LG

Way back here in my ChungKing Express post, when talking about the duplication culture of China and Asia excluding Japan, I tried to imply that while not seeing evidence of real innovation there was definitely an emergence of what I now see more clearly as a technology remix culture as evidenced by the solar panel and telescopic lens that came with my mobile phone now languishing in Bangkok storage until my next move is more clear.

Today I see that LG have taken this great idea of solar panel charged batteries and run with it for the launch of the LG GD510 phone which you can read more about over at the Pattaya Rag Blogspot. I knew what I was trying to convey at the time of my own post which was both critical of duplication culture (or copying if you will) but seeing the LG post has crystallized my thinking and I believe that Asia is emerging as a centre of technological remix culture which in this instance is both a smart idea and one that scores well on sustainable living metrics. Although since my own phone was stolen recently (yes, again) I've suffered from inaccessibility for work related communications but also lapped up the peacefulness and lack of interruptions which tucks nicely into my previous post.

I'm also trying to see the cops tomorrow for the identity parade for my stolen life, but the last time I spoke to the investigating team about it they hung up on me. Which is why I'm writing it here. So now we're clear.

Distraction over Interruption in Social Media (Great Apes)

I'm reading Great Apes at the moment by Will Self and came across this ricochet or crossover point (if you wish) in the text of Mark Earls IPA social big picture draft. 

Mark writes: 

Sociolinguists use the term “phatic” to describe the relational value created by what therefore amounts to the inarticulate ‘grunting and stroking’ involved in this kind of communication : they seem to be a way of keeping communications lines open and relationships alive. Being the Super Social Primate species that we are, we do this kind of thing naturally and gleefully: without prompting, huge numbers of us Brits have taken to texting over the last decade - from zero to 5BN+ texts a month in the UK alone (to put it in perspective £7.8m of donations to Comic Relief this year via short text code). And we do the same with the likes of Facebook and Twitter, to create an even steeper adoption curve. Indeed, the UK beat the US by a few months to the critical point where social media overtook pornography in terms of Internet usage.

Will Self writes:

But perhaps most significant of all is the human attitude to touch. It is this that appears so acutely inchimp. Humans, because of their lack of protective coat, have not evolved the complex rituals of grooming and touch that so define Chimpanzee social organisation and gesticulation. Imagine not being groomed! It is almost unthinkable to a chimpanzee that a significant portion of the day should not be given over to this most cohering and sensual of activities. Undoubtedly it is this lack of grooming that renders human sexuality so bizarre to us.

So where does marketing fit into this picture? Is coitus interruptus the new 'money shot' for interruptive marketing communications or as I've written else where but not elaborated on, is there now a need to explore deeper and further all the dimensions of distraction over interruption? I've got some ideas for this.

One of my main complaints with one of the recent Facebook facelifts is that within the Facebook environment I find it too 'busy' for want of a better word. The distraction quotient was too high and that's not factoring in the interruptive element of the built in messenger service where it's entirely possible to be hijacked from an interruptive experience to a distractive one (or vice versa) and forget completely about the original content immersion (say reading the mail or catching up on all your photos (yes you lot).

I think it's this we need to investigate further and realistically there should be only one aperture for either interruptive or distractive (the two can have a overlapping qualities depending on what preceeded the experience being processed). So there you have it... and I'm way too experienced in telling the truth (you can't handle it folks) to spill the beans where I picked up this thinking on the net but I'll tell you to your face if you ask.

As a more interesting, and humanist aside Will Self informs us (seriously or not I don't know but I do know enough cat and dog lovers to give this thought serious credence). He writes, once again in the Authors Note:

It may even transpire that the behaviours (British spelling) of domesticated humans which reinforce this theory are in fact dependent on some form of morphic, resonant association with wild populations. Wipe out the wild humans and even the domesticated ones who have learnt to sign (some humans have a lexicon of five hundred or more ES signs) may fall motionless. Gesticulation between our two species will be at an end*.

I find that fascinating and it may further explain our enduring fascination with Zoos. 


In any case should the gesticulation across our species with each other, 'fall motionless' our nobility (as a species) is eroded no doubt when we losing opportunities to pet, pat, stroke or even yell melodramatic vulgarities at our favourite pets (a dog say) over spilt milk. We know that personal insult to Canines are never really embraced in the same way as canine does to homo sapien when say compared to harsh exchanges between two humans where the sensitivity is markedly more sensitive and infinitely more long lasting. Without this gesticulation across the species what will we resort to when feeling our way around the subject of venting steam? Are we diminished by throttling every other species around us with which we interact through unfettered capitalism? Are the Chimps more important that we've ever suspected?

...anyway I appear to have been distracted both you and myself by this point. I apologise for that.

* Will Self plays around interchangeably with humans and chimps when reinforcing our genetic proximity.


Update: I've coincidentally stumbled across these two terrific related articles in Fast Forward written by my friend Rob Patterson who is well worth adding to your RSS feeds.

Demographics & The Vicar of Clerkenwell

photo

Last week I purchased the International Express newspaper to see what it was all about and apart from being stuffed with the sort of Jingoistic journalism trash that one expects from what I presume is a Daily Express sister title I creamed through it in 15 minutes and ripped out the bits that were interesting.

One article penned by the chaste and pious Anne Widdecombe tackled Boris Johnson, , another Tory I don't like much, for suggesting that Ramadam is something the UK should embrace.

I loved the way that Anne resorted to "the British way of life" as if it were an institution that the FMCG consumer revolution hadn't overturned post second world war. They always do make me smirk, although this might be a good time to say I think John Major was the finest Prime Minister we ever had in my lifetime even though he too was prone to making cricket and old maidens references.

Anyway demographics are an important subject because the reality of early 21st century United Kingdom is that while Christianity dwindles to nothing. Under the full flame power of people like Richard Dawkins, Islam will be the predominant religion in the United Kingdom in the future. How ready are we for it?

Now, why we may have not paid much attention to the future, while strip harvesting the British Empire and specifically partioning Pakistan and India (not forgetting our invasion and seperation of Bangladesh) we're now snookered, because we can't talk about having our cake and eating it. 

We plundered and caned to death a few Islamic countries and while power will resist any change that means praying five times a day towards Mecca, I see no more interesting solution than all the other UK religions (including the U.S originated Mormons for reasons I'll get into later) from embracing a one month, day only (not the night) period of fasting for what I think are great reasons.

We're obese, we fret over the lack of self control we seem to have lost, we're surrounded by a disenfranchised and fast growing Islamic brothers family. We don't even understand the power of frugality that Islam shares with it's brothers and sisters...and if our manners are out of order we should reconsider them. 

Maybe the United Kingdom will end up like some kind of East Timor circa 1975 when the Indonesians invaded Dilli and rounded up the women before flying them off by helicopter to be used by the troops - Using UK, Canadian, US and Australian bullets and guns.....It's just business after all.

Anyway; just a thought. My business is dangerous ideas and I'm always up for debate and criticism. What do you think? Do you even care?