Comments on: The mechanical and electronic processes of Rotterdam http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/ mind/tech bazar from outer space Sun, 11 May 2008 23:28:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.1 By: Tijmen Schep http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-465613 Tijmen Schep Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:32:57 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-465613 It's a question that puzzles me too. In their article "Technology paternalism - wider implications of ubiquitous computing" Sarah Spiekerman and Frank Pallas point at how it's really quite silly to want to make everything invisible. Heidegger's "ready to hand", where we are unaware of the tool we are using because we are so accustomed to using it, like a pen, seems to be confused with literally making the technology invisible. Spiekermann and Pallas advocate a "right of the last word", meaning that people should always have the last say. Weiser himself called it the dichotomy between "simplicity and control". It’s a question that puzzles me too. In their article “Technology paternalism - wider implications of ubiquitous computing” Sarah Spiekerman and Frank Pallas point at how it’s really quite silly to want to make everything invisible. Heidegger’s “ready to hand”, where we are unaware of the tool we are using because we are so accustomed to using it, like a pen, seems to be confused with literally making the technology invisible. Spiekermann and Pallas advocate a “right of the last word”, meaning that people should always have the last say.

Weiser himself called it the dichotomy between “simplicity and control”.

]]> By: Pasta&Vinegar » Blog Archive » The "lagoon emergency button" http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-460491 Pasta&Vinegar » Blog Archive » The "lagoon emergency button" Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:44:24 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-460491 [...] in a sort of weird way. And it’s definitely related to the automatic component of the city mentioned the other day about [...] […] in a sort of weird way. And it’s definitely related to the automatic component of the city mentioned the other day about […]

]]> By: The Mobile City » Blog Archive » Design of Urban Computing:ambient or foregrounding? http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-459391 The Mobile City » Blog Archive » Design of Urban Computing:ambient or foregrounding? Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:02:13 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-459391 [...] attending The Mobile City, panelist Nico Nova wandered through Rotterdam and made some interesting observations: Beyond “urban computing” notions such as [...] […] attending The Mobile City, panelist Nico Nova wandered through Rotterdam and made some interesting observations: Beyond “urban computing” notions such as […]

]]> By: Martijn de Waal http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-459388 Martijn de Waal Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:23:23 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-459388 Nicolas, for some reason the quote form your post on which I based my reaction didn't come through, it should start with: " it’s rather when I encounter street signage about “automation” that I feel the digital city." Nicolas, for some reason the quote form your post on which I based my reaction didn’t come through, it should start with:

” it’s rather when I encounter street signage about “automation” that I feel the digital city.”

]]> By: Martijn de Waal http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-459382 Martijn de Waal Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:20:41 +0000 http://liftlab.com/think/nova/2008/03/01/the-mechanical-and-electronic-processes-of-rotterdam/#comment-459382 ” it’s rather when I encounter street signage about “automation” that I feel the digital city.” An interesting observation: > In film theory there is a term called 'foregrounding' - this means that the filmmaker disturbs the narrative illusion of being immersed in a a fictional world, by including hints to the audience that he is watching a constructed and mediated reality. This can be done quite explicetly - by a direct address of one of the movie's main characters. Or it can be done more subtle: a vague reflection of the camera in a shopwindow. I was wondering wether this in one way could translate to the design of urban computing. As Stephen Graham has pointed out during the Mobile City Conference, we are often unaware of the role that software plays in constructing the reality of our city. Now this is of course an important design question: should we design our technologies to be as ambient and unobstrusive as possible, or is there a certain quality - both politically but also experientally - in the foregrounding of these technologies? Now signs like you saw in Rotterdam, or warnings like 'This city is software sorted' are blunt examples of the foregrounding of urban computing. But could we perhaps think of including more subtle acts of foregrounding of urban computing? One that is unobtrusive, yet does give the 'user' a sense of how his reality is being constructed for him through the use of software? More like the reflection of the camera in the shopwindow than a direct address by an actor. ” it’s rather when I encounter street signage about “automation” that I feel the digital city.”
An interesting observation: >

In film theory there is a term called ‘foregrounding’ - this means that the filmmaker disturbs the narrative illusion of being immersed in a a fictional world, by including hints to the audience that he is watching a constructed and mediated reality. This can be done quite explicetly - by a direct address of one of the movie’s main characters. Or it can be done more subtle: a vague reflection of the camera in a shopwindow.

I was wondering wether this in one way could translate to the design of urban computing. As Stephen Graham has pointed out during the Mobile City Conference, we are often unaware of the role that software plays in constructing the reality of our city. Now this is of course an important design question: should we design our technologies to be as ambient and unobstrusive as possible, or is there a certain quality - both politically but also experientally - in the foregrounding of these technologies?

Now signs like you saw in Rotterdam, or warnings like ‘This city is software sorted’ are blunt examples of the foregrounding of urban computing. But could we perhaps think of including more subtle acts of foregrounding of urban computing? One that is unobtrusive, yet does give the ‘user’ a sense of how his reality is being constructed for him through the use of software? More like the reflection of the camera in the shopwindow than a direct address by an actor.

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