Obsidian Networking
Sardinia 2007 Workshop
With new mobile technologies, our mobile phones, computers, televisions and other electronic devices are expanding their existence beyond their physical location and size. Since most of us carry a mobile phone almost anywhere, it’s conceived more and more as an interface or a terminal for data on a higher level than simple person-to-person mobile communication.
Although Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, internet access and broadband are not common and not wildly used around the island, Needless to say WiFi hot spots. For some people, native and tourists – the access to vital digital information while on the island could be a difficult task. With that said cellular network is widely spared and accessible all over the island.
Sardinia is one of the most ancient places in Italy – it is well known for its extraordinary tourist areas such as ancient Architecture, wonderful beaches and music (Home to one of the oldest forms of Vocal Polyphony). While on the internet such information as locations and history are well documented - On a mobile phone, for a person roaming the land, this information is not accessible.
More then that, it is a well known fact that native people know where the best places are, the best cultural activities happen and many other secrets known only to locals. This information may not be accessible to anyone else but that specific social group.
“The connection of local territory, its culture and habitants via design, technology and social collaborative networking”
In this workshop students will be asked to explore and design new hybrid tools for tomorrow’s mobile services platforms in connection with the physical location where the service is activated. Students will learn how to design the information architecture layer of a large scale social service and design user interfaces for the different access terminals.
Focusing on a cross platform system that can bridge computers, internet and mobile devices with people, history and culture, one of our main attentions will be towards content sharing and collaborative content creation, implementation of new data types (like modern Chat/IM or unsynchronized data gathering). The system should provide access to this unique and ever-growing content from any mobile phone, computer, Television and maybe even radio sets.
Why Obsidian Networking?
The name of this workshop is related to the Prehistoric era, when Sardinia’s inhabitants developed a trade in obsidian, a black or dark-colored volcanic glass. Obsidian was used for the production of the first tools. This activity brought Sardinians into contact with most of the Mediterranean people.
(by Yaniv Steiner) v05
