Mitchell, Bill : city ++ technology and agency city as technology :: incomes, utcomes the individual and community geo special role of unique spaces >> local culture, local sense of identity ************************** In the "Post-sedentary space" chapter, Mitchell uses the phrase "field of presence" to discuss mobility and wireless Internet or network connectivity, suggesting that the always-on, everywhere connections (that are far more available now than when he wrote the book in 2003) alter the range of resources available and how we use space. To what extent do his observations about public spaces seem justified? This is a question about both research or argument *methods* as well as logic. Are there other sorts of data or evidence one could examine to confirm or to argue with his conclusions? **************************************** POST pitching the mobile, networked, and interconnected city/self I think the observations of William Mitchell in Chapter 9 (Post-sendentary Space) and in the rest of Me++ are justified by the logic of a technophile designer who is heralding and pitching the future of telecommunications, cities, and human beings, perhaps more specifically, the upcoming of the mobile wireless era. Although it is true, as some other students in this forum have noticed, that the book is plenty of generalizations, historical assumptions, and it lacks of a politic-economic criticism, it is also true, that Mitchell's observations have an artistic/urbanistic/techy sensibility that somehow validates them. His method is not the one of a historian, a political economist, or a communication scholar. He writes from the point of view of a designer, an urbanist, and a professor, very sensitive to technology and highly involved in its practical applications. Because of that, I guess, he is able to mix his personal knowledge of cities, computers, sensors, literature, painting, and telecommunications in a very imaginative and creative way. The result of this method is that his observations are intuitive but visionary. As regard to the ongoing creation of "continuous fields of presence," I agree with Mitchell in that their expansion alters the uses of both public and private spaces. There is more evidence nowadays of such transformation. For instance, one could look at the activities developed by smartmobs in public spaces http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_mob, one could also look at the business-men uses of wi-fi in national and transnational flights, and one can look at the smartphones users of the location-based social app 4square http://foursquare.com/. Finally, it would be nice to imagine different activities, performances, actions, for reactivating the forgotten or forbidden (by public fear) urban public space of some cities by taking advantage of the wireless connections and the continuous fields of presence. Citizens acting like bees in a swarm are a very interesting image that reminds us that in the mobile era we enlarge our cognitive system. Of course, I am being very optimistic and a little bit technophile. I know I am ignoring the problem of access to technology, literacy, politics, and economics. However I am not being a technological determinist. ********************************************** LECTURE/DISCUSSION -Innis, harold >>> "the bias of communication" economist interest in resources coming out from the chicago school thesis about canada and britain >> a staples economy :: basic materiasl provided by some country to other in order to finish them >>> provision of raw materials and finished goods examination of paper industry in canada how do empires sustain in time >>> "Empires and communication" ::: explore the relationship between communication systems and empires >>> mantainance over great distances baylonia and greece >>> writing systems : early years was mantained in stones and clay tables (mantain over time) when writing systems moved to papyrus you can carry them accross great distances. space and time >>> and communication systems radio >>> space binding feature :: very useful for building nations, nationalism, propaganda. power as control over the communication system calling attention to the qualities of the technologies, media, themselves :: what do they enable us to do, what do they afford -Carrey, James >>> essay in the telegraph :: uniting the USA transcontinentally :: trains + telegraph ::: space and time telegraph as time keeping system :: standardization of time, prices, regional markets, long distance markets >>> telegraph enalbes the spread of capitalism :: commodity based system -castells, manuel the informational city, 1989 >> interested in telecommunication systems , networks, cities, "the space of flows" >>> communications systems as resources >>> networks tragressing geography places that generate a lot of flows >> nyc, london, silicon valley began to look globally the connections of telecommunication >> *Chicago school perspectivee :: communication as entire process >>> where a culture is brought into existance, mantained into instituions : art, architecture, *internet history :: 1990s wild wild west days; nowadays : corporate concentrations dominating ***Mitchell pcples : 1.cyborgian notion that boundaries have disappeared > prosthesis : man-machine 2.intelligence in the networks have moved to the edges >>> moved from central and hierarchical switched/repositories systems (telephones) as more devices are attached are attached to the network they become smarter 3.contemporary networks call into question the balance between location and mobility 4.merger of bits and atoms 5. scale matters >> introduces new parameters >>>critiques: "e-topian" private sector is driving the creation of this networks >> who has the poer to control the configuration and capabilities of this networks? dangerous possibilities >> populations that are not adapated to the electronic infrastructure doesnt address who is driving? who is in control of the capabilities? >> intentionality level is ignored >>>>public spaces spaces for sharing interaction agora as the space for interact penetrated by this networks shrinking the world >> sharing, documenting, modify the dynamics of accessing and sharing knowledge elimination of human interactions >> listen to the machine for directions ignores policy >>> organized citizen response ***************************** BOOK NOTES Me++ sometimes sounds to As other students in this forum have noticed, Me++ optimistic about technology, almost a tech determinist technophile and designer , sounds sometimes as a herald of a the highly technology mediated future. sensibility towards technology, the city and the self >>> intuition of somebody who has been creating new technology oportunities, imaginative, creative. In 2003, he is pointing out several directions in which the city and the self can go. Of course, based in a especific kind of computer technology and electronic telecomunications. many generalizations historical assumptions urban networks , urbanism ignores His observations of public space seem to me justified understanding him as a technophile who is heralding a new future for the self and the city. always-on, everywhere connections >>> alter the range of resources available and how we use space. Post-sedentary might be the right thing for the people who is in to the new computer and telecommunication gadgetery. global "extensive cities" >> organized around multiple public spaces multiple public spaces embedded in networks "spaces become more effective when they superimpose nodes of different networks" 154 networked computer clusters as public spaces : libraries, universities, internet cafes public point of network precense "continuous fields of network presence had begun to blanket public spaces." 156 patterns of use of public spaces change with mobile phones Mitchell's observations about public space make sense in the context of demoing a new technology. mobile era Mitchel perspective as a designer, also as a technologist and developer of technology feels like presenting a demo of new tech evidence, it is almost as sci-fiction public space. what is public space? sort of tech determinism pro technology >>>> recognize the good and bad of tech optimistic about technology technological innovations an inventory of tech tech devices >> gadgets >>> not universal common humanity term cyborg "common knowledge" of a technologist >> no back up data. many citations. bricolage of quotations from literature, reports, blogs, newspapers. Per technologoy of ME +++ >>> who is that me? power, culture it feels like a sci fi story, world. pitching the world and the me ++ a certain kind of future >> microelectronics, computers, chips, clocks post-sedentary chapter >>> evolution of workspace >>> wherever you can connect to the network >>>argument for mobile workspaces >> linked to computers mobile worker >>> anyplace becomes a potential workspace >>> choose your workspace fields of presence and potentnial for public space positive: public space and the image of the swarm >>> like bees >> flash mobs >> organized protests could be solitary is true but have potential for something differnet public space >>> is also the space for the networks, electromagnetism.... hertzian public space >>> wireless tech will reinvigorate points of prsesnce such as libraries, intertn cafes, >> always on nature of wireless connections shift from enclosures to networks networks and public space >>> electronic interconnectivity >>> larger cognitive systems smart cities, smarter selfs networked network infraestructure evolution of the city and the self >>> bodies >>> global >> networked flow be mobile, mobile me, mobile era ignores the question of access to technology, of literacy, of labor. but in any case cities around the world, even from undeveloped countries are interested in being connected to the network, in being part of the future.