The Thirsty Robot

Here's some of what you missed in the discussion at 'The Thirsty Robot': Technical Musings: Eye Tracking:  So what are you looking at on the screen? We discussed the subject of 'Eye Tracking' and wondered if you could do it with the cameras built into laptops nowadays. Eye tracking can be achieved in a number of ways, but the main usual method uses Infra-Red light to illuminate the eye, and then track the reflection from the cornea (the front part of the eye). Other techniques include tracking the retina (the back) of the eye. Some methods require wearing a special pair of glasses... Eye tracking started out as a technique used by UI researchers to see what people looked at in user interfaces, but over time has been used in a number of other applications, including using it to enable disabled people to control things by moving where their eyes are looking (the senses of fighter aircraft pilots are used in many ways as well...).  Good explanation... Wikipedia Eye Tra...

Here's some of what you missed in the discussion at 'The Thirsty Robot': Technical Musings: Instantiation. We discussed the problems when a software suite provides control over preferences and settings, but then does not instantiate them correctly when you start a new session or tab. This can lead to security/privacy problems where rules about restricted scope or domains are not followed, or where information leaks, and more. Testing this type of deep functionality can be a challenge with software that has lots of user control and many derived capabilities. Explore deeper:   Mocks     Control Conglomerate or Accretion. Stolen from geology, these are possible terms for describing software that has had functionality randomly added over time, without any clear overall plan or structure. A bit like someone else's toolbox where the drill bits are stored in the little metal box decorated with roses - if you don't know this then it can take some time to find the drill bits...