DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Nov 1, 2021
This paper provides an argument against understanding risk-taking in design education as somethin... more This paper provides an argument against understanding risk-taking in design education as something ideally in need of only being calculable and formalisable. Using the German sociologist Ulrich Beck’s theory on risktaking combined with the current discourse on design thinking, together with an analysis of a three week-long interdisciplinary design workshop, we analyse and discuss how risk-taking - as a general concept - in design education is an inherent element of the education itself. We argue, however, non-calculable risks, like human-centred design concerns, like desirability of use, ethics of technology, are an equally important part of a modern-day educational skillset as calculable risks. The aim is arguing for the prospect of interdisciplinary design-based education models as one way of embracing the non-calculable elements of a problem space.
This paper provides an argument against understanding risk-taking in design education as somethin... more This paper provides an argument against understanding risk-taking in design education as something ideally in need of only being calculable and formalisable. Using the German sociologist Ulrich Beck's theory on risktaking combined with the current discourse on design thinking, together with an analysis of a three week-long interdisciplinary design workshop, we analyse and discuss how risk-taking-as a general concept-in design education is an inherent element of the education itself. We argue, however, non-calculable risks, like human-centred design concerns, like desirability of use, ethics of technology, are an equally important part of a modern-day educational skillset as calculable risks. The aim is arguing for the prospect of interdisciplinary design-based education models as one way of embracing the non-calculable elements of a problem space.
Løgstrup and A. Honneth's notion of recognition to understand how online social media can be desi... more Løgstrup and A. Honneth's notion of recognition to understand how online social media can be designed to support or constrain participation, co-creation, and generation of content. Jensen has been active in fandom since 2012. She writes fan fiction and maintains a Tumblr-blog.
This article aims to discuss the role of the dominant critical tradition of design fiction, as we... more This article aims to discuss the role of the dominant critical tradition of design fiction, as well as defending the merits of a pragmatic and strategic view on design fiction, as potentially real solutions. By adapting one of the most prominently referenced models for speculative design (Auger 2013), and using Ryan's (1980) concepts of factual, non-factual, and fictional statements, we propose a way of clarifying how the 'realness' of a given design fiction places it as a speculative design or an actual pragmatic vision for the future. Our contribution is a differentiation of pragmatic strategic, and speculative critical design fiction, based on their plausibility as well as their realness. This creates a clear agenda for distinguishing between different design research agendas of design fiction, potentially applying it in widely different practices.
The Nordic tradition of user involvement in ICT development; ideas and experiences from this trad... more The Nordic tradition of user involvement in ICT development; ideas and experiences from this tradition. • Experiences with user involvement in connection with presenting new media • Recommendations for political focus areas to strengthen user-driven innovation in the Nordic region
Imagining the Impossible: International Journal for the Fantastic in Contemporary Media
This study - Making the Fantastic Real - provides research into the subject of design fiction, sc... more This study - Making the Fantastic Real - provides research into the subject of design fiction, science fiction fandom, sharable digital media content on the one hand, and the design of real-life engineering artifacts on the other. This study has selected the case of The Hacksmith to understand the space of meaning (science, fiction, co-creation, and design) created by the production of “the fantastic” by this specific acknowledged Canadian Youtuber. The Hacksmith Industries is the trademark name of the YouTube channel The Hacksmith (https://www.youtube.com/c/theHacksmith/featured) created by Canadian engineer James Hobson in 2006. One of the signature elements of Hobson’s interests is the lightsaber and the Star Wars franchise. But Hobson explores many other dimensions of popular culture, ranging from nerf wars shooters to superhero artifacts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His focus is on how to make elements or objects of the fantastic real, as his slogan goes, not to change a...
The key interest of this article is the concept of domestication as a central framework for both ... more The key interest of this article is the concept of domestication as a central framework for both sociological and ethnographic media studies. Domestication translates into that process through which both new informations and communication technologies, interactive digital media and wearable devices are "fitted" or "knitted" into the fabric of everyday domestic life. The purpose of the article is to investigate if changes in the media technologies have any impact on the analytical framework of domestication: Does the notion of domestication still offer a meaningful account for the use of mobile media such as iPods, iPads and iPhones, and the flows of applications and content? The theoretical context of the article consists of the British tradition of media and information technology studies (Silverstone & Hirsch 1992, Berker et al. 2006) and the American everyday life studies of mobile telephones (Ling 2004, Ling 2008). In relation to this journal's theme on L...
This issue of Academic Quarter on the topic of Leisure brings together scholars from a vast varie... more This issue of Academic Quarter on the topic of Leisure brings together scholars from a vast variety of academic fields, having different perspectives on topics relating to leisure as well as investigating different objects, artifacts, and phenomenon in relation to leisure. For the purpose of this issue we will follow the idea of leisure as transformative, and by doing this we differentiate ourselves substantially from Veblen's notion of 'conspicuous leisure'. Within are contributions researching, analyzing, and transforming the notion of leisure, placing it in the social, cultural, and technological reality of today. The reader will find papers that contribute to a further theorization of the field, its concepts, and scope.
The article attempts to map how a televisions series is spread into social media. With the voyage... more The article attempts to map how a televisions series is spread into social media. With the voyage of discovery as metaphor as a point of departure and virtual ethnography as method the BBC modernization of Sherlock Holmes into Sherlock is the focus of interest. The aim is to examine how social media mediate meaning, significance and new content in the series and to describe, explain and interpret the motives people have to spend energy and time to expand the universe of the series with their own productions and give feedback to others who do the same.
The Danish mobile library as a concrete place in a material vehicle has changed remarkably throug... more The Danish mobile library as a concrete place in a material vehicle has changed remarkably throughout the years. The modern mobile library is a place for sociability. At the stops of the library route people meet, discussing books and other materials: The bus or truck itself has changed from just being a transportation unit to a place for rest, tranquility, immersion and information. In the article mobility is defined as the possibility to move artefacts, people, and encounters to different locations, thus creating new kinds of relationships and meaning. The aim of the article is to be part of the "critical engagement in and through mobilities studies" in which "researchers are making a difference to the ways in which (im)mobilities are conceived of, in research, design and areas of public policy" (Büscher et al. 2011: 14).
The Ars Magna of Ramon Llull must be seen as one of the first attempts to formalize language, tho... more The Ars Magna of Ramon Llull must be seen as one of the first attempts to formalize language, thought processes, and creating a basis for rational discussions. It consists of so-called principles, concepts, which are defined and combined through the use of four main figures. These are explained and an example of their application is given. Llull’s contribution and influences are shown and traced through history. Finally, an overview is given of computer science related fields in which Llull’s ideas have had or could have had valid contributions.
Using Roland Barthes’ and John Fiske’s notion of the readerly, writerly, and producerly text, thi... more Using Roland Barthes’ and John Fiske’s notion of the readerly, writerly, and producerly text, this article provides an analysis and a tentative categorization of chosen transformative, fanmade texts for the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin. The focus is on the critical transformation of, and engagement with, the original text by academics, professional fans, and fans of popular culture. The analysis identifies different ways of transformational engagement with the original text: ranging from the academic writerly approach of researchers, over professional fans rewriting and critically engaging with the original text, to fanfiction fans reproducing heteroromantic tropes in homoerotic stories, fans of popular culture using Tintin figurines to document their own travels, and finally, fans who use Tintin covers as a way to express critical political sentiments. With Barthes and Fiske these groups are defined by their way of approaching the original text, thus working either in...
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Nov 1, 2021
This paper provides an argument against understanding risk-taking in design education as somethin... more This paper provides an argument against understanding risk-taking in design education as something ideally in need of only being calculable and formalisable. Using the German sociologist Ulrich Beck’s theory on risktaking combined with the current discourse on design thinking, together with an analysis of a three week-long interdisciplinary design workshop, we analyse and discuss how risk-taking - as a general concept - in design education is an inherent element of the education itself. We argue, however, non-calculable risks, like human-centred design concerns, like desirability of use, ethics of technology, are an equally important part of a modern-day educational skillset as calculable risks. The aim is arguing for the prospect of interdisciplinary design-based education models as one way of embracing the non-calculable elements of a problem space.
This paper provides an argument against understanding risk-taking in design education as somethin... more This paper provides an argument against understanding risk-taking in design education as something ideally in need of only being calculable and formalisable. Using the German sociologist Ulrich Beck's theory on risktaking combined with the current discourse on design thinking, together with an analysis of a three week-long interdisciplinary design workshop, we analyse and discuss how risk-taking-as a general concept-in design education is an inherent element of the education itself. We argue, however, non-calculable risks, like human-centred design concerns, like desirability of use, ethics of technology, are an equally important part of a modern-day educational skillset as calculable risks. The aim is arguing for the prospect of interdisciplinary design-based education models as one way of embracing the non-calculable elements of a problem space.
Løgstrup and A. Honneth's notion of recognition to understand how online social media can be desi... more Løgstrup and A. Honneth's notion of recognition to understand how online social media can be designed to support or constrain participation, co-creation, and generation of content. Jensen has been active in fandom since 2012. She writes fan fiction and maintains a Tumblr-blog.
This article aims to discuss the role of the dominant critical tradition of design fiction, as we... more This article aims to discuss the role of the dominant critical tradition of design fiction, as well as defending the merits of a pragmatic and strategic view on design fiction, as potentially real solutions. By adapting one of the most prominently referenced models for speculative design (Auger 2013), and using Ryan's (1980) concepts of factual, non-factual, and fictional statements, we propose a way of clarifying how the 'realness' of a given design fiction places it as a speculative design or an actual pragmatic vision for the future. Our contribution is a differentiation of pragmatic strategic, and speculative critical design fiction, based on their plausibility as well as their realness. This creates a clear agenda for distinguishing between different design research agendas of design fiction, potentially applying it in widely different practices.
The Nordic tradition of user involvement in ICT development; ideas and experiences from this trad... more The Nordic tradition of user involvement in ICT development; ideas and experiences from this tradition. • Experiences with user involvement in connection with presenting new media • Recommendations for political focus areas to strengthen user-driven innovation in the Nordic region
Imagining the Impossible: International Journal for the Fantastic in Contemporary Media
This study - Making the Fantastic Real - provides research into the subject of design fiction, sc... more This study - Making the Fantastic Real - provides research into the subject of design fiction, science fiction fandom, sharable digital media content on the one hand, and the design of real-life engineering artifacts on the other. This study has selected the case of The Hacksmith to understand the space of meaning (science, fiction, co-creation, and design) created by the production of “the fantastic” by this specific acknowledged Canadian Youtuber. The Hacksmith Industries is the trademark name of the YouTube channel The Hacksmith (https://www.youtube.com/c/theHacksmith/featured) created by Canadian engineer James Hobson in 2006. One of the signature elements of Hobson’s interests is the lightsaber and the Star Wars franchise. But Hobson explores many other dimensions of popular culture, ranging from nerf wars shooters to superhero artifacts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His focus is on how to make elements or objects of the fantastic real, as his slogan goes, not to change a...
The key interest of this article is the concept of domestication as a central framework for both ... more The key interest of this article is the concept of domestication as a central framework for both sociological and ethnographic media studies. Domestication translates into that process through which both new informations and communication technologies, interactive digital media and wearable devices are "fitted" or "knitted" into the fabric of everyday domestic life. The purpose of the article is to investigate if changes in the media technologies have any impact on the analytical framework of domestication: Does the notion of domestication still offer a meaningful account for the use of mobile media such as iPods, iPads and iPhones, and the flows of applications and content? The theoretical context of the article consists of the British tradition of media and information technology studies (Silverstone & Hirsch 1992, Berker et al. 2006) and the American everyday life studies of mobile telephones (Ling 2004, Ling 2008). In relation to this journal's theme on L...
This issue of Academic Quarter on the topic of Leisure brings together scholars from a vast varie... more This issue of Academic Quarter on the topic of Leisure brings together scholars from a vast variety of academic fields, having different perspectives on topics relating to leisure as well as investigating different objects, artifacts, and phenomenon in relation to leisure. For the purpose of this issue we will follow the idea of leisure as transformative, and by doing this we differentiate ourselves substantially from Veblen's notion of 'conspicuous leisure'. Within are contributions researching, analyzing, and transforming the notion of leisure, placing it in the social, cultural, and technological reality of today. The reader will find papers that contribute to a further theorization of the field, its concepts, and scope.
The article attempts to map how a televisions series is spread into social media. With the voyage... more The article attempts to map how a televisions series is spread into social media. With the voyage of discovery as metaphor as a point of departure and virtual ethnography as method the BBC modernization of Sherlock Holmes into Sherlock is the focus of interest. The aim is to examine how social media mediate meaning, significance and new content in the series and to describe, explain and interpret the motives people have to spend energy and time to expand the universe of the series with their own productions and give feedback to others who do the same.
The Danish mobile library as a concrete place in a material vehicle has changed remarkably throug... more The Danish mobile library as a concrete place in a material vehicle has changed remarkably throughout the years. The modern mobile library is a place for sociability. At the stops of the library route people meet, discussing books and other materials: The bus or truck itself has changed from just being a transportation unit to a place for rest, tranquility, immersion and information. In the article mobility is defined as the possibility to move artefacts, people, and encounters to different locations, thus creating new kinds of relationships and meaning. The aim of the article is to be part of the "critical engagement in and through mobilities studies" in which "researchers are making a difference to the ways in which (im)mobilities are conceived of, in research, design and areas of public policy" (Büscher et al. 2011: 14).
The Ars Magna of Ramon Llull must be seen as one of the first attempts to formalize language, tho... more The Ars Magna of Ramon Llull must be seen as one of the first attempts to formalize language, thought processes, and creating a basis for rational discussions. It consists of so-called principles, concepts, which are defined and combined through the use of four main figures. These are explained and an example of their application is given. Llull’s contribution and influences are shown and traced through history. Finally, an overview is given of computer science related fields in which Llull’s ideas have had or could have had valid contributions.
Using Roland Barthes’ and John Fiske’s notion of the readerly, writerly, and producerly text, thi... more Using Roland Barthes’ and John Fiske’s notion of the readerly, writerly, and producerly text, this article provides an analysis and a tentative categorization of chosen transformative, fanmade texts for the comic book series The Adventures of Tintin. The focus is on the critical transformation of, and engagement with, the original text by academics, professional fans, and fans of popular culture. The analysis identifies different ways of transformational engagement with the original text: ranging from the academic writerly approach of researchers, over professional fans rewriting and critically engaging with the original text, to fanfiction fans reproducing heteroromantic tropes in homoerotic stories, fans of popular culture using Tintin figurines to document their own travels, and finally, fans who use Tintin covers as a way to express critical political sentiments. With Barthes and Fiske these groups are defined by their way of approaching the original text, thus working either in...
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