During a brief visit to Berlin several months ago, I excitedly accepted a dinner invitation by two friends celebrating their third wedding anniversary at unsicht-bar, where you dine in complete darkness and you’re served by blind waiters. At the entrance, we followed the waiter by holding onto each other’s shoulders towards our table. We opted for the surprise menu, knowing that it would add more fun to our pitch-black evening trying to guess what we were served. The ambience was initially awkward, but jazz and waltz music helped us relax. We didn’t wait long before Angela, our friendly and legally blind waiter brought our meals. In a unique experience, we took turns relying at first on the senses of smell and touch before involving our taste buds in attempts to remove the mystery from our meals. My hands were my utensils tackling my meal, which was a slice of roast beef with pasta and green beans. Even though the food was mediocre, the experience was thought-provoking, at least to me.

Berlin is reputed for its eccentric fine dining; there’s a restaurant where you can pay what you wish (Weinerei), and another that caters for anorexics (Sehnsucht) and employs bulimic waitresses. There’s also a toilet-themed restaurant (Klo, German for toilet), and the more popular, but still unconventional, Hard Rock Café; a casual dining venue built around a theme of rock and roll, from live music to interior décor. Later on, it became apparent to me that these restaurants were not only limited to Berlin. In fact, it has been a growing global phenomenon over the past three decades called “concept restaurants,” sometimes also called “theme restaurants.” I wondered about what underlies that trend and whether there’s a common thread among concept restaurants. Based on a lot of research and travelling, I drew the conclusion that they all reflect a relatively recent worldview prevalent in contemporary culture known as postmodernism.

Image via Romania-Insider.com

From the mid-18th century forward, the Modern era brought along the Enlightenment Age (sometimes labelled “Age of Reason”), introducing ideals that were … Read More

Simply click (or tap if you’re using a touch-screen) to zoom in:

Rotate View: [Upside down] [90° Clockwise] [90° Counterclockwise]

Above is the first HTML5-enabled panoramic view of the Sistine Chapel ceiling with high-resolution zoom-and-pan interactivity. Combining the very old and the newest together is always interesting, as in this view inside the 500-year old chapel using the latest Internet technologies. Usage of HTML5 means accessability in almost all browsers and operating systems (Windows, Macintosh or others) as well as mobile devices, i.e. iPhones, iPads and Android phones and tablets.

One of the unique features shown above is how natural light streams through the chapel’s windows. For comparison’s sake, here is the Vatican’s 360-degree virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel which uses Adobe Flash Player, launched in early 2010. You may compare the chapel’s ceiling in both my HTML5-enabled version and the Vatican’s Adobe Flash-enabled one, in terms of usability and accessibility. I personally believe it’s time for their incredible virtual tour to be upgraded to HTML5.

… Read More

Holding onto the control bar, which connects his kite-surfing board to a giant, crescent-shaped kite that’s powered by the wind, Carlos Lima  is swiftly gliding over the ocean waves. He doesn’t mind the familiar taste of salt water  splashing on his lips as he performs acrobatic tricks, stopping only to catch his breath in the cool breeze. From the corner of his eye, he can see his childhood friends among the cheering crowds on the beach, waving wildly with their fists, although he can barely hear their cries. It’s been a very long trip for all of them; Carlos Lima and his friends have flown from their hometown in Brazil, where Lima is a minor kite-surfing celebrity, to Mangawhai Heads in New Zealand to compete against kite-surfers from around the world. Back on the beach, a reporter asks Lima what crosses his mind while he’s riding the waves. “Out there, I think about how much I’m enjoying the ride and the incredible trust I have in my gear.”

Kite-surfing is one of the latest and fastest-growing extreme sports, which are sports that involve risky thrills and usually spectacular speed or height. Among the countless manifestations are sky diving, sky surfing, hang gliding, bungee jumping, mountain biking, freestyle skiing, jet skiing, skateboarding, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and surfing. The few studies undertaken to explain their popularity concluded that it’s a reaction against the increasingly safe life. As Canadian psychologist Steven Pinker succinctly put it, “we are living in the most peaceful time in our species’ existence.” The other explanation is a new age desire to express individuality and search for identity from a smorgasbord of lifestyles and subcultures. In 1970, American futurist Alvin Toffler presciently explained that “the growth of a distinct subcult built around surfing, for example, demonstrates that…a leisure-time commitment can also serve as the basis for an entire life style. The surfing subcult is a signpost pointing to the future.”

Image via My Modern Metropolis

While the above reasons are not erroneous, the main reason behind the rise of those adrenaline-pumping activities can be summed up in one word, … Read More

It seemed like a familiar plot, someone publishes what they deem artistic, albeit offensive to Islam, Muslims get enraged, protests spread, so-called artists and their families go into hiding, embassies attacked, US and Israeli flags are burnt, dozens of protesters get killed, politicians urge calm, diplomatic crises erupt, handled and eventually resolved.

Amid the fallout over posting a trailer for the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims” on YouTube, the White House requested that Google, the parent company of YouTube, remove it. Such a censorship request is troubling, certainly, and also absurd. Politics, religion and even free speech aside, it’s nearly impossible to permanently remove the film from YouTube or the internet.

The White House request to remove the trailer off YouTube seemed to spring from a genuine desire to take it off the Internet and put an end to the crisis. It’s yet another embarrassing demonstration of the lack of understanding of how the Internet works. Apparently, politicians sometimes have to be reminded of the clichéd adage: What happens online, stays online, forever.

Art  by Sarolta Bán

Here are the main reasons that keep data we share online from ever being consigned to oblivion:

1. Screen capturing: This one is a classic, available since the early days of computers. It’s a snapshot of what appears on your screen, whether it’s a webpage or a Twitter message. This practical tool is available on all PC and mobile operating systems and goes by many names; screen capture, screen shot, screen grab, screen dump and print screen. You’ll frequently encounter its use in action as you read the news. Here’s an example: The official Facebook page of the Israeli embassy in Ireland shared a “Christmas thought“ with its fans saying that if Jesus was alive today, being a Jewish man, he’d be lynched by Palestinians. After an outcry, the anti-Palestinian Christmas message was deleted and they published an apology, but not before an embarrassing screenshot was taken by someone somewhere and was distributed between media outlets.

2. Copying/pasting and “Save image as…” are among the oldest tricks for Internet users … Read More

In the private sector, one assumes that the temptation of higher revenues and wider appeal would fuel rapid yet sensible adoption of new technologies. The reality of business today is either outright reluctance or a constantly rapid but half-hearted adoption of technology. Short-sighted business leaders strive to keep the status quo, protecting their out-of-date business models.

Cable TV Providers and Movie Studios
In the traditionally tremendous market of the US, pay TV providers are shedding hundreds of thousands of subscribers on an annual basis. For how long will they argue that it’s the economic crisis to be solely blamed?! Subscribers forced to pay for dozens of extra channels that they never watch. In fact, many would be content with only a handful of channels. These customers are not coming back and they’ve gone pursuing cheaper, online alternatives. Pay TV providers still don’t take the threat of video over broadband seriously enough while they downplay the effect of Netflix, Hulu and other online video content (YouTube). Soon the competition against cable television will be more ferocious with upcoming TV services by tech giants, Apple and Google.

Movie theater ticket sales have long been declining and so have sales of DVDs. The tactics of entertainment executives will not entice customers to buy the overpriced and outdated DVDs again. In panic, Hollywood studios dedicate too much of their resources waging a futile campaign attempting to police content on the web which will ultimately fail. With the aid of the US government and other governments, they fight piracy by shutting down websites (megaupload.com is a recent example) and peer-to-peer networks (Napster, Audiogalaxy and Limewire) in addition to planting fake and corrupt files on existing P2P networks. They frequently sue individual downloaders and file-sharers, and demand Internet Service Providers to take action against their own customers. With the take-down of every file-sharing website or network, another one springs up in a far-flung place, away from the US jurisdiction.

Image via Sandia National Laboratories

Examining the ingenious Netflix solution of online movie rentals, it seems that film makers have a future when they partner with online … Read More

An interesting aspect among all cultures, since the dawn of human civilization, is people’s fascination with telling stories. Humans have long preserved their history, religion, folklore, fairytales and mythology in a narrative form. They fulfilled the need to share their stories in both the oral and written formats; in songs, poetry and carvings on walls; in theatrical performances, photography, paintings, comics, movies and documentaries. Recently, starting in 2010, Twitter has been used as yet another innovative medium for storytelling.

Other digital tools like email or blogging could never have provided the same experience of historical reenactment seen on Twitter, where major events and wars are brought to life in messages of 140-characters or less, aka tweets. You could read tweets by a Titanic eyewitness or a war reporter from WWII. Some Twitter accounts commemorating historical events schedule their tweets to be posted “in real time.” For example, one account (@RealTimeWWII ) explains that they’re “livetweeting the 2nd World War, as it happens on this date & time in 1940, & for 5 years to come.” Those verbal snapshots of important events from the past might motivate readers to learn more about the full version of the story and to conduct deeper research in history. To a degree, it’s educational and somewhat entertaining.

Such virtual mix-up of today’s modern tools with historical events, attempts to satisfy our curiosity about some what-if scenarios. What if news back then travelled as fast it does today? How or could an American Civil War reporter with a smartphone and a Twitter account change the course of the war? For better or worse, it could also be a sign that there’s a new generation that finds learning history to be more interesting through Twitter than thick history books, in doses of 140 characters. Additionally I personally believe that people enjoy the illusion that important figures like legendary Anarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott (1868 – 1912) is just a click away and ready to reply to your tweets any time and ready to answer your questions about his heroic polar expeditions.

Art by 0:Lives

Below is … Read More

This article was initially published in Doublethink magazine.

Lawmakers are desperately trying to catch up with the newest technologies, because existing laws are no longer adequate to cover how we interact and transact in our online communities. Privacy and copyright laws are lagging behind and courts have to settle disputes with no legal precedents. Keep in mind that in the virtual world, just like in the real one, what could be legal is not necessarily ethical. The Law’s struggle to evolve with technology is manifested regularly on the news with stories ranging from the absurd to the questionable. In March 2012, as a cure for the dangerous distractions of mobile phones, texting while walking was banned in a New Jersey town and police announced that they’ll issue $85 jaywalking tickets to those who’re caught.

Should teachers and students be Facebook friends? Could there be any academic benefits in them doing so? Not according to Missouri legislators who in 2011 passed a law (currently contested) that barred teachers from using websites where they can have “exclusive access” to students of 18 years old or younger, in order to rule out any opportunities for “sexual misconduct.”

Film Still from the Movie L’eclisse, 1962. (via IWDRM.)

If you face online defamation or cyber bullying, and your name is sullied on social networks, who do you turn to and what are your legal rights? When you die, should your Facebook profile be part of your digital property, to which your family and friends could have full access? How about your email account? A legislation has already been passed in Oklahoma to allow handing over social media accounts to the loved ones of the deceased, in light of similar situations to that of Karen Williams. She’s a heartbroken mother who, after her young son’s death, sued Facebook to grant her full access to his account so she’d learn more about her son from his posts, comments and “likes.” Facebook’s policy (once notified that someone has passed away) is to memorialize their account, so their loved ones can leave messages in … Read More

For a few months after I bought my first smartphone that comes with the typical GPS functionality, like most users of such phones, I downloaded dozens of apps, some of which prompt a familiar message asking me for permission to “turn on location services.” I mindlessly approved these messages without much consideration. Later on, I found out that many of my apps had been tracking my physical location – with my consent, in most cases. Even my dictionary app (the popular app from Dictionary.com) states on its end-user license agreement (or EULA) that they “collect and store your exact geographic location information to power (some features)” and they also “share this information with advertisers and advertising networks.” I thought it was perplexing that my dictionary records my exact location. While seated at my desk, after I looked away from my screen to catch a nostalgic, appreciative glimpse of that big, ugly and bulky dictionary on my shelf, I realized the real problem.

Art by Slorker

The problem was not with location tracking or advertising networks but the shockingly long time it took me to fully understand such personal information is being transmitted from my phone to app providers, developers and advertising networks. Why my lack of understanding lasted such a long time before I learnt how this geolocation technology works, even though it deeply affects my privacy? I am not alone in having had barely any knowledge of how location data, or other recent technologies for that matter, could be used to compromise my privacy and safety. I had in my pocket a tech tool that can alter my life in many ways that I wasn’t even aware of. GPS-enabled phones can be used in truly wondrous ways, for example, to guide you through an unfamiliar city, and it can also be exploited by someone to stalk you. Thus, my criticism is not of technology or tech devices per se, but of how we’re usually behind in our grasp of how they can significantly affect us. Millions of users today suffer from the same problem: an opaque and incomplete understanding of … Read More

This article was initially published in Doublethink magazine, the official magazine of America’s Future Foundation. It was also featured on Mike Church radio show.

The spread of literacy in the 16th century, amid a burgeoning production of paper, ushered in letter writing as a new form of communication. Over the following few centuries, countless letters of personal correspondence were written and left behind for future generations.

The letters collectively construct a very important part of our history because they reveal stories in ways a historian can never fully grasp and recite. Through the correspondence of Christopher Columbus with the royal treasurer of Spain, we knew about his first impressions in America – which he called “islands of India.” From Michelangelo’s letters, we knew how he viewed his own artwork, confidently negotiating and promising the architect of the Vatican that “if it is carried out, there will be nothing to equal it the world over.” We inherited personal letters written by historical figures who belonged to all backgrounds and walks of life, among them are scientists (e.g. Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and Galileo), psychologists (e.g. Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud), poets (e.g. Emily Dickinson and Elizabeth Barrett), philosophers (e.g. Voltaire and Marx), novelists (e.g. Virginia Woolf, Mary Shelly and Oscar Wilde) and political leaders (e.g. Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan). Needless to say that millions of ordinary people around the globe passed down their familial and amorous letters through multiple generations. In an era where written communication is mainly electronic and the personal letter has been replaced by email and social network messages, our generation will be the first in more than half a millennium to leave virtually no hand-written letters behind for future generations to read, study and analyze. “But so what?” – you might ask, “let the digital replace the physical.”

Recent experience has proven that digital storage is less reliable than you might expect. Founded in 2002, Friendster was a pioneer of social networking, and a model for MySpace and later Facebook. Its popularity waned over the years as users migrated to rival online hangouts turning … Read More

Adoption at a Rate Never Seen Before

The rate of adoption of consumer technologies since the beginning of the previous century has been rapidly increasing, so much so that today’s technology spreads at a rate never seen before. The following are U.S. stats but they also describe similar trends in other Western countries and, to a large extent, a clear global trend. Electricity reached 90% penetration of U.S. households within 50 years, the refrigerator accomplished the same in 30 years, cell phones, in about 20 years. [Source: New York Times] Additionally, even though it would have been desirable in the past by most, as it is today, to own such new innovative machines or devices (e.g. cars or phones), they were still only affordable to businesses and the wealthiest of society, which played a role in constraining their proliferation, granting society time to question, study and adapt to the tools which were about to become a part of their lives.

Chart via The New York Times

Today, in a new paradigm where the Internet is ubiquitous, adoption time can be measured in days or even hours. In the case of products deployed online, a new technology can be used by millions of people, with minimal or absolutely no understanding of its effect on the users. Our modern societies have occasionally praised the speed at which technology is moving and how, thankfully, we don’t have to wait long before reaping the marvellous benefits of latest breakthroughs. However technology is now advancing so quickly that society’s foundations in fields like ethics, legislation and privacy are struggling to evolve to reflect the changes, and in many ways failing to keep up.

Art by Kosmur (via Deviantart.)

Cyberculture Shock

The American futurist Alvin Toffler predicted in 1970 in his aptly titled book Future Shock that we will struggle “to cope at a progressively faster rate with situations that are, for us, decidedly unfamiliar, ‘first-time’ situations, strange, irregular, [and] unpredictable [1].” He warned that we are “doomed to a massive adaptational breakdown [2],” describing the phenomenon as a “future shock” similar to a “culture shock” … Read More