We Are Spime Wranglers!

"Having conquered the world made of bits, you need to reform the world made of atoms. Not the simulated image on the screen, but corporeal, physical reality. Not meshes and splines, but big hefty skull-crackingly solid things that you can pick up and throw. That's the world that needs conquering. Because that world can't manage on its own. It is not sustainable, it has no future, and it needs one."

Today I stumbled upon a transcript from a (rather inspiring) speech given by science fiction author Bruce Sterling at a 2004 computer graphics conference.

Sterling begins by giving a brief treatment of the different classes of objects that humans have created throughout history: Artifacts, Machines, Products, Gizmos, and Blobjects. And marching after these classes of objects, says Sterling, will come the Spimes.

Spimes are objects that are "have identities, they are protagonists of a documented process." In Sterling's imagination, Spimes reveal to you information about their origin, ownership, ingredients, ways to customize, and market value. Spimes can update themselves and inform you when they need service. Spimes are open and transparent.

And, perhaps most relevant to the LearnMakeCupcake project—"A true Spime creates spime wranglers. Wranglers are the class of people willing to hassle with Spimes. And it is a hassle. An enormous hassle. But its a fruitful hassle. It is the work of progress. Handled correctly, it can undo the harm of the past and enhance what is to come."

Sterling does not, however, suggest that his vision is without menaces, without a potential dark side. I am in agreement with Sterling there. That's why I want to be a Spime Wrangler. That's why I do HCDE.

Opening to Innovation

I had an interesting revelation and I have been meaning to share it on the blog. My boyfriend, Sam, belongs to a chemistry research group here at UW. The other day, he told me that one of the group members asked the PI if she could get a computer to help with her research. The PI asked the student if she had ever built a computer before. She hadn't. The PI told her that if you've built a computer before, you can just order one online, but that if you haven't built a computer, you had to go to newegg.com and order the parts and build a computer.

"Ugh, that is a terrible policy!" I said.

"No it's not," Sam responded.

"Why not?" I was a bit curious how he was going to defend something so blatantly absurd.

"It's a good skill to have," he informed me. I paused and thought about it for a moment. I haven't actually owned a computer in awhile, and I really need one. I have been dreading buying one because they are always so annoying...filled with a bunch of junk that takes ages to load, plus I am always worried I bought the "wrong" one, you know, there are so many brands, plus they are so expensive and then you will probably get robbed or it will break...I have a lot of very solid reasons for not owning a computer in 2010. Finally I responded,

"Well, we should build one then. Together. You know, quality time."

In case you think this exchange is embellished or fabricated: yes, I tend to exaggerate. But this really did happen, and it wouldn't have happened nine weeks ago. What is happening to me?

Oh, and I kind of figured out how this project connects to HCDE, and how HCDE connects to what I want to do. I know everyone's really been on the edge of their respective seats about this stuff, but you'll just have to wait for my next blog entry.

One more thing...you may have noticed that I just learned how to link to stuff (where will this new-found facility with technology end? Okay so linking is not exactly technical if you're using Blogger) so I want to say thank you to Metrix for all their support and enthusiasm for this project. I'm going to be at Metrix a week from this Sunday for the intro to electronics class, you know, not that I need an intro class; could probably actually wire a house like, in five minutes, by myself. I'm kind of a natural at these technical sorts of things.