metablog

At the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum, panelists discussed the intersection of design, biology, and technology. Among the panelists: David Hanson, Natalie Jeremijenko, Andrew Jimenez, and James Korris.

This panel took place some time ago, but the ideas are ripe nevertheless.

We’ve heard before that art imitates life (realism in painting, film, cinema). We also see that technology imitates life (artificial intelligence). But design? How can design imitate life?

If something is “too real”, then people get freaked out. Right? Go to a wax museum. Take a look at people’s reactions. Or, for a more immediate example, see reactions to Google’s StreetViews on BoingBoing.

At the talk, Jeremijenko emphasized that we must structure participation, not design interaction.
I never really heard the idea of “scripted interaction through technology.” I was also surprised to hear that our current IT industry is the most toxic industry ever. Even though we don’t have factories, steamships, and railroads, we’re producing ewaste, and it is toxic. If you haven’t head take a look at greenpeace’s greenapple site