I am definitely addicted to “art deco” architectures. Last week-end I cruised in Lyon :
Month: May 2003
Sit and surf: MSN UK tests portable potty
The iLoo is the new Microsoft WWW.WC (word wide web wc) : toilet + internet connection, it definitely sucks…
New flat, new office
Here are pics of my new office and where I live in Lausanne 🙂
William Gibson
I like William Gibson’s conception of artists. He’s an artist, which means he collects and refines ideas over time, and has a gift for organizing his language to maximal effect. Put another way, he chooses his words carefully, and he chooses the contexts in which they will have most impact.
That’s so true ! I am crazy of those words he used : the grid, hypermesh…” The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel”, and I hate the way marketing teams re-used those terms… The word cyberpunk turns to be a trendy hiptop fucking word that refers to nothing more than morons. AT the origini it referred to way more noble and poetic (new romancer = neuromancer) ideas…
Mobile phones impacts on time/space
Cell phones do have interesting effects on our representation of time. Three examples :
– Time is softened, blurred : When is somebody considered late? thanks to my cell phone I could warn my buddies that I’m late…
– Cell phone are used to micro-coordinate schedules with others (Im at the mall now, where are you?)
– Enables other activities, talk on-the-go : Dont have to set aside time & place for communication.
Additionnaly, there is also an effect on space :
– Public and private boundaries change : e.g., one person at home, one in restaurant
– Physical space vs. Virtual space : Norms in one space != norms in other space + Social conflict e.g. Driving
– Trade-off: leash or freedom?
– Direct correlation: phone use , tolerance (Britain: 45% of age 24+ say ban phone in public, Compare to only 25% under age 24)
Mobile Stuff !
Bertrand Merminod a l’epfl travaille sur des projets alliant urbanisme et mobile devices/location-based stuff. Il a notamment concu un device alliant gps et mouvement de la personne.
Les publications d’un de ses collaborateurs valent le coup d’oeil.
WIFI and truck drivers
According to usa today, Symbol Technologies last year released a Wi-Fi/cellphone communications system marketed toward truck drivers. Drivers transmit data via cellphone when on the road, such as how many deliveries they’ve made. When they pull into a Wi-Fi-equipped dock, they can upload and download more detailed data.
RSS
J’ai approfondi un peu RSS aujourd’hui en installant le plugin pour faire de la syndication avec movable type : cefichier propose d’aggréger les contenus venant d’autres blogs : c’est ce qui s’appele faire de la syndication (on “feed”, on aggrège des data venant d’ailleurs).
L’idée est passionante. Du fait de l’individualisation des personal boards, blogs, etc. et de la quantite impressionante de portals disponibles, les gens ne peuvent aller partout. Avec la syndication, on peut réutiliser l’informations postée dans les blogs de chacun pour les placer dans un news portal. smartmobs.com est un bon exemple d’aggrégation de contenus venant de plusieurs blogs personnels.
Le fonctionnement est simple, a chaque blog est associé un fichier xml avec le contenu (item, titre, description). Divers standards sont dispo : RSS, RDF. Ensuite, ailleurs (sur le site aggrégateur), un script parse les fichiers rss demandés (ceux des autres), récupère le contenu et l’aggrège sur le site d’arrivée (on le “feed”). Simple et logique.
Maintenant reste le problème des comments des posts…