No, you're not crazy if you talk to the lamppost! 

• Note: I'm still working on this post....here's where I am so far.   WORKING DRAFT..

Proximity Location Aware Cities Lampposts and Furniture and more.

• QR Codes, Will we even need them or need to see them?

Will everything have embedded IP information and interactivity in the future live or inanimate?

• and a gesture brings the content to you by audio, video, and more..
• a personal virtual display projection or group display
• your choice of how you want to process the information?

http://www.good.is published an interesting story, gets you going on other ways people can interact and learn in the real world.

From www.good.is - Pan Studio

Do you remember the Helen Keller story where she felt items to determine what they were and learn more about them? (She was blind and deaf.) This isn't about touching, but by proximity and if you think about meshing this application below with accessibility, how great would that be?

From the www.good.is commentary.  I looked for the writer's name to credit them here, but alas, I couldn't find a name at http://www.good.is/posts/hello-lamppost-talking-street-furniture-and-a-playable-city/

"Like a real-life version of a Pixar movie, the streets of Bristol, England will soon be filled with seemingly-inanimate objects that can talk.

Mailboxes, storm drains, and lampposts will be enabled with a system that allows passerby to chat with them by text message. The project, created by experiential design studio PAN, was the winner of the Playable City Award, a contest that invited designers from around the world to imagine street art or street games that could engage the community and bring people together.

A counterpart to the "smart city," the contest leaders say a "playable city" is one where people take part in reimagining and reconfiguring city services, and where they're encouraged to be playful in public. Inspired by this challenge, the designers wrote:

• The sensory extremities and appendages of a smart city are its utilities and street furniture—objects so ubiquitous that they have become invisible to us.

• They include (but aren't exclusive to) street lights, post boxes, bus stops and fire hydrants. 

• If these human 'touchpoints' are going to be smart, can they also be open, hospitable and played with at the same time? How can they be open to interpretation, surprising, and personable?

The www.good.is story continued..."PAN based their design on the codes that are stamped on objects throughout the city for management and maintenance, and made them reference points for their version of a city-wide game. By texting the "Playable City" phone number, along with the object's unique code, someone walking by can "wake up" the object and start asking and answering questions."

For a directional challenged person, I would love to talk to something on a street directing me to my next location or giving me more information.

This reminds me a little bit of the signs that you see in Asia that tell you where you can find parking in what buildings in the city, and the number of parking spaces. The signs on the road (or in front of each building) change dynamically with capacity.  The parking lot, number of available spaces is displayed on signs when approaching the city.

Combine all these ideas, or pick and choose one or the other, and think about how you could do something very different and also provide a service, give something back to the community, help others. How would you take these ideas and make them your own, and so much better?

• And if I'm waiting for the bus, Metro, is there a game to play to keep me occupied?

• and of course, I need the arrival time of 'my' next bus  or metro car and how many seats are available on the bus would be most helpful, and should I wait a few minutes for the next car since I'll get a seat?

The DC Metro is confusing at some of the stations, and I never thought their metro map was easy to use.

DC Metro Map Confusing - How would you improve it?

Underground, you get turned around as you try to find the right platform for the Metro.  You have to determine what level, and if you are on the right side of the platform, where the doors open and the train is going the right direction.    The Rosslyn Metro is an example, since it's multi-level.

I'm actually surprised that the DC Metro doesn't have video on their digital signage/advertising in the stations as well as on the Metro trains.    I'm sure they have done something, but I haven't seen anything in the last six months.    It must be a matter of cost.

• There's also a lot of wall space in the Metro, and wouldn't it make for a great, oh, consider this, mobile art display.  I mean mobile as in art hanging from the walls, or like that over a baby's crib.  Think Calder, or even colorful fabric or large ornaments created by students. 

DC Metro

Consider the fun multimedia display applications and exhibits that could also teach or that you could interact with in a game. 

 A treasure hunt or putting together clues at different Metro stops in a puzzle type environment or whatever one determines is a fun idea would be great to distract you and make your experience a little more pleasant during your transit connection wait.  A combination of proximity, visual, and who knows what?      In TaiPai as you go into an exhibit, they take your photo and display it with different backgrounds while you are waiting to go up the elevators to one of the tallest buildings in the world.  Where in the world is Waldo morphed or reverse engineered, so to speak could be a blast to play in the Metro.

I could go on and on in relationship to ideas for different demographics and psychographics.   What do you think?

Now, who would see the most value in this and how could we use this technology and live interactive information for profit, and also for civic good.    

Are you creating a playable city idea or something else?

I'm all ears and eyes and love to present visions of the future at presentations.


I hope to post about your project very soon.

Notes on My Blogging!  I have been away.    

I don't know if I'll be back to blogging regularly since I post on facebook stories, have pearltrees curation and teams (free education is one of them) and use scoop.it and magnify and who knows what for my work, and others, and check out new apps.   I decided to not worry about editing and post ideas.   Notes for myself, so to speak.   

The organization of my thoughts and notes are simply that, and I apologize for not having the time to put the lead where it goes, and tell the story in the best manner.  The alternative is not having time at all to post, and if nothing else, I can look back on posts and get ideas.   

As an author of books, and former executive editor of a magazine, (secondary to what I do!) these notes are terrible, and need editing, and not publication ready.  I have friends that can write and everything is organized and they have the thoughts in order in their head and viola - a story is almost ready for print, or on-line in the first draft.  I'm not that lucky.  I struggle to write.  I love presenting in person.    I also haven't used blogger for the longest time...so here goes...and let me know if I have incorrect information or if you have an idea.  

Goodness, I appreciate all the folks who have edited my work and other work in the future.   Some folks have a great talent at that, and it makes all the difference in the world.  

DC photo: peg

 I love connecting with folks on the Net.  Maybe I'll meet you at the corner lamppost, some technology might tell me that you read this post, and we meet and become new friends! Or I meet the person who I quoted above who wrote about this!

And, darn, I didn't keep this short and I didn't use enough photos, and I don't have an infographic...but one day the user interfaces for blogging and online or mobile publishing will be intuitive enough to bring in photos, references, build an instant infographic, and make sure that the content is accessible to all, in whatever language.  I can't wait!    peg