their oral language. This study shows that within a relatively short period of time, students' phonological knowledge improved along with their confidence and ability to speak in Māori. With these skills they were then able to progress more successfully to becoming literate in Māori, their second language.

text: Responsive socio-cultural contexts: Supporting five year olds to become literate in a second language. Learning one's own indigenous language and culture as a second language learner within formal mainstream education settings can pose many challenges, especially for students who have been raised in the dominant first language and who are just beginning school. This paper discusses a Māori language resource used by a Māori immersion teacher to respond to these challenges. This resource utilises community support to develop students' phonological awareness while simultaneously increasing their oral language. This study shows that within a relatively short period of time, students' phonological knowledge improved along with their confidence and ability to speak in Māori. With these skills they were then able to progress more successfully to becoming literate in Māori, their second language.

year: 2012