Flagons Den

I have booked a space in the local village hall to exhibit my project 3-6pm on Weds 20th May to enable me to film people interacting with the reader and inputting comments - I have put the word out so hopefully I should get a few along…

But first I just need to do a final check that the whole thing works correctly.

RFID tag on object

Tagged object launches webpage from archive

Sorted. Heres hoping there are enough people there tomorrow…

I have spent the day sticking, slicing and cutting out all my artwork so I can label all the objects in the archive and make the reader look professional (as per the brief). Here’s my visual log:

Cutting and slicing RFID stickers

Wireless interaction

Tagged objects completed

Close up object (Monkey Keychain)

Tag detail (hiding the RFID)

Reader redesign

Now for the final tests…..

It seems that for every project I create I require an afternoon in the garage with some random wood, a saw and some glue!  I have made the basis of my reader body - after ensuring the RFID tags can still be read through a barrier (mounting board) at about a 15 mm range.

Wooden base for reader

I have designed a top for the reader and for the stickers to cover the RFID tikitags so I now just need to get them printed and buy some other peripherals (Wireless keyboard, mouse and luggage tags) to complete the set up for the installation.

After speaking to Geoff, he suggested that my MIT ‘My Internet of Things’ was a bit passe as the phrase is a bit worn out these days. SO after rethinking my approach to the objects in the archive, all of which are defunct, obsolete or broken but which retain a mnemonic status I have renamed the project and created webpages for each of the objects.

Screengrab of example page - JRB/OE 001

I need to create as many links to external sources - like a folksonomic wiki with hyperlinks that are associated with each object to suggest the network created around each item. Hopefully they will inter-connect at times - and also through either the objects themselves or the comments from users create a rich subjective/semantic network which enables the archive to become much more than a taxonomic colection and stress the stories and relationships between each artifact.

I now have to create a stylised reader, and remove the overt tikitag branding to make the whole piece seem much more personal.

I had a thought - my initial interest in RFID was the misuse and surveillance aspect of personal and biometric data being accessible via a unique RFID signature. This was inspired by the Mexican border police and rfid tagged dignitaries who wanted to be ‘trackable’ to prevent kidnapping (even though this technology has no GPS capability), cashless transactions and our online persona/information recalled via RFID. This inherent monitoring of such interactions was apparent and that was my initial concern - however my digression into the development of Spimes, IPSO and IPv6 has taken that thought onto a bit of a tangent.

If we were to volunteer folksonomic information online about our possessions and objects then not only would that allow external control of sensor enabled objects but also it would add more detail to the digital record of our existence. If every transaction, movement (via CCTV) and communication is open to monitoring - by detailing our connection with the world around us we are adding flesh to those ‘digital bones’ already sat in some database somewhere. So by exploring the concept of blurring the lines between online and real world existence - I am still raising the question regarding surveillance and in fact making it more personal - rather than big brother watching you via CCTV, your toaster and fridge are broadcasting information about you into the ethers. Your IP enabled shoes are telling the world every step you take - and Big Brother is listening.

I also want to investigate the relationship we have with objects and ephemera - which is a direct relationship wth our consumerist existence - and highlights the task of tagging and rendering each item a smart or IP enabled object we become aware of the scale of our own consumption and hoarding of paraphenalia. As Bruce Sterling envisioned the Spime as a step towards transparent manufacture - with objects ‘fabbed’ on demand and processes of manufacture wholly apparent rather than discreet and secret. The tagging of current everyday objects creates ‘transparent consumption’ which makes our consumerist traits obvious to the internet enabled world and above all ourselves.

Would this knowledge change our habits? If we tagged and archived every item we owned and bought we would see our level of waste and consumption. Sterling states that there is no ‘away’ left to throw things and we need to radically rethink our current model of living to create a sustainable future - perhaps the Internet of Things would cause us to question what we hold onto - why we no longer use objects and perhaps by making all our possessions archived - we could facilitate the distribution of items to those without rather than simply sending them to landfill? Like a global freecycle movement.

Just a thought.

“New technology from participating vendors successfully demonstrated interoperability with standards-based IP networks and Internet test servers, including testing four different wireless physical layer and media access communication protocols. Results established how well IP delivers global scalability and seamless interoperability when connecting embedded smart objects to the Internet.”
Ipso Press release

Showing the interoperability at this early a stage in the development in smart objects is a clarion call to the advent of spime technology and IPv6. Obviously the current tests are for new sensor enabled objects but the dawn of intercommunicating real world objects is upon us - and my idea of creating an IP address for tagged objects seems just as relevant. The missing factor is the communication between the objects - but as the focus is on a folksonomic, bottom up archive then the connections and associations are to be made by people in response to their objects - adding links to other similar objects in archives/collections to create folksonomic metadata regarding the semantics of each object and it’s personal provenance and subjective mnemonics.

I have bought and read (it’s only 130 odd pages) Bruce Sterling’s Shaping Things and this has added some additional depth to my piecemeal concepts of his work enormously. The concept of Spimes - smart intercommunicating objects which herald an age of transparent sustainable production - is not as far fetched as it sounds. The advent of IPSO and IPv6 means we are already seeing objects and systems which communicate - and through the use of RFID we could see the ability (with the development of readers admittedly) to triangulate the position of tagged objects and through each objects unique IP address find out about that object’s status and taxonomy.

My project will deal with the interim - the use of RFID now - to tag objects and create a living archive of folksonomic histories, and instead of archaeology of ancient artifacts create a collection of data surrounding the commonplace, the detritus we collect in this consumer culture we are consumptively embedded within. The disposible objects we amass act as mnemonics to our existence - catalysts for memory and the containers for memories and associations - and often the inherent and adopted meanings of each item are internalised. By tagging these objects and creating their own webpage and IP address I will be able to publicise these associations and make manifest the connections they create within my own social strata. As these objects are so disposible - they could easily be classed as ‘ephemera‘ a term usually reserved for short lived insects, phenomena etc.

Therefore I will call this aim of archiving and elevating these objects ‘Ephemerology‘ to signify the future-possibility of everything becoming an entry in an archive - thus elevating all real time objects into artifacts. In my archive so far I have tried to pick at random - but for some reason - items which seem most interesting for this purpose are often broken/defunct or obselete. Which denotes that the object itself serves no other purpose other than as a mnemonic device;

1. A clockwork robot with no key that was a gift
2. A superceded mobile phone which contains the SMS records of my daughters birth
3. A Spectrum 48k which I have kept since I was 11
4. A Jazz LP bought from Haight & Ashbury, SF - still in fine condition but replaced by iTunes

As each object has personal associations for me - I will include this in the webpage but I will also ask as part of the installation why a visitor has decided to scan a particular object and what it means to them - allowing a more organic development of a folksonomic archive. Perhaps each object can be tagged semantically also - creating a tag cloud of referents for those who interact with each object. This tagging and re-tagging can create more stories and associations with the objects - especially if visitors post links to outside pages and associations.

I have finally got the idea for my final year project nailed down - an archive of RFID tagged objects chosen from my belongings which each have their own taxonomy and personal history/connections. I will contact an archivist to make sure the data is recordedn and archived in the correct manner online and add the functionality for additional user generated comments.


The concept would be a tactile display where users take each object and scan it to reveal it’s webpage - showing all the relevant details, history and associations and links to the network of connections from that one object - people, places, photos etc. Highlighting the personal provenance of each item and also allowing comments, and further links to be made.

I found this page on nigerian scams on facebook and whether it’s for real or not - it does raise the issue about how stupid people who fall for these scams are. Until someone is able to believably pass themselves off as someone they have never met to said impersonated persons’ friends then why bother?
This is a wierd sort of Turing test for conmen - If they can maintain an actual wall to wall discussion without using pidgin english, abysmal grammar and demanding money every two sentences they may get somewhere. Until that day - just laugh and ignore them.

Thanks Gavin Cooper - gave me the heads up on getting around my tikitag problem, using some php script I can get the tag off via a query string - just need to use flash vars to get the animation/database calls working. My main worry is that if each tag makes a web link open then the interface will be an ever expanding number of browser windows…not that nice.

Following the meeting with Geoff Cox today I have to decide whether I go with the initial idea of the projected environment triggered by each individual tag holder or come up with a completely new scenario.

I like the idea of creating my own Internet of things, which could be quite tangible - but sort of ignores my initial concerns about the dark side and surveillance.  But there is nothing wrong I guess with accentuating the positive aspects and potential for RFID technology. Each tagged object could link to a page about itself which links to all the aspects of it - ie, a toy made in China could link to the online sales sites to buy it, details of China’s human rights issues and production standards, and details of the relevance of the item to me - a personal provenance if you like.

There is the possibility of a game scenario - with tagged cards/pieces which trigger actions or alter the space?

A display of ID cards - as you would get in a factory punching in set up - which allows you to access their details if you pick one and swipe it?

Cards which are like the poetry fridge magnets - showing adverbs, adjectives creating some sort of audio poem/montage when they are scanned?