Notes from PICNIC 08

PICNIC2008

MULTI TOUCH AD WALL

www.multitouchadvertising.com

The multi touch ad-wall allows people to navigate maps, seek out in-depth advertising & editorial information and organise content in real time…

RFID

www.mediamatic.netwww.arduino.cc

AUGMENTED REALITY

Trai

lers

Ad placements

Editorial

eART

UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING

Adam Greenfield: The long here and the big now

Ubiquitous technology denoted by ‘U’

U = capable of receiving, sending & processing

U is being embraced by SE Asian countries, South Korea in particular

S. Korea already have a uSewerage Pipe and are building ‘uSongdo’ – the world’s first fully U town

RFID driven

http://www.new-songdocity.co.kr/

UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING (continued)

People less influenced by physical space, moreso by the networks laid over these spaces

Evidence of this in geotagging: nobody is unique

Twittr helps us visualise all of the possibilities of the universe at once: Schroedinger’s cat

Currently too many grey areas

Though data is constantly mapped and visualised, we don’t yet have it HERE and NOW

Ubiquitous Computing will be realised when everybody and everything Twittrs

http://infovore.org/archives/2008/02/28/making-bridges-talk/

CeNSE: CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OF THE EARTH

HP working on nanotechnology that senses *everything*

Yes, everything

Not only will this technology act as the catalyst for Ubiquitous Computing, but it will extend our own senses too

SMS MAPPING

www.currentcity.org

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JkMZH_VZ3WE

DATA MAPPING IN ART

https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcomehttp://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8nTFjVm9sTQ

www.aaronkoblin.com

VIRTUAL HAPPINESS PROJECT

www.virtualhappiness.org

BLOF

Holland’s most successful band over last decade have bucked the trend for declining music sales. Lessons they have learnt:

Extra content doesn’t work

New formats don’t work

Higher quality doesn’t work

…but creating a story around albums does work. Latest album: ‘Umoia’ involved collaberating with international artists for each song in their native country. Then content was created throughout the process around this. Result: 2 TV documentaries, cd, dvd, live album, restaurant, live VJ tool at Pickering House, CO2 offset company…

SLOW COMMUNICATION

The mobile phone is like the fast food of technology: convenient and useful, but a rubbish experience. MIT’S distance lab predicts a return to slow communication.

SOCIAL OBJECTS

“Facebook has led us to take two steps backwards” – Linda Stone

Importance of Social Objects

Dopplr is a good example of how it should be done

Social objects that exist in a mobile space will prosper most

URBAN PLAY

Control and ownership of urban and physical spaces

Non invasive, surprising

www.droog.com

Attempted ARG equivalent: ilovebees

TRENDS

“One person’s romance is another’s affair”

Generation Xtacy

First time research shows people valuing time over money

Coffee is now an $80bn/year industry

Energy drinks didn’t exist before 1996; 250 introduced in 2006 alone

Business opportunities in trends

www.letitloose.comhttp://younghee.com/

TRENDS (CONTINUED)

Africa as key area for investment; noted by Chinese companies already

Rise of ‘Africa 2s’

Mobile phone as cash equivalent for safe credit transfers

Mobiles responsible for Mugabe’s power share

Mobiles used as immobilisers

Interesting ground for research into needs and wants

http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=228www.afrigadget.com

SUMMARY / THEMES

Mobiles as a utility. All data and platforms have to become mobile. Mobile as a sensory tool.

True interaction to occur in slower environments.

Tampering with reality to steal attention increasingly important – on or offline. (particularly in environments where people are so controlled by networks)

Comms to be increasingly data driven (artistically or not)

Need to explore possibility of moving RFID into realms of experiential play

Simple is good

We’re on the right track. And a long way ahead of a lot of the field.