End-user applications that take advantage of users' current context and respond appropriately have traditionally been the exclusive domain of HCI researchers working in university or research labs. An extensive and robust literature describes architectures and techniques for making daily computing calmer and more humane, but these findings and tools thus far have not made the jump from the research lab to daily use.

The purpose of this project is to adapt and implement the results of this research as useful frameworks and tools that real-world end-users may employ to improve their daily computing experiences.

Current Tools

Sound Effects Growl Plugin: This plugin builds upon Matthew Walton's popular Smoke plugin by adding a simple rule-based system for selecting different sound effects to accompany different kinds of notifications. This plugin may be used to add sound effects to applications that previously had none, in addition to customizing the audio and visual intrusiveness of incoming notifications. This plugin is available within the Downloads tab above.

Shion: Shion is a simple MacOS X Cocoa application for controlling Insteon-compatible devices. Shion uses a user-mode USB HID driver that controls the SmartHome PowerLinc USB controller. Shion's feature set reflects the current state of the local Insteon protocol implementation.