Comments for Media Tech Tonic

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #15: Sherry Turkle: Simulation and Its Discontents by David Tames

David Tames — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:44:24 +0000

Our conversation got into Skype, and this morning I read the article "Call Me! But Not on Skype or Any Other Videophone" by Joel Stein which touches on why people don't like Skype. He mentions Turkle's new book, Alone Together, coming out later this year, in which she writes about a study in which she found that people like to talk to robots. Stein paraphrases Turkle, "As soon as you ask people to interact with a computer with artificial intelligence, they start unloading secrets. Robots, it seems, are less likely to take over the earth than they are daytime-television hosting jobs." This was Joseph Weizenbaum's concern way back in the 1970s when he wrote Computer Power and Human Reason and it looks like Turkle's studies now confirm his worst nightmare.

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #15: Sherry Turkle: Simulation and Its Discontents by David Tames

David Tames — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:58:20 +0000

Lou, I think you bring up an interesting point differentiating between “user-centered design” vs. “user-designed,” and this ties into Sherry Turkle’s ethnographic and psychoanalytical approach which helps her tease out the difference between what people say they want and what people actually do and long for. I think this also connects with Jaron Lanier’s critique of the “hive mind” in his You Are Not a Gadget manifesto. While McLuhan encourages a certain type of technological deterministic thinking about how our media shapes us, ultimately, our tools are in part social constructions, and how we imagine them influences how they are made too. It’s a complex process, while we make our tools and then our tools shape us, I would add to to that that after our tools shape us, we shape new tools, and it’s a cycle, it’s a two way energy flow.

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #15: Sherry Turkle: Simulation and Its Discontents by lou suSi

lou suSi — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:08:15 +0000

fantastic Media Tech Tonic tonight … matters very near + dear to the heart + all its tiny microprocessings

one of the most important take always here in many respects, but one that i come across time + time again as a user experience professional … just because you can build something doesn’t necessarily mean you should build it … vital in many respects as a designer that likes to help keep the business side in check

many times i come to an interface that is like Times Square Souffle times ten … if you research the product, its essential functionality, and the experience components users value and use the most, 9 times out of 10 you can remove huge chunks of extra information + affordance to lighten options + really drive to a much cleaner, clearer overall user experience

yet, a business will sometimes put in all sorts of mayhem simply because it took the time to develop batches of functionality in reaction to single request hits from small clusters of users

very important to remember its called ‘user-centered design’ and NOT ‘user-designed’ … yes, yes?

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #13: Leah Buechley: High-Low Tech by David Tames

David Tames — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:03:17 +0000

Amanda, I’ve fixed the date, thanks for the note, the event is on Thursday, March 18th…

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #13: Leah Buechley: High-Low Tech by Amanda

Amanda — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:58:21 +0000

You might want to correct the date listed above – I was confused for a moment, and worried that I’d missed the event! (It lists the day as Thursday, March 17th above). Fulling intending to be there tomorrow!

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #12: Joseph Auner: Losing your voice: sampled speech and song from the uncanny to the unremarkable. by David Tames

David Tames — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:26:13 +0000

And he referenced the book Haunted Media: Electronic Presence from Telegraphy to Television by Jeffrey Sconce

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #12: Joseph Auner: Losing your voice: sampled speech and song from the uncanny to the unremarkable. by Alison K.

Alison K. — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:20:28 +0000

Music Joseph referenced in his talk:

Prefuse 73 – “Nuno”
MF Doom
DJ Food and DK – “Now Listen Again”
Steve Reich – “Reich Remixed”
Blockhead – “Music by Cavelight”
The Books – “Lost and Safe”

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #7: Kevin Brooks: Storytelling/Perpetual Design, February 25, 2009 by David Tames

David Tames — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:34:56 +0000

Brad, nice to get a comment from afar, today media tech tonic is a f2f event, perhaps we’ll explore how to share it more widely in the future.

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #8: Scott Kirsner: Inventing the Movies, March 25, 2009 by Tiil

Tiil — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:52:30 +0000

David,
Thanks for this great evening…
Scott lecture was very informative

here are the links to the five videos from my cellphone
http://qik.com/video/1317840
http://qik.com/video/1319385
http://qik.com/video/1319412
http://qik.com/video/1319445
http://qik.com/video/1319460

Comment on Media Tech Tonic #8: Scott Kirsner: Inventing the Movies, March 25, 2009 by goldman

goldman — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:57:13 +0000

heard Kirsner at Media Makers(?) maybe… he is a good speaker…one of those guys riding the media high…but would like to attend if I can…Off to Full Frame Film Festival with Jay…hope school aint killin you…been thinking about who we might be able to bring to WOods Hole…any ideas? we already have Bestor Cram…off to the vineyard today to be with another filmmaker buddy… be well. love to da wife…