whats breakfast cereal got to do with the future

why do future visions all look like future visions

I gave a lecture at Stanford's CS547 course on HCI, and of course it was on'Design Fiction.' This is interesting to listen back on as I forgot about the examples I used 'early on' that came specifically from film. This was during the 'diegetic prototype' emphasis of things. Drawing on examples from films like 'Jurassic Park' and '2001: A Space Odyssey,' I showed how storytelling and these diegetic prototypes help communicate complex, speculative, often futuristic concepts. I describe the cultural impact of Design Fiction on technological perception and legal precedents, particularly in relation to augmented reality and user interfaces. Practical projects such as the Quick Start Guide for a Self-Driving Car help highlight the importance of making emerging technologies accessible. Examining material culture, leaning on humor and satire is highlighted as useful ways to engage with future possibilities.

In 2011, the Walker Art Center's Interdisciplinary Work Group (IWG) developed a cross-departmental collaboration and interdisciplinary experimentation through research, discussions, and innovative programming. They developed some actionable insights aimed at shaping the future of interdisciplinary projects in the arts that included working with interdisciplinary practioners, including Julian Bleecker, Ph.D.

Making things to augment or even surpass the discussion of ideas themselves without instantiating the ideas in material — without bringing them into the world of objects — is the way we combine the Engineer and the PhD in History of Consciousness. It’s the way we make things that matter, that have a kind of agency in the world, that can be used to think with and through. It’s the way we make things that are more than just ideas, but ideas that are made manifest in the world.

While we're in the present, dribbling over our shiny new iWhatevers and being amazed that an espresso maker can shit out coffee just from seeing a picture of a bean, Julian Bleecker and his fellow technologists are busy fucking around in the near future. He’s co-founder of the Near Future Laboratory. What’s that? Well, it’s a place where provocative concepts and ideas are materialized into non-profit conversation pieces.

The apparatus consists of a very tall pole which is used to gain a unique, portable vantage point to see the world. Two wide field of view cameras are used to capture video from the full height. The video is then processed to highlight specific features of the world below, mostly such things as the movement of people and the movement strategies. Individuals are highlighted using video processing algorithms to accentuate the flow of urban life. The motivation for this project is the noted urbanist, William H. Whyte, who wrote an important, short monograph that went along with a film, both called The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.

Our devices are evolving into persistent companions, more like pets or friends than tools. Explore how perpetual presence shapes our relationship with technology