Later this week, from March 22 to 25, artists, designers, researchers and engineers from around the world are heading to OCAD for the Mobile Nation conference. We will be talking about [murmur] on Sunday, but the days are full of other presenters talking about various projects that involve mobile technology and public space (some in Toronto, many not). Over the past four years since thinking-up and then doing [murmur], we’ve been able to leave a carbon trail around the planet, either working on a [murmur] project or talking about it at various mobile/digital conferences and festivals. The most wonderful fringe benefit of this has been the chance to meet all kinds of passionate people doing neat things in public space with technology — and many of them will be at Mobile Nation, talking about what they do.
OCAD, the Mobile Digital Commons Network, and the Canadian Design Research Network host the Mobile Nation international conference, exploring the emerging field of mobile experience design. Mobile Nation investigates design methods for locative technologies, devices and games, showcasing international research, design, and engineering.
Mobile Nation invites designers, engineers, and creators to explore the potential of these platforms in cultural industries, architecture, educational content delivery, way-finding, and advertising. Participants will share expertise with WiFi, Global Positioning System (GPS), Bluetooth, Radio Frequency ID tags, intelligent garments, ambient media applications, and geo-locative gaming.
The conference features keynotes, live demonstrations and hands-on workshops. International speakers, panels, teleconferences, symposia, exhibition, and networking events promise to make Mobile Nation an outstanding gathering for current mobile design, research and innovation.
What I’ve always been impressed about this community is a certain commitment to the social aspect of mobile technology, and how it can facilitate social interaction, community building and sometimes fun in public. I often end up defending mobile technology to people who think it mostly means they get to hear one sided drunken cell phone conversations on the streetcar. I usually say ” but if you could only see some of the things people are doing….” Now they can. Check out the program here to see who is speaking about what, and register to attend if interested.
It’s exciting that this conference is in Toronto. When I go to similar events, I usually spend 1/4 or 1/3 of my alloted time just talking about Toronto, explaining why there is something about this city that caused us to pay attention to it and invent [murmur] — and why there is no place like it on Earth. This time I can just tell people to go for a walk, and see for themselves.
