Gestures

As the operating systems for mobile devices become more powerful, they also become more vulnerable to viruses, trojan horses and data bots. The risks are not just limited to what software your phone is running.  Last week I read about a new security issue for mobile devices - software which can use video footage of you to see what you type or dial from up to 60m away.

This got me thinking about how we use our digital devices, and how we symbolise them using hand gestures.

Submitted by re-present on Wed, 11/16/2011 - 16:16

the war to end all wars

Over the past few years I’ve been thinking about what it means to be British now, looking at identity, class, belief and values – both explicit and deeply buried. The bulk of this post was written in November last year.

 

Submitted by re-present on Thu, 11/10/2011 - 14:39

Rubbish!

Horse drawn rubbish carts

I've been watching the legal battle over land use at Dale Farm with great interest. Dale Farm is the largest Romany Gypsy and Irish Traveller site in the UK, and people have been living there since the 60's. Tensions between the locals and the travellers who live on both the fully legal and the planning authority breaching sides of the site have been running high for many years, but are now reaching new heights as actual evictions loom. 

Submitted by re-present on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 18:42

The Gurkhas

I've recently moved back to the family home for a while. It's just outside Farnham, on the Surrey/Hants border. Yesterday, I found myself again in the centre of Aldershot, the small garrison town that has for a long time has been the Home of the British Army - but now finds itself somewhat impoverished by economics and the fact that many of the military on active service no longer live nearby.

Submitted by re-present on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 19:05

(un)common languages

Language is what brings us together, yet it has long been used to keep us apart too; Latin speakers and Barbarians, the Queen's English (a modified German accent) and localised argots like rhyming or backslang.

Within industries, traditions and social groups, words and gestures alike create common understandings - and also serve to keep outsiders out.

Would you ask for the 'loo' or for the 'toilet'? If handed a knife or pair of scissors, you'd expect the handle to be pointed towards you - especially if you'd worked in a kitchen, studio or dojo.

Submitted by re-present on Fri, 09/30/2011 - 16:38

Curiosity project: Dolly Sapphire

"The Curiosity Project is, simply put, a mass exchange of personally chosen gifts between anonymous participants. I give, you receive. You give, I receive...

How Do I Take Part?

The idea itself is simple. Find a box, fill it with trinkets or curiosities and mail it to a stranger. Be creative with it. Take time over choosing its contents, if you're crafty make something. You could find a collection of old things or something brand new. Let it say something about you. Include something that has a meaning for you. Decorate the box, wrap it beautifully. Write a note to the recipient if you like, but don't sign your name. In time, you'll receive your own Curiosity Box from a secret somebody."

Submitted by re-present on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 15:45

The future I choose

Think Act Vote (?!X) is think-and-do-tank that brings together citizenship, sustainability, digital, creativity and culture. They've asked us to consider and state our choices for the future. Here's mine:

"The Future I choose is one in which we are no longer governed by fear, and can build a new society based on trust and openness.

Our culture is predominately based on fear, which isolates us, and leaves us vulnerable to messages that compel us to over compete, over consume and hoard.

Instead, by connecting with each other, and sharing and redistributing more, we can all live fabulous, abundant lives, and still decrease the impact that we have on our planet and its resources.

It's not about what we can and cannot buy - it's about what we could be doing instead.

Submitted by re-present on Sat, 09/17/2011 - 11:36

Securing the future

Securing the future

Author Mischa Gleeny today gave a talk at the RSA - highlighting key arguments and examples from his book 'Dark Market: Cyber thieves, cyber cops and you.' Highly entertaining and sobering - it's not often that the personalities and faces behind cybercrime are shown as human, not just money grabbing monsters.

The sheer scale and audacity of cybercrime has exploded over the past decades - and identifying and prosectuing the perpetrators is becoming harder and harder in spite of the digital trails they often leave behind.

Submitted by re-present on Thu, 09/15/2011 - 14:47

Facebook: It's complicated

With news that it's planning to integrate music subscriptions and media channels emerging this week, Facebook is looking to be the place where you spend most of your time. It's even brought in it's own cash “virtual currency credits” - which all games developers have to encorporate. By continuing to pile on the new features it's hoping to stay ahead of the crowd, but this can be a risky strategy - especially when privacy or intellectual property rights are affected.

Recently it's changed it's News Feed, so that by default, you can only see updates from people with whom you've recently interacted. It did not however let us know, or give us the option to stay with the old setting.

Submitted by re-present on Tue, 09/06/2011 - 13:05

Is 'Made in ..." still important?

Most luxury brands rely on their heritage and history to add value to their products and to reassure customers that their money will be well spent. Italian houses like Hermes and Gucci consistently refer back to their roots as saddlemakers in the design and finish of their leather goods.

Submitted by re-present on Sat, 09/03/2011 - 14:53