Why do I blog this? fascinating towards the diversity of clock-related devices to indicate time in public space. The first one is definitely my favorite as it's sort of absurd. It's been a while that i collect such examples, I don't know what to do with them. Perhaps something will emerge out of...
Technological convergence in your toilet
Anyone interested in robots and networked objects in multi-functions artifacts may be intrigued by this gorgeous AM/FM restroom radio with telephone that I ran across at the flea market the other day. This device is an intriguing example of technological convergence, the tendency of certain techno...
Tensions between #gamification elements and location-sharing in #Foursquare
At the recent workshop on Gamification and game design elements in non-gaming contexts at CHI 2011 in Vancouver, there was an interesting paper about Foursquare entitled Gamification and location-sharing: some emerging social conflicts. The paper reports various observations on conflict that appear...
A visual taxonomy of objects by emphase.ch
An interesting project by emphase.ch encountered at the Panorama exhibit in Geneva last Saturday: ZWISCHENSAISON Knowledge Visualization is a visual taxonomy of an hotel archives (a set of artifacts). The list of artifacts is presented on the first page: And then, each page keeps the same arrangem...
The design of cell-phone trees
The ubiquitous presence of cell phone towers in urban and rural landscapes have led to protestation against their visual presence (the ugly mast/transmitter aesthetics) and their electromagnetic waves (which are invisible). A side-effect of people's "need" for uninterrupted connectivity, the desig...
"An internet of things that do not exist"
In a recent article about the Internet of Things for ACM interaction, Chris Speed discusses the notion of "a continuum of artifacts that are more or less valuable in their material or immaterial form". (Networked objects being designed at the HEAD-Geneva design school) On this continuum, Speed di...
Series of articles about failures
There's suddenly a surge of interest in failures (technological, entrepreneurial, social) in the press. Curiously, I encounter various of these last week when traveling. First, it was a piece on the Wired UK 05.11 issue which gives an account of various entrepreneurial stories and approaches. The ...
"Augmentable, Believable, Improvable and Invisible": exploring identity management services
Augmentable, Believable, Improvable and Invisible is a project by Ina Xi (Art Center College of Design) that aims at reinventing social media and identity management services. What attracted my attention is that the project is based on the research of social media users' misleading behaviors online...
Kevin Lynch's "Image of the City" with a graphic design treatment
"The Image of the City" by Kevin Lynch is an important contribution in urban design thinking. The perspective expressed by the author, as well as the methodology (description of mental maps drawn by residents in several cities such as Boston, Los Angeles and Jersey City), is insightful. Interesting...
Easter encounter with a chair
"Take me, sit on me, love me" :) ...