ID: Two videophones-one Mitsubishi, one Panasonic—sit next to each other. On the screens are bluish blurred videos of two people looking into the screen.
No clever (as if it has always been) reflections this week since I am inundated with work, and I am forgiving myself for not being able to do everything at the same time.
I have been trying to be more deliberate and slower in my intent and action this year (although not quite successfully) in a world and system that do not necessarily let us so, so naturally I am attracted to projects—especially low tech projects—that aim to do the same. For example (image above), Lori Emerson and her team and Media Archaeology Lab had been trying to recreate Zoom with videotelephony or videophones—the ancestor of today’s Skype and Zoom—using 300 baud modems and 1990s tech. The result, according to Humane Ingenuity, of where I stumbled upon this project, is “an alternate timeline of tech, bordering on steampunk, but with devices from a much more recent era.”
A question to ponder: When was the last time you consider the act of slowing down or stopping completely as an act of strength, solidarity, reciprocity, etc? Think about the instances you refuse to cross the picket lines and not order your food when your local food delivery workers are on strike. Think about the time you caught a coworker’s grim expression in a meeting when they are assigned more work on top of what they already have, and you swooped in to say “we don’t have to prioritise this right now—we can start next month.” Or maybe, just yourself asking for help, finally.
Reading in my tabs:
“[R]epair is the expression of care, and therefore a way of making ethical decisions about design within complex and traumatised ecological systems.”
“When you have attention, you have power, and some people will try and succeed in getting huge amounts of attention, and they would not use it in equal or positive ways.” Why you should pay attention to what you pay attention to.
“My ex cheated better than the military.” Myanmar's young protest movement is fighting rubber bullets and water cannons with memes.
Online spaces provide young Pakistanis a space to involve in politics & organising, unlike the mainstream structure where gatekeeping is prevalent.
Young feminist led political organising is creating narrative strategies that resonate with broader movements and groups — which soon changed policies, governments, and most importantly, culture.
“Lawmakers, journalists, and the wider public must ask 'is this data needed?' rather than 'can this data be useful?' A consistent claim from authorities is that more surveillance equals more safety. Not only is there little evidence to support the claim that widespread and pervasive surveillance makes people safer, but such a setup is also incompatible with a free and open society.” Note to reporters: If surveillance data does not exist, then don’t use it.
Important to remember: “Be passionate about your awakening, do not presume that Black people should share your passion at your realisation."
"All words like Peace and Love, all sane affirmative speech, had been soiled, profaned, debased to a horrid mechanical screech.”
Resources (NEW!):
A guide to anti-misinformation actions around the world.
The Social Change Ecosystem Map is a framework that can help individuals, networks, and organisations align with social change values, individual roles, and the broader ecosystem.
An online exhibit: Data Visualization and the Modern Imagination.
The many ways you can un-suck the business jargons in your presentations.
STATUS BOARD
Reading: Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley, and Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger.
Listening: Imam Baildi (the band, not the food).
Watching: I haven’t watched anything much these days!
Food & Drink: I made tom yum—rather quite watery though—to have with meehoon (rice vermicelli) yesterday.