Author Profile

  • Denise Pires
  • Url: http://denisepires.wordpress.com/
  • Posts: 8
  • About the user: Denise Pires is currently a MA New Media student at the University of Amsterdam. She has a bachelor degree in Interaction Design (Hogeschool van Rotterdam, Communication and Multimedia Design. Denise works as an usability researcher at valspat | usability onderzoek in Amsterdam. She does research on the efficiency and effectiveness of websites, games and other interactive products. Her main fields of interest are the digital identity, Augmented Reality and RFID.

Author Archive

Augmented Reality: A new way of learning?

Denise Pires | 11 December 2009, 11:19 am | 11 comments | tags:

Augmented Reality (AR) is no longer science fiction. The usage of AR is rising in our society. What is AR aiming on? On the enrichment of physical spaces with computer generated images and the availability of location based content. AR can be a strong potential for traditional ways of learning. But what does AR do with the withdrawal of knowledge…

Google Wave: A new way of creating dialogue

Denise Pires | 18 October 2009, 4:50 pm | 6 comments | tags: , ,

Google Wave is an online communication tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more [1]. In detail a wave means that:

  • Equals partly conversations and shared documents. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos,…

Gaming: The interpassive interplay between user and environment

Denise Pires | 15 October 2009, 11:39 am | tags: , , ,

The interplay between the user and the game is tended to be thought as of being an active and interactive one. But how accurate is this conception? Through the work of Slavoj Žižek I will argue that there are deeper underlying aspects that question if the interplay between the user and, in this case, the game ‘The Sims’, is ultimately an interactive…

Why are we using Twitter anyway?

Denise Pires | 06 October 2009, 11:14 am | 5 comments | tags: , , , , ,

The last couple of years online communities have been developing applications for users to share daily updates about their life, thoughts and whereabouts. Hyves provides a ‘WieWatWaar’ and Facebook has it’s own ‘Wall’ where users can update their friends. Twitter does it the light-weight way. Twitter is a microblogging website that allows an easy and light-weight form of communication. It enables users to…

Merging Social Media into the field of Online Dating

Denise Pires | 27 September 2009, 11:00 pm | tags: ,

Personally on-line dating is not my cup of tea, and my boyfriend would kill me if I would consider it, but for some reason the phenomena itself keeps grabbing my attention. The basic concept of dating sites has not really changed a lot through the years, apart from the matchmaking algorithms that can differ from one site to another. On…

The accuracy or inaccuracy of Wikipedia

Denise Pires | 19 September 2009, 11:18 pm | 2 comments | tags:

The accuracy of information on Wikipedia is one of the most fundamental points for it’s success. Previous research has shown that Wikipedia uses Google to check entries of their users on accuracy. After some research I also found out that Wikipedia checks entries on the way it is written (encyclopaedically or not). Non-encyclopaedic written articles are ‘flagged’ and removed after two…

Can we find true love through the internet?

Denise Pires | 19 September 2009, 4:41 pm | tags: , ,

The popularity of online dating is increasing. It’s no longer a taboo. This low-profile way of meeting new people is increasingly finding a place in our busy society. Barriers to contact unknown people are being blurred due to social networks and for a lot of people datingsites it means a easy, safe and comfortable way of meeting new people

The paper ‘Love…

Book review of: Online a lot of the time

Denise Pires | 13 September 2009, 11:33 pm | tags: , ,

A slightly contradictory book title due to medium in which it was written and the issues it addresses, but a rich volume in theory and striking examples about the virtual phenomena of avatars, webcam personas, rituals, fetish and signs. It’s a must read for everyone interested in the field of virtuality. A book that has grabbed the fullest of my…