A research and practice project on everyday sociotechnical environments.
If you think about it, the humble keyrack is a true champion of strategic design. The first object I see when walking through the front door, it is both a tool and source of information. The empty hook reserved for my house keys is a subtle reminder to deposit them in their resting place before I forget which coat pocket they’re hiding out in. The other keys, hanging—or not—in their standard spots…
Streaming is convenient. But the DVD is embodied. The Videotheek, Utrecht Near a bank headquarters in central Utrecht, a seemingly abandoned shipping container stands in the middle of a small field. When I visited on a recent Thursday night, signs of life slowly revealed themselves: a dim light, a few parked bicycles, and, inside, a small group of people crammed into the long, narrow room. Soon…
The call for restrictive regulations on smartphone usage, especially for minors, is on the rise. As of November, twenty-eight US states had enacted policies banning or restricting cellphone use in K-12 schools. 1 In June, the Dutch government released recommendations that children under 11 not be given smartphones, 2 while the European Commission has expressed openness to an EU-wide social media…
Typically, consumer products are advertised as giving you more control: more options, more efficiency, and instantaneous reward. But lately, some products have started to promise the opposite: fewer options, more friction, and delayed gratification. A few examples: The Brick, a small device, will turn your iPhone into a call-and-text dumbphone. In Amsterdam, the Offline Club hosts almost daily…
This morning I went for a walk and stopped at the benches along the canal. There are two sets of benches: one facing the water, and one facing the parallel bike road. Today, I opted for the road. As the bikers zoomed by on their way to work, I noticed quite a few with airpods. This inspired an impromptu experiment: I counted how many bikers were wearing headphones and how many weren’t. Of the…