Dundas Square (Hello World)
Dundas Square (Hello World)
Urban Screens - conference on video billboards
Originally written: Tue, Jul 19, 2005
Last modified: Sat, Dec 7-, 2005
Personally, even *I* am shocked with how the number of billboards in Toronto have exponentially grown over the past couple of years. In the heart of downtown, almost every major corner has one.
(Come on! This is an urban game waiting to happen!! *still waiting with fingers crossed*)
Image from http://ds5.agh.edu.pl/~grzanka/krzyze/ linked from the Urban Screens blog
And now, finally, there is an entire conference (Urban Screens 2005) dedicated to discussing the non-commercial potential of video billboards, among other urban displays:
Traditionally a venue for corporate advertising, what could these "urban screens" accomplish if commercial agendas weren't at the helm?Come September, a panel of international experts in the arts, urban studies and digital culture, will gather at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, to explore this question. The conference entitled, Urban Screens 2005: Discovering the Potential of Outdoor Screens in Urban Society, strategizes for the de-commercialization of digital displays.
As the program poses, "How can we change from consumer entertainment to participation of a wide range of users, involving [all] in the production of space?" The 2-day conference is organized into four categories: Shaping the Urban Media-Scapes, Addressing the Social Value and Civic Culture through Participation, Opening the Commercial Use of Outdoor Screens, and the Future Technology of Outdoor Screens. Combined, these topics suggest tools for urban dwellers to take responsibility for their digital landscape.
via Rhizome
rhizome commissions / / CityPong
Originally written: Thu, Apr 21, 2005
Last modified: Wed, Dec 4-, 2005
I've been perusing through the 2005 finalist for Rhizome commissions and I like the way these people think. :)
CityPong is a large scale urban game that pits cities against one another in a classic game of pong. This project is an exploration into collective behavior, regionalism, and experimental gaming.
(I wish they would as least make their text selectable though!)
Anyways, I'm obviously biased into liking their idea but it's a great update to Loren Carpenter's experiment that Kevin Kelly wrote about in this chapter of Out of Control.
If you're a Rhizome member you can vote for your favourite proposal.
Goodbye World
Originally written: Wed, Apr 20, 2005
Last modified: Wed, Dec 4-, 2005
I've come to the realization today that this Dundas Square project will probably never take off if it's under my lead. This is such a gigantic project requiring a team of game developers and designers -- not to mention marketers, contract makers, hand shakers, and other various people who wear business suits.
I think business suits itch... so it's not going to be me who negotiates video airtime.
And this certainly isn't a "spare time" kind of project -- mobile technology waits for no one. In fact, I made the incorrect prediction in my proposal that cellphones wouldn't be able to handle the processing required for this type of game -- how wrong I was.
In the past year, North America has seen cell phones start to handle photos, video, Flash, and Java. Even Sony is discontinuing their production of Clie handhelds outside of Japan due to cell phones.
I would still love to see this type of casual gaming in Toronto though. I'll probably still even continuing researching.
But if there's anyone out there who wants to take this idea and run with it, I say "do it."
Wired article: The Wrinkled Future of Online Gaming
Originally written: Wed, Dec 8, 2004
Last modified: Thu, Nov 2-, 2004
A Wired magazine article about how online games have been adapted by the older generation:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.06/gaming.html
Conclusions and Next Steps
Originally written: Mon, Apr 19, 2004
Last modified: Wed, Nov 1-, 2004
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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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As indicated above, much collaboration would be needed from large commercial companies. My best bet for getting free support and airtime would be to first create a solid proof-of-concept prototype using the facilities at the Rogers Communications Centre.
A business person would want solid facts on how a proposal will increase their market share so an in-depth study or white paper on user behaviour towards interactive television, video billboards, wireless devices, and Yonge-Dundas Square would be good to produce in order to support the validity my project.
Also beneficial to getting my foot in the door for a presentation would be to have the backing of a large organization such as Ryerson, including any personal contacts the staff or faculty may have. And since I’m still a student and apt to not receiving as much respect as someone working professionally in the field, a spiffy multimedia presentation would be a must!