October 25, 2012

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I came upon this and it reminded me of McCloud's Understanding Comics as well as Bolter & Grusin's Ubiquitous Computing. These anthropomorphized images of "smart" devices act as a metaphor for the idea that our gadgets are alive, that we relate to them in intimate ways, and that through owning and regularly using them, they become an extensions of our selves:

"If Gadgets Had Guts: Anthropomorphized Electronics: October 24, 2012 /

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"This is a series of digital paintings by Dutch artist Mads Peitersen imagining our everyday electronics with human-like guts inside. Why? NO CLUE. Maybe this will explain it! (I'm really hoping this explains it): ..."







  • The idea is that these gadgets are becoming so advanced and cool today that we almost treat them as    if they were alive. In a way users become attached to them:) After you have had your iPhone or your Xbox 360 for a while you slowly begin to see yourself as connected to these brands or gadgets. They almost become an extension of yourself or your hands. It is the feeling that we connect and attach to these machines individually.
  • The metaphor is that a really rather simple and very dead gadget gives people a feeling of being more present, more alive. And they relate in larger degree with these gadgets almost on a par with a pet or a friend! 


"Admittedly, I do care about my gadgets more than I do a lot of my friends. I'd say the majority. Actually, all of them. I hate my friends. They're all self-absorbed and jealous because I've got what they can't have. "And what's that?" A rockin' booty! *butt-slamming* UH UH UH UH UH! "You need help." I need new yoga pants.

"Hit the jump for a bunch more ...."  [end of quoted article]
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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thank You. You showed me something I'v never seen before. We name our cars and make attachments to our ipods, music boxes, play stations and xboxes. They take us to a place where we are prepared to be defeated, or either better our strategies. And whether we win or lose, we seem to go back because it's a place different from here.

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