Idearium Drinklink

Posted on 05/04/2008 by admin

Before the barcamps, before the foocamps, even before Frontiers of Interaction here it stands the Drink Link: just add a part of unconference, some friends (it’s simply matter of case that among these friends you can find some of the brightest minds in Italy) and a cool location. Drink Link to serve you madam!

I received an invitation to the first edition of 2008, organized by Leeander and friends at the Bastard Headquarters in Milan to showcase the new idea they’re working on: an open source hardware technology to let spimes interact with data and people: the Open Spime project.
I’ve seen the early early stage of this technology, even before the first prototype, and I can say it really rocks!

The event is invitation based, but – as far as I know – you can join us here.

Back to paper

Posted on 09/01/2008 by admin

As those who regularly read these pages know I’m a guy of the Digital Era: I listen to MP3 music both at home and while on the move, I regularly wear a couple of cellphones, my alterego’s name is Blackberry, I own 3 computers (and regularly use each of them), the main method I get in touch with my parents is via Skype video, etc. etc.

But all these bits are starting pissing me off. I want some more Carbonium (or, better said, 6 athoms of Carbonium 10 athoms of Hydrogen and a twist of 5 athoms of Oxygen).

It all started in early last year. When I get rid of the ugly Word generated fax cover and switched to b-side of used A4 sheets and the use of a pen.

This simple operation boosted my performances when sending data via fax:

Since I don’t usually use Word templates I’ve always got the need to search for them. Now I don’t do it anymore.
Since your’re supposed to be creating a – ehm – good looking fax cover you should also give a proper form to what you’re writing. Now I grab my pen and wrote what I have in mind directly on the paper.
Some times the printer crashes, and I have to reprint the cover and wait for the printer doing its job. Now I just take the first used sheet I find and I’m ready to start.
And, most of all, I can draw cooler smiles then those you find in Word!!! (actually cooler then those you find in WordPress too!)

But this was just the beginning. Then I received a present from one of our partners that definitely turned me on. A 365 days Moleskine diary. In full effect.

I’ve never owned a Moleskine book, but apparently all of my marketing/advertising/graphics/creative friends have one (Marcello, you know who you are), and I’ve always been kinda gelous of the particular feeling they have for their Moleskine.

Today I grabbed my beloved stylo and started copying all my meetings from the Outlook agenda to the Moleskine. What I loved more is the soft scraping sound the pen produces as the ink flow on the paper; it’s not a scheduler anymore, it’s a piece of me; an echo of my life tranferred on the Moleskine.

Wonderful.

Now I’ll tell you my friend what are my plans. I still need Blackberry and Outlook since they’re way too comfortable to be left behind. But the paper diary will become my preferred way of tracking appointments, it will be the first thing I’ll look at once in my office (just before opening my Bloglines account) and the last thing I’ll close before commuting to home.

Me, my stylo and my brand new Moleskine: technology for my own sake

A tailor-made world

Posted on 10/11/2007 by admin

If you read this blog you might know I use the yellow line underground to travel to work; without driving I’m plenty with time to read and, most of all, to let my mind run free. Early this week I was thinking on the strange way that took me from loving baggy pants to the way I dress today.

As I grow-up I’m loving tailor made stuff more and more. I have nice shirts, but I prefere my tailor made ones: they’re more confortable and they simply fit me. Same thing for my suites: most of my preferred are tailor made.

This is probably because of the years on your shoulders teach you how to fall in love for details and how to appreciate the uniqueness. Probably. For me at least.

Tailor-made has always been a synonym of richness. Just think about Ferrari cars: each one is made by hand following its owner’s desires. They even have a dedicated web site.

But we were talking about my thoughts, weren’t we. Yes sorry. Let’s get back to them. While thinking about the way life changed my taste I suddenly realized how the tailor-made=rich equation is becoming less and less common (by the way: my pal Marco helped me discovering a great tailor that prepares shirts for us for just 40 euros, drop me a line if you live in Milan and need her contacts).

Examples? Here they come: each morning I have personalized news and informations via my Bloglines feeds; I sleep on a latex
mattress that modifies according to my body shape and weight; I choose the films/shows I want to see at the time I want them on my IP TV (more to come with things such as Joost); etc. etc.

You might say this is not truly tailor-made; they’re just (very good) approximations of what tailor-made really is. And you might be right.

So what about future trends? I actually see two main trends in this area for the next years.

1. Atoms from bits

The first 3D printers are reaching our desktops with a price that’s more or less the price os a laser printers 15 years ago (or, if you like, you can build one by yourself); today they could be useful for rapid prototyping, but tomorrow? If you imagine a future rich in nanotechs you can then imagine to create your shirt in a 3D modeling environment and then making it real using your printer. Want more? Buy the specs of your favourite digital player and let your “printer” build it for you. Fully functioning.

Kinda too futuristic huh? I agree, even if I think that my generations will see this future. But take a look at the next trend.

2. Personalization through data-mining

Google, the greatest data miner on earth, has started the creation of synthetic models of real buildings, linking them to the original through Google Earth geodata and images.
Given a number of items big enough, you might “invent” an object and find a very similar one between these items. You just need a proper way to search for it; and Google is indexing the world: I can imagine to model an object I’d like to have, give the model to google, and shop for the (already existing) approximation of it. Nice huh?

I really think we already have the knowledge and the algorithms to perform such a project. Any Venture listening? (if the answer is es you might want to contact me via Linkedin)”