Blog 0 - Introduction Blog

Howdy!

Welcome to the blog of Zack Henkel for CSCE-436 Spring 2011 at Texas A&M. This will hopefully soon become the home of the many bits of information I learn throughout this course. For this first post, I’ll just respond to all the questions we were given, to start here is a picture of me:

E-mail address

zmhenkel (at) tamu (dot) edu

Class standing

Senior (5th Year)

Why are you taking this class?

Throughout my life I’ve had both enjoyable and frustrating experiences using different pieces of technology. I believe that most everyone else living in modern society has had the same experience. Through this course I hope to better understand how as a technology designer, I can make a user’s interaction with technology both more enjoyable and more interesting.

What experience do you bring to this class?

As an undergraduate I have been involved in Human Robot Interaction research at Texas A&M for about two years. I’ve had an opportunity to learn and experiment with the many factors that contribute to a successful interaction between a human and robot. I imagine many of the same factors and concerns exist in the HCI community.

Through my research experiences, I’ve also had the pleasure to work with some very bright individuals who have taught me an abundance of techniques for reading and processing the work of others. As this class has a large focus on reading current work, I think these skills will serve me well.

What do you expect to be doing in 10 years?

I don’t really like to nail down the future, but I hope to be working in academia as a professor and researcher of Computer Science.

What do you think will be the next biggest technological advancement in computer science?

I think the next significant technological advancement in computer science will be related to improved abilities to recognize a user’s natural input. A combination of our increased abilities to recognize speech, gestures, emotion, and intentions of a user will create a new way of interaction. I expect to see less and less of the keyboard and mouse as a means of input.

Additionally, though not a huge advancement, I think our field will have to conquer many issues related to making data accessible and secure to users wherever they may be.

If you could travel back in time, who would you like to meet and why?

Jesus. A common answer, but because His message has been claimed and used by so many as inspiration throughout history I think it would be crazy not to meet him.

What is your favorite style of mustache and why?

Walrus. It makes me think of an actual walrus, which is a somewhat awkward looking mammal!

If you could be fluent in any foreign language that you're not already fluent in, which one would it be and why?

German. It’s where my family descends from, plus it sounds funny to me.

Give some interesting fact about yourself.

I really enjoy working on projects involving video production or live stage productions. For some reason I’ve been mesmerized by large technical productions since I was a child-- so I’ll always take an opportunity to help with one and learn a little more.