Datadroppers, a communal tool to drop off and/or pick up data (and then develop projects)

By Thursday, October 8, 2015 Projects, Resources, Sciences & Technology, X-Posts Tags: 0111, Clouds, D, Data, Open source, Service, Sharing, Tools, Web Permalink 0

Note: fabric | ch, one of our partner on this project, has developed an open source data sharing tool that tries to simplify the procedures of declaring/logging and sharing data (from “connected sensor things”, mainly). This is Datadroppers. The service is somehow similar, yet slightly more versatile than the now vanished Pachube, or the contemporary, but proprietary, Dweet.io (that we’ve already mentioned in the resources section of this blog).

One of the interesting points in this case is that the new web service has been created by designers/coders that are themselves in need of such data service for their own work, promising in some ways that it won’t be commodified.

The other interesting point is the fact that they are formally involved in this design research project as well (through Christian Babski, developer), which should help us match the functions of Datadroppers with OwnCloud: through the use of the documented OwnCloud Core Processing Library and the one of Datadroppers, new paradigms and artifacts in file/data sharing and cloud operations could be envisioned, implemented and tested.

But moreover and mainly, projects made by the design community could be developed that will take advantages of the open resources of Processing (later on, Javascipt as well), OwnCloud and these libraries. Designing tools remains one of the goals of this design research project. Designing artifacts that will use these (improved) tools will be the work of the coming year in our design research…

 

Via fabric | rblg, via datadroppers.org

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Inhabiting and Interfacing the Cloud(s), a design research teaser about misunderstandings and paradoxes …

By Monday, October 5, 2015 Architecture, Design, Ethnography, Interaction Design, Publications, Sciences & Technology, Thinking, X-Posts Tags: 0110, ABCD, Clouds, Data, Datacenter, Research Permalink 0

iic_paradoxes

At the occasion of the first peer reviewed conference we’ll take part with the I&IC project (Renewable Futures in Riga) and following the exhibition at H3K last Summer 2015 (Poetics and Politics of Data), Lucien Langton edited and produced a short teaser about our design research that dive into misunderstandings and paradoxes that concern the “Cloud(s)”!

 

Inhabiting & Interfacing the Cloud(s), can “weather affect cloud computing”? from iiclouds.org design research on Vimeo.

 

 

Poetics and Politics of Data, the publication

By Monday, September 28, 2015 Publications, Thinking, X-Posts Tags: 0108, ABCD, Books, Clouds, Code, Conferences, Data, Thinkers Permalink 1
pbl_32a_2015 pbl_32b_2015 pbl_32d_2015 pbl_32e_2015 pbl_32f_2015 pbl_32g_2015 pbl_32i_2015 pbl_32j_2015 pbl_32k_2015 pbl_32l_2015 pbl_32m_2015 pbl_32n_2015 pbl_32o_2015 pbl_32p_2015 pbl_32q_2015 pbl_32r_2015 pbl_32s_2015 pbl_32t_2015 pbl_32u_2015

Note: we’re pleased to see that the publication related to the exhibition and symposium Poetics & Politics of Data, curated by Sabine Himmelsbach at the H3K in Basel, has been released later this summer. The publication, with the same title as the exhibition, was first distributed in the context of the conference Data Traces. Big Data in the Context of Culture and Society that also took place at H3K on the 3rd andf 4th of July. 

The book contains texts by Nicolas Nova (Me, My cloud and I) and myself (Inhabiting and Interfacing the Cloud(s). An ongoing Design Research), but also and mainly contributions by speakers of the conference (which include the american theorician Lev Manovitch, curator Sabine Himmelsbach and Prof. researcher from HGK Basel Claudia Mareis) and exhibiting artists (Moniker, Aram Bartholl, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Jennifer Lyn Morone, etc.)

 

pbl_32a_2015

The book serves both as the catalogue of the exhibition and the conference proceedings. Due to its close relation to our subject of research (the book speaks about data, we’re interested in the infrastructure –both physical and digital– that host them), we’re integrating the book to our list of relevant books. The article A short history of Clouds, by Orit Halpern is obviously of direct signifiance to our work.

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I&IC within Poetics and Politics of Data, exhibition at H3K. Pictures

By Tuesday, June 23, 2015 Publications, X-Posts Tags: 0107, ABCD, Architects, Art, Designers (interaction), ECAL, EPFL_ECAL_Lab, Ethnographers, Exhibitions, fabric | ch, HEAD, Media, Mediated, Scenography, Students Permalink 0
Works by Rafael Lozanno-Hemmer (left) and Jennifer Lyn Morone (near right). Photo: Marco Frauchiger Works by Ellie Harrison (left) and Marc Lee (right). Photo: Marco Frauchiger Works by Paolo Cirio (far left) and Jennifer Lyn Morone (right). Photo: David Colombini Design research I&IC by ECAL, HEAD, EPFL+ECAL Lab and scenography by fabric | ch. On the right, "Hello World!" by Christopher Baker. Photo: David Colombini Scenography "cabinet" by fabric | ch and projection by Christopher Baker on the right. Photo: Marco Frauchiger Hello world! by Christopher Baker. Photo: Marco Frauchiger Project by Rybn. Photo: Marco Frauchiger Work by Ellie Harrison. Photo: Marco Frauchiger Works by Erica Scourti (left) and Paolo Cirio (right). Photo: Marco Frauchiger Scenographic "exhibition wall-cabinet" by fabric | ch with dedicated entrance. Photo: David Colombini "Exhibition wall-cabinet" by fabric | ch displaying I&IC design research temporary results. Photo: David Colombini "Exhibition wall-cabinet" and archive by fabric | ch, research results and documentation by I&IC design research. Photo: Marco Frauchiger I&IC design research results, documentation. Photo: Marco Frauchiger I&IC design research results, in particular on the picture works by Martin Hertig and Bastien Girshig; Pierre-Xavier Puissant, Anne-Sophie Bazard and Jonas Lacôte; Nicolas Nahornyj. Photo: Marco Frauchiger The inside of the "wall exhibition-cabinet" and pathway by fabric | ch. Photo: Marco Frauchiger I&IC design research result: "Wifi Oracle" by Matin Herting and Bastien Girshig. Photo: David Colombini "Random Raspi for Datadroppers" by fabric | ch. Photo: David Colombini I&IC design research results inside the "cabinet", video documentation by Lucien Langton. Photo: David Colombini I&IC design research results inside the "cabinet", video documentation. Photo: David Colombini A few 3d printed models from the ALICE workshop. Photo: David Colombini Outside view from the "exhibition wall-cabinet" with a view on Deterritorialized Daylight that drives its inner lighting. Photo: David Colombini

Note: a few pictures from the exhibition “Poetics and Politics of Data” that is currently taking place at the Haus der elektronische Künste in Basel.

With works by artists such as Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Moniker, Aram Bartholl, Ludwig Zeller, Jennifer Lyn Morone, etc., the exhibition gives a sharp view on the production of artists (some of which were presented on this blog) around the contemporary theme of “data”.

 

We had the pleasure to present the temporary results of our design research as the main part of a scenography created by fabric | ch and accompanied by texts from Nicolas Nova and myself.

Note also that Nicolas Nova will be a speaker during the conference Data Traces: Big Data in the Context of Culture & Society that will take place at the H3K between the 3rd and 4th of July and when a publication will be released: Poetics & Politics of Data, Sabine Himmelsbach & Claudia Mareis, ed. Christoph Merian Verlag, Basel, 2015.

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Poetics and Politics of Data, exhibition at H3K

By Wednesday, May 27, 2015 Publications, X-Posts Tags: 0106, ABCD, Architects, Art, Data, Designers (interaction), Ethnographers, Exhibitions, Media, Students Permalink 0

Note: after some time of relative silence on the blog, we’re happy to say that the design-research project Inhabiting & Interfacing the Cloud(s) will be part of the next exhibition at the Haus für elektronische Künste in Basel (CH), in the form of a counterpoint or “behind the scenes” to the media art exhibition per se. This explains partly that, then…

We had to work hard for the exhibition, especially because I was also in charge of the scenography (a work by fabric | ch in this case though), while Lucien Langton produced almost all the video documentation content.

At the invitation of H3K curator, Sabine Himmelsbach, we’ll therefore present the work that has been realized so far, half-way through our research process.

This will consist for large parts in video documentation and few artifacts, including some new ones (“Tools” oriented). We will use this material later on the I&IC website to fully document the current state of our work. We’ve prepared some “automated documentation” based on our blog. Here’s a sneak peak about the first one about the overall project:

 

An automated introduction to "Inhabiting & Interfacing the Cloud(s), a design research" from iiclouds.org design research on Vimeo.

 

The opening of the exhibition Poetics & Politics of Data will  be tomorrow at 7pm, at H3K (Dreispitz neighborhood in Basel), the show will then last until end of August.

 

christopher-baker

Christopher Baker, Hello World! or: How I Learned to Stop Listening and Love the Noise, 2008

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Decentralization tools – links

By Thursday, April 2, 2015 Resources, Society, X-Posts Tags: 0103, ABCD, Links, Tools Permalink 0

A brief post on additional open-source services, software, hardware, community and art projects we stumbled upon during our ongoing research:

 

Commodify.us (service) enables users to retrieve their Facebook data, anonymize it and sell it back for market value. We’re not sure it’s legit (there’s a security warning while loading the site). It however seems to be the same people behind another service of the sort: GiveMeMyData.com

Freifunk.net (community) is a community-powered free wireless network originating from Germany.

Guifi.net (community) is an open, free and neutral telecommunication network built piece by piece (by literally deploying cables and antennas) by the community. The project originates from Spain.

Superglue.it (service, community) is a free tool to build and host your website at home. The project seems ambitious as it combines self-hosting hardware standards with a custom-made WYSIWYG webpage builder and a template repository fed by users (all webpages built become open-source templates).

FluidNexus.net (software) is a mobile messaging app for Windows and Android. It uses Bluetooth and the movement of crowds to spread data and suppresses the need for operators, a bit like the Firechat app. It however seems that the project has been abandoned in 2009.

Uncloud (software) is an application that enables anyone with a laptop to create an open wireless network and share information. Users can connect wirelessly while remaining disconnected from the internet.

GoTenna (hardware) is a product enabling users to text and share their location even when there is no telecom tower or satellite coverage.

AirChat (software, hardware) is a free, secure and open-source telecommunication network built by LulzLabs working a laptop and a hacked radio.

Alternet.cc (speculative design) is a free and secure communications network hypothetically built and maintained by the community.

Project Maelstrom Last but not least, Project Maelstrom is BitTorrent latest proposition to decentralize web hosting through the BitTorrent protocol – We cannot help to ask ourselves: Is it still decentralization if it’s owned by a company?

Project Fi While we’re in the corporate sphere: Google is apparently aiming to take over the front-end costumor away from telecom companies. Perhaps decentralization is becoming just another marketing argument for companies who actually want centralize (read: capitalize on) your data.

We will continue to add links as our research goes forward. In the meanwhile, you can find all the links mentioned in the research project on Delicious under the tag “i&ic_designresearch” (note: also mentioned in this previous post, “Public Survey on Delicious“, within the Resources category on this blog).

 

For additional and updated resources, a Github is maintained that lists tools:

https://github.com/redecentralize/alternative-internet

http://redecentralize.org/