Google Glass Again
Everyone's kind of losing their shit about Google Glass again. It's been paraded around recently a lot at tech conferences and there's been a recent renaissance in the art of Google Glass trolling seeing as the whole thing will be voice activated and some stuff about how counter-intuitive and downright annoying it is as an interface.
Next 13 Berlin
Talking of tech conferences and parading Google Glass, Bruce Sterling has produced what I think and a lot of people are calling his most seminal talk to date. It's a little like watching a viper go medieval in a kitten shop but in a really good way. He also basically reads through my bio at the beginning which is kind of nice.
Anab Jain's talk should be up sometime in the next few weeks but for now she's uploaded the slides and some notes to the Superflux blog.
Can Jokes Bring Down Governments?
Talking of kittens, last weekend I went on down to see Metahaven launch their new ebook Can Jokes Bring Down Governments? I found myself sat curiously divided. One part of me admires them for trying to introduce some critical debate into graphic design but at the same time that debate is somewhat childish and frankly... ugly. They keep referring to 'enemies' like there's a grand conspiracy somewhere and using other vernacular artifacts of the system they purport to want to undermine. At the same time, it's a pretty funny essay (let's not say book, it isn't) and has some wry and interesting observations about the connections between humour and the state.
You can get the idea of what I mean in this short Abitare interview below where they say 'Wikileaks is all about transparency' without any apparent irony.
New Mumbai is in Goldsmiths, Mercenary Cubiclists is at Z33
Yes, New Mumbai is being exhibited at Goldsmiths for a few weeks so go have a look and from tomorrow, Mercenary Cubiclists will be on show with Z33 for a few months so if you're ever in Hasselt that's one to check out to. Maybe.
Domus Interview
And here I am, about halfway though giving some words over about that very project. Largely incomprehensible and I wonder whether that's their editing or the fact that it was freezing cold and I couldn't work my mouth properly. The video won't embed so technically this is an image but it links to the movie.
Chatting about design education.
Also, while I was in Milan I did an event with Abitare where I chatted a little about design education, the role of exhibitions, the Internet and the exciting possibilities of MOOCs. Here's that video:
#ReConCon
At the weekend, myself and Justin Pickard played host to the London edition of The Governance Futures Lab's Reconstitutional Convention. Lots of exciting things happened, lots of constructive arguments were had, afterwards much alcohol was drunk. Here's a link to the site with some of the results. Actually screw it, I'll embed a load of stuff and write some notes. This is my blog and I can do what I want.
The Department of No. with James Bridle and Sascha Pohflepp role-played a slightly larger version of the Department of No. by critiquing deceptive financial weaponisation with an elaborate scheme to sneak a particle accelerator under New York.
David Chatting, Simon Ings and Lydia Nicholas worked out a psychotropic LSD-driven, semi-anarchic, non-data future in complete rebellion to the harmonious Californian dream. An education system that graded you up to add responsibility in measured doses and targets.
Georgina Voss and Krisztina Katona developed the idea of the Blue Box, again in complete rebellion to the Californian ideal. A space for people and politicians to have a few therapuetic thoughts about who they are and why they're there made of shipping containers.
And lastly team Superflux with Re Dubhthaigh developed a subscription state in common with their underlying resentment of a certain Ms. May. Different gradients of subscription remove or enforce citizen's obligations to each other.
Right so there you go. I even linked all the names. There's some photos here too.
Interesting Words
The Great Facebook Exodus Has Begun - Peak Facebook and how it's all getting a bit silly now really.
Lady Liberty's Watching You - Statue of Liberty to get brand new super hi-tech surveillance stuff.
Austerity Opposition Goes Mainstream - What do we do with it now?
Until next time.