I was talking to Matt Jones and Chris Heathcote this afternoon about this “blogjects” or spime-variant theory object I’ve been hopped up on these last couple of weeks. I was describing the Mad Prophet project students are working on our mobile design seminar this quarter and I wanted some prior art. Who else has done..objects that self-describe their environment in a creative (rather than expert->tourist) sort of fashion?
Matt immediately mentioned Pal Mickey. Fortunately, we had WiFi and a Tablet in the back yard there and ‘oogled Pal Mickey — there it was..
[wikilike_img src=http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw/images2003/languagespecific/eng/nontheme/special/cenColImg_palmickey.jpg|caption=Pal Mickey looking so..confectionary|align=thumb tright|width=250|url=http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/special/specialindex?id=PalMickeyPage]
Why do I blog this? I’ve been searching for prior art in the area of objects that disseminate..themselves, that are designed to reveal their story, for lack of a better term.
Pal Mickey is close, sort of, or at least a worthwhile theory object. It’s an expert on the Disney parks, so it’ll tell you insider tips, give you showtime reminders, let you know when your favorite Disney characters are nearby, and let you know when there are short waits at your favorite attractions and rides. It’ll also deliver jokes and “fun facts”..
Boy, it’d be cool to do a post-mortem on one of these mice..
[wikilike_img src=http://allearsnet.com/tp/pal51.jpg|width=200|url=http://allearsnet.com/tp/pal.htm|align=thumb tleft|caption=Interactive Plush Toy Mickey..just look at those paws! Is he wearing oven mitts, what??]
The space/geospatial context matters, in that I’m intrigued more so by physical artifacts existing in situ, rather than virtual objects stationary or crawling around the tethered capital “I” Internet. Something that moves with you, or that you carry, or that “is” the cornerstone of a real building that tells you about itself, shifting the ontological voice from emanating from “anywhere” (pervasive networks) to emanating from a specific, meaningful, geographic location. Locative.
Then beyond that the blogjects can produce stories about their experiences over the course of time in the form of an unfolding narrative — hence the blog notion.
Any other prior art besides..Pal Mickey?