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kids and technology

Kids are just adorable. Kids and technology melts hearts. Have you ever thought about hov addictive your cell phone is? Think on how mothers (and fathers on paternal leave) on maternal leave live through their cell phones? I will be publishing situations on kids and gadgets over the next few weeks.

Oh - and apologies for the long absence: I have been on paternal leav ;o) Sphere: Related Content

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Multimedia carrier

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Trouble shooting

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Easy rider

It's funny how summer brings out bicicles and gadgets! This photo is of a fellow bicicler (is that the name for it??) who toyed with her cellphone - it looked more like she tried to find a contact, than texting.

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The theme of May: bicycles 'n gadgets

The summer has made an early call to the streets of Copenhagen. Thus a lot of photo-oppotunities on my way. The bicycles is what Copenhagen is (in-)famous for. Thus I decided - a bit on a whim - that the theme for the month of May is to be Bicycles n' gadgets. But only a bit on a whim: just last night I discovered the great blog Copenhagenize.com. Go tjek it out!!! Its a great site about bicycles and bicycle culture in the streets of Copenhagen. Now this blog is all about the use of gadgets, and especially cellphones in public. So for the month of May I will do what I can to fuse these two subjects

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Concluding multitasking

Had a lot of tasks in my professional job as a futurist at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures studies. Thus this late concluding post on the first theme here at Visual ethnologist.

My header could just as well have been called the more enigmatic "What are you doing?". That would be a great line if it wasn't so wannabe-shcolaric ;o)

The "what are you doing" is one of my first insigths into this field of documenting how we live with technology in our everyday life. The handheld devices are subject to a type of over interpretation that has to do with the dynamics with which we use them. Thus I had to disqualify a lot of my pictures (again - taken with my trusty old Sone Ericsson c902 mobile phone camera. And I am getting quite fond of the old boy) showing individuals texting. As it turned out seconds later, they were just looking up a contact, and happily chatting (as in the old English definition of talking in an informal way. Not the internet lingua definition of talking through text in a chat-room... I digress). So you have to ask your self the following question as I will through this ongoing investigation of our use of everyday tech: what are you doing? Sphere: Related Content

Texting on-the-almost-ride

Well. It looks like this is going to be my best shot of a person multitasking in this manner: while riding a bicycle. Copenhagen is (in)famous for its many bicycles. And for its many bicycles riding inconsiderate. But on the other hand I would like to suggest that the level of confidence and trust in others, that it takes to go peddaling down the street, while being preoccupied by text messagings is - well quite stunning.
So a picture of texting-on-the-almost ride. Almost ultimate multitasking (try saying that last sentence fast, ten times in a row ;o) )

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Texting on the ride

He is in the background... on a bicycle... almost being swallowed up by the red, parked car. My best shot of texting on the ride

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Cross media management

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Texting while walking

Finaly got a picture of someone crossing the street while texting. In the gray coat. Voila!

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Where are you going?

This picture is kind of a preview of an upcomming theme for this blog; kids and technology. I still think that there is a kind of two-worlds-feeling to the sight of a mother her kid and the phone. Kids are phenomenal - have you ever considered how "grown-up-like" a kid talking on the mobile phone behave?
Well - todays picture (still taken with my trusty old Sone Ericsson C902) is mother, kid, trolley and mobile phone. Mobility and multitasking in one (and isn't parenthood like that?

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Crossing the street

For the longest time I have been on the alert for possible picture oppotunities of the "crossing the street"-type. Think it is an expression of ultimate confidence and trust in the surroundings: crossing the street while not minding exactly that business, but the business of being in contanct with the guy at the other end.
Trust and confidence and a mobilephone. Gotta love that constellation.

I am planning the fieldwork for the comming months and was wondering if any of you have some good snapshots depicting the "otherplacely" aspect of mobilephone use. I mean; look at us talking away in public, navigating the everyday life (such as crossing the street), but not being entirely present. Here and there. In a hybrid space. Beautiful isn't it?

I have taken various pictures with my SE C902 mobilephone camera, of persons crossing the street while texting. I have included one below, but hopefully I will get a better one in the comming days.

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Track your photos with Google Earth

Unfortunately there are no new mobile phone camera shot today. I have been down with the flu: apparently it is colder than you may think stalking Metro entrances, busstops and the road in general, trying to get the best shot of every day life, with my kind-of beloved Sony Erisson C902.

But I did take time for some in-doors activities. isn't Google Earth one of the funniest tools ever. And kind of awesome?? If you share my interest in capturing everyday life with your mobile phone camerae odds are that your phone has a Google Earth feature. My SE c902 does.

Geo tags
Geo tags is the most usual name for it and it uses the gps in your mobile phone to position your shot on Google earth. I spend an evening tracking myself and my fieldwork efforts on the multitasking theme for this month. I realize that I need to broaden up my field of research.

The mission
If you are new to this blog my mission is to capture every day life with mobile phones. In both sense, i.e. I shoot everyday life with the camera in my Sony Ericsson C902 mobile phone and I shoot pictures of people using their phones in various ways under various themes. This months theme is Multitasking. Sphere: Related Content

Stair way to mobile...

Ever done like the guy on this shot? Navigating stair-cases, other people physically present, other people not physically present, managing transport schedules et cetera? I know I do on a regular basis. And although it may look dare devilish I know that a LOT of people get a lot of communication via mobile phones done near means of transportation. I spend a couple of hours every day after work at my local metro station watching and looking for a shot that would tell the tale of multi tasking. I got the idea after spending some time watching people waiting for the buss. Waiting for the buss or for any means of transportation, kind of puts you in a loophole where you either watch longingly in the direction the transport is supposed to come from OR you get communication done on the phone; texting or making phonecalls (a few are browsing the paper). The persons in waiting are kind of in-between worlds in the sense that they are rarely taking interest in their sourrundings.
The most interesting aspect from my point of view is the two-worlds or in-between worlds aspect. When I get a better camera (maybe from the adds on this blog??) I'll launch a series of "where are you" shots de-picting persons on the phone walking. Have you noticed how they distinctly are NOT-here but rather there?
I digress.
Two-worlds or my concept of hybridspace which I have spend some time exploring in my job at the Copenhagen institute for Futures Studies seems like it applies here as well. Using mobile phones in every day settings puts you very much in a hybrid space, not really here, not really there. That is mult tasking in its essence.

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A note on gear

when you spend a lot of time in the field, your field gear becomes more and more important. One thing I have noticed in my very short carrer, is that the level of mandatory equipment has soared. An important dogma for this website is, that I want to deflate those levels a bit by sticking to low-tech gear. Well - everything is relative isn't it?
At the moment I am using the camera in my Sony-Ericson C901 mobile phone. Today I really regretted that choise, because I spend a lot of time just missing the great shot. Hence - no picture for today. A I am using low-tech gear for this site, I was wondering whether any of you out there has any experience in keeping field gear on a low level? Sphere: Related Content

Barely missing the good shot

This shot is actually of myself multitasking. No - I am not actually in the shot and neither are anybody else. The multitasker is me, navigating my bicycle in rush hour traffic such as one can experience it through the shaky image of my camera lens. The picture is taken one half second before my otherwise lethally steady hand chose to take an alternative path through the heavily occupied streets. Nothing happened - told you I have a lethwlly steady hand. But I really need to figure out a safe way of snapping "drive by"-shots on the bicycle. Any suggestions are welcome!

The reason why I take such pains is that I really think that one of the situations in which we are most mobile and communicating on the run is while we are on our bicycles. A situation and a fact that makes Denmark/Copenhagen pretty unique is the fact that there are so many using bicycles as a means of tranportation. And the fact that it is not considered low-status such as I have the (un-academic) impression is the case for China/Beijing. Somebody got the figures I will be very happy for a head up!?
Where is all this going - well the reason for much of my fieldwork conducted in my spare time (which this blog is used for - for my professional work, please refer to the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, www.cifs.dk) is my studies of technology in every day context and mobility takes many forms and shapes. Researcher and scolar, Brigitte Jordan at PARC, opened my eyes towards that. In my professional research I am studying what I call "hybrid Space": The fact that we always seen to be between places - whether online, on the phone or mentally. Mostly I refer to the online bit. So while studying technology as it is transformed into everyday tangibles (I am looking for words here...) in the hands of people such as you and me it also tells us something about our mobility and how the two mutually transforms each other. I happen to be fascinated by mobile phones (although I really seem to write alot about bicycles too, don't I?) and how they are changed in the hands of the everydy user. More power to you. For a more professional and insightfull kind of research -check out the Future perfect website of Jan Chipchase, Nokia.

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He is running!

Multitasking or not? Well; my gear is kinda crappy, so the pictures are sometimes just that *sigh* I miss working with my Nikon F-801s (analogue). The guy on todays picture is actually running and almost keeping up with the bicycle. I know that his right hand LOOKS like it is well settled in the pockets of his jacket, but his black gloves sort of osmosed into the equal black background of said jacket.
Multitasking? Or just multimanaging? One suggestion is as good as the other. I know it is kind of peeking into other peoples lives; but was he running to meet up with somebody - or running for the bus - or what?

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Multitasking #2: Cars, mobiles and bicycles

Todays multitasking picture is a common sight in the Copenhagen area. A bicycle. Yes - a bicycle and a bicyclist...and his mobile. How to better not waste time, than to sally forth on your vessel and being ON. Nothing beats the feeling of pedalling and repating yourself over and over again due to the wind ripping up any coherent sentence you make: "What was THAT love? Tomatoes? Yes - we shall have tomatoes to go with that". I am in a sarcastic mood, but seriously, though, you do not get more multitasky than surviving the Copenhagen rush hour, while bicycling AND being pre-occupied on the mobile. I often test my own abilities this way

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Multitasking #1 trains, earplugs and mobile

The first picture of multitasking is from the lokal train taking us from the center of Copenhagen, to out-of-town. The girl is texting vigoriously while listning to music from a second gadget/mp3. Not multitasking enough? Post your best shot Sphere: Related Content

Multitasking

This months task (and the first one in a series of tasks - og dogmas if you like) is multitasking. That means that every time I see some one use a piece of handheld technology along with doing another task or some other type of technology, I HAVE to get a picture with my cellphone and upload it to this blog. That way I hope we will end up with a lot of visual "evidence" on how technology is used in an urban, everyday setting. See you on the visual.

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