3. Dec. 2007, Sagmeister in Picnic
SAGMEISTER- talking about socially responsible design, creating actions, events to promote information about the military spending in the US. He talks at Picnic about: Things that I have learnt in my life so-far plus other things. Parts of this lecture can be seen on Tedtalks but some parts are new. Interesting images of spiders-web type design for example.
28. Nov. 2007, MYALGIC ECEFALOPATI
Our students in communication design – have had a task to develope communication methodology for the ME illness. Here are links to their project proposals. ME is an illness that has been difficult to deal with. People often do not at first realize that they have caught it and it never really goes away. It should be explained that there are a number of different names for what is an illness of uncertain cause affecting many thousands of people. Despite the fact that the health-sector now accepts ME/CFS as a genuine medical condition, diagnosis can still pose a problem because ME/CFS symptoms are similar to those present in a number of other medical conditions. In addition, there are no examination findings which can confirm the diagnosis. This means there has to be a process of elimination (the exclusion of other conditions) before a diagnosis of ME/CFS can be made. These are projects done by our BA 3rd year students:
JON DIDRIK RASMUSSEN AND TRUONG VU PHAM
28. Nov. 2007, Miss Landmine
I am not sure what to say! This is working against the stereo-typical beauty ideal and the pictures are beautiful. But I have to admit how bored I am with the concept of beauty contests iterating the cliche that every woman´s dream is to be beautiful. Take a look! Miss Landmine20. Nov. 2007, Hacking and Security
What is a hacker? Is it a bad person? Not really. Is it someone that cheats? I guess so, but how? Answer: by knowing the systems that he/she is dealing with, looking out for new possibilities, new avenues, methods that are not allowed by the rules. But, that is design-methodology! We look out for the possibilities beyond what has been determined, and why? Because we are supposed to work on problem definitions while looking out for tasks. What is there to hack? Answer: electronic stuff. And today, lots of it because almost all products are computers. In last months Intersections07 conference the British product designer Richard Seymour from Seymourpowell-design said: “I AM A CORPORATE ELECTRICIAN!” Last year a friend was passing by our copier in KHiO, stopped and said: “This copier has a bluetooth!” Took out his phone and fiddled for a while until the copier printed out a picture from his phone. No wires, no password, no problem. He could have used up our paper and toner if he wanted to. Our system in the copier had no defence system. He could probably communicate to our toaster, microwave etc. I guess this is no news to all of you ’switched-on’ people out there, browsing over web, picking up blogs and soundbites and videos. But this podcast that I have been watching is revealing stuff to me. Pablos Holman – is a an inventor, futurist, IT security expert, blogger – and a notorious hacker and innovator showing some tricks of the hacker and that the world is not so ok. It is amazing what the hackers can do. All products today are computers. Product manufacturers have no update processes for their products. In the interesting podcast Pablos as a hacker explains the world of products. He says: “I am over worrying that there is no security out there.” “There is none.” Logging into bluetooth, rfid, wifi, gsm, gps – all give signals about our movements. All tools are now computers, our clothes have embedded rfid’s. — I recommend the podcast named Implementing Science Fiction + Future Technology Trends + Education through Social Play – especially the first 30 minutes when Pablos discusses. He says: “You have to spend a hell of a lot of time finding out what is possible, this something companies are not good at. Hackers are good at that” There are more podcasts and info on the PICNIC07
18. Nov. 2007, An interesting way to use design skills
A few weeks ago we went to Newcastle to see the final exhibition of the very interesting project Dott 07 (Design of the Times). Its a project run by the British Design Council, looking at how design can take part in developing more sustainable ways of living. Designers worked with the communities in North East England for a whole year on the question, how a life in a sustainable region could be? The project focused on the grassroots, looking at real people’s life and how it is possible to find real people-centered solutions. Five aspects of daily life were in focus: Movement, Health, Food, School and Energy. All kinds of community projects, events and exhibitions resulted from the project. Low Carb Lane was a project with a focus on how energy efficiency might be accessible, desirable and affordable for all – rich or poor, owners and renters alike. One of the project leaders in it was the English/Norwegian design office liveIwork. Because energy is invisible it is difficult for people to understand energy-consumption and implications to their energy bills and the environment. So, one of the things LiveIwork created and designed was a real time home energy dashboard, split up in categories for people to understand how they are using energy. And thus give possibility for people to make a strategy of how to save energy. A most interesting project! There were also projects on healt issues like alzheimer and sexual health, local food production, kids working with designers on how to reduce the carbon footprint of their school and lots more. I recommend the Dott website to read about various projects. – The Dott project leader was John Thackara, author of the ‘must read’ book In the Bubble and director of the doors of perception web, one of the most interesting on design, innovation and sustainability. The work of the British Design Council is worth looking at for other countries. Their believe in the use of design in every aspect of society is important. Not just in the more obvious business side where they have researched that companies using design by far outperform the other, but also in using design in all kinds of society projects.14. Nov 2007, Olof Kolte on sustainability
Friend Olof Kolte was invited to Iceland to give lectures on design and sustainability. The best and most critical magazine in the country took an interview asking Olof about his position on design and sustainability. He says: At your lecture, you spoke about the Internet as the “driving force in the explosion of productivity” in the modern world. Is it a good or an evil from the sustainability standpoint? Back in history, a written word was a means of any activity’s organisation. You can well imagine that at that time writing systems were used to regulate the division of a harvest, or to transfer messages to people, or to announce upcoming events. You could have passed the information to people; you could have educated them, or enabled them, to make use of those opportunities they had not been aware of otherwise. But simply writing has never been as much influential as the Internet: it’s an extremely powerful means of communication. When used in an efficient way, it can encompass an incredible mass of information. I recommend you read the whole interview here: Grapewine If you want to see Olof’s homepage his link is in our list of friends
