What might have happened if the internet was not invented?

Posted by John Lampard on Monday, 1 March, 2010 to the trends subset

The other week, an article written in 1995 by Clifford Stoll who – in short – could see no future for the internet, resurfaced.
While events obviously took a different course, Stoll’s words started me wondering about a world without an internet, and what our lives in 2010 might be like in the absence of [...]

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Tracking the number of mouse movements that make up a day

Posted by John Lampard on Wednesday, 10 February, 2010 to the design and art subset

Is this art or this is data? Anna Dorfman tracks the movements, and rests, of her computer’s mouse during the course of a day.

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Why bother disguising mobile phone masts as trees?

Posted by John Lampard on Tuesday, 19 January, 2010 to the photography subset

Some not especially gallant attempts to make mobile phone towers look like trees or other natural features.
They are meant to blend in with their natural surroundings, yet, as Voit’s eyecatching photos prove, they rarely do. On the other hand, would you want the world’s landscapes pockmarked with mobile phone masts?

The cactus one isn’t too [...]

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Projections for photography circa 1944

Posted by John Lampard on Tuesday, 5 January, 2010 to the photography subset

Thoughts on the future of photography from photographers, teachers, and a war correspondent… from almost 70 years ago:
It is possible to perfect the camera to the point where it will become an automatic instrument which will focus, expose and process the film by the mere push of a button. In this way we will [...]

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If you travelled back in time would you invent rock ‘n roll?

Posted by John Lampard on Thursday, 15 October, 2009 to the technology subset

Imagine you were transported back in time a couple of thousand years… with your (supposedly) superior 21st century level of knowledge what technological advances might you be able to bring about in your new environment?
There is a Twilight Zone episode where a businessman makes a pact with the Devil, which allows him to go [...]

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Visions of the year 2000 as seen from 1900

Posted by John Lampard on Friday, 31 July, 2009 to the design and art subset

The best thing about making predictions for the far future, say 100 plus years, is that you won’t be around to face the scorn should your projections be way off the mark.
The moving house was almost spot on though, just in this (relatively) environmentally conscious age it wouldn’t be hauled along by a coal-fired steam [...]

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If Apple is the USS Enterprise then Steve Jobs is Captain Kirk

Posted by John Lampard on Friday, 26 June, 2009 to the comment subset

I’m sure we’ve all heard that Apple boss Steve Jobs is back at work after time off for medical leave. And while the company may have fared well during the stewardship of temporary CEO Tim Cook, it seems Apple can not run without both Jobs and Cook at the helm.
Cook is a great manager, a [...]

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Are “rock star” astronauts hindering the exploration of space?

Posted by John Lampard on Tuesday, 16 June, 2009 to the comment subset

David Mindell argues that “the cult of the astronaut”, built around the first people sent into space by NASA, has prevented automated space exploration programs, and other beneficial technologies, from being utilised.
NASA’s engineering culture supported the centrality of the astronaut. Initially designated “capsules,” crew vehicles were renamed “spacecraft” to signify the human pilot’s mastery and [...]

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Despite this list, privileged coders are not always male

Posted by John Lampard on Wednesday, 27 May, 2009 to the comment subset

The Male Programmer Privilege Checklist by Kake Pugh.
Attending a technical talk without people assuming that you’re only there because your boyfriend dragged you along with him.

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Imagine if 97% of the world’s snail mail was spam…

Posted by John Lampard on Friday, 10 April, 2009 to the comment subset

97% of all e-mails sent over the net are unwanted according to recent figures, and the deluge is largely due to crime syndicates who have changed their modus operandi, and technologies that now allow billions of messages to be dispatched quickly and easily, says a Microsoft spokesman.
Ed Gibson, chief cyber security advisor at Microsoft, said [...]

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