Locative Media http://www.locative-media.org Check here for up-to-date postings on things we find interesting in locative media. English leslie.rule@locative-media.org Copyright 2008 2008-07-13T18:16:00Z Locative Media: Place Runs Deep http://www.locative-media.org/blog/locative_media_place_runs_deep Note: Reposted from IdeaLab, where I blog on Locative Media as a Knight News Challenge grantee. What is it about place that runs so deep and holds so tight? Take a minute to think about one of your treasured places. And yes, you should probably close your eyes. Jeremy Hight one the first locative media theorists, coined the term, “Narrative Archeology,” a concept which became a corner stone of locative media. It refers to the process of peeling back layers of a place, and finding the stories underneath. Sometimes, it’s all about history, sometimes it’s about culture. His recent writings have addressed the limiting notion that “locative” and location refer to definable points, usually described with co-ordinal terms longitude and latitude. Jeremy asks why not include elevation, topography, other geographical data. Indeed, why not? On the street level, … Blog Note: Reposted from IdeaLab, where I blog on Locative Media as a Knight News Challenge grantee.

What is it about place that runs so deep and holds so tight? Take a minute to think about one of your treasured places. And yes, you should probably close your eyes.

Jeremy Hight one the first locative media theorists, coined the term, “Narrative Archeology,” a concept which became a corner stone of locative media. It refers to the process of peeling back layers of a place, and finding the stories underneath. Sometimes, it’s all about history, sometimes it’s about culture. His recent writings have addressed the limiting notion that “locative” and location refer to definable points, usually described with co-ordinal terms longitude and latitude. Jeremy asks why not include elevation, topography, other geographical data. Indeed, why not? On the street level, …]]> 2008-07-13T18:16:00Z “Zoo Ranger” Tours at SF Zoo http://www.locative-media.org/blog/zoo_ranger_tours_at_sf_zoo Zoo Ranger is a hand-held, GPS-triggered device that delivers an insider’s tour of the SF Zoo through audio and video. This will allow visitors to go virtually “behind-the-scenes” at 25 of the most popular exhibits to experience keeper and animal interactions, witness behavior training, and enjoy animal enrichment sessions. And true to our testing culture, you’ll be able to test your wildlife knowledge with the interactive Zoo Trivia feature. Blog Zoo Ranger is a hand-held, GPS-triggered device that delivers an insider’s tour of the SF Zoo through audio and video.

This will allow visitors to go virtually “behind-the-scenes” at 25 of the most popular exhibits to experience keeper and animal interactions, witness behavior training, and enjoy animal enrichment sessions. And true to our testing culture, you’ll be able to test your wildlife knowledge with the interactive Zoo Trivia feature.

]]> 2008-04-01T07:46:00Z The Locative Media Book Launch: We Tell Stories http://www.locative-media.org/blog/the_locative_media_book_launch_we_tell_stories Penguin Books UK (in partnership with an Alternate Reality Gaming company SixtoStart ) has moved into locative media with a new digital fiction online game, We Tell Stories. Using Earth and Google Maps, some great English writers, including Toby Litt and Naomi Alderman, are reworking classic literature and “placing,” these reworked short pieces. I played it. But so far, I haven’t seen the true gaming feature, but it’s a first and it’s a great first try at creating a new product category. It is still an online game, I wish it were a truly located game…not the least of which because I’d love to “really” run around the British Museum. Blog Penguin Books UK (in partnership with an Alternate Reality Gaming company SixtoStart ) has moved into locative media with a new digital fiction online game, We Tell Stories. Using Earth and Google Maps, some great English writers, including Toby Litt and Naomi Alderman, are reworking classic literature and “placing,” these reworked short pieces. I played it. But so far, I haven’t seen the true gaming feature, but it’s a first and it’s a great first try at creating a new product category. It is still an online game, I wish it were a truly located game…not the least of which because I’d love to “really” run around the British Museum.

]]> 2008-03-24T23:58:00Z Locative Media and Gear: Phones are the new GPS Devices http://www.locative-media.org/blog/phones_are_gps_devices As of now, there are two ways to use a cellphone to get location-based data. Either the phone has an internal gps unit (or can be blue-toothed to one), or it has firmware that allows triangulation via cellphone towers and wifi hotspots. Nokia is betting heavily on the gps-enabled phones. They recently released 4 new gps-enabled devices, the latest being the Black N82. The Finland giant Nokia silently unveiled the highly expected and speculated Nokia N82 Black version last few day, bringing a blend of state-of-the-art imaging, integrated navigation and high-speed Internet connectivity to the Nseries range of converged devices. Most features are identical to the original Nokia N82, but this jet black multimedia computer enables people to “geotag” the images they capture - allowing them to not only be saved by date, but by location as well. This is a feature that was all the rage at … Blog As of now, there are two ways to use a cellphone to get location-based data. Either the phone has an internal gps unit (or can be blue-toothed to one), or it has firmware that allows triangulation via cellphone towers and wifi hotspots. Nokia is betting heavily on the gps-enabled phones. They recently released 4 new gps-enabled devices, the latest being the Black N82.

The Finland giant Nokia silently unveiled the highly expected and speculated Nokia N82 Black version last few day, bringing a blend of state-of-the-art imaging, integrated navigation and high-speed Internet connectivity to the Nseries range of converged devices.

Most features are identical to the original Nokia N82, but this jet black multimedia computer enables people to “geotag” the images they capture - allowing them to not only be saved by date, but by location as well. This is a feature that was all the rage at …]]> 2008-03-22T05:24:00Z iPod maps = Podmap = Locative Media http://www.locative-media.org/blog/ipod_maps_podmap_locative_media We are not yet to embedding content in place, but Apple is seeking a patent that lets you request Point A to Point B directions; such info is then sent to a “pod map” creator, something akin to a server which returns text based directions, puts it through speech recognition software, aligns it to map images, and then outputs to a podcast.  While the idea is a step forward; it is without real “locative” innovation for a couple of reasons, not the least of which because the location data isn’t real time (not even a nod to the iPhone’s triangulation system). It’s matching maps with voice, but static. What happens when you miss a turn? What happens if a street is closed? Patent info is here. Blog We are not yet to embedding content in place, but Apple is seeking a patent that lets you request Point A to Point B directions; such info is then sent to a “pod map” creator, something akin to a server which returns text based directions, puts it through speech recognition software, aligns it to map images, and then outputs to a podcast.  While the idea is a step forward; it is without real “locative” innovation for a couple of reasons, not the least of which because the location data isn’t real time (not even a nod to the iPhone’s triangulation system). It’s matching maps with voice, but static. What happens when you miss a turn? What happens if a street is closed?

Patent info is here.

Loca: Set To Discoverable is an arts-based group project on grass-roots, pervasive surveillance which seeks to expose the disconnect between people and the trails of digital identities they leave behind.

Loca asks how do people respond to being tracked and observed? How ready are people to observe others? Who is the user, and how? Do we get fear of surveillance, disinterest, scopophobia or scopophilia? What happens in-between physical, embodied space and the digital space of abstract data?









Film produced by Drew Hemment. Loca is an artist-led project on grass-roots, pervasive surveillance by John Evans (UK/Finland), Drew Hemment (UK), Theo Humphries (UK), Mike Raento (Finland). The premier full presentation of Loca: Set To Discoverable at ISEA2006 and …]]> 2008-01-08T03:40:00Z Inaugural Independent Games Festival http://www.locative-media.org/blog/inaugural_independent_games_festival In August, The Independent Games Festival announced the first-ever IGF Mobile competition. They expanded the Festival to promote innovation in handheld games, from cellphone games through other mobile devices, built in Windows Mobile to Palm and beyond, all the way to PSP and DS titles. They recieved over 50 entries, and have announced the winners. It seems that most of the community-oriented locative media projects are games. Not being a gamer, I feel a little left out. But that leaves me with only one dictum: if you don’t like what’s being produced, go produce your own stuff. Two locative games were finalists. They include Anna’s Secret, a GPS driven, location-based learning adventure game based in the city of Weimar, Germany, and PhoneTag Elite, a location-tracking mobile game of “hide-and-seek.” Anna’s Secret Anna’s Secret is a GPS driven, … Blog In August, The Independent Games Festival announced the first-ever IGF Mobile competition. They expanded the Festival to promote innovation in handheld games, from cellphone games through other mobile devices, built in Windows Mobile to Palm and beyond, all the way to PSP and DS titles. They recieved over 50 entries, and have announced the winners. It seems that most of the community-oriented locative media projects are games. Not being a gamer, I feel a little left out. But that leaves me with only one dictum: if you don’t like what’s being produced, go produce your own stuff.

Two locative games were finalists. They include Anna’s Secret, a GPS driven, location-based learning adventure game based in the city of Weimar, Germany, and PhoneTag Elite, a location-tracking mobile game of “hide-and-seek.”

Anna’s Secret
Anna’s Secret is a GPS driven, …]]> 2008-01-06T18:48:01Z Citizen Journalism and GPS http://www.locative-media.org/tech/citizen_journalism_and_gps BBC Innovation has started a trial this week about citizen journalism, combining GPS (with direction, velocity and elevation) with mobile phone capabilities (pictures, video, sound and text). 18 students from the University of Brighton will be equipped with a Nokia Nseries handset and a Garmin Etrex GPS device, and will create an online gallery on Jan 18th intended to “explore how people in the future might use mobile devices to capture and share multi-media stories”. The site is run by Ymogen. It appears to be more than just adding GPS data to mobile content..."As an example, pictures and video captured from multiple devices around a sporting event can be mapped in time and space automatically, creating a rich view of the entire game from multiple perspectives.” A lot of content taken from mobile phones isn’t very good, at least not nearly good enough to replace professional content, but if … Geo-everything

BBC Innovation has started a trial this week about citizen journalism, combining GPS (with direction, velocity and elevation) with mobile phone capabilities (pictures, video, sound and text). 18 students from the University of Brighton will be equipped with a Nokia Nseries handset and a Garmin Etrex GPS device, and will create an online gallery on Jan 18th intended to “explore how people in the future might use mobile devices to capture and share multi-media stories”. The site is run by Ymogen.
It appears to be more than just adding GPS data to mobile content..."As an example, pictures and video captured from multiple devices around a sporting event can be mapped in time and space automatically, creating a rich view of the entire game from multiple perspectives.” A lot of content taken from mobile phones isn’t very good, at least not nearly good enough to replace professional content, but if …]]> 2007-12-11T19:12:00Z Gadgets http://www.locative-media.org/tech/gadgets "Gadgets” is the term hardware-loving technologists use for devices. For our purposes these are mostly phones or smart phones, pdas or handhelds, and gps’. Every day in every ways, companies are releasing new devices. It’s here will be posting information on the ones we feel are best suited to the creation of locative media projects. "Gadgets” is the term hardware-loving technologists use for devices. For our purposes these are mostly phones or smart phones, pdas or handhelds, and gps’. Every day in every ways, companies are releasing new devices. It’s here will be posting information on the ones we feel are best suited to the creation of locative media projects.

]]> 2007-12-09T00:23:00Z Cell Phone Movie Festival http://www.locative-media.org/mobile/cell_phone_movie_festival The CellFlix Festival is an annual competition dedicated to the development of creative content for mobile delivery. It’s all about imagination, fantasy, and story—created through and presented on the small screen. CellFlix Festival at Ithaca College Mobile Media Creation

The CellFlix Festival is an annual competition dedicated to the development of creative content for mobile delivery. It’s all about imagination, fantasy, and story—created through and presented on the small screen.

CellFlix Festival at Ithaca College

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