What is SEED DATING?
SEED DATING is a fast-paced event designed to spark off creative connections and allow people to share and develop ideas for innovative projects in arts, science, technology and media.
SEED dating was yet another great event put on during the Lightwave exhibition of the Science Gallery. The event meant meeting 10 different ‘luminares’ from a wide range of fields. Architects & Designers to Neuroscientists and Mathematician.
You get three minutes to introduce, brainstorm and come up with an idea. I found three minutes a bit short but after a couple of introductions we just got onto ideas. There appeared to be two types of people, ones with ideas, and people who wanted to help facilitate your idea.
I found that most people struggled to get a lot of strong ideas. Some people already had the idea and weren’t even too keen to discuss any other idea. It was easier with artists and fellow designers who are use to having lot of ideas and are happy to throw ideas away.
The one highlight was that I was one of the winners along with David Shulman, we got free lunch at the Science cafe to help develop our ‘gestural user interface for consumer lighting’.
As part of the science gallery exhibition I got to take part in Tom Scarffs Arudunio workshop. The workshop covered all of the basics, and was a nice introduction to the open source micro-controller. Tom focused a couple of the projects with a MIDI interface, but it was good to see how I could use the same very simple techniques to apply to Flash.
I have some very exciting Arudunio projects planned, both at work and with personal digital projects.
Anthony presented his talk “Fictional Functions and Functional Fictions. “. The talk was about using design to help guide scientists work. His talk was very similar to the talk at the Innovation Forum.
Afterwards Anthony opened the floor for questions. I asked him what he thought about the rescission and the possible shift to Asia. He gave me a rather coi answer that almost implied that Asian nations are still in an industrial age and therefore have trouble to think practically about these future problems. In some respects I agree with him, for example the Japense air bag to falls prevention, in contrast to the more practical work of TRIL.
Afterwards I asked Tony about his ethnographic work, and a more formal ‘user centred design’ process. He said that he dose do this, but leaves this out of the presentation as other projects can be exciting to present. In comment to my work at TRIL, he pointed out that he helped develop Cultural Probes along with Bill Gaver for a project to assist the elderly.
I shall be keeping a close eye on Anthony, and would think about doing a masters at the RCA.
Tony / Anthony.. if you find this.. please leave a comment on my work. You may be interested in the EnergyTree concept?
