*As you can see, the institution where I am blogging this (Art Center College of Design) is the spiritual home of spimes.
http://johnnyholland.org/2011/05/19/the-new-ecology-of-things-slabs-sofducts-and-bespoke-objects/
by Philip van Allen on May 19th, 2011
"Several major trends are emerging that affect interaction design. With the advent of post-PC devices like the iPad, cheap sensors and microcontrollers like the Arduino, and services like Kindle Wispersync, we’re in the middle of a shift towards ubiquitous computing, tangible interaction, and cloud services. Because of these trends, our field must consider the integration of the traditionally separate areas of screen and tangible interaction design.
"Of particular significance is the shift away from the generic computation typified by the “personal computer,” which never really achieved the individuality or specificity implied by the term “personal.” In short, we’re experiencing the emergence of The New Ecology of Things, where a network of heterogeneous, smart objects and spaces are replacing our current design context.
"The Past – The Personal Computer Has Made Us Soulless
"There are signs that all is not well with our day-to-day work life. John Hockenberry’s 2008 review of photographer Michael Wolf’s The Transparent City contemplates the crushing homogeneity and conformity of modern work. Among Wolf’s beautiful images of life seen through Chicago’s skyscrapers, Hockenberry observes “12 random floors of eggshell white, computer screens on brown desks, and wall-hung bookshelves.”
"The article goes on to discuss how the environment for “knowledge work” is unlike factories or workshops where the spaces are specifically suited to the activity of making things. The knowledge-working context has devolved to the point where “offices have become stacks of boxes for people who get paid to think out of them.” But I believe this is not only a problem of architecture and environmental design. Our daily activity has been squeezed into the narrow channel of interaction with the personal computer and its attendant posture, furniture, and detachment from the needs of the person. The digital tools we use have played a large role in creating this disembodied, deadening uniformity.
"Similarly, Matthew B. Crawford has been driven out of the office and into his motorcycle repair shop as described in “Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work.” Crawford discusses how knowledge work has become vague and disconnected from the concrete, meaningful outcomes of manual labor. Again, I’d argue that it’s not only the kind of work, but also the manner in which the work is accomplished.
"This disconnection from the physical isn’t limited to paper-pushing knowledge workers. It afflicts architects, designers, recording engineers and others whom we think of as having “satisfying” jobs where things are made. As creative workers, we’ve seen our day-to-day work compressed from a productive, bodily-engaged studio environment down to the almost motionless “mouse-crouch” that plugs us into the virtual. Seduced by the power of the personal computer, we’ve morphed from active, engaged, social, interactive people to sedentary, soulless slugs, perched in front of our glowing screens.
"The personal computer and the interactions designed for it create a homogenous and context free environment removing the meaningful and productive character of acting and thinking in the embodied, physical environment. This needs to change.
"The Emergent – Slabs: A Step Towards Re-Engagement
"Android, Monome, the iPad, and soon Sifteos represent a new form of computing device that I call the slab. Slabs are hand-held, generic platforms with a range of sizes and capabilities – touch screen, GPS, accelerometer, gyro, WiFi, speaker, mic, etc. that, in effect, turn into something new with each different application they run...."
