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Blog: June Archive
Bluetooth Sex: Intimate Human Computer Interfaces
Exploration of ubiquitous computing networks and human computer interfaces would not be complete without the consideration of sexual applications of the technology. I debated on doing this post, not because I had any moral issues but because I didn't think it had emerged yet or warranted more than its 15 minute worth of popularity. It turns out that I was actually behind the curve.
I was motivated to do a bit more research when I noticed the traffic stats for this blog, which I had left dormant for a period while I worked on another project (picobuzz.com). Yet, despite the inactivity, I am still getting traffic for a particular post:
iPod Bikini: 2nd Sexiest Bluetooth App EverNot that I was surprised to get some attention with that sort of title but the post wasn't so provocative that I expected to keep getting traffic a year later. So I thought I should follow up. In that post, I added a closing link to a product named "The Toy". I checked up on the website and the product is still alive and well.
The Toy is a personal vibrator worn internally. The "unit" is linked via Bluetooth to a mobile phone and controlled by text messages sent to the phone, which are transformed into different vibrations by The Toy. As an example scenario for its use, here is an excerpt from their website:
Monday morning - she leaves with The Toy inside...
She's given you the power - You alone control The Toy
I thought web browsing at work was a distraction. This just totally killed the productivity of two people. Check out the website for further reading. You know you want to.
The Toy is not the only toy of its kind (literally)--there is also something known as the Wiibrator. As you would guess from the name, the Wiibrator provides similar functionality for the Nintendo Wii. Yes, the kid-oriented system, which my grade school-age son uses to play games with excessively cute characters, has been co-opted for adult recreation.
As you can see from the link, the Wiibrator is not a product as such but a program that interfaces the Wii’s Wiimote and the PS2's Trancevibrator. That's right--before the Wiibrator there was a PS2 vibrator named the Trancevibrator, still available for purchase (page may be NSFW).
I think it is particularly relevant to note the date of the Wiibrator post (December 17, 2006) relative to the release date of the Wii as reported by Wikipedia. Specifically, when the Wii was launched in key markets on December 8, 2006, about one week later there was a hack to use it as a sex toy.
There is actually a field of research dedicated to this sort of application of technology named "teledildonics". Furthermore, you know something has arrived technologically when there is an open source movement for it--in this case appropriately named "opendildonics" which can found at wiki.opendildonics.org.
So what is the point of all this, other than"sex sells"? Should we be focused on developing sex/adult infrastructure and applications? Actually, the point is that we don't need to. People will use the technology for their own desires and applications--be they erotic or something else. We aren't compelled to encourage adult applications, but they will happen, and to expect otherwise--or worse try to resist--would be futile and unproductive. And as is often the case, they may drive (will) adoption of technologies.
rk
New Futuristic Series: Charlie Jade
SCI FI Channel acquired (because let's face it--that works out much better than their original stuff) the U.S. broadcast rights to the science-fiction series "Charlie Jade" from Park Entertainment and it's first episode aired this past weekend. The series has already aired in various other countries and apparently gained a cult following. The following is the synopsis from the series' SciFi Channel webpage:
While tracking her suspected killer, Charlie discovers a secret desert facility. A massive explosion propels him into a parallel universe that seduces him with its similarities and baffles him with its differences.
Charlie is soon drawn into a conflict that involves his home universe, the one he now inhabits as well as a third universe. The third world is pristine and pacifist … with unsuspected terror at its heart.
Based on the opening episode, the multiverse theme of the show is guaranteed to support a nicely tangled weave of plotlines as well as provide a steady stream of techogadgetry and futuristic 'scapes.
Rethinking The Interface: Minimalism
Ryan Tomayko has an interesting post on his blog where he discusses a minimalistic approach to web interface design. He apparently had an epiphany after watching Edward Tufte’s critique of the iPhone. A central concept to this approach relates to "computer administrative debris":
The idea is that the content is the interface, the information is the interface – not computer administrative debris.
More precisely, anything that exists outside of the content, or that does not fit naturally with the information being presented, qualifies as administrative debris and is therefore a candidate for elimination from the design. While this definition is not exactly synonymous with minimalism, the end result in practice may be very minimalistic indeed. As an example, we need look no further than Ryan's blog, a snapshot of which is shown in the image above. Ryan took the concept to heart, and overhauled his blog. As you can see, the result is quite low in debris.
This sort of rethinking of interface design will be essential to the evolution of ubicomp. In my previous post: What Can We Do Differently With Ubicomp? , principle #2 states:
We will layer the interfaces onto our environment and blur the line between information and things.
Clearly, we will not be able to blur these lines until we remove the "debris" we have tolerated in computer graphical user interfaces, and make them more compatible with design principles which have evolved in the non-digital world.
rk
Seth Godin On The "Clowd" (Cloud Computing)
Seth Godin has a post on his blog talking about the "Clowd"--a term he coined which combines "crowd" with "cloud" (as in cloud computing). In the post he briefly discusses some scenarios on how cloud computing and /or (depending on who you as) ubiquitous computing would work in real urban environments. His examples are a refreshing improvement over the stale examples (e.g. the "coupon") often used.
He points out the obvious privacy concerns but I think also shows the utility of the ubiquitous cloud. I especially liked his comment: "..it can do Zagats to the ten thousandth power by..".
With no further ado, I refer you to Seth's thoughts in Seth's own words: link
Comments On Gartner's Top Ten Disruptive Technologies
Gartner recently released a list of the Top Ten Disruptive Technologies for 2008 to 2012. This has been commented on in a number of blogs around the Web, but since it has some technologies related to Ubicomp, I figured I'd throw in my two cents worth.
Here is the list:
- Multicore and hybrid processors
- Virtualisation and fabric computing
- Social networks and social software
- Cloud computing and cloud/Web platforms
- Web mashups
- User Interface
- Ubiquitous computing
- Contextual computing
- Augmented reality
- Semantics
On Disruption
It seems like a worthy enough list of technologies to watch and which will have some impact in the near future. However, the first observation I have is that few of these seem immediately disruptive. Disruptive to who or what? Some of these have been around for some time under other names: multicore processors (parallel processors), virtualization (virtual computing), mesh computing (distributed processing). I took courses on these concepts many years ago (more than I care to reveal). They are just the latest in an ongoing evolution. Gartner sees these items from their list as threats to IT organizations, which will result in reduction or elimination of IT staffing and management jobs. To this I respond: I wish that part of my job would go away, but I will have to see it to believe it. A concept like virtualization just moves the focus somewhere else--it doesn't eliminate much.
Other items on the list like semantics and contextual computing operate too far under the radar to be distruptive. These are being discussed by providers and infrastructure people--the same people who championed things like XML and SOA. They ultimately provide great utility but don't experience a viral growth or disruptive singularity. Social networking is different in the aspect of being very much on the surface, but by definition it has the harmonious goal of connecting people in more and different ways. Social networking may in fact disrupt marketeers and advertisers, but even on social nets, the old rules of conversation still apply (even if we are just recently writing down some of the rules).
Mashups could be genuinely disruptive in some ways, since it shifts the architecture and the attention. As this grows as a business model, it raises questions such as:
- Who owns the information? What is the value of data feed vs. mashup?
- What are the revenue streams? It is better to be the "invisible" data provider or the easily cloned mashup?
- As Gartner questions: do they lend themselves to investment dollars?
If I were to pick one item from the list as most potentially disruptive, I would pick augmented reality. First, the name itself implies you are changing reality in some way which makes it a candidate for disruption. More importantly, If or when display and other sensory I/O technology becomes seamless and unobtrusive enough, I believe the level of fantasy, escapism, and withdrawal possible could have a huge impact on relationships and socialization, and not all good. I am still trying to figure out the appeal of FurryMUCK and yiff. The suspension of belief and judgement possible with good 3D Virtual Reality will make Grand Theft Auto look seem like Ms. Pacman.
Ubicomp
In addition to ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) being listed explicitly in the 10 technologies, other items on the list also figure into ubicomp, like User Interface (non-traditional interfaces), contextual computing (your computing environment changing on your location/context) and to some degree, cloud computing (being surrounded by a distributed cloud of computers). For a description of ubicomp, see my post What Is Ubiquitous Computing?, and also What Can We Do Differently With Ubicomp?
According to the Gartner article:
"...within the next five years, information will be presented via new user interfaces such as organic light-emitting displays, digital paper and billboards, holographic and 3D imaging and smart fabric."
I think this is a safe bet--display and other interface technologies have consistently driven change in computers, home entertainment and mobile phone applications. As far as ubicomp, I will likely be blogging specifically on this in the near future. For a taste, see my post on Human-Computer Interfaces In The Iron Man Movie. In general one of the recurring themes of ubicomp is to move displays and interfaces away from the traditional desktop display (or even laptop display) and blend them into the environment. As OLED displays and digital paper become cheap and easy to mass produce, they will be applied to the surfaces of all kinds of objects. This will not only open up possibilities for information to be displayed in more convenient places (such as the kitchen, mirrors) but also for applications for nontraditional objects (such as the fridge) to display information and interact with us. And while I have a hard time imagining an actual, working holographic display, when it does happen it can't help but change the way we display and visually process information. And form-factor wise, it is as likely to appear on your coffee table as your desktop.
Relative to ubicomp, contextual computing and cloud computing will serve to enable interaction of the local environment with the user, as well as provide mobility of the user's profiles and applications as she moves from location to location. More ubiquitous and pervasive computers in the environment, as well as deeper and more comprehensive interaction with users, is at the heart of the ubicomp movement.
rk