Hello (Virtual/Physical) World
Posted Mon, Apr 19, 2004 at 12:01 PM
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Table of Contents (of original proposal):
1) Synopsis
2) Hello (Virtual/Physical) World
3) Yonge-Dundas Square: Public vs. Private
4) Detailed Project Description
5) Technical Considerations and Feasibility
6) Conclusions and Next Steps
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The name of this project derives from the commonly used phrase "Hello World" by computer programmers. Seeing "Hello World" outputted onto the screen will make any programmer's heart flutter since it means that the proper settings have been configured – a connection has been made! – and the creation of something bigger can begin. In many ways, "Hello World" isn't so much of an announcement or confirmation but rather the beginnings of a conversation between a human and the computer's reinterpretation of human inputs.
With the introduction of online multi-user dimensions (MUDs), often in the form of a chat room or a game built for multiple players, we begin to have humans interacting with other humans via screen-based interfaces. However, with the exception of gamers in internet cafes, it is the home user that sits alone in front of their computer who most often experiences this type of online environment.
The use of mobile technologies such as cell phones and Wi-Fi-enabled laptops or PDAs have increasingly infused virtual environments into public spaces but the online experience typically remains private. An invisible "information bubble” forms around one person, or two people who are located remotely, rather than a large group of people sharing the same physical space.
It has been often said that, with the proliferation of information technology, we've lost touch of how to communicate with each other without a screen in front of us. Hello World doesn’t attempt to criticize screen-based interactions but rather accepts our current disposition. Instead, Hello World hopes to use the screen as a means to enrich the interactions between people in a public arena. So what would happen if you introduced virtual multi-user environments to a commonly available screen?
If we consider an urban plaza such as Yonge-Dundas Square, we have all the elements that would ever be desired for a great multi-user environment such as: a fixed space that is easily appropriated; a constant flow of people with most of them owning a mobile device; and media outlets in the form of video billboards viewable to everyone in that space. One important missing piece is a catalyst for interaction – a reason or means to say “Hello World” and have it heard by others.
