Insights · May 15th, 2023
A little over 10 years ago, on May 13th 2013, Futurist Speaker Nikolas Badminton hosted Cyborg Camp alongside Amber Case and Kharis O’Connell in Vancouver, BC.
Nikolas had learnt about unconferences when I came to Canada and in late-2012 he and Kharis drove to Portland to meet Amber and attend the Cyborg Camp PDX. It was there that I asked if we could bring it to Vancouver and learnt it was from there originally.
This was the conference that galvanized the trajectory of Nikolas’ career as a futurist (and many others). It also lead to From Now Conference, Future Camp and DARK FUTURES.
We had incredible speakers – Amber Case (cyborg anthropology and the future of the interface), Kharis O’Connell (crimeables / wearables), Ryan Betts (cities eat cyborgs), Michael Smit (medium, message and mutation), Shane Luke (direct-to-eye tech), Alex Beim (forgetting technology), Maja Segedi (robotic surgery and ethics) and Bashford (love, empathy and tech). Still would be a killer lineup today and they stood up and believed in a conference on the future of tech and human capability. Nikolas Badminton was the curator and MC – no keynote that day.
We had a great time.
Here are some of our favourite keynotes.
From Solid to Liquid to Air: Cyborg Anthropology and the Future of the Interface – Amber Case
We are now entering into an era of liquid interfaces, where buttons can be downloaded at will, and software flies through the air. Phones have been untethered from their cords and are free to colonize our pockets. They cry, and we must pick them up. They get hungry, and we must plug them in. We increasingly live on interfaces, and it is their quality and design which increases our happiness and our frustration. We are tool using creatures. Prosthetics touch almost every part of our lives. Until recently, humans have used their hands and bodies to interface with objects. Early interfaces were solid and tactile. Now, the interface can be anywhere. The best interfaces compress the time and space it takes to absorb relevant information, and the worst cause us car accidents, lost revenue, and communication failures. This speech will discuss how the field of anthropology can be applied to interface design, and how future interfaces, such as the ones employed by augmented reality, will change the way we act, feel and communicate with one another. Amber Case is a cyborg anthropologist, examining the way humans and technology interact and evolve together. Like all anthropologists, Case watches people, but her fieldwork involves observing how they participate in digital networks, analyzing the various ways we project our personalities, communicate, work, play, share ideas and even form values.
All Is Full of Love – Ben Bashford
Synopsis It’s clear that an amazing new category of product is emerging. Connected products and services are already changing our lives but are they ready to be domesticated? In the talk Ben will explore a near future where our homes are shared with objects and devices that communicate and collaborate to enhance and enrich our lives and asks the question ‘Is Design enough?’ Ben is a London based design director with a background in fine art, graphics and electronic music. His focus is on the open, ubiquitous, pervasive and social Internet — crafting products and services that combine networked technology with physical objects. He is a member of Council — A think tank for the Internet of Things.
Crimeables: the Rules of Distraction – Kharis O’Connell
Do technology companies really take all aspects of human behaviour into account when conceiving, designing and marketing new products? When is something really ready for mass consumption? What are the responsibilities of companies when those experiences help facilitate living vicariously? And what are the social consequences of manufacturing artificial needs and generating desire? Fitter, Happier, More productive — Welcome to the echo-chamber…
Cities eat Cyborgs – Ryan Betts
Technology doesn’t change in cities, cities change technology. No matter how much we wish we could wave the wand of technology to fix civic and social issues, they are better restructured through slow processes: policy, regulation, zoning, and cultural programming. Cyborgs rush to cities, and the cities eat them alive.
For more images of the event – https://lnkd.in/dw7BgMWT
(Who is The Holon Group?)
About Nikolas Badminton
Nikolas Badminton is the Chief Futurist at futurist.com. He’s a world-renowned futurist speaker, consultant, author, media producer, and executive advisor that has spoken to, and worked with, over 300 of the world’s most impactful organizations and governments. He helps shape the visions that shape impactful organizations, trillion-dollar companies, progressive governments, and 200+ billion dollar investment funds.
Grab a copy of Nikolas #1 best selling book ‘Facing Our Futures’ at Amazon, Bloomsbury, Barnes and Noble and other fine purveyors of books. We’s also love it if you considered ordering from your local, independent book store.Please contact futurist speaker and consultant Nikolas Badminton to discuss your engagement.
