Upgrade to Pro — share decks privately, control downloads, hide ads and more …

Internet of Nothings

Internet of Nothings

Video and transcript at: http://www.jonathanlipps.com/blog/2014/06/internet-of-nothings/

The "Internet of Things" or the "Quantified Self" are examples of recently-emerged stages of technological evolution. We take for granted that smart devices will be the perfect replacements for our dumb tools. But these assumptions are worth examining more closely! The philosophy of technology is a new and fascinating field that deserves engagement from those who build the structure of technology itself: programmers, engineers, geeks, designers, etc… It's surprisingly difficult to give a precision definition of technology or speak fully about its character, and yet it is obvious that it is the defining essence of the present age.

As a lifelong geek and programmer, I'm a big proponent of technology. As a philosopher, however, I'm cognizant of the need to take a critical stance towards especially the things I love most. And as a linguist, I know how hard it can be to talk clearly about the elements of our lives which are so central to them that they form the backdrop of every utterance. Thus we need a conversation about the operating assumptions of technology and the channels it carves into the bedrock of our relationships with others, ourselves, and our natural world.

JavaScript is at the practical cutting edge of these philosophical issues---it's the language everyone knows (or is learning), and you can use it to do everything from creating a social network to hacking together Internet-connected devices in an afternoon. JavaScript makes it *easy* to Quantify the Self and make an Internet of Things. But these are concepts worthy of a critical rethinking. What are "things", anyway? How did they function in the matrix of human meaning for most of history? How is technology reshaping that function? Why should we care? What are the ramifications of treating myself as an I/O device?

Such questions need to take a prominent place in our discussions and public debates. For who else is in a position to reflect deeply on the technological enterprise, if not us, the holders of the keys to technological advancement?

Jonathan Lipps

June 28, 2014
Tweet

More Decks by Jonathan Lipps

Other Decks in Technology

Transcript

  1. Internet of Nothings
    Technology and Our Relationship to the Things in Our World

    View Slide

  2. @jlipps
    @saucelabs
    @AppiumDevs

    View Slide

  3. View Slide

  4. ? <-----> ?

    View Slide

  5. Philosophy <-----> Technology

    View Slide

  6. Philosophy <-----> Technology

    View Slide

  7. Philosophy <-----> Technology

    View Slide

  8. IoT

    View Slide

  9. Albert Borgmann

    View Slide

  10. Albert Borgmann
    Device Paradigm

    View Slide

  11. Tool || Tendency

    View Slide

  12. Availability

    View Slide

  13. Availability:
    Instant

    View Slide

  14. Availability:
    Instant
    Ubiquitous

    View Slide

  15. Availability:
    Instant
    Ubiquitous
    Safe

    View Slide

  16. Availability:
    Instant
    Ubiquitous
    Safe
    Easy

    View Slide

  17. Instant
    Ubiquitous
    Safe
    Easy

    View Slide

  18. Mechanism Product

    View Slide

  19. Form Function

    View Slide

  20. Means Ends

    View Slide

  21. Heat

    View Slide

  22. Burden
    Heat
    Labor

    View Slide

  23. Burden
    Heat
    Orientation
    Labor
    Community

    View Slide

  24. View Slide

  25. Nutrition
    Flavor

    View Slide

  26. Nutrition
    Flavor
    Farming
    Harvesting
    Celebration

    View Slide

  27. Nutrition
    Flavor
    Farming
    Harvesting
    Celebration
    Industrial
    Agriculture Chemistry

    View Slide

  28. IoT

    View Slide

  29. Quantified Self

    View Slide

  30. Jaron Lanier

    View Slide

  31. View Slide

  32. I am :-(

    View Slide

  33. Technologist

    View Slide

  34. ∃x
    ∞x
    ?

    View Slide

  35. http://oneword.meteor.com

    View Slide

  36. Resources
    Albert Borgmann
    Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life
    Jaron Lanier
    You Are Not a Gadget
    @jlipps
    http://jonathanlipps.com/blog
    http://github.com/jlipps/oneword

    View Slide

  37. Thank You

    View Slide