reboot11, Copenhagen 2009

Day 1

Talks I attended today_

Matt Webb: Scope. design, culture, scale, space, superpowers

Design and contributing to culture; ourselves as individuals and the big picture; taking action.

Matthias Müller-Prove: Co-Evolution of Humans and Tools. Shaping our Digital Habitat

We should be aware of the fact that we are not just creating our tools but that these artifacts are also shaping us. This is true since the invention of language, writing, the printing press, and more than ever in our digital age of computer and web environments. These are the basis of culture as such, and it is our responsibility to design in a way that supports our life on this planet. BTW_ we neither have another life nor another planet.

David Weinberger: Cyberutopianism + Activism

I'm (embarrassingly) a cyberutopian. I'm going to try to get from there to activism through the most roundabout way possible: By wondering if there's any sense at all in thinking that the Web is morally good. (Yes, I know objects can't be morally good or bad. I'm going to talk about that, too.)
Ack.

Weinberger said, "The architecture of the morality and the web is the same."

Trine-Maria Kristensen: ...and Action! How to convince your BRAIN to actual CHANGE!

You have decided, that you have to change this. Maybe it is your diet. Maybe the way your organization involves customers. Maybe the fact that you don't update your blog regularly. But even though you have made the decision and know what it takes, you still find it hard to take action. Somehow there is always some excuse.

So how do we get from excuse to execution?

I think we should take a look at the way our brain structure supports or rejects our decisions to act! My main point is that understanding the way our brain works might make it easier for us to change and act according to our own will?

  1. Know your brain – otherwise it can easily fool you
  2. Motivation – consider a bet with yourself. If I do not… I will sell my house, donate a huge amount of money…
  3. Nudge yourself – e.g. decorate your home with photos that continuously remind you on your goal.
  4. Practice
  5. Focus – If you really want it, take away everything else
  6. Build bridges – Don‘t leave everything behind.
  7. Be mindful – Slow down. Listen. Take it in and let it out.

Andrew Turner: Loca(c)tion. Utilizing Place to Enable Action

Tools that enable anyone to measure, see, and analyze their space around them has allowed communities to connect and work to build better societies. Recovering from devastating hurricanes, upheaving untrustworthy governments, or just making better greenways, geospatial technology is actively being used and advanced by non-experts who care about their space. Neogeography, neocartography, locative media, molososo, context-aware architectures - lots of ideas, but how do they all fit together and actually make a difference? Lets talk about what has worked and not worked, what tools are missing or how we can better connect people with location-based technology and practices.

Dave Winer: Rebooting The News. Sources Go Direct

The tech industry is cyclic, and it cycles along with the tech press. Only this time we're taking all the press with us on the ride, as technology re-forms how we get the news. Recent events in Iran illustrate how it will work. People think of Twitter, but that's just the surface. It's being used to link blogs, photos, videos, all kinds of metadata. Let's look beyond what Twitter does today. Rebooting in 2009 inevitably involves the reboot of the news.