The Internet of Things: Smart Art and What It Can Tell Us About Our Environment

March 20, 2017 adtheglobeLeave a comment

SmartArt first emerged as a ‘tool’ in Microsoft’s suite of tools in 2007. It was defined as “a SmartArt graphic which can be created and added to documents…a way to turn ordinary text into something more visually appealing. It can be used to draw attention to important information or to make information easier to interpret… Continue reading The Internet of Things: Smart Art and What It Can Tell Us About Our Environment

Locheilnet – the expectations of a community broadband initiative

March 19, 2017 gracepitkethlyLeave a comment

Cover photo: https://www.locheilnet.co.uk/ The recent Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband plan aims to supply 95% of the country with fibre broadband by 2020 (https://www.scotlandsuperfast.com/). But what does this mean for the 5% of the population not covered by this scheme? By omitting some citizens who have just as much right to fast broadband, the main infrastructure… Continue reading Locheilnet – the expectations of a community broadband initiative

A Spectre is Haunting My House

March 15, 2017March 15, 2017 sarigulumutLeave a comment

On October 4th 2011, Apple introduced “Siri”, a verbally responsive computer program that works as an intelligent personal assistant for iPhones. After a short time, Microsoft and Amazon introduced their own intelligent assistants by the names Cortana and Alexa respectively and this recently emerged phenomenon opened new opportunities for the smart-house market. In 2017, we… Continue reading A Spectre is Haunting My House

Decoding Algorithmic Bias

March 14, 2017April 5, 2017 bodysubstancesLeave a comment

“Engineering is about universalizable things like effectiveness, rationality, and algorithms, while culture is about subjective and particular things, like taste, creativity, and artistic expression” (Seaver 2014) What happens, however, when culture and engineering are conflated without regard to potential subjective biases? In line with the view that the natural sciences constitute an objective discipline, we… Continue reading Decoding Algorithmic Bias

Counting Sheep: The Internet of Living Things

March 13, 2017 vanessanthropologyLeave a comment

It’s 2021 and the New Zealand sheep population is dwindling. In an attempt to boost sheep numbers, New Zealand launches the National PermaLamb Programme. Transgenic research is integrated with DNA techniques to produce a hybrid huntaway dog and merino sheep. PermaLamb is implanted with networked identification, location and sensor technologies, producing petabytes throughout its… Continue reading Counting Sheep: The Internet of Living Things

Making IoT Iconic: Levi’s as a second skin

March 12, 2017March 18, 2017 rebeccamallinsonLeave a comment

As a heritage brand, Levi’s take pride in their legacy repeatedly striving for ‘authenticity’ and an ‘anti-corporate’ approach through their imagery and shared narratives. Their archive contains an iconic leather jacket that Einstein bought whilst in the process of becoming an American citizen. Their website states that ‘our community is at the centre of everything we do’… Continue reading Making IoT Iconic: Levi’s as a second skin

The Internet of Things and Fitness Technology

March 12, 2017 kathrynannerobinson627Leave a comment

The Internet of Things has penetrated many aspects of our lives, from our home thermostats to automobiles to mobile devices. The ability to send and receive data has proved to be extremely valuable for many objects on the market today and has revolutionized the way we perform many everyday activities. One of the areas… Continue reading The Internet of Things and Fitness Technology

Mi.mu Gloves – Sculpting music with our own hands.

March 10, 2017March 10, 2017 babywong310Leave a comment

Imogen Heap’s Mi.mu Gloves Singer-songwriter Imogen Heap went through a period of writer’s block and was frustrated with not being able to produce a song that she was happy with. Most of the problem came from the difficulty of translating her musical thoughts onto the computer. Then it dawned on her – what if she… Continue reading Mi.mu Gloves – Sculpting music with our own hands.