While I was looking for something interesting on social history I stopped by at Ross Mayfield’s blog (who I got to know when I was researching for my proto::blog). On his site I found a feature called “plazes”.
With the webbased service of plazes you can (among others) pin your current position down to a specific point like a restaurant and have it logged online. As it is not machine driven but your location has to be typed e.g. in by SMS it can be very precise (there are options for automation, though). Very nice: The service comes along with a German based cell number for Europe and an intro taking place in Berlin!
Moreover, you can have looked up your your friends or special institutions (wifi?) by the system. A drawback: You need a compass to make the response-sms work, which is s.th. like
“Felix at bonfini, 250m NW of you”
Well, where is the sun, the polestar? – ah – here must be NW, then…
A word on some consequences: While Ross Mayfield has reasons to publish his coordinates publicly anyone else could be a little bit more aware of his available data – but won’t, probably: With the current hype on social software, myspace and the like we can this way not only exhibit our most private feelings and favors but publish one more personal info.
On the other hand this is method for tracking was existing for long with our mobile phones telling their whereabouts at least to the phone companies but it was not until now that we could obtain access to this (our!) data ourselves…
A more general overview over things happening and that happend in the field of ambient displays. The more mobile aspects will be further explored.
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The metaphor of “Big Brother” should be taken more serious and literal, it seems to me, than it can be usually observed: The “Brother” implies that we do not fear him when we encouter him. Even if we feel observed we don’t care. …
As my phone might collect quite a lot of IDs (though the option to switch it off should exist), for the simple reason that I meet a lot of people, it could easily become a large database with no meaning. So some more contextual information will help to determine the kind of contact: …
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Based on the idea of tablet whacking, mobile phones, whacked or otherwise introduced to each other, could form a very instantanous space for collaboration. As usually everyone brings along his mobile, one will find in every group, meeting or gang a collection of screens and processors. …
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Why not use your mobile phone to keep track of your social network? Why not remove the splitting into a virtual network online and your every day meeting of people in “real life”? Isn’t it all the same? …
Thomas Riisgaard Hansen Eva Eriksson Andreas Lykke-Olesen 2006
Tracking lässt sich gut benutzen, um eine Position in einem bekannten Raum zu bestimmen. Ist der Raum völlig neu (zumindest für die Tracking-Software) wird es schon schwieriger. Dabei gibt es bei Mobiltelefonen immer eine fixe Größe, die zur Verfügung steht: Das Gesicht des Benutzers.
paper bei ACM …
NFC Forum (Philips/NXP Sony Nokia u.a.) 2003
Das Mobiltelefon haben wir immer dabei, aber wie kann es uns vor Ort helfen? NFC macht einen Ort und viele andere Dinge für das Telefon über RFID direkt lesbar – und umgekehrt. Damit wird das vielbeschworene Internet der Dinge ein weiteres Stück Realität.
Ein ausführlicherer Test findet sich auf elasticspace …
Stephen DiVerdi, Daniel Nurmi Tobias Höllerer, UCSB Four Eyes Lab 2003
Tablet Whacking and Stitching ist eine Möglichkeit, das Display des Telefons zu vergrößern. Anders kann man es aber auch ganz abschaffen und als eine Ebene in die Mixed Reality, z.B. mit einer Datenbrille, einziehen. Der ganze Bereich der ortsspezifischen Informationen würde an den Stellen erscheinen, auf die er sich bezieht. …
Hideo Kojima Konami, 2003
Die meisten Computerspiele stellen eine Welt ganz für sich dar. Boktai dagegen braucht “echtes” Licht und ist in der neuen Version auch mit der Real-Zeit des Spielers synchron. Nachts das Licht anschalten gilt also nicht mehr. …
