MR? VR? AR? Whats the difference ?

Before entering task 3 I felt like I needed to get a firm grasp on the different virtual realities and technologies that seem to be the most prevalent form of emerging technologies. It seems that these technologies will be at the forefront of all new innovations in the future.

VR – Virtual reality being more or less an umbrella term for all forms of immersive reality, that could be pure reality that is not tampered or altered, things like a live 360 videos of something happening in real time. But it can also encompass a synthetic reality with graphics and synthetic content. However, it can also be a hybrid of the two.

AR – Augmented Reality is a reality where the content within the immersed reality is synthesized with graphics and icons on top of a real-life scenario. The two are happening simultaneously but not connected in any way. The graphics are not anchored into anything in the real scenario.

MR – Mixed reality in very similar to AR as it has both realities in one immersed scenario, a real current view and a synthetic reality however the synthetic view encompasses things like audio and changed hue in colours over elements in the current reality. Essentially the synthetic view goes hand in hand with the current view and is anchored into elements of the current reality.

 

Foundry, 2017, VR? AR? MR? Sorry, im confused, WebBlog, October 5 2017, <https://www.foundry.com/industries/virtual-reality/vr-mr-ar-confused&gt;

Sustainability means something to us…

When looking at what things i wanted to focus on or problems i wanted to address for my future scenario

i found it really helpful when looking back at research that we had done when relating to the island.

some of the key points that we found when focusing on the material aspect of our island that things were very much brought back to basics. From Rebecca’s post about our results it clearly outlines what criteria makes and deems a product usefulness and sentimentality.

i wanted to explore these results more when i look at developing my future prototype

Genevieve Bell Magical Thinking, Fear, Wonder and Technology

Genevieve Bells Lecture describes our way and main aim as humans to create the future and form answers to things we don’t understand. She states that through a birth of fear of not understanding complex phenomena, in response we have designed complicated systems and technologies to provide explanations. From back in the past with the surplus of pieces where watchmakers and clockmakers would wind up the world through pieces, to now in the present where we continue to make ‘things’ that imitate reality.

The three main critical technologies that shaped relationship with our world include

• the watch; capturing time, changing behaviour
• the telescope; showing our place in the world, t
• the microscope; revealing all the pieces, unpacking the world around us

These have allowed us to make sense of the world, the rules by which it operates and the complex patterns that exist. This project of knowing the unknown continues presently.

It was through these technologies that provided so much knowledge where initially people were in awe and felt a moment of wonder. It was the beginning of products engineered for not high values of usability but for a small moment of delight and glee. We have seemed to have lost this magic however through our products as we are constantly creating pragmatic and practical designs on our pursuit of solving large problems and designing an ‘easier’ life. However it is this moment of being mesmerised with things, and the fascination of having mystery and magic that we human truly need and want. It can be seen as the same feelings we feel when in love, the pleasure and surprise of not knowing what comes next.

It is this concept that interests me immensely and is something I would like to further explore in the next tasks; how we can feel love and passion through the items and belongings we posses and the experiences they provide.

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Bell. Genevieve., 2013. ‘Charting the Sociotechnological 
imagination’ Stanford Seminar – Magical Thinking: Fear, Wonder & Technology.

Interview; Development of the Internet

Listed below is the collection of answers from the interview conducted with Moira DeDomeneghi as we discussed the development of the Internet technology over her life time. It was interesting to see how with the broad endless possibilities of the internet, the power it provides is useful and valuable in different ways (entertainment, knowledge, communication, business, shopping etc). Moira was able to provide a holistic view on both the advantages and disadvantages the internet provides society. Speaking from the perspective of a high school teacher, the accumulation of knowledge and the method of learning was explored and the impact this has on the human mind itself.

It was through this interview where I began to question:

• Is the Internet negatively impacting the widespread pursuit of deep knowledge?
•  Is the loss of ‘searching’ for information, making us accept the answers we are given easier, how do we trust?
• what information is true or reliable? how do we validate information when it is so quickly readily available from so many sources?
• Is this constant search for more answers and constant designing of technologies that almost ”think for us” dangerous?
• Do we rely on machines and technology or on ourselves to communicate the truth? are we as humans becoming obsolete?

 

1.   How has the technology of the internet changed over your lifetime?	Was frightened as there was access to all information which was hard to find previously Previously you spent hours trying to find information, and now it was all available by the touch of a button Concerned about our privacy No such thing as social media and online shopping – culture has changed Banking online, booking holiday online, no more use for encyclopaedia (main source of reliable information changed) During university – Used to go library and borrow books, newspapers, organising meetings with teacher to communicate, more time consuming One computer at uni filled up a room Access to information so quickly – scary that we weren’t used to the fast pace Tools that we use are now more streamlined (used to be bulky and big) Didn’t have wifi – used to be connected to a usb and ethernet cord and phone line – originally couldn’t have phone and internet on at same time Not common to have internet at home – was too expensive, not much memory World of teaching has transformed – now we have projectors, laptops, internet Everything is quick – can access worldly information instantly – however also dangerous as validity of sources is hard
2.   What do you think this form of technology provides people/ humanity?	Unlimited information Fast pace learning and accumulation of knowledge More opportunity to learn – all ages Just because we have a lot of information doesn’t mean we are intelligent humans, we need to learn how to apply the information Learning has changed before we used to learn and memorise knowledge and now we have to learn how to apply and use that information in complex scenarios We have to become more analytical, critical and creative thinkers- need to interpret describe and infer information Whereas before intelligence was measured by memorising and knowing facts
3.   What do you think the impact of the ease of the internet today is for society?	I think people become complacent – knowledge at edge of fingertips- some of race are becoming not as able We don’t think for ourselves anymore – we go to the internet for all answers However some are using it to advantage – eg instead of going doctor we can look at symptoms online and diagnose yourself
4.   Do you think this process of accumulating information compared to your time has an effect on the human mind? Positive or negative?	Yes our mind and brain connections are changing Radiation is causing our brain to mutate and we are getting new diseases The way our mind is working through our eyes is changing, eye sight changing, basics of being able to write has changed, pleasure of reading books Entertainment has changed – mobile phones are apart of our being We now believe in unlimited information – constantly want to find more answers (compared to previously) it was much more of closed mindset and now it is open and endless
5.   What do you think this technology will be like in 2050 (roughly 30 years)	We are becoming so connected with technology that we may become it Moving so quickly that we might just even have chips inserted in our bodies that we might just need to think of something and the information comes up Storage of data may be an issue – what information is true and reliable Validity of information will be questionable – believe anything we see on the internet (determined by trends etc) Meaning of truth – do we rely on machines and technology or on ourselves are we becoming obsolete

Precious Products Survey

Throughout the creation of our future scenario; A World of Sentimentality and Sustainability, with the world of the product designer, I was investigating what items are most valuable and sentimental to a user. I was interested in learning the reasons for the connection users have with their belongings. This would be further helpful in order to mimic these emotions and connections in future products that perhaps don’t have the sentimental meaning other products have.

Imagining a world where people are more connected with their belongings, perhaps the sense of enjoyment, delight and magic we feel when in love can be replicated in product design. A possible future where products not only display love to/for the user but also is a means of communicate love to others.

 

Love with inanimate objects ? is it real or not….

I found this Video on YouTube the other day and thought that this was was an example of how ‘deep’ an individuals love can really go with objects, this is my interpretation with having to much sentimentality towards an object however it is evidence that an individuals love does not have to be with human to human but can be shared with an object.

i personally don’t relate to the individual but i do feel that it is noteworthy that love can be expressed in such a deep way with an inanimate object. This is a point that i have been trying to express that love can be expressed in a range of different forms, it doesn’t simply have to be love between two people but it can be an appreciation of love for the environment, an object, a song, a painting or anything for that matter

Here is the Link to the Video

TASK 2: The World of Sentimentality Project

Forming our GROUP collective theme

Ideas linking our individual interests of love:

• Position of love in society – level of importance is it a need or a want
• Do other products or services replace/ imitate love
• Looking at different aspects of society and where love sits
• We are not focusing on the definition or aspect of love but more what love means to people (value/importance)
• Medium of love – horoscopes, technology relationships, product (fashion), valued items etc
• how society is determining/ controlling how we love
• What makes love real: the lover, the loved one, or the means by which love is conveyed?

Futuring Love: How it fits into ideas of morality, sin, abuse and consent

In all contemporary views of love, it’s between 2 consenting persons that have achieved a symbiotic relationship to each other, full of consent and free of abuse. However, the political idea of love amongst our current climate are that of between a man and a woman, meaning that spousal rights are removed from intersex couples, homosexual couples and anyone that identifies as gender fluid. This notion however is increasingly seen as out-dated, with many countries adopting same-sex marriage and allowing consensual love between two parties to be acknowledged and celebrated free of abuse.

These rights however may come into question again as the future provides us with ‘artificial intelligence’ that is capable enough to consent to a loving and increasingly sexual relationship. Another factor that dictates a morally conscious, loving relationship is abuse of consent, and what that means in term of more conscious technology. As seen in Spike Jonze’s film ‘Her’, Sam, the sentient AI, consents to a loving relationship to Joaquin Phoenix’s character, Theo – however in the apex of the film we find that she is ‘in love’ with many other individuals, even coming to a sexual climax with many, not all, but many. This moral snafu that Theo has now arrived in questions what it means to be in a loving relationship with a sentient being, and how the abuse of his consent, in the fact that she was, as our modern definition states it, cheating, on him with hundreds of other people, dictates what it means to love, what is consent, and what is abuse when human contemporary morality does not apply to you.

In all modern, lawful definitions of a relationship, abuse is the line that defines it. A paedophilic relationship is not legal, because one or more parties cannot consent, and therefore it is abuse, such in how a bestial relationship consent is not given. How can consent be given when one party is not defined by current political laws, and human nature, although programmed, and implied is not tangible. These are the questions we have to ask ourselves, and our partners as the modern definition of love is changed by technology, and what it means to interact with it.

 

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Her (2013) Film, Annapura Pictures, Warner Brothers Pictures, Spike Jonze, Los Angeles. 

For the Love of Fashion

The prescribed reading “forum of the future, 2009, fashion futures” highlights ideas of how fashion can be impacted by the future and how fashion as in industry impacts the future. The reading opened my eyes to how, as humans, our constant need and wants for fashion can have implications to the future in more ways than one.

Fashion has been a constant in life, however the love for fashion differs from person to person. Some see fashion as a need and not a want, some see fashion as an incredible driving force and element of love in their lives “People will always need clothes and want to express themselves through what they wear”(fashion features, 2016, pg. 20) . The question that I found asking myself after the reading was, At what point in the late future will fashions priority shift from a love and form of self expression to purely a basic need?

The reading goes on to explain how in 15 years the effects that fashion has had on society could shift the way it is received. There is an uncertainly that disposable income will be available to large amounts of the population in turn affecting the fashion industry, “The changes in the future can alter the amount of disposable income therefore altering the priorities in fashion and if it is even a necessity” this notion could change or remove the love for fashion as it is not seen as a priority to previous fashion lovers leaving to be merely a necessity.

The reading goes on to talk about the future of technology and its impact on the fashion industry. Elle magazine online comments on how virtually all ‘shopping’ will be done online and the act of going out to a shop with be made redundant. The magazine also suggest that ‘everyone will be a designer’ and that the hands on skill can be automated with technology doing the majority of the work for the individual when it comes to the design process. I thought that this linked well with the lecture in week 3 when the idea was discussed that if all trades or skills become automated then they are no longer skills and can be done by all removing their individuality and rareness.

The final idea that was discussed in the reading was potential scenarios for the future of fashion. How fashion and its industry will look in 15 years time. The two that I found most contrasting and most likely to happen were the ‘ slow is beautiful’ the idea that society has a complete shift in how we receive fashion, removing all consumerism and mass production and treasure the art form of designing and fashion, how its made and its sustainable materials “slow is beautiful may be the path we have to take in order to implement sustainability in the world. High pace consumerism is on its way out. “The majority of consumers are willing to pay more for a smaller number of high-quality, sustainable clothing items.” (fashion scenarios, 2016, pg.24) This is hoping that the vast majority place a high figure on hand made and sustainable fashion in the future. The other being the techno-chic where there is an increase in consumerism and automation in relation to fashion, all aspects of designing and creating clothing are automated and most normal fashion pieces become wearables (wearable technology). The idea of wearables was also addressed in the Elle magazine and was seen as a very likely and possible direction of the future or everyday fashion. This direction however can lead to high levels of unsustainable resources and continued damage to the planet and can also lead to a massive level of unemployment due to the automation of labour within the fashion industry.

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Forum for the Future, 2009. ‘Fashion Futures 2025’
http://www.forumforthefuture.org/project/fashion-futures-2025/overview

The Future of Fashion Retail, 2016, Hayley Phelan, “Here’s how you’ll shop in 2026’ http://www.elle.com/fashion/shopping/a37872/the-future-of-fashion-retail/