Paul Dourish and Genevieve Bell
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262015554
- eISBN:
- 9780262295345
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262015554.001.0001
- Subject:
- Computer Science, Programming Languages
Ubiquitous computing (or ubicomp) is the label for a “third wave” of computing technologies. Following the eras of the mainframe computer and the desktop PC, it is characterized by small and powerful ...
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Ubiquitous computing (or ubicomp) is the label for a “third wave” of computing technologies. Following the eras of the mainframe computer and the desktop PC, it is characterized by small and powerful computing devices that are worn, carried, or embedded in the world around us. The ubicomp research agenda originated at Xerox PARC in the late 1980s; these days, some form of that vision is a reality for the millions of users of Internet-enabled phones, GPS devices, wireless networks, and “smart” domestic appliances. This book explores the vision that has driven the ubiquitous computing research program and the contemporary practices which have emerged—both the motivating mythology and the everyday messiness of lived experience. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the authors’ collaboration, it takes seriously the need to understand ubicomp not only technically but also culturally, socially, politically, and economically. The authors map the terrain of contemporary ubiquitous computing, in the research community and in daily life; explore dominant narratives in ubicomp around such topics as infrastructure, mobility, privacy, and domesticity; and suggest directions for future investigation, particularly with respect to methodology and conceptual foundations.Less
Ubiquitous computing (or ubicomp) is the label for a “third wave” of computing technologies. Following the eras of the mainframe computer and the desktop PC, it is characterized by small and powerful computing devices that are worn, carried, or embedded in the world around us. The ubicomp research agenda originated at Xerox PARC in the late 1980s; these days, some form of that vision is a reality for the millions of users of Internet-enabled phones, GPS devices, wireless networks, and “smart” domestic appliances. This book explores the vision that has driven the ubiquitous computing research program and the contemporary practices which have emerged—both the motivating mythology and the everyday messiness of lived experience. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the authors’ collaboration, it takes seriously the need to understand ubicomp not only technically but also culturally, socially, politically, and economically. The authors map the terrain of contemporary ubiquitous computing, in the research community and in daily life; explore dominant narratives in ubicomp around such topics as infrastructure, mobility, privacy, and domesticity; and suggest directions for future investigation, particularly with respect to methodology and conceptual foundations.
Javier Benedicto and Adolfo Plasencia
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262036016
- eISBN:
- 9780262339308
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262036016.003.0009
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Technology and Society
The engineer, Javier Benedicto, head of the Galileo Programme Department at ESA, describes in this dialogue the frustration felt by scientists who work in space agencies. The long-term nature of ...
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The engineer, Javier Benedicto, head of the Galileo Programme Department at ESA, describes in this dialogue the frustration felt by scientists who work in space agencies. The long-term nature of their projects means that those who envision and design a space mission are forced to leave the future generation to implement the mission as well as processing the results. He explains that although it is hard to believe, uncertainty also hovers over the Galileo space programme meaning they also have to consider that the impos∫sible could actually occur. He relates how in Galileo they ‘manufacture’ their own notion of ‘universal time’ that will be used worldwide and explains how they are working with this time, which is accurate to a nanofraction of a second. He goes on to explain how they managed to persuade the Russians (Glasnoss), Chinese (Beidou) and North Americans (GPS) to agree to cooperate and, at the same time, make their systems compatible with Galileo’s future GPS system for civilian use.Less
The engineer, Javier Benedicto, head of the Galileo Programme Department at ESA, describes in this dialogue the frustration felt by scientists who work in space agencies. The long-term nature of their projects means that those who envision and design a space mission are forced to leave the future generation to implement the mission as well as processing the results. He explains that although it is hard to believe, uncertainty also hovers over the Galileo space programme meaning they also have to consider that the impos∫sible could actually occur. He relates how in Galileo they ‘manufacture’ their own notion of ‘universal time’ that will be used worldwide and explains how they are working with this time, which is accurate to a nanofraction of a second. He goes on to explain how they managed to persuade the Russians (Glasnoss), Chinese (Beidou) and North Americans (GPS) to agree to cooperate and, at the same time, make their systems compatible with Galileo’s future GPS system for civilian use.
