decades of fun

Auto Data

This is very cool tech – GM and OnStar are on the forefront of using the digital sensor data cars now generate to both help drivers and engineers. A Volt driver started a website to compare his Volt driving data to other Volt drivers. Things were going swimmingly until GM changed the protocols for accessing the data (known as an API). Instead of the usual corporate?malfeasance, OnStar and the customer worked to develop a more robust API to encourage this kind of sharing and comparing.

Automobile’s are not the only area where smart technology is becoming “gamified”. See, when you beat a video game (or not) you are interacting with the machine quickly, usually without hesitation, to accomplish a goal.

People who write non-game software (like myself) are very interested in the design of software that allows people to interact so quickly and effortlessly. Cars, house thermostats, washing machines, and other useful tech items will continue to ‘gamify’ their interfaces, hopefully bringing more?efficiency, ease of use, and yes even more convenience to our modern lives.