Being Fair To The Media Lab

harrisj — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 12:58:00 -0700

In my previous post where I criticized the SNIF device for mapping pet social networks as being a solution in search of a problem, I wrote a snide aside about it originating from the MIT Media Lab (where else?). Okay, I will admit it, that was mean. The MIT Media Lab does come up with some great ideas too. For instance, check out this design for a remote control that is powered by pushing the buttons (via the wonderful Make Magazine Blog. This is so simple but brilliant (think how many batteries just go into remote controls every year), that I feel I owe the Media Lab a bit of an apology on the strength of that one invention alone. And they do lots of other neat stuff too. I even took a few classes in holography there while I was a student at MIT.

Still, I feel I must explore the source of my snarkiness. The nature of the Media Lab is that their projects are driven by corporate funding, and so there is often a sheen of hype over everything they do (no sponsor wants to feel like they're paying for a dud). They really have to sell themselves to the sponsors. So, the resulting perception among engineers is this sense of undifferentiated breathlessness where the most speculative and profoundly silly projects are treated with the same reverences as ideas profound and smart. Furthermore, the hype practically screams out the belief that everything will be a wild success and that everything can be improved by technology. It's like we've learned no lessons from the dot-com bust. And this hype is what gets me surly, because I've been down that road before.

My Dog Hates Computers

harrisj — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 22:44:00 -0700

She tends to paw at me when I dare to work on the laptop instead of scratching her. So, I don't think she'd be into SNIF, a new project for tracking canine interactions with expensive collars out of the MIT Media Lab (where else?). Yes, this is a fine example of using fancy technology and expensive gadgets to tackle simple problems that aren't begging for solutions. Is it necessary or important? No. But in a city where boutiques sell dog eyeglasses, designer knockoffs, and other expensive dog-oriented options, I suppose it still might sell. From the Wired News article on SNIF, there are some funny excerpts:

The Social Networking in Fur, or SNIF, project is a wearable computer system for dogs that allows their owners to monitor the animals' behavior and capture their social networks.

Paging Dogster, there's some venture capital heading your way! The dog-com boom has started! At least now, I can devote more energy to tracking Bella's social interactions.

When in the docking station, the leash becomes a display device, alerting users to the status of their pet's social network. If a dog's buddy goes out for a walk, the leash will play the buddy's unique collar tone. "Just as in IM clients, the SNIF hardware makes it easy to know when your dog's pals have gone out for a walk," said Jonathan Gips, one of the SNIF team members. "Instead of being online, your friends are marked as 'outside.'"

I can't really add anything to this. I use this thing called memory to remember which dogs my dog likes, but I'm old-fashioned that way. Of course, I also haven't realized the advantages an advanced electrical device can bring to my bland and depressing existence!

"Psychologically, the pressure to interact socially is lessened by the activity of walking a dog," says Noah Fields, another team member. "Ideally, we want SNIF to function in much the same way. We believe that SNIF will allow dog owners who live hectic lives to use technology to maintain a sense of community."

Yes, if only they could invent communities around dogs playing. Living in Manhattan, I remember going to the dog run, where I could hang out with other dog owners watching out dogs play and thinking to myself, "sure, this may be a community, but if only there were an expensive high-tech way of emulating this system, preferably one that keeps out the poor and unfashionable? When can we reach that golden tomorrow?"

Nimble Code: Tag medialab

Being Fair To The Media Lab

My Dog Hates Computers