The Week in EID – Ep 21

I think we went with some very uncontroversial topics this week, except perhaps the privacy issues behind the Intel ambient computing interview.  On the other hand, they were all very forward looking in that they have implications for what kinds of experiences we might be facing in the future.

Without question, our home environments are going to get smarter and do more monitoring than they are now.  This seems to be an inexorable trend.  But we have the ability to do this in a responsible way if designers take control.  I hope we can do this.  

We also have an inevitable aging of the population that will lead to similar questions as are faced by the Kurdish military.  What changes do we need to make in our environments, designs, and practices to accommodate the cognitive and physical abilities of an aging population?  

The post on Google Alerts is a good example of how communities develop their own terminology and worldview that might not be shared by the general population.  Does the “filter bubble” of the Internet make this worse?  Or better?  

The Capital One café would be a good thought experiment except that it is actually happening.  We got a comment from the UK that these are common over the pond.  Not an innovation at all, it seems.  

Studio Journal Episode 11 - Underwear gnomes and insomnia

You probably know from your own experience that the more you think of any particular memory, the stronger that memory becomes.  This also makes it easier to bring that memory to mind later.  So you have a great weekend, you think about it a lot, that memory becomes strong, and it pops into mind more often later.

There is some new evidence that the same thing happens with particular emotions and attitudes.  If you are constantly dwelling on negativity or complaining about negative things that happen, the negative brain center gets stronger and the more likely you are to think negatively about future events, even if they aren’t so bad.  It becomes a self-reinforcing cycle.  The more negative you are about something today, the more you will be negative about something else tomorrow and the more that negative experiences from the past will come to mind.  The best thing to do when you are experiencing something negative is to keep your mouth shut about it and quickly think about something else.  Or at least reframe the negative experience in your mind so that it doesn’t seem so bad.

With that in mind, I have two stories to share that at first seemed negative but I am reframing them.  I moved in to my new apartment two weeks ago.  At the time, I remember unpacking my coasters, not knowing where to put them yet, so I put them aside to unpack later.  For the past week I have been searching and searching for them because I know where to put them now and I have needed them a few times (or at least one of them).  Coasters aren’t a huge deal, but it was really annoying to know that they are somewhere.  I have looked in every box, bin, and drawer and they are nowhere to be found.  I could have thrown them away by mistake, but I don’t think so.  I could have put them in my donation pile and given them away by mistake, but I don’t think so.  I have now come to the conclusion that the underwear gnomes took them.

That brings me to the second story.  For the past 10-15 years, I have had really bad insomnia.  It started out with me falling asleep pretty fast, but then waking up after only an hour of sleep and then falling back asleep only an hour before I had to wake up.  So I would just be getting two 1-hour naps (plus a third one during the afternoon at work if I had time).  A few years later, it moved to falling asleep right away, waking up after a few hours, and then being up the rest of the night.  Then a few years after that, it moved to not being able to fall asleep at all until just before I had to wake up.  Then just last week I started on my fourth different kind of insomnia.  I didn’t even know there were four kinds of insomnia, so it has been a learning experience for me.  Now, I fall asleep pretty quickly, wake up just ½ hour or so before my alarm, but feel like I haven’t slept at all. 

I couldn’t figure out how this is possible until I connected the two stories.  Apparently, the underwear gnomes are interfering with my sleep while they look for more things to steal in my apartment. 

Vinegar Cocktails

I have always considered myself daring when it comes to food as well as always trying to support innovative ideas.  So I tried to keep an open mind when reading this.  I am not sure I would go with straight vinegar, except maybe a really sweet apple cider vinegar or perhaps a rice wine vinegar that is more wine than vinegar.  But it opens up a whole avenue of potential cocktails.  I can think of putting orange bitters, a fruity vinegar, and a splash of simple syrup over ice with a wedge of lime.

Studio Journal Episode 10 - New Routines

One of the biggest areas of focus when we study human behavior is the development of habits.  We focus on this because they are such a strong factor in many of our lives.  There are estimates that 45% of or daily activities are unconsciously controlled by our routines and habits.  This is a good thing because it frees up our attention for the more important things we want to do.  But only if we make sure that the habits automate positive behaviors and not negative ones.  Habits get triggered by a context, not by our well-laid goals and intentions.  When we are in a particular place, with particular people, or doing a particular thing, our habits automatically get triggered, whether we like it or not.  They trigger even when we don’t want them to because we are not paying attention.

So that brings me to the subject of Episode 10.  One of the benefits (or risks) of being in a new apartment is that my contexts are all new.  All of my old routines are now subject to revision.  I don’t think I had any really bad habits at my old apartment, but it gives me a rare opportunity to make changes if I want.

So far, I haven’t done much.  I now eat breakfast at my coffee table, with an open notebook and make some notes to add to the book I am writing.  I am hoping that this routine will help me get the book out a little faster. 

Any other suggestions? 

Studio Journal Episode 9 - Meeting my Neighbors

As you know from my previous post, I didn’t get into my new apartment until really late.  So I waited until Day 2 to introduce myself.  I made some cookies (premade batter, but it’s the thought that counts, right?) and knocked on the seven doors on my floor.  Only three people were home.  One was on the phone, but was happy to take a cookie.  A second was eating dinner, but he appreciated the thought.  The third told me he was moving out the next weekend, but he loved the cookie.  Oh well – so much for meeting people.  A week later and I still haven’t met anyone else.  Maybe I need to try cookies again. Or go up to the second floor.

When the third neighbor moved out, I saw him about to throw away a whole assortment of blankets, pillows, and other bedding. Much of it looked really warm and in perfectly good condition.  So I asked him if I could take it down to the homeless shelter where I volunteer.  He was happy to let me take everything off his hands so this morning I brought it all over.  Since the weather is starting to turn away from summer, the timing is pretty good, although the shelter will take good winter blankets any time.