Welcome to workliveplay.org

This is the personal website of E. Sean Rintel. I called this site workliveplay because I strive for balance: Work and Play are what I do to Live. Experience is fuzzy not discrete because as Anais Nin says: "we don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."

  • Work: THRILL to the details of my Computer-Mediated Communication research!
  • Live: WONDER at the steely brevity of my bullet-point biography!
  • Play: GASP at my obsessions with Aikido and Swing Dancing and marvel at lists of stuff!
 

Work

Last updated

I am communication technology researcher, teacher and a usability consultant.

  • As a communication researcher and teacher, my interest is in finding and solving communication problems, and explaining those issues to others. My specialization is investigating how features of communication technologies affect social activities.
  • As a usability consultant my goal is to help people make social sense of and with technology.

Areas: Computer-Mediated Communication, Human-Computer Interaction, Language and Social Interaction, Public Speaking, Usability.

Qualitative methods: Conversation Analysis, Ethnomethodology, Ethnography, Interviews, Participant Observation

Skills: Public Speaking, Publication, Research, Teaching.

 

Table of Contents

 

Education

 

Scholarships, grants, and honors

  • 2009: Top Four Student Paper: Human Communication and Technology division, National Communication Association.
  • 2007 & 2003 - GSO Travel Grant, Graduate Student Organization, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)
  • 2006 - University at Albany Dissertation Research Fellowship Award
  • 2006 - ICA teaching award: Instructional and Developmental Division of the International Communication Association Award for Excellent Teaching by a Graduate Student
  • 2005: Top Four Paper: Language and Social Interaction division, National Communication Association.
  • 2005 - 2007 - Research partnership with Wave Three Software
  • 2001 - 2004 College Scholar - College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)
  • 1997 - 2000 - Australian Postgraduate Award with Stipend (APA)
  • 1995 - BA(Hons) - First Class Honours in English
  • Current (Since 1995) - Golden Key Honour Society - The University of Queensland chapter
 

Publications and presentations

Most recent

  • Rintel, E.S. 2009. [Forthcoming] Top Four Student Paper in Human Communication & Technology - Coping with Personal Desktop Videoconferencing Bandwidth Problems: Reactions, Resolution Outcome and Continuity Outcomes. National Communication Association 95th Annual Convention, November 12-15, 2009, Chicago, Illinois.

Journal articles and published conference proceedings

Refereed conference presentations

  • Rintel, E.S. 2009. [Forthcoming] Top Four Student Paper in Human Communication & Technology - Coping with Personal Desktop Videoconferencing Bandwidth Problems: Reactions, Resolution Outcome and Continuity Outcomes. National Communication Association 95th Annual Convention, November 12-15, 2009, Chicago, Illinois.
  • Rintel, S. 2007. “Maximizing environmental validity: Remote recording of desktop videoconferencing.” Human Computer Interaction International (HCII) 2007, July 22 - 27, Beijing, China.
  • Rintel, S. 2005. "Situated Exploratory Learning of Communication Technology: Questions Prompted by a Single Case Analysis of Personal IP Videoconferencing." 55th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. New York, NY, May.
  • Pomerantz, A., & Rintel, E.S. 2002. Top Four Paper in Language and Social Interaction - Displaying deference while seeking information: Analysis of patients' information seeking strategies. 88th Annual Meeting of the National Communication Association, New Orleans, November.
  • Rintel, E.S., & McKay, S. 2002. "Doing Online Fandom: Engagement with and interaction within the Official Big Brother website." Australian and New Zealand Communication Association National Conference, Gold Coast, July.
  • Rintel, E.S. 2002. "Supervision at SUNY Albany." Australian and New Zealand Communication Association National Conference, Gold Coast, July.
  • Rintel, E.S. 2001. "The user - researcher - designer ménage à trois: Lessons from ten years of research on interpersonal relationships in Internet Relay Chat." 51st Annual Conference of the International Communication Association panel on Mediated Communication in Relationships, jointly sponsored by the Interpersonal Communication and Communication and Technology divisions. Washington DC, May.
  • McKay, S., & Rintel, E.S. 2001. "'Have a good time, make some friends, then go watch TV!': Online television forums." 51st Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. Washington DC, May.
  • Rintel, E.S. 2000. "First things first: Internet Relay Chat openings." 50th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. Acapulco, June.
  • Rintel, E.S., & Pittam, J. 1998. "Beliefs about Anonymity and Identity in IRC Interactions." 4th Meeting of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists. Canberra, April.
  • Rintel, E.S., & Pittam, J. 1997. "Communicative and Non-Communicative Silence on Internet Relay Chat: Management and Function." 47th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. Montreal, May.
  • Rintel, E.S., & Pittam, J. 1996. "Strangers in a Strange Land: Managing Interaction on Internet Relay Chat." Poster presentation. 46th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. Chicago, May.
  • Rintel, E.S., & Pittam, J. 1996. "The Management of Silence on Internet Relay Chat." Australian and New Zealand Communication Association National Conference, Brisbane, July.
  • Pittam, J., & Rintel, E.S. 1996. "The acoustics of voice and ethnic identity." Russell, A., ed, Proceedings of the 6th Australian International Conference on Speech Science and Technology. Adelaide: ASSTA.
  • Pittam, J., & Rintel, E.S. 1996. "Internet Relay Chat: Interpersonal or Impersonal?" 2nd Meeting of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists. Canberra, May.

Guest journal editorship and associated editorials

  • Denvir, P., & Rintel, E. S. 2003. 'Joke'. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 6, (5). <http://media-culture.org.au/archive.html#joke>
  • Mitchell, P., & Rintel, E. S. 2002. 'Loop'. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 5, (4). <http://media-culture.org.au/archive.html#loop>
  • Meakins, F., & Rintel, E. S. 2000. 'Chat'. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 3, (4). <http://media-culture.org.au/archive.html#chat>

Other publications

Keynote presentations

  • Rintel, E. S. 2007. “Circle of Friends: Technologies and practices of pervasive presence awareness in university student life”. Rivier College, Nashua, NH, Professional Development Seminar, August 30, 2007.

Invited presentations

  • Rintel, E.S. 2005. "Developing familiarity with personal videoconferencing." Invited seminar at Université de Montréal, Département de communication, Montréal, Canada, September.
  • Rintel, E. S. 2002. "How ethnomethodology can inform the design of interpersonal computer-mediated communication systems." Technologies for Communities Graduate Student Regional Roundtable, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, April.
  • Rintel, E. S. 2001. "F(l)ashion sense: Audience-centered Macromedia Flash design." American Society for Information Science & Technology Student Chapter - School of Information Science and Policy, University at Albany, SUNY, October.
  • Rintel, E. S. 1999. "Internet Relay Chat: Whose model is it anyway?" Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Postgraduate Colloquium and Workshop. Brisbane, November.

Departmental presentations

  • Rintel, S. 2009. "Coping with network troubles in videoconferencing ." Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, April.
  • Rintel, S. 2008. "Problems and opportunities in videoconferencing ." Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, September.
  • Rintel, S. 2007. "Collecting videoconferencing data." Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, September.
  • Rintel, S. 2005. "Family videoconferencing." Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, April.
  • Rintel, S. 2004 . "Engaging with the affordances and constraints of interactive computer-mediated communication: Longitudinal case studies of novices' in different contexts using and subsequently evaluating personal videoconferencing." Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, October.
  • Rintel, E. S. 2003. "Personal videoconferencing." Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, October.
  • Rintel, E. S. 2002. "Open Source software and Computer-mediated communication system design." Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, October.
  • Rintel, E. S. 2002. "Considering a design focus for the study of communication: Computer-mediated communication." Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, March.
  • Rintel, E. S. 2001. "The world according to Rheingold: Definitions of 'virtual community' in computer-mediated communication research." Fall 2001 Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, October.
  • Rintel, E. S. 2001. "Issues in Internet Relay Chat research" Spring 2001 Communication Department Proseminar, University at Albany, SUNY, April.
  • Rintel, E. S. 1999. "The web and the university." Department of English Information Technology Sessions. The University of Queensland, November.
  • Rintel, E. S. 1996. "Strangers in a strange land: Managing interaction on Internet Relay Chat." Department of English Staff and Postgraduate Seminar. The University of Queensland, April.

Scholarly representation in the media

 

Research and training

Current research projects

Dissertation (Proposed title): Novices coping with network troubles in personal videoconferencing: Managing the intersection of conversational continuity and technological awareness.

Summary: The promise of videoconferencing is the transparent reproduction of co-present conversation over long distance. However, in many home and public networking situations—especially wireless—this is a Faustian bargain. The heavily compressed audio and video streams of personal videoconferencing (PV) are vulnerable to network latency and jitter, manifested to users as distorted or missing content. These random and variably severe network troubles break the transparency of the medium and disrupt conversation. From field recordings of six novice long-distance couples using PV for two months, this project explores the range of pairs’ practices for coping with network troubles and how pairs orient to their developing experience of network troubles. Assuming that the goal of PV users is to talk as if co-present, their shared problem is maintaining conversational continuity in a technologically troublesome environment. It is argued that coping is a collaborative process of managing the intersection of conversational continuity and technological awareness in ways that orient both to the moment and to pairs’ developing experience.

Status: See Personal Videoconferencing Project page.
System: Wave Three Inc. Session. Pairs of long-distance couples, family members, or friends log on to multi-party bridge, which is recorded at a third location.
Results:

  • Rintel, E.S. 2009. [Forthcoming] Top Four Student Paper in Human Communication & Technology - Coping with Personal Desktop Videoconferencing Bandwidth Problems: Reactions, Resolution Outcome and Continuity Outcomes. National Communication Association 95th Annual Convention, November 12-15, 2009, Chicago, Illinois.
  • Rintel, S. 2007. Maximizing environmental validity: Remote recording of desktop videoconferencing. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Proceedings Volume 1, LNCS_4550, ISBN: 978-3-540-73104-7.

General research interests

  • Computer-mediated communication (CMC): How the affordances and constraints of interactive CMC systems effect moment-to-moment interactional processes and hence the practical accomplishment of social action. I am currently investigating desktop videoconferencing for my dissertation and undertaking some preliminary forays into Social Network Sites. Previously I have researched Internet Relay Chat (IRC).
  • Linking Ethnomethodology to CMC design/development: One way to do this is suggested by Dourish and Button's notion of "technomethodology". I'm also interested in lay vs 'theorized' models of communication, e.g. What is the relationship between CMC developers' models of communication and academic conceptions of communication. Another branch of this interest is in how novices/laypeople understand CMC technology, e.g. the moment-to-moment processes of learning a CMC system, how laypeople help other laypeople and frustrations between CMC developers' and novices/laypeople (and vice versa).
  • CMC in educational settings (formal and informal).
  • CMC policy development.
  • Learning activities, especially physical activities, without specialized vocabularies through practices of tactile feeling transmission.
  • Interaction in interpersonal relationships (romantic partners, friendships, family)
  • Ethnomethodology, Conversation Analysis, Ethnography, Discourse Analysis

Specialized training

  • 2005 - Rutgers CAASI Reunion participant - Summer 2005 (Three day invitation-only intensive workshop taught by Emanuel Schegloff, Gene Lerner, John Heritage, and Anita Pomerantz, hosted by Jenny Mandelbaum and Jeff Robinson)
  • 2003 - Conversation Analysis Advanced Summer Institute (CAASI) participant - Summer 2003 (Two week invitation-only intensive workshop taught by Emanuel Schegloff, Gene Lerner, and John Heritage)
 

Employment

Teaching

Current (Since 2001): University at Albany, SUNY

  • COM375 - Computer Mediated Communication
  • COM203 - Speech Composition and Presentation (including special sections for Presidential Scholars)
  • Independent Studies for undergraduates

1997 - 2000: The University of Queensland: Associate Lecturer (Contract) and Tutor (Contract):

  • EN251 - Social Strategies and Language
  • EN208 - Language and the Media
  • EN151 - Introduction to Academic Writing and Research

Guest lectures/teaching

  • 2005: BUS 523 Presentation Skills team presentation debriefs
  • 2002: CCST1000 - Introduction to Communication and Cultural Studies Guest Lecture: "Questioning Culture" Department of English, The University of Queensland
  • 2000: "Writing data-driven dissertations." Guest lecturer in Advanced Research Methods Seminar. Department of English, The University of Queensland, February.
  • 2000: EN152 - Introduction to Communication and Cultural Studies Guest Lecture: "Functions of the Sign" Department of English, The University of Queensland

Other teaching

  • Spring 2002 - 2003: Web-development training at The Ark. The Ark was an after school arts and technology program for the children of the Taylor project in Troy, NY

Research

  • Research Assistant: For Helen Gilbert and Joanne Tompkins, The University of Queensland (2002)
  • Senior Research Assistant: Online Talkback Project, The University of Queensland (2000-2001)
  • Research Assistant: Global Fashion Project, The University of Queensland (2000)
  • Senior Research Assistant: Voice and Ethnic Identity Project, The University of Queensland (1996-1998)
  • Research Assistant: Voice and Ethnic Identity Project, The University of Queensland (1995)

Website development

 

Professional service and membership

Professional Service

Journals and Conferences reviewed for

Membership

University and departmental service

Student organizations/service

  • 2005 (Fall), 2002 (Spring, Summer): Graduate Student Organization (GSO) Grants Committee member (University at Albany, SUNY)
  • 2002 - 2003: Students of Sociology (SOS) Graduate Student Organization (GSO) Representative (University at Albany, SUNY)
  • 2002: Information Technology Strategy Framework Development, Stakeholder's workshop (University at Albany, SUNY)
  • Graduate Student Organization (GSO) (University at Albany, SUNY) (Member)
  • English Postgraduates Society (The University of Queensland) (Past Member)
 

Corporate consulting

  • Current (Since 2009): Usability consultant for Setaris. First project: Restaurant Point Of Sale
 

Community service

  • Current (Since 2009): Radio Information Service (RISE). Reading the newspaper on the radio for sight-impaired people
  • Current (Since 2007): Fund-drive volunteer: WAMC: Northeast Public Radio
  • Current (Since 2007): Equinox Thanksgiving food deliverer
  • Current (Since 2007): Red Cross: blood donor
  • Spring 2002 - 2003: Web-development training at The Ark. The Ark was an after school arts and technology program for the children of the Taylor project in Troy, NY
  • 2002: Consultant: Ark Community Charter School (Design now superceded)