New Media M.A. Research Blog | Media Studies, University of Amsterdam

Smart Home Technologies and the Transformation Of Domestic Space

Since Gordon Moore’s prophetic law in 1965, in which he claimed that microchips would develop so that the speed would double while size would decrease every year, has allowed for the evolution of ubiquitous computing and its introduction into...

By Erika Grimes on 10/24/18 Comments Off

Possible ‘Alexa’ commands of the future: “ Home, tweet ‘Home’ ”

The conceptual ‘Home of the Future’ (HoF) has been a curiosity and fixation for as long as technological design has existed. In 1967, a U.S. television special aired the conceptual design for ‘The Home of 2001’, which displayed now-standard...

By Eliza Connolly on 09/18/18 Comments Off

A click away from giving up our autonomy? – A critical view on Amazon’s new Dash button

The alarm clock rings, you slowly make your way to the coffee machine since there is no other way of functioning at a time like that, but then realize you ran out of coffee yesterday. What a disaster! But...

By Mariessa Radermacher on 09/24/17 Comments Off

Home Sweet Smart Home: Discussing the feasibility of smart objects at home

A fridge that automatically re-orders groceries when they are running out, a smart diaper that sends a tweet when your baby gets wet and a voice controlled Barbie’s Smart Home that takes playing with Barbie’s to a whole new...

By Rianne Riemens on 10/20/16 Comments Off

Smart City needs smart privacy

As European Capital of Innovation, Amsterdam is experimenting with a range of technologies which turn the city into a so-called “smart city”. With the beacon gadgets installed all over the city, more interaction with the public is made possible....

By Charlotte Leclercq on 09/20/16 1

Should you be worried by a networked street light?

This summer something remarkable happened in Amsterdam, in six weeks time an open source network was installed that covers an area encompassing the city center and beyond: The Things Network. This was done with a new networking technology –...

By Charlie Vielvoye on 09/17/15 Comments Off

Will SCiO be the Google of Physical Objects?

How many calories are in the cake you are eating? Does that medicine contain caffeine? Is your shirt really 100% cotton? SCiO, A small new sensor, molecularly scans objects and instantly displays their nutritional or chemical make-up on your smartphone. Will SCiO change...

By Gali Ronen on 09/17/14 Comments Off

Genes, Memes and Temes: Paradoxes in Meme-Theory and the Dangers of Memes

In March 2012 the animated sitcom South Park aired an episode featuring the potential dangers of memes. Its message: it is impossible to keep up with the latest memes and those who choose to imitate certain memes in public...

By Stijn Wonderen van on 09/11/12 Comments Off

The Knight’s Move: Mark Shepard and the Sentient City

I received an e-mail in my inbox. Mark Shepard was coming to The Hague for a lecture on the sentient city. It was part of a lecture series called The Knight’s Move, which aims on cutting across disciplines and...

By Bree Tahapary on 10/29/11 1

A(n Ever)note from the train

There’s something remarkable about the interaction between man and machine (and vice versa). Marshall McLuhan and Raymond Williams both had their own view in this classic debate about the social shaping of technology versus the technological shaping of society....

By Bree Tahapary on 09/14/11 1

The Future

Characteristics of the digital era are: images written directly to our retinas // ubiquitous high bandwidth connection to the Internet at all times // electronics so tiny it's embedded in the environment, our clothing, our eyeglasses // full immersion...

By Laila Koubia on 10/18/10 1

Internet of things book presentation at the Waag

Internet of things book presentation by Rob van Kranenburg. 28th of october, Theatrum Anatomicum, the Waag, Amsterdam intro by Geert Lovink (INC). The full publication can be found here (thanks jaromil for bringing this to my attention) (a camera...

By Tjerk Timan on 10/28/08 9

Lecture on Spimes at the TU/e

Bruce Sterling lectured at the Technical University of Eindhoven this afternoon about the status of and internet of things. The introduction is given by Koert van Mensvoort. Koert starts by wondering what it means to live in an information...

By Tjerk Timan on 10/17/08 Comments Off