We propose a system that automatically transforms web content into TV-like video content for ubiquitous environments. We call this system the ubiquitous/universal passive viewer (u-PaV). The u-PaV consists mainly of audio and visual components. The audio component uses synthesized speech to read out titles and lines extracted from the target web content. Simultaneously, the visual component of the u- PaV presents the titles and lines to a user display through a ticker. Keywords and images extracted from the web content are animated on the display. A suitable background color is determined based on the overall impression of the content. The u-PaV synchronizes the ticker, animation, and speech. We introduce the u-PaV and explain how the keywords are extracted and how the impression value of the web content is determined. A test with 50 users showed that the u-PaV is easier to use and understand than browsing web content alone.

Open-source software, usually created by volunteer programmers dispersed worldwide, now competes with that developed by software firms. This achievement is particularly impressive as open-source programmers rarely meet. They rely heavily on electronic media, which preclude the benefits of face-to-face contact that programmers enjoy within firms. In this paper, we describe findings that address this paradox based on observation, interviews and quantitative analyses of two open-source projects. The findings suggest that spontaneous work coordinated afterward is effective, rational organizational culture helps achieve agreement among members and communications media moderately support spontaneous work. These findings can imply a new model of dispersed collaboration.