Another Zenware data-point: iA’s Writer
Last night I stumbled on Writer, a writing tool designed by Information Architects Inc., a Tokyo-based Web design and branding firm. Rather like OmmWriter, it's a high-end minimalist
Introduction to Contemplative Computing: My talk at Lift11, Marseille
This is an illustrated copy of the talk I gave at the Lift11 conference in Marseille, France in July 2011. I was in a session titled "Slow," and
I for one welcome our new robot goldfish overlords
The first cyborg goldfish: the motion of the goldfish controls a robot that moves around as the fish swims. (Though Andy Clark would disagree that the goldfish is
Contemplative art at the Smithsonian
Last week I was in Washington DC, at a workshop on the future of counterinsurgency and irregular warfare. Not the most obvious moment to encounter works that provide
A critique of minimalist word processors
While looking for a replacement for Ecto (which I've used for years, but which has now become unacceptably unstable), I stumbled upon this attack on WriteRoom and the
How word processors domesticate writers
Via Heather I got to this piece by The Thesis Whisperer, who has just switched from Microsoft Word to Scrivener, about word processors and their influence on our
Photography as a technology that invites skill
One of the lines of argument I'm developing most strongly in the contemplative computing project is that contemplation (and more generally, any kind of sustained concentration or focus)
My last couple days
This is what's been keeping me busy: a new map of the project, which I'm converting into the Prezi. It's a fabulous example of one of those things
Another thing I’m trying to track down: the cognitive archaeology of contemplative materials
Another thing I'm interested in better understanding the relationship between contemplation or reflection, and materials. Landscape architects have articulated principles for designing restorative or contemplative spaces (Bianca Moura