It is always (well, almost always) fun to see how people illustrate the future; and usually we can learn a lot by studying the past future visions. Microsoft has a bit more money than most of us, and can thus create rather fancy futuristic videos:
Some of these things appear rather likely, incremental evolutions from the present paradigms of interactive and augmented computing. Some were a bit unclear to me — what was the point, how that was supposed to work. And in general, the feeling was a bit similar to after watching Minority Report — fascinated, but also a bit put off, in classic dystopian style.
The Supreme Administrative Court in Finland today denied the Freethinkers access to the population registry data; there is an interesting debate surrounding the decision, involving discussions of what exactly is the special protected status that religious beliefs enjoy in Finland (as well as in some other countries) as compared to e.g. political beliefs. Political parties can get people’s addresses from the Registry to send their adverts, but non-believers will not be given similar right. The decision (which was a tight vote, 3-2) is here: http://www.kho.fi/paatokset/45678.htm.
This is again in Finnish (sorry!), but if you can handle the lingo, this is really interesting reading: Salminen, Suoranta and Vadén have published a free e-book that discusses very welcome alternative approaches to what we mean by “university” or “university reform”: http://content.yudu.com/Library/A12e37/Tulevayliopisto/
There was a nasty piece of news yesterday that revealed how Alma Media (a major news corporation in Finland) had cancelled the work contract of journalist Johanna Korhonen after finding out that she was living as a family with another woman and two children. It appears that CEO Kai Telanne and his associates believe that one can be an editor-in-chief only if one is living in a heterosexual relationship, and failing to reveal such personal information as one’s sexual orientation in a work interview is close to a criminal act. It is sad and funny that they apparently claimed that because the work would have involved leading Lapin Kansa newspaper, which is located in Rovaniemi, Lapland, it is particularly impossible to consider “this kind of woman” for that position any more — even after being elected as the most competent candidate in the first place. Lapland, the black hole of intolerance, hmm. Great, they managed to insult the Lappish people, too.
There is serious lack of credibility towards Alma Media right now, and I can only hope that they will soon realise that they need to change their executives. Meanwhile, a boycott campaign is growing; I myself cancelled my subscription to Aamulehti (another Alma Media newspaper) starting from today.
Less than a year ago I wrote about the Tuusula/Jokela school shootings; today, the same seems to repeat in Kauhajoki, another peaceful small town. I can only feel sorrow, and repeat what I have said earlier: there appears to be deep lack of dialogue and contact in our society, particularly between generations. If there is no real contact and wellbeing constructed daily in close human relationships, then the road is open for self-destruction. And one should never forget that these incidents are, after all, suicides. The child of media age will be drawn to a media spectacle, rather than the quiet and lonely death of previous generations… Another grim day, indeed.
This is concept I have been playing around lately, becoming gradually more and more serious about its potentials. Hopefully it would be caught up by discussion.
Slow computing: conceptualise it as an oppositional and revolutionary concept, like ‘slow food’ is in opposition to ‘fast food’.
Slow computing is not necessary about slow processors or weak technology. It is about computing that is used emphatically to pay attention to the quality and content, rather than to the quantity (be it mega- or gigahertz, mega-, giga-, tera-, or pentabyte, or what ever billions of polygons the technology pundits usually point our attention towards).
Slow computing is information and communication technology (ICT) that is put to the service of people, paying attention to the sustainability of lifestyle and preservation of our planet.
Slow computing may e.g. be a choice to use a slow, cheap laptop, running long on batteries, rather than investing into over-efficient hulking monster, unnecessary for everything else except the most graphically intensive games.
Slow computing may take the form of passive displays, slow on screen refresh times, but able to serve text and images while sitting outside, reading while thinking, paying attention. e-paper that is able to display and keep its contents without any further use of energy is slow computing technology. Energy efficient, small devices that take all their power from solar energy are slow computing.
Slow computing is all about how ‘less is more’.
Slow computing may take the form of applications that reduce and filter junk, so that the really important things are only ones that are there left, for your time and thought.
Slow computing may be a service that helps you to join forces with other people in organising your efforts collectively, reducing waste of human energy and effort.
Slow computing may be attitude, or cultural shift, rather than any single technology in itself. It is part of movement that says: ‘Wait, stop – did you say we need that to do this?’ It is about thinking alternatives.
Slow computing is not luddite ideology. For example, if it is possible to use rich media and teleconferencing rather than jet planes across the ocean to organise a meeting, then ICT has fulfilled the requirement of slow computing: allowing people to stay put, save time and energy, and concentrate on the actual matter at hand.
(Pictured Marja Tiura, and the neck of Jyrki J.J. Kasvi.)
Today I am participating in a seminar organised by the Futures Committee of Finnish Parliament, focusing on the challenges of urbanisation, globalisation and civilization (Sivistys ja metropolit). I want to remind the participants about the need for comprehensive understanding (deep in thinking about the past, as well as the present and the future), also creating intergenerational and interdisciplinary dialogue that facilitates flexibility and innovation in small as well as in larger scale. Fantasy is one measurement: how much imagination we are willing to accept in our everyday? Arts and crafts is another: do we allow ‘everyman’ (everywoman, everychild) to be creative? Questions for our future…
frans goes blog 
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