interactive telecommunications goes green

i was lucky enough to check out some insanely creative projects at nyu’s itp (interactive telecommunications program) show last night in a space that can only be described as what it would look like if the smartest, most creative person in the world vomited their brain out and arranged the contents neatly in compartmentalized stalls.

so what do interactive telecommunications have to do with sustainability and going green? just about everything. not only are electronic methods of communicating inherently less wasteful because they eliminate the need to use paper and send packages that need to be transported using fuel*, many of the concepts directly addressed the energy, water and waste crisis that we are currently facing.

check it:

cameron cundiff and nobu nakaguchi’s how much water? is a system that shows you the amount of water you’re using as you use it. cameron explained that although the project is still conceptual, he hopes that such a system is in the works in the real world. how cool would it be if something like this could be integrated into your wii or posted to your facebook? note: the poland springs water bottle in tucked behind the project is ironic, don’t you think?

martin ceperley’s power aware is similar to the wilting flower that i wrote about a few weeks ago, but improves upon the idea by consolidating the system to a single powerstrip. i also like how martin encourages potential users to compete with one another to use the least energy via facebook and other social networking sites.

some of the other projects didn’t necessarily focus on green technology, but were undeniably brilliant or just a delight to look at and play with:

oscar torres and florica vlad’s pianocktail is a contraption that mixes you a cocktail based on the combination of notes that you play. “now you can drink your music in addition to hearing it,” they explained.

aram chang, amanda syarfuan, dharmarajan ratnagiri ayakkad and seungran woo’s reverve is a shopping portal that works in conjunction with your favorite shows. let’s say you love charlotte’s glasses and want to buy them on the spot. reverve gives you the option to do it!

tweetmobile, the brainchild of jill haefele, jorge just, joshua schelling and sara huong allows your twitter tweets to be manifested into the actions of these playful birdies. my tweet made the bluejay flutter!

nobuyuki nakaguchi’s breath note was inspired by his childhood memory of fogging up his mom’s car window with his breath and doodling words and pictures on it. nobuyuki turned his fondness for this little pleasure that almost everyone has enjoyed into a way to capture your breath notes and send them to friends.

corey lane menscher transformed his desire to know when his wife (who is actually pregnant!) felt kicks from their baby into the kickbee, which wraps around a pregnant woman’s tummy and sends a twitter tweet to loved ones every time the baby kicks!

what a treat to peek into the minds of tomorrow’s interactive media moguls. and how empowering to see so many minds focused on conserving, recycling, and communicating these goals to the rest of the world.

* the flipside is that electronic communication requires, you guessed it, electricity, which we all know needs to be conserved as well. but think about it this way: sending a whole bunch of text messages really uses about the same amount of energy as sending one or none, so why not use it to its full potential?

why is this a site?

swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.