The corpus consists of 12 extended free-topic conversations (approximately 16.2 h in total) between native Chinese speakers (e.g., classmates, colleagues) recorded in daily settings (e.g., dorms, offices).
It goes unsaid in the Fast Company piece, but the places that Bodega's founders imagine their boxes appearing gyms, dorms, offices presumably upscale apartment buildings—are not places bodega shoppers have access to.
Their compact size makes them perfect for small rooms, such as a dorm, home office or kitchen.
And what of the numerous cameras mounted willingly by occupants of living rooms, dorm rooms, offices and, well, vacuum cleaner shops around the world?
"It felt like technologically we were at this point where it was possible to do a good job with aggregation," Prismatic "Chief Software Wench" Jenny Finkel told me last week, when, as penance for being so skeptical, Cross had me meet with five members of the seven-person team in their modest, dorm-esque office in SOMA.
"Because more and more people are not taking landline telephones anymore, adding a signal booster is becoming much more popular," said Richard Holtz, president of Infinisys in Daytona Beach, Fla. His firm plans the placement of cellular boosters in high-rise buildings, dorms and offices.
Alternatively, you could print it out (using large, glossed paper for effect, if you have some money to spend) and post it on your dorm room or office wall.
The most basic wireless audio system I tried was the iA100, a $200 unit by iHome that is ideal for playing tunes at your bedside, office, dorm or in any small room.
Last year, Western Kentucky offered RoommateClick to students for the first time, and while Mr. Kuster worries about the potential for ever greater homogeneity in dorm rooms, his office has seen fewer conflicts.
The Hat Factory vibe is more like a dorm than an office, with Mr. Vlahides throwing candy across the floor to tease the resident cat, and colorful sheets of fabric hanging from the ceiling.
