hi Sanandan

Evolution of human societies has seen the externalisation of hidden
processes through thought and the tools of science, the arts,
religion etc, a constant endeavour to make sense of our world.

Who are we?
Where did we come from?
Where do we go?
What makes us tick?

It is true that information has always existed but it has existed as
a source of power and influence. The clergy and the aristocracy built
models of the 'world' and enforced this view to ensure compliance and
their control. Things started changing with the rise of universities
and printing whereby common people like you and I had access to
information and the space to reinterpret it in other ways.
Information became a democratisation force whose impetus is only
increasing.

I think that at a certain threshhold there occurs qualitative change,
a transformation if you like, that changes fundamentally the very
essense of a situation. Such watersheds happen in the physical world
and also, I think to social structures. I was suggesting that perhaps
we are on the brink of just such a societal transformation brought
about by the availability of information and the tools to process it
at great speed to such a wide cross-section of people in simultaneous
time.

regards

Deepankar Bhattacharyya



--- In designindia@..., "sanandan" <sandy@t...> wrote:
> Dear Deepankar,
>
> Very interesting thoughts and fears...
>
> Please read my thoughts below...(in blue)
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Deepankar Bhattacharyya [mailto:deepankar_bhatta@y...]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 5:35 PM
> To: designindia@...
> Subject: [designindia] Not radical enough
>
>
>
> When information becomes commonplace and our interfaces with
>
> the 'infosphere' if I may use that description, becomes wired into
>
> our brains, we may expect to treat information and the artifacts it
>
> metamorphoses into rather differently than we do now.
>
> [sanandan] (Information was always common place. It is just
becoming cheaper
> and easier to get (less time and effort). More information does not
> necessarily mean - more wisdom)
>
>
>
>
>
> This not a distant scenario, we are already able to 'think' control
>
> events albeit through a gizmo that is yet somewhat unwieldy. Raw
>
> data, case studies, complex calculations and alternate solution
>
> scenarios will be available to us at a 'glance' or a 'blink'.
>
> Available to all of us. Each of us can hope to tap into enormous
>
> creative potential.
>
> [sanandan] I agree. Technology is a great help.
>
>
>
> Emphasis will be on making informed, mature and responsible
choices,
>
> and 'creatively' make our personal environment to our
specifications.
>
> You, me and everyone.
>
> [sanandan] I always thought the creative thought process had a lot
to do
> with the right side of the brain. The left brain assimilates,
generates food
> for thought and the subconscious right brain moves a few steps back
and sees
> the unseen. (The overview. The gaps.) The left brain comes into
action
> again, analysis the gaps, and hands the brief to the right brain.
Then the
> right brain, links the unlikable, and generates cool ideas. The
left brain,
> the devils advocate, then funnels them (cool ideas) down to a few
practical
> choices.
>
> So, emphasis has always been on making informed (food of thought),
mature
> (back and forth interaction between the left and right side of the
brain)
> and responsible choices (funneled).
>
> So what has changed? Or is changing? The definition of creativity
remains
> the same (ability to cross connect.) The design process is the
guideline and
> would still hold good (assimilate - analyze - synthesize - iterate
and
> conclude)! The only thing that changes is the amount of
information, the
> complexity involved, and the ease to get it! And information
collection has
> always been just the first step of the design process. Does it
change
> anything else- perhaps not.
>
>
>
>
>
> What kind of education do we need to cope with such a possible
>
> scenario?
>
> What is the meaning of design practise in such a world?
>
> [sanandan] I think we need to work more on comprehensive
methodologies of
> assimilating and categorizing information. Also perhaps because it
may be
> available as some terabytes of data, it may be appropriate to rope
in some
> analytical tools to derive some logical sense from this sea of
information.
> Perhaps we may need to plan better - alone and in groups (alone may
not be
> sufficient to churn out relevant information from the terabytes),
to ensure
> that we are ahead.
>
>
>
> Don't believe me? Hark back to fifteen- twenty years ago, how many
of
>
> the now common materials, tools and infrastructure was available to
>
> us then? And information access? Do you remember?
>
>
>
> [sanandan] Yes but times have always been changing. And they will.
The pace
> may vary - and the changes may become cyclical in nature in the
long run...
>
>
>
>
> National policies on design and education need to factor in the
>
> qualitative changes that time is bringing in at an increasingly
rapid
>
> pace. We need to embrace it and celebrate the possibillities.
>
>
>
> Globalisation and market forces will be the least of our worries.
>
>
>
> [sanandan] The information revolution has all to do with
Globalization, both
> in cause and effect. Isolation hampers collective, cumulative
growth. Market
> forces would always define the nature of information that becomes
> commonplace. At least as long as Capitalism prevails.
>
>
>
> Regards
>
> Sandy
>
> Sanandan Sudhir
>
> NID, Industrial Design
>
> 2001
>
> GE HealthCare
>
> Bangalore
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
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