Ostensibly this essay by Bruce “Is Loose (The)” Sterling in Metropolis is advice to industrial designers on what to design in the whirlwind markets of 2009, but I don’t actually understand what he’s saying. I tried Googling some of the products he used as examples and I can’t even find them.
Except for cheap cell phones, which the global poor truly dote on, the lowest billion rarely buy “appropriate” objects designed for them by soft-hearted liberals. But formerly rich guys buying up-market peasant products? Man, that market should boom! It’s high time for designers to plunder and upgrade the vernacular technologies of the Third World: wheelbarrows, bicycle rickshaws, rainwater barrels, window boxes, awnings, and mosquito nets; or weird and whimsical wind toys, bamboo-and-Mylar windup shortwave radios. If they’re cheap and blithe, you can’t go wrong here. You want to vividly display a host of eye-catching solar gizmos, while quietly installing some humble weather stripping, which has a terrific ROI.
“I don’t actually understand what he’s saying. ” I love Sterling, but I am so there.
Pretty much most of his essays are like that even his new book, The Caryatids, was like that. I just hang on for the ride. But things he did like 10, 15 years ago, like Islands In The Net or Heavy Weather, now make a lot of sense to me.
I sometimes get the feeling like he is the only one who knows whats going on.
Alessi Bettina tableware –
http://www.alessi-shop.com/ashop-us/_search.php?page=1&q=bettina
Alpine Capsule –
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/11/26/alpine-capsule-by-ross-lovegrove/
Lot-EK container home –
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/05/04/prefab-friday-lot-ek-container-home-kit-cmk/
Sterling – 3
Me – 0
Great read, as per usual from Mr. Sterling.
But dude needs a new headshot, pronto.
Nice piece.
Those alpine capsules would look good in vacant lots purchased dirt cheap in the Ruins of Detroit.
Boy Genius Geeks:
Its called a Depression, Its caused by specualtive false valuations brought on by geek math and the Free everything false cultural lies.
It makes “real useful” designed objects like a shovel and a wheelbarrel More Important ( more valueable than GE stock options) in a world where that fired Chase bank VC from palo alto who sold his clients 401k plans to invest in Pets.com, now has a job shoveling dung in merced.
Being a creature of jobs/ ivy cultism, he’ll require that satin white shovel handle to feel empowered and better than the average PC using mexican who he now competes with for the dung job.
so yes, time to make designer picks and axes for the fashion slaves of their own makings:)
that about splain it to you Lucy’s?
And I bet you didnt get the Galactica Finale as well and are all pissy about Starbuck not being a miticondrian colony.
SyFy is what Geeks all deserve. Blob this.
Asimov Rand.
Mr. Sterling’s recommendations for the cutting edge are somewhat behind the times.
wheelbarrows, rainwater barrels, window boxes: Available from chichi garden catalogs for over 20 years, and long-since filtered down to the would-be green masses. Hint: Smith & Hawken.
bicycle rickshaws: Loved by tourist traps everywhere. http://www.pedicab.com/
mosquito nets: Available from Pier 1 since my very-long-distant childhood.
In short, effing Google it.