Monday, 15 November 2010

What will the Articulated Naturality renaissance do to overcome digital exclusion?

I'm totally stumped on this question but it's very important to me.

Advanced technology rapidly proliferates. In a short space of time the
mobile phone has gone from being the tool of the salesperson and the toy
of the rich elite to becoming an essential communication tool used 60%
of the world's population (a figure from World Health Organisation). The
laptop has a similar history. Nicholas Negropronte's One Laptop per
Child project is working to ensure those in the third world can have the
advantages offered through wireless internet and access to sites like
Wikipedia.

Early adopters pay for the development of advanced technology. This, and
economies of scale, help to make technology cheaper but there's always a
delay and digital exclusion starts there. The wealthy can still have the
best devices and keep up with the latest trends.

The last decade has seen this change somewhat. The free economy -
freeware, shareware, opensource software, free trials, free products to
advertise pay for products, free social network games funded by
advertising - mean software developments are available to many and the
digital exclusion is significantly less. Professional digital artists
may buy Adobe Photoshop but the impoverished can still get the power of
the professional package through the open source movement and packages
like GIMP. In fact the open source software can sometimes be better than
the professional packages in all areas but usabilty. Google's
extraordinary business model means they can provide software like Google
Picassa so consumers and amateur photographers can enjoy some of the
benefits of Adobe Lighttroom without the cost.

The hardware to run the programs is a different matter though.
Articulated Naturality applications need state-of-the-art mobile phone
hardware. It's not just fast processors. It's accurate accelerometers,
lots of RAM, accurate GPS, high quality cameras and other features
neccessary to make the experience of the ANW a practical reality rather
than a novelty.

I would have no shame in copying Nicholas Negropronte's idea. It would
be homage to his genius to start the One Scene Device per Person
Project. Starting this at the beginning of the next computing revolution
rather than decades in could drive down the exclusion every
technological revolution, from the printing press to the wheel, creates.

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We It comes in part from an appreciation that no one can truly sign their own work. Everything is many influences coming together to the one moment where a work exists. The other is a begrudging acceptance that my work was never my own. There is another consciousness or non-corporeal entity that helps and harms me in everything I do. I am not I because of this force or entity. I am "we"