a conversation with mark tovey

carleton university PhD candidate mark tovey came to the school march 6, 2009 as a lecturer during the living large colloquium hosted by the 3a studio. his presentation, titled "many minds make might work: open source, mass collaboration, and social innovation", asked the audience to "look for areas to open up" proposing open-source architectural design as an addition to a whole slew of existing mass collaboration and open-source initiatives. i wonder if there is a possible role within the "application" part of my thesis for the concept of open-source architectural design? two possibilites occurred to me: 1. a brief business or project coordination proposal for the application of open-source architectural design, or 2. a projection into the future of an open-source-design-bsed architecture profession. after mark's talk i sat down with him to pick his brain...here are my notes on our conversation: the wisdom of crowds: what is the mechanism of the "wisdom of crowds"? (in sociology a mechanism is a set of rules designed to bring about a certain outcome) social movement laboratory: (derek lomas - UCSD) the social movement laboratory's social architectures course asks: how does the design of an architectural space affect social dynamics? can art stimulate social engagement and social movement? students in the course designed a mobile video tower with a 170˚ field of view for the recording of crowd movement, proposed social aggregators in order to activate social spaces, among other projects. also, through the social architectures website i learned about "the social life of small urban spaces" video and book. (a 1980s study of the plazas of new york) how do you navigate 3d environments: (david kirsh - distributed cognition) this is a paper on human-computer interaction...i haven't read it yet, but here are a couple of excerpts from the summary which i found interesting:

"design and support human computer interaction...understanding interactions between people and technologies" "whole environments: what we really do in them and how we coordinate our activity in them"

ethnography:

"a genre of writing that uses fieldwork to provide a descriptive study of human societies" (wikipedia, april 12, 2009, 5:12 pm)

*"a system's properties cannot necessarily be accurately understood independantly of each other" (dr. michelle addington, from arriscraft lecture during living large colloquium)

a vocabulary: 1. distributed cognition (david kirsh, ed hutchins): think about a navy ship as a cognitive system - no one person knows everything that needs to happen to dock a navy ship, but it happens. 2. situated action: ski -> tree -> avoid (no plan required) 3. ecological cognition (j.j. gibson, donald a. norman): affordances - the properties of an object afford actions (i'm currently reading "the psychology of everyday things" by donald a. norman) the oracle of delphi and affinity diagrams: mark suggested this as a method of drawing out "rules" 1. ask a question to a group and have each person write out an answer on a post-it 2. group similar answers according to semantic domains 3. summarize each group to one paragraph/post-it 4. group... 5. summarize... 6. repeat until only one post-it is left a method for feedback: the orbs from UCSD are a set of simple lamps which are set to glow or dim in response to the number of occupants/power levels/etc. in the building. the simple act of feeding back information to building occupants gives them the opportunity to respond by going for a walk to see who is around/turning off a light/etc. *(i couldn't find a reference for this...though i did plug "orb feedback building occupants" into google and found several articles on energy conservation and "using feedback to influence occupants"). a method of collaboration: barcamp

"BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants. The first BarCamps focused on early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats. The format has also been used for a variety of other topics, including public transit, health care, and political organizing." (wikipedia, april 12, 2009, 8:57 pm)

a method of classification: the music genome project (see my soundtrack post) this method of classification (analysis of attributes/expert classification) is in contrast to a preference-based system such as iTune's genius function. pandora (which is only available in the u.s. at the moment) uses 30 musical analysts who analyze 400 distinct musical attributes, described by mark as the "primary colours" of music, with which they classify music - the goal is to expose a listener to music from a wide range of styles which have similar attributes to the user's stated preferences. an example of the attributes analyzed: the voice has 30 attributes - bravado, range, ornamentation, pitch, tamber... *i just found the pandora blog - curious that they have recently added more weight to user feedback to correct faults in the "genome" system... a (very important) question: ***can space respond differently to different people at the same time?*** (thanks mark...that's a brilliant question!) thalience: from sci-fi writer karl schroeder - entities are considered "thalient" if they succeed in developing their own categories for understanding the world. could architecture become thalient???

a conversation with dr. rupert soar

dr. rupert soar came to the school march 6, 2009 as an arriscraft lecturer during the living large colloquium hosted by the 3a studio. he presented a fantastic lecture on some of his recent work with the rapid manufacturing research group and project TERMES - the latter generated the most interest within the school, i think, because of its potential to revolutionize HVAC systems. (also, the termite mound casts are beautiful!) (very) basically: termite mounds are tuned to resonate with turbulent air movement in order to exchange heat energy and O2/CO2. not only are these structures tuned to turbulent air movement as opposed to prevailing winds (a constant as opposed to variable phenomenon), they exchange gasses and heat energy use the same three phase "gas exchange mode" as our own respiratory system. during the q&a after his lecture dr. soar mentioned very briefly that he was working with agent-based modeling, so i approached him later that day to pick his brain. he was very patient with my questions and incredibly generous with his time. agent based modeling: the agent-based modeling he mentioned is a part of an Army Research Organization funded development of nano-robots to construct shelters in warzones. the basic principles of the project are: continuous construction (construction that extends into maintenance), containment (a nano-robot 'dies' when it leaves the structure), and natural selection (a system must 'die' if it not fit). this system is inspired by and draws from the project TERMES research. the termite nest: a termite nest is an emergent system - "emergence: complex systems and patterns (which) arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions" (wikipedia, april 12, 2009). there are are only seven or eight "rules" which form this complex system: 1. random walk (no stimulus = walk) 2. response to local pheromone (#1) field: pick up material 3. response to decaying pheromone (#1) in local pheromone field: deposit material 4. response to local pheromone (#2) field: remove material 5. response to decaying pheromone (#2) in local pheromone field: deposit material (pheromone #2 is present in and drives the form of the "root ball") the result of rules 4 and 5 is that a balance in pheromone intensity = balance in O2/CO2 exchange whereas an imbalance in pheromone intensity = construction/deconstruction the nest until the nest is in tune. the mali mud mosque - deconstructing the concept of longevity: longevity: the mosque is trampelled down by the community and rebuilt yearly - if one were to ask the age of the mosque, the locals would answer "2500 years" - the umber of years the community has been celebrating this ritual. learning from termites: cooling cups on the roof of the mosque mimic the function of the structure of termite mounds found within the vicinity of this tribe. continuous construction: construction extends into maintenance. emergent form and material: (i'm a little fuzzy on the details of this argument...but i was intrigued by it so i have included the parts that i can remember here...) architectural style: gothic v. classical. the architectural style of the gothic era was that of a single material (stone) used in many forms (eg. the cathedral: stone as structure, finish, enclosure...). in contrast, during the classical period, form was defined by the material used. dr. soar suggested that the use of a single versatile material like stone (gothic) or gypsum (contemporary) is necessary in order to build an emergent structure. (termites, ants, etc. use soil).

agency

i know i said i'd talk about emergence and agent-based modeling next, but last night it occurred to me that there is something much more important to discuss - what i see as the heart of my thesis: the concept of agency. from wikipedia: Human agency

See also: Action (philosophy)

Human agency is the capacity for human beings to make choices and to impose those choices on the world. It is normally contrasted to natural forces, which are causes involving only unthinking deterministic processes. In this respect, agency is subtly distinct from the concept of free will, the philosophical doctrine that our choices are not the product of causal chains, but are significantly free or undetermined. Human agency entails the uncontroversial, weaker claim that humans do in fact make decisions and enact them on the world. How humans come to make decisions, by free choice or other processes, is another issue.

(...)

In philosophy

In certain philosophical traditions (particularly those established by Hegel and Marx), human agency is a collective, historical dynamic, rather than a function arising out of individual behavior. Hegel's Geist and Marx's universal class are idealist and materialist expressions of this idea of humans treated as social beings, organized to act in concert.

what i think: a sense of agency is fundamental to an individual's ability to participate in the world around them. i see a lack of a perception of personal agency on the part of a significant portion of galt's population... i feel like i am wading in to dangerous territory here...so i will try to tread carefully... around the block of buildings that i am studying, there are often confrontations between the haves and the have-nots. there is a not-so-subtle belief on the part of the haves that the have-nots have no place in the city, that they drag it down and that life here would be better if the have-nots were somehow eliminated from the downtown. reading the wisdom of crowds gave me scientific evidence that everyone has a piece of "the puzzle" and that collectively a diverse group of people can come up with a more accurate answer to a particular question than the most expert person among them. perhaps i reach too far when i make the next assumption (i know for a fact that there are people within this school who think so!): that this phenomenon of collective intelligence extends beyond the ability of a group to correctly guess the number of jellybeans in a jellybean jar to - solve isn't the right word - to negotiate much more complex issues. i suppose that i am arguing fundamentally for the intrinsic value of all human beings to the human race as a whole. not so much because it is morally correct, but because it is scientifically proven. and because i believe that if we can tap into this collective intelligence, if we can act to enhance its mysterious inner-workings we can...i don't want to say "make the world a better place" because i don't think i actually believe that...it would likely change the human race in a pretty fundamental way...it could be an evolutionary leap for human beings...it would offer insight into humanity as a whole...mostly, though, it would increase the agency of the non-expert individual (and maybe bring the "experts" down a notch or two).

a glossary

Complex behavior: a system with multiple agents dynamically interacting in multiple ways, following local rule and oblivious to any higher level instructions (Johnson, Steven. 2002. Emergence : The connected lives of ants, brains, cities, and software. 1st Touchstone ed. New York. p.18). Emergent behavior: a higher-level pattern arising out of parallel complex interactions between local agents (Johnson, Steven. 2002. Emergence : The connected lives of ants, brains, cities, and software. 1st Touchstone ed. New York. p.19). Adaptive emergent behavior: the system would use local rules between interacting agents to create higher-level behavior well suited to its environment (Johnson, Steven. 2002. Emergence : The connected lives of ants, brains, cities, and software. 1st Touchstone ed ed. New York ; Toronto: Touchstone. p.19). Generative modeling: a shape is described by a sequence of processing steps, rather than just the end result of applying these operations. Shape design becomes rule design (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_Modelling_Language). Agent-based modeling: a computational model for simulating the actions and interactions of autonomous individuals in a network, with a view to assessing their effects on the system as a whole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent-based_model). Semiology (also, Semiotics): the study of signs and symbols, especially as means of language or communication (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/semiotics). Agency: a philosophical concept of the capacity of an agent to act in a world (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_(philosophy)).

StarLogo TNG

what is StarLogo TNG? from the website: "StarLogo TNG is The Next Generation of StarLogo modeling and simulation software. While this version holds true to the premise of StarLogo as a tool to create and understand simulations of complex systems, it also brings with it several advances. Through TNG we hope to:

1. Lower the barrier to entry for programming with a graphical interface where language elements are represented by colored blocks that fit together like puzzle pieces.
2. Entice more young people into programming through tools that facilitate making games.
3. Use 3D graphics to make more compelling and rich games and simulation models."

and why does it interest me? well...it is a relatively simple program for modeling complex and emergent systems using agent-based modeling. my first experiment is the epidemic model: i made a bunch of green balls which randomly "walk" around a space (in 3D, though they only move horizontally in this version). then i set loose a virus which "infects" some of the balls and turns them red. when a red ball bumps into a green ball, the green ball is "infected" and turns red. there is an immunity function which turns a certain percentage of balls blue - when these balls bump into red balls, they do not become infected. there is also a recovery function which allows a red ball to turn green again after a specified period of time. for all of these functions, i made sliders which can adjust the rate of recovery and the percentage of immune balls. once i populate the space with balls and set them "walking", i can play with these sliders and watch as the rate of infection in the population changes, too. sometimes the entire population is red (dead!) and sometimes there is a balance between infection, recovery, and immunity where most of the population is green with the odd red or blue ball. what does an epidemic model have to do with my thesis? its not so much the epidemic that interests me, of course, but the ability to model emergent systems in three dimensions - spatially. StarLogo has the ability to give any entity modeled a set of rules which it applies independantly in reaction to input received during the execution of the program. there are two ways which i could use this software: first, i can create an architecture (modeling the block of buildings i'm watching) within which i set loose a set of agents (people modeled after the the users of the building). the goal will be to first produce a system which simulates reality - people reacting to one another and to the architecture in a way which is "normal" based on my observations and research. (there's a pretty serious issue regarding the complexity of human beings which i need to address here.) next i'd like to play with the system - tweaking the architecture to see if i can enhance the characteristics of adaptive emergent systems within the group of building users. second, i can try to simulate the emergence of the vernacular form. i'll argue that architecture is modified over time in much the same way as a termite nest or ant hill is formed - people modify a building based on a set of rules, which in turn modifies the nature of the group using the building. the bullshit is setting in, so i'll stop now. my next few posts will discuss the phenomenon of emergence, the method of agent-based modeling, and what other people are doing in architecture/emergence.

watching

i'm interested in the use of the stoops in along the back of the south block of main street, between water and ainslie streets in cambridge ontario. i'm interested because these stoops are some of the best occupied spaces in cambridge, in summer at least and because they are used by people from all walks of life: tourists, lawyers, drug dealers, business people, students, restaurant staff, low-income residents, store proprietors... this mixing can cause cause tension - territories are trespassed upon, noses are turned up, curses are hurled into the street, bats are waved threateningly, the police are called. so i've been watching...everyday i pass by the stoops at least twice, four times, six times. sometime with my dogs, sometimes on the way to school, or to work at a restaurant within this block. i am more than watching: i eat and drink, i buy smokes and sandwiches, i work, i visit friends, i linger. and i record. here are a couple of my videos sped up 1000%: 08.11.12 (from north side of ainslie) 09.04.02 (from south side of parking lot) 09.04.02 (zoomed into stoop - speed: 500%)

soundtrack

so i made a soundtrack and then thought: i should have done this with "genius". so i did. genius is a new feature on iTunes which creates a playlist of songs drawn from your iTunes library based on the first song you choose and the preferences of other iTunes users who have included that song in their playlists. so you all will receive two disks: one with "my" playlist and one with "genius'" playlist this is my playlist: 

i haven't written out the "genius" playlists for you since "genius" changes the list every time you press refresh: the list is fluid and changing based on an internal randomize command, i suspect, as well as my changing iTunes library and "genius'" ongoing collection of data. i was disappointed with the refresh button because it challenged the genius of "genius" to come up with the best playlist for me. is it evasive to say "we'll come up with something you'll likely like - if you don't, try again"? there's a wonderful give and take with this system - the image that comes to mind is some sort of expanding bubbling blob with pustules forming and exploding is some sort of primordial way. i wonder if it will stagnate at some point...if "genius" will decide it is done? there's nothing else to morph and change, there are no more songs to add, no more preferences to record...the perfect list has evolved out of the muck. stuart kauffman has a lot to say about the evolution of species and the role of difference and sameness and the affordance of mutations. here's a link to a recent lecture by Kauffman at the waterloo applied complexity and innovation seminar.

"Stuart Alan A. Kauffman (28 September 1939) is an American theoretical biologist and complex systems researcher concerning the origin of life on Earth. He is best known for arguing that the complexity of biological systems and organisms might result as much from self-organization and far-from-equilibrium dynamics as from Darwinian natural selection, as well as for proposing the first models of Boolean networks." (wikipedia april 8, 2009, 1:37 pm) so "genius", like google (or more specifically, the google algorithm) among other systems for organizing information, is a largely a preference-based system. that means that it proposes to me a number of solutions based on the actions of other users of the system and then records my actions to add to its database of preferences. in theory this is a collective ranking which should tap the "wisdom of crowds" to provide the most precise answer to my query at that moment (since the data is always being updated, the best answer will change continuously). pandora on the other hand, uses an in-depth analysis and algorithmic interpretation of the music to find commonalities in a diverse range of songs. those commonalities are used to create a playlist for the user based on a song they choose, much like genius. the difference is: specialists, or experts analyzed the music and the playlist is the result of their expertise rather than the wisdom of the crowd of users of the system. it is created by the music genome project: "The Music Genome Project, created in January 2000, is an effort founded by Will Glaser, Jon Kraft, and Tim Westergren to "capture the essence of music at the fundamental level" using over 400 attributes to describe songs and a complex mathematical algorithm to organize them." (wikipedia, april 8, 2009, 1:52 pm)