[AG-TECH] Doorbell for the grid?

Wed Apr 12 19:28:27 CDT 2006

G'day All

I thought I might add my 2 cents worth here.  In my opinion, I don't
know if the "On Air" type of thing is really required...  As we have the
tools already that highlights whether (for example) audio is on or not.

The reason that I mention this is because I recently have been
displaying "Rat" on the display screen/wall for users to view whilst
participating within an AG session.  This has multiple benefits:

*	Users can see there audio transmission level;

*	Can see that the "Talk" button is enabled, thereby informing
users they are currently "On the Air";

*	Also allows users access to switch off the "Talk" button if they
require a private conversation.

In my opinion, if we education users, (this button turns talk on and
off, etc) the users will have enough information already to determine
whether that equipment is on or not.  Therefore, why not simply use Rat
to determine is you are "on the air" or not.

Secondly, a number of my Australian colleagues (including myself) have a
portable machine that run continuously in the APAG lobby.  I have found
this invaluable, in which you simply say hello, if you or anyone else
has have any questions, want to conduct a quick test, etc....  The
simple "Are you there Jason" or whoever works well.  And if you don't
wish to be disturbed, you turn off the listen button.  You can also tell
when transmitting a message who receives it (By the green lights within
rat) as well.  

Sending a message through the VenueClient is also useful for getting
peoples attention as well.

So I guess I would like to ask, do we "really need" a doorbell or an "On
Air" function.  I my opinion, I don't think it is required.  Just
educate people with the use of the already supplied tools with the
Access Grid.

Anyway, I am happy to hear other people's opinions and I'm curious to
see what everyone else thinks.

Cheers,
Jason.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov [mailto:owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov] On
Behalf Of Cindy Sievers
Sent: Thursday, 13 April 2006 2:12 AM
To: Ivan R. Judson; Brian Tieman
Cc: Thomas D. Uram; Tom Coffin; ag-tech
Subject: Re: [AG-TECH] Doorbell for the grid?

Actually if you are talking about a more or less persistent space, in 
addition the doorbell idea, it might be good to have just a signal that
the 
"Grid is ON" or "Grid of OFF".....even in monitored spaces, the biggest 
concern that participants have is whether the cameras and mics are 
transmitting or not.....some sort of visual indicator would be very
useful...

At 08:31 AM 4/12/2006, Ivan R. Judson wrote:

>It'd be  interesting to couple a standard (but non-annoying tone, or
>chime) with the little red light that can plug in via usb I got a
>couple of years ago (Tom has it now ask him about it :-).
>
>Then you could ring/ping/tap whatever and it'd play the chime and
>blink the light as a cue someone was remotely trying to get your
>attention.
>
>In general this visual cue would be useful for other things like
>question and answer during lectures, visual indication of network
>problems for a speaker, or other things...
>
>--Ivan
>
>On Apr 12, 2006, at 8:11 AM, Brian Tieman wrote:
>
>>Tom,
>>
>>Yes, the beamline is a fairly noisy place.  Speakers turned up loud
>>enough for a user--who may be several feet away--to hear will
>>likely also have lots of static--especially in our electrically
>>noisy environment.  My thoughts were to couple a tone--likely a
>>sonalert of some sort which can be very distinctive even in noisy
>>environments--with a strobe.  It can be set up to "ring"
>>occasionally rather than incessently.
>>I was just wondering if maybe this sort of issue has already been
>>resolved for cases other than the trivial ones where leaving the
>>"listen" button on is sufficient.
>>
>>Brian
>>
>>Thomas D. Uram wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>Well, if the audio is on at the beamline, the remote researchers
>>>could just begin talking
>>>to the guys on the beamline, right?  The beamline is likely a
>>>noisy environment, so
>>>this may not be heard well, but just as much as some tone, I would
>>>think. Maybe I'm thinking
>>>of the situation differently than you are; clarify as needed.
>>>
>>>Tom
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On 4/12/06 8:34 AM, Brian Tieman wrote:
>>>
>>>>Tom,
>>>>
>>>>But only if you looking at your email...or have your email
>>>>forwarded to a pager, etc...
>>>>
>>>>We'd like to leave an AG room open and live at an APS beamline
>>>>where people will be working on equipment and not necessarily
>>>>looking at computers--or at least not the computers running the
>>>>AG.  If a collabarator wants checks in via the grid--the will see
>>>>the guys working, but how do you remotely tap a guy on the
>>>>shoulder to make him look up from his work to notice you?  The
>>>>phone works, of course, but a way to ring a bell and/or light up
>>>>a strobe would be very usefull to us.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks!
>>>>
>>>>Brian
>>>>
>>>>Tom Coffin wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>email notifications via the agscheduler work pretty well.
>>>>>
>>>>>_________________________________________
>>>>>At 02:07 PM 4/11/2006, Brian Tieman wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>Hi all,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>We're hoping to use the AG in more of an "always on"
>>>>>>environment for collaboration with users.  We'd be doing this
>>>>>>at an experimental facility where people will generally be
>>>>>>paying more attention to the facility equipment than a random
>>>>>>user who may pop in to collaborate, monitor, etc...And so we're
>>>>>>looking for something like a doorbell or telephone ringer that
>>>>>>would alert someone at the facility that a remote collaborator
>>>>>>may wish to chat with them.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Has anyone implemented something like this?  I can think of a
>>>>>>couple of ways to go about it, but thought if anyone had a
>>>>>>"standard" solution, we could just glom onto that.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Thanks!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Brian Tieman
>>>>>>Advanced Photon Source
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>___________________________________________________________
>>>>>Tom Coffin .......................... tcoffin at ncsa.uiuc.edu
>>>>>
>>>>>    NCSA-ACCESS                         cel: 703-477-5948
>>>>>    901 North Stuart Street, #800       tel: 703-248-0105
>>>>>    Arlington, Virginia 22203           fax: 703-248-0100
>>>>>
>>>>>_________________________ http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~tcoffin
>>>>

============================================
Cindy Sievers           Los Alamos National Laboratory
sievers at lanl.gov        Group CCS-1 MS B287
tel:505.665.6602        Advanced Computing
fax:505.665.4939        Los Alamos, NM 87544
============================================