Notes from last weeks presentation: Reading Response One

These reading seem to discuss three main elements. Power, Control and technology.

In Technology we seem to have a lot of possibility for empowering ourselves as human beings as well as for social movement, development and in some cases change (for better or for worse).

The idea’s proposed in the Rheingold readings are suggestions to the possibilities that can occur through the integration of technology out of the basic computer form and into other forms that identify with and correspond to human need such as:

(The Era of Sentient Things)

Smart Things (responsive/pervasive technologies)
Wearable Computing
Web Signs (locationall information)
Intelligent Cities
Phicons (tangible bits)

He also speaks to the idea of wireless networking and its many current capabilities and possibilities:

(Wireless Quilts)

WiFi or 802.11b
Wireless Guerilla Movements
Tool Sharing
Dense Packet Radio Networks
Ad-hoc-peer to peer networks or Mesh Networks (Device driven WiFi connections)
Bluetooth

**********(Show examples of new technologies here)*************

Earthlike computer skin/ Invisible computers/ Situation aware and assistance oriented

Possibilities expressed as Pro’s

Gaining knowledge about the world you walk through and connect with groups who can benefit you.

Extending Human Capabilities

Free people by embedding the means to solve problems in the things around us

Independence (?) page 108 Sentient things

Maximizing public space with wireless networks (NYCWireless)

Netwars (168 Smart Mobs)

Possibilities Expressed as Con’s

“If the computational system is invisible as well as extensive, it becomes hard to know what is controlling what, what is connected to what, where information is flowing, how it is being used, what is broken (versus what is working correctly, but not helpfully), and what are the consequences of any given action (including simply walking into a room).”

Mark Weiser, page 87 (The Era of Sentient Things)

Who owns access to your devices, either to push information at you or to pull information from you?

Electronic Control that we are evermore subject to and unaware of (?) page 108 Sentient things

Netwars (168 Smart Mobs)

Development Smart Mobs based on anything ranging from potential match sites, communities of interest, peer-to-peer journalism, social middleware (ad-hoc)

Actual Definition: A new social form made possible by the combination of computation, communication, reputation, and location awareness.

Forces that will determine the development of technology

Political Policies regarding access and use(FCC, internet law) page 137 Wireless Quilts
Limited space (WiFi) or better more efficient devices for sending and receiving signals
Design Decisions
Corporate priority, investments by telephone companies, commercialism
Social movement and need
Military need and warfare

**************(Shoe they live part 2 and part 4)*****************

The Cell Phone
Chapter 4

Personal Ownership comes across in two ways: reaction to loss and its incorporation as style.

Signifier
Enhancing quality of life (mechanism and gimmicks)
Actual conversation
Text/Picture Messaging

Negotiation of public and private space
Ability to communicate in a dualistic manner
An extension of the self, as tool and signifier of individuality and status

Chapter 5

Facilitating life events, prolonging relationships
Migration
Relationships
Transnational
Advantages of Intimacy and distance

Discussion:

The main discussion that these readings provoke involve enhancement of life from an individual level (cyborgs) to a logistical day to day level (smart things) to a societal level (wifi movement). There are several arguments within these readings regarding what approach we should take towards these new enhancements as far as design elements and how this will affect issues of privacy and control. Another argument was what sort of policies should be enforced to make sure these new powers or extensions of ourselves do not get out of hand.

Really what it comes down to is what should the agenda be for these new capabilities?

Who should be in charge of them, or how should they be managed?

How will access be provided to these new capabilities?

Is individual enhancement more important than societal enhancement or are they equally important?