The document discusses connecting families through sharing information using easy to use devices. It proposes using a Chumby device to allow elderly parents, who are rarely online, to receive Twitter updates from children to keep informed of each other's activities and whereabouts in a simple, unobtrusive way. A pilot study involved creating a Twitter-enabled widget for the Chumby device and surveying users to get feedback on keeping families connected through the sharing of daily information.

1. Connecting Families by Sharing the Minutiae of their Lives Presented By: Poornima Hanumara Supervisor: Dr. Lorcan Coyle ( www.NearDear.org )

2. Typical family is geographically distributed. Parents want to keep in touch. Children want to ensure older parents are safe and healthy.

3. Social networking tools are locked behind complex web interfaces. Not everyone in the family has familiarity and availability of these tools. Children always online. Elder parents rarely, if ever, online.

5. Display information at a glance. Unobtrusive. Easy to use (mostly, just glancing at or hearing them!) Chumby Whereabouts Clock Digital Photo-frame

6. Two steps Parents get Twitter updates from children on Chumby. Parents update Twitter through Chumby without having to log onto the internet.

8. Poornima is having fun cliffwalking in Bray.

9. Other Sensors- Pressure pads. Sensors in AC ducts to detect movement. Bluetooth sensors.

10. (http://crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/mypage.php)

11. (http://.crypt.ucd.ie/poornima/odysseus/grouphome.php)

12. Uploading widgets to chumby.com. User ratings, comments and feedback on chumby.com for the widget. Pilot user survey with six Chumby users in UCD. Facebook group advertising the chumby widget. Sending out user surveys to facebook group members.

13. Other sensors in homes to send updates to social networking sites. Home security alarm to send alerts in case of emergency. Whereabouts clock on Chumby. (Your suggestions go here!!) E-mail your suggestions to poornimah2000@gmail.com.