Omg. I just had an Octopus on my head. Or, if I weren’t stretching the truth quite so much, the Emotiv Headset. With the helmet moistened to read my brain-waves more easily, it really felt like an octopus was peeling off my skull when the Emotiv Headset was removed.

The Emotiv Headset will become an addition to video games: where users can think certain commands to supplement games. And, trust me, it’s a lot harder than it sounds! Thinking a command isn’t just ‘do this’ – but it’s focusing of mentally doing the activity.

After the headset had gotten used to my brainwaves, I had to try to push a box on projected on a screen backwards. I firstly had to train the machine to know what it felt like when I was thinking pushing it backwards. Then I had to actually push it backwards. I pushed and I pushed and – sometimes – just – some of the way. After a while I had it, but it is something you’d really need to practice over a few days or hours to get the hang of.

The most challenging part what making the box turn invisible. Pushing we can imagine – but going invisible – where is our point of reference with that?

The best use of the Emotiv Headset will be to supplement games – not as the primary device. So, if we’re wanting to cast a spell, instead of pushing a button on the controller, we can simply think of the action to cast the spell.

Geoff Mackellar, who was showing the Emotiv Headset, also shared that in the future games could respond to mood – if people get bored, or stressed, the game could add more or less characters, or according to mood, the weather or setting could change. Or, you might need to be in a certain state of mind to do something – like completely calm in order to jump a cliff or scale a wall.

Very, very awesome. Definitely a highlight of today!

It was a very weird sensation being able to move things with my thoughts. It genuinely felt like trying to master a new-found superpower.

I’m off to check out a few more exhibitions. I’ve missed Saul Griffith – because I was playing with the Headset. Rumour had it’ll be podcasted – so I’ll let you know when I find out more!

Signing off for today!

- originally posted on 10daysofscience.com

We had eight people and we each were a gene – I was Target G – and I needed to find Probe C.

Stumbling in the dark, below a disco ball, we needed to find our match, if we had a match.

The idea was to look at how micro-array analysis works – how genes found matches, if they found matches, why some were discarded and why. This process isolates mismatched genes, potentially diseased, or rogue genes. It was heaps of fun where, with an awesome opportunity to meet other people at the Festival!

I also recieved a GeneChip – real DNA of a mouse. Pretty cool momento, huh?

I’m currently about to check out the Nomadic Hands documentary Ikiam, shot in Eucador, by Simone Francis. It should be really interesting!

On the way over I passed an awesome drumming circle, which I might just need to join on the way out! We can still hear them drumming outside!

Next stop, we’ll be checking out the Emotiv headset – a headset connected to brainwaves, where we can move objects in a digital environment. Super, super excited. *nerdy squee!*

Catch you soon!
-Rach.

- originally posted on 10daysofscience.com

Okay, so I didn’t make it to Decipher Code 2020 at 11. I’m in line for another session now.

Instead, I ran to a few other friends and we headed to a few other Creative Nexus exhibitions which were really cool.

The first of which was a HeartBeat monitor. Accompanied with a video art installation, where Natasha Nolan, who created the project, was lying on a bed of nails, having recorded her heartbeat. We then went into the room and, using an ultrasound device, had our heartbeat amplified throughout the room.

I was hoping to see if we could sync our heartbeats due to the influence of the louder, more dominant heartbeat, but due to my heart murmur, all I could hear was this wishy-washy noise not unlike a whale dying.

And, I know, I know, I promised better pics, but this was in a dark room, so all I have to show for it it gripping silhouettes of people with the heartbeat monitor.

Along the way we noticed an art exhibition of post it notes.

The idea was to pull of the post it note and throw on the ground the brand or object we thought we could do without. I reckon I could do without MTV.  As my friend noted – no one thought they could do without Google…

Then, before we were booked into the see Decipher Code 2020 we headed to Inside Out – a community garden project.

Festival goers can select a plant to look after over the next six months. I selected some parsley, then made a video blog, which will be emailled to me in three months – to see how I’m going looking after my plant!

My friends also took some plants, and we’ll see how we go nurturing our plants for the next few months!

I’m in line for Decipher Code 2020 – should be very awesome!

Until later,
Rach.

- originally posted on 10daysofscience.com

Saul Griffith, Skyping in from the USA to reduce his Carbon Footprint, will be talking about the Future of Energy and the same time as the film and Discussion of “Us Now” will be taking place.

I know you’re all thinking ‘Skyping in! It’s live! You’d be nuts to see a film instead!” but the discussion which happens with the film isn’t something I can see later – and it’s something I’m massively interested in – how can technology like social networking change the was we exist as a democracy?

That gripping decision won’t be till 2pm. Stay tuned to see which one I go and see. Comment below if you’ve got a particularly persuasive argument.

At the moment, I’m checking out the Opening, with the Professor Ian Howard, the Dean of COFA sharing his thoughts of the future. In the past, we had no control of the future: but now, we not only can control it, but need to take charge of it. “We do have capacity of change” he says, “and the role of leadership is really important.” And we’re seizing that today.

“We need to converge and share with other disciplines to move forward with innovation” he says.

Next, I’ll be exploring a perfect example of this collaboration of disciplines, Creative Nexus Collaboration, where artists and scientists combine their powers to create some really exciting projects – like whether we affect each other heartbeats and becoming a gene for a day.

I’ve booked in for the Decipher Code 2020 exhibition to become a gene and discover Sequencing Analysis at 11am, which should be really exciting!

When I booked it, Lucy Wang, who created the exhibition, asks if I have three other friends, for the Sequencing Analysis, or fourteen friends, for Micro-Analysis.

Alas, at the moment I can only think of three people nearby who I can wrangle in to coming into Sequencing with me.

Come on guys – I need fourteen friends so I can see Micro-Analysis! Tweet me if you’re up for it!

Catch you soon!
-Rach.

p.s. Bill Hollins has just started – he’s very awesome! Rumour has it podcasts will be available later – I’m super excited!

(And forgive me for my pics on my phone inside the lecture! I promise the ones outside will be better!)

- originally posted on 10daysofscience.com

Focusing on community gardens, and working with livelocal.org.au, the installation is both online and in the real world.

One part of the digital installation is creating a map of community gardens which exist in Sydney. Posting photos to a Flickr interactive map Pruni and Natalie have mapped where community gardens exist in Sydney.

“We are also meeting some of the gardeners and interviewing them so people have the chance to ‘virtually’ meet them,” they explain.

At Live Futures 2020 there will be an installation of fabrics containing seeds and soil. Visitors can take the seedlings home, committing to taking care of their seedling, as well as blogging, taking pictures and uploading videos of their seedling’s progress onto the Live Local site.

“We’d love visitors to share their progress by uploading pics of their seedling/garden over the next 6-12 months.”

The installation is also about connecting community in a way that hasn’t been traditionally connected before: “Another element we are playing around with is the idea of a letterbox badge or door badge in the case of an apartment, that indicates the people inside are open to connecting to their neighbors to exchange resources or ideas.” They explain the idea further: “I guess when thinking about sustainability and permaculture is it about sharing resources … for instance one person may have compost but no worm farm, another may have heaps of worm juice but no garden. It can also be a way of signaling to neighbours that you are friendly and open to community building.”

Natalie and Pruni’s installation will be at Live Futures 2020 on the 15th of August.

He focusses on materials which benefit the community – inventions for the developing world, or to create sustainability.

Saul is most-known for creating an inexpensive technique for making prescription eyeglasses, Wikipedia shares. The project is touted as becoming one of the leading solutions for developing nations for those persons in need of eyesight correction.

Saul’s innovations span industrial design, technology, and science education – but one of his real passions is energy and sustainability.

In fact, Saul initiated the project design for a hand-held human-powered generator, which has the potential significantly to improve access to electronic devices such as laptops and water purifiers throughout the world.

One of Saul’s interests is looking at kites which tap into wind-energy, to power boats, but also drawing on this power to run all our energy needs. Saul’s TED talk on kites tapping into wind energy shares the project that his company Makani Power has been working on: giant kite turbines that create surprising amounts of clean, renewable energy.

“We still have an energy crisis, and now we have a climate crisis as well. You know, so humans generate about 12 trillion watts, or 12 terawatts, from fossil fuels. And Al Gore has spoken to why we need to hit one of these targets, and in reality what that means is in the next 30 to 40 years, we have to make 10 trillion watts or more of new clean energy, somehow.” Saul explains in the talk.

“Wind is the second-largest renewable resource after solar: 3600 terawatts, more than enough to supply humanity 200 times over. The majority of it is in the higher altitudes, above 300 feet, where we don’t have a technology as yet to get there.”

At the 2009 Live Futures Festival, Saul Griffith will be speaking about the future of energy and sharing what real-world tangible things we can do to reduce energy consumption and boost sustainable energy practices.

His keynote presentation looking at our world, the energy we could be harnessing and how preserving our planet really is in our hands.

See Saul Griffith at Live Futures 2020 in 2009.
1.30pm, in E Block of COFA UNSW, room EG02.

___________________________________

References:
http://www.ted.com/talks/saul_griffith_on_kites_as_the_future_of_renewable_energy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Griffith
http://www.ted.com/talks/saul_griffith_on_everyday_inventions.html
http://www.ted.com/speakers/saul_griffith.html
http://www.howtoons.com/

He has a doctorate in Design Management from Strathclyde University and now specialises in Service design.  He has been actively involved in British Standards on design management and the UK Design Council website on Service Design.  He had the first book on service design management published in 1991 and his fifth book was published in 2006.  He has over 120 other publications.

Bill and also teaches at various universities and has worked in twenty five countries. He is interested in how to make systems work better.

So what is Service Design?

One example is changing how people understand processess. Guzman Y Gomez had an overhaul of all it’s restaurants so that people walked in understood how to order – the process involves Service Design.

Service Design isn’t something which many people would even think of – we don’t usually see or understand what goes in to creating smooth, efficient services.

According to Wikipedia, Service Design is the activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, communication and material components of a service, in order to improve its quality, the interaction between service provider and customers and the customer’s experience.

But it isn’t just about food: Service Design is essential in creating smoother services for people.

In the UK, one project in North East England, called Dott07, looked at creating more accessable and efficient systems. Service design re-evaluated the way that the communities engaged in farming, reducing carbon emmisions, public transport, education, aged care and sexual health accessablility.

‘Low Carb Lane’ is a project where one street in Northumberland looked at a range of ways to make their homes more energy efficient, cut their carbon emissions and reduce their demand on the National Grid by up to 60%.

Service Design Management Specialist from the UK, Bill Hollins, will be a keynote speaker at Live Futures 2020 Festival.

Bill says that innovation is essential to Service Design:

“Generally, innovation, being an important subset of the design process, is poorly applied in the service sector. Innovation can occur in all stages of the whole life of a product, especially (and increasingly) at the service end when customers are more likely to be directly involved with the delivery of the service.

Innovation is generally easier with services as there is less of an existing infrastructure to be replaced than with manufacturing, so customers more readily accept changes brought about through innovation.”

Having worked on numerous projects from education, health, transport, manufacturing, and government services, Bill will be sharing the importance, the challenges and the future of Service design.

With Service Design being so powerful, how can and how will Service Design change our world? Find out at Live Futures 2020.

See Bills Hollins at Live Futures 2020 in 2009.

10.30am, in E Block of COFA UNSW, room EG02.

_________________________________

Resources:
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/About-Design/Design-Disciplines/Service-design-by-Bill-Hollins/
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/Live-Issues/Can-we-use-design-to-improve-how-people-live/
http://www.directionconsultants.co.uk

Liz Cahill and Nerida Lennon of Global Youth Futures will be running Speed Scenarios of the future, at the Live Futures 2020 Festival.

Using the techniques of a Future Dreaming weekend, which allows young people to explore climate and sustainability issues, new technologies, cultural, health and population shifts, global and local political trends, the Speed Scenarios at Live Futures 2020 will be short scenarios in one-hour blocks of time, where participants can explore issues and think what our impact, their impact and the future ramifications for us as humans and for our communities.

Using futurist methods and processes, the Speed Scenarios we enable participants in the workshops to understand what is coming in the future, what is possible and how to influence it. What will 2020 be like? 2030? 2050?

In the Speed Scenarios, participants will be looking at future trends. Scenarios run in the past include looking at the structure of Global Governance – how we incorporate global governance, local governance, with slow-tech, low-tech and high-technologies, particularly balancing the demands of developed and developing areas.

Speed Scenarios will be workshops held in one hour blocks.

Liz Cahill and Nerida Lennon will be running workshops will be held throughout the day from:
11.30 -12.30.

2pm – 3.30pm.