outskirts of Archives
Status Indicators
May 25, 2006
The degree to which condensed milk and coffee has mixed visible through glass. Drinking becomes a positive feedback loop - the taste and status of the drink is confirmed as coffee is drunk, and can be further stirred. Possible downside? Stirring is a one-way sweetening process. But does it need to be?
Observed from a watch-the-city-wake-up session in Ho Chi Minh City.
Placement of Objects During Transitions
May 08, 2006
Continuing on the loose theme of welcome mats - how does the transition between work/home, public/private differ between cultures and contexts? Given the range of possible locations where they could be left, why are the boat owner's shoes taken off and placed on the deck of the boat?
Obvious answers? Probably.
Worth asking? Definitely.
Indicators To What Goes On Inside
May 01, 2006
The skylines of Ho Chi Minh City - knowing what people do inside their homes by what you see outside their homes.
Custom Electricity Socket Layout
Jan 19, 2006
It's easy to get used to the default format of everyday objects such as electricity sockets. From where you are sitting take a moment to look around you... what objects are less than perfect? What level of skill, and what degree of motivation is required to customise these everyday objects to your individual requirements?
Photo of work shop bench taken in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City.
Screen Polishing
Jan 12, 2006 | 3 Comments
One of those professions that I never knew existed - the hand polishing of CRT TV screens. How long before the shift to other display technologies kills this profession?
Have not yet come across a service for polishing mobile phone or iPod Nano screens, but why not?.
Over Specification
Jan 07, 2006 | 2 Comments
Information At The Tips Of Your Fingers
Jan 03, 2006 | 1 Comment
Today her finger nail is a means of expression, decoration, drawing attention.
Finger nail decoration machines already exist to allow a customer to choose a design, then automatically decorate and dry those nails. Embedding digital information on those nails would be a relatively trivial step (though generating a critical mass of device to read what is on the nails is non-trivial). If you could store and communicate information through your finger nails what would you want to store and what would you want communicate? Is one kind of infomration more suited to thumbs or particular fingers than others? The number of digits is one natural parameter, combined with issues such as biting nails, locations where finger tips can and will end up, and how long users would expect a finger nail design to last before being refurbished offer interesting user interface possibilities and forms of interaction.
The broader issue is - what is possible without going down the routes of embedding technology under the skin, personal area networks or alternatives like bone induction?
» About
» Essays
» Presentations & Downloads
» Media
Stay In Touch:
» Follow Jan on Twitter
» Follow Future Perfect on Twitter
» Facebook | LinkedIn
» Dopplr
Browse archives by:
» Date
» Keyword
» Location 324