scruffy days

:D  ha ha ha

Finally, I’m gonna take a moment and blog something besides Xbee code and alternative energy. Ahhhh… Almost forgot Suzanne had gotten tix for This American Life’s live tour - the show was excellent. Actually, I didn’t really realize when we got these tickets that they were for the launch of the t.v. show. I was skeptical like most of their decision to test the waters outside of radio, but tonight’s show was evidence of how cautious they were in approaching the whole thing. They opened with an animation telling the story of how some elementary school kids got caught up in a trend of playing with fake cameras made from cardboard/toilet paper tubes. This was executed so well - a compelling use of visuals for storytelling, and such a good intro for the show’s transition to moving images.

It was amazing to see Ira Glass in the flesh, working his radio magic on stage, and being able to associate his voice with physical mannerisms. There was discussion with the show’s director about delivering the show in a completely different medium - how terrified they were of a “sucky show”, avoiding the reality show angle, and using carefully crafted cinematography. The clips they showed still carried that distinct TAL essence - I’m looking forward to it. All this plus awesome performances from Sarah Vowell, Jonathan Goldstein, Dan Savage and Mates of State.

When asking if they had dryer hoses: “There’s a guy over there.”

They didn’t have the hinge we needed: “You should go to a real hardware store.”

(photo credit: kuan huang)

Came out to play the Manhattan Story Mashup in Times Square this morning (Part of the Come Out & Play Festival). The instruction sheet was long-winded, but I ended up having fun and learning the rules as we went along. I ran around with Avani Patel & Steven Jackson, and we forced each other to pose for a number of keywords throughout the game. What’s the appeal in these large scale, mobile games? Some other ITPers and I were chatting about how popular and well-funded development for mobile devices is now. But the themes of these games are often the same - some kind of photo scavenger hunt.

So what brought us out to play?

• Free phones! (temporarily at least, but the latest Nokia N80s)
• Our friends are playing too
• Curiousity? It’s the first I’ve heard of a mobile game w/ over 200 players

What was fun about it?

• Best played in small teams, so you get a collaborative effort even if you are “competing” against each other
• Running around the city
• Interpreting keywords and taking pictures
• Guessing how other people chose to visualize their keywords
• Seeing it come together on the Reuters screens

What sucked?

• Server problems (crashed mid-game)
• Quite a bit of waiting for keywords or photos to come through
• My application crashed several times

Adam Greenfield was also part of a lecture series at Conflux. His presentation was titled “Killing the Fathers, Or if you meet Jane Jacobs on the Road”. He’s referring to Buddhist philosophy in which you must destroy or remove anything that hinders you from achieving your own enlightenment, even if Buddha is standing in your path. For Greenfield, his Buddhas are his own urban theory heroes: Jane Jacobs, the Situationists and Archigram.

I found his approach to everyware/ubiquitous computing very interesting; to grasp how it will affect urban environments and personal space within that, we must be aware of influential viewpoints in urban theory’s history, but also understand that these particular frameworks don’t suffice in guiding us to “fully understanding the ramifications of everyware”. Instead, he suggests we look at gaming and mapping environments (specifically mentioned SecondLife, Grand Theft Auto, SketchUp), and seeing how these have altered how we interface with space, both virtual and real.
There’s the issue of privacy and user control. How do we prevent it from becoming like the Panopticon as Greenfield mentioned? How technologically adaptive will one need to be in this environment in order to have a handle on what’s happening?

I’m really looking forward to this class. It’s a great group with alot of knowledge to offer and share. Reading Cradle to Cradle is inspiring already.

What matters to me?
I want to start off by becoming more aware of issues surrounding sustainability, and what we can start practicing/modifying now. Just some thoughts, areas I want to explore:

• Energy Usage & Solar Technology - Understand how the grid works, and how we consume energy. More on the workings and feasibility of solar power. Tom suggested the possibility of wiring up a datalogger to the solar panels on our roof as a means to calculate how much power could be generated. I think this is a great idea & would like to participate in this.
• Waste in Urban Environments - During my summer travels to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dublin and Berlin, I noticed different ways these cities dealt with trash & recyclables. Also, my mom works as structural designer for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Department, so I hope to gain some insights from her perspective. After moving to NY, I was shocked at the amounts of garbage produced daily; in a city so dense, waste becomes so much more visible.
• Recycling - What really happens to recyclable products? How can the idea of reuse become more viable in cities?
• Balance Between Creativity and Responsibility - Examining the materials, equipment & processes we use, and moving towards more responsible practices.

What annoys me most about this?
That we’re so engrained in lifestyles and products which create these problems for the environment, that our infrastructure and economies will be difficult to change..

But my hope is that how strongly we feel the need to really start changing things, and having this course/environment to focus on ways to go about it, will actually take steps in that direction.

Also, I think Andrew’s proposal is a great idea and goal for the class as a whole to work towards. This class is the first I’ve really heard about off-the-grid projects and housing, and I’m eager to take part in this effort.

So there was a block party on my street here in Clinton Hill. I glanced out my window and I swear I saw kids riding ponies around traffic cones in the street - and all of this set to reggaeton, blasting from someone’s boombox. I’m an idiot for not taking a photo, because I’m sure you don’t believe me. You just never know what you’ll see in this town…

My Make-A-Wish summer continues with a relaxing day at Jones Beach, Long Island with Suzanne and Mario. It was great to feel soft sand again under my feet, and even took a refreshing dip - I swam out and treaded where my feet couldn’t touch the ocean floor (which isn’t saying much, really, considering my height). However, I’m convinced I kept stepping on aggressive crabs in the shallower water. I swear one pinched my heel, which was my cue to skedaddle out of there.

Planes kept whizzing by sporting advertising banners, polluting the view of the clear sky. Ended the day with a sweet treat from Friendly’s.

Three Californians now residing in NY can’t go wrong with free tix to Friday’s game at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. But we can’t cheer publicly for the Angels; otherwise we could get lynched in this stadium full of Yanks fans. I haven’t been to a baseball game since I was in elementary school, so being back in a stadium so many years later is extremely nostalgic. Seeing some of the same souvenirs/cheering crap (foam hands, flags & other cheesy knickknacks) brought me back. A few observations: lighting so intense at this evening game that it seriously simulated daylight, almost all digital advertising, and this in contrast with ConEd’s ad saying “Use Energy Wisely”.

Angels won this one, 7-4. Yay! (x__x)