An exploration of how openly shared, passively collected, and persistent personal data is providing individuals with scaffolding and feedback for complex tasks. The resulting technosocial impact is a shifting of the locus of control from centralized management and production of resources, decentralizing towards individuals.

1. The Rise of Open Data
persistent, passively collected data, and the resulting technosocial decentralization

2. Central tenets and thesis
Rise of open data

3. Central tenets and thesis
Rise of open data → persistent information

4. Central tenets and thesis
Rise of open data → persistent information
this information provides scaffolding + feedback

5. Central tenets and thesis
Rise of open data → persistent information
this information provides scaffolding + feedback
critical to performing optimally in the world

6. Central tenets and thesis
Rise of open data → persistent information
this information provides scaffolding + feedback
critical to performing optimally in the world
(living better lives!)

7. Central tenets and thesis
Rise of open data → persistent information
this information provides scaffolding + feedback
critical to performing optimally in the world
(living better lives!)
as we capture that info less mechanically
& more organically,

8. Central tenets and thesis
Rise of open data → persistent information
this information provides scaffolding + feedback
critical to performing optimally in the world
(living better lives!)
as we capture that info less mechanically
& more organically,
we move towards a place where wellness,
production, and access to resources become
decentralized

9. Open Data
(capturing personal data → sharing open data → constantly sharing personal data)

10. Poyozo: a browser-based service that captures
your detailed web activity in its entirety
Capturing personal data

11. Blippy: users link their credit
cards and bank accounts to
track and share their purchases
Sharing personal data

12. Voyurl: users share their clickstream with friends
and others, effortlessly in the background
Constantly sharing personal data

13. Common question: why would
anyone want to share these
things about themselves??

14. Similar question asked at one point: why does an iPhone need a compass?
compass
Why collect data?

15. Similar question asked at one point: why does an iPhone need a compass?
+
compass video
Why collect data?

16. Similar question asked at one point: why does an iPhone need a compass?
+ =
compass video augmented reality
Why collect data?

17. Similar question asked at one point: why does an iPhone need a compass?
+ =
compass video augmented reality
Short answer: we don’t know yet. But there are enough innovative thinkers
out there that - given tools and information - will create fantastic things
Why collect data?

18. Persistent Data
(capturing personal habits → optimizing personal habits →
efficient living through understanding personal habits)
(the following are manifestations of how this information can be used - examples in real
life cross every realm, but I’ve limited these to geolocation)

19. Visualizations based on sharing foursquare checkins: “innovative thinkers
creating fantastic things” is important when thinking about how informative
location is to understanding personal habits
(example: perhaps I should
explore here more often?)
weeplaces.com wheredoyougo.net
Capturing personal habits

20. Future Checkin: checks in automatically based on user-selected favorites.
Once you understand personal habits, you can optimize for them
Optimizing for personal habits

21. Tasker for Android: very complex & very robust, therefore a steep learning curve
- if you can do anything, it’s hard to think of doing anything in particular (think:
Second Life). Self-understanding gives users the limitation and scaffolding
necessary to use rich, complex, and otherwise inaccessible tools efficiently
Efficiency through understanding of personal habits
(understanding = limitation = scaffolding)

22. Collection of personal data allows for intuitive feedback loops - As
relatively short-sighted beings, we have a hard time making that
intuitive jump between how the daily tasks we do today translate
into long-term value years or even months down the road
DICE 2010, Jessie Schell:
“Design Outside The Box” Epic Win app
Feedback to develop new habits

23. How? (Internet of Things)
(a primer on the changing nature of how physical actions are
being collected and understood)

24. Sensor (force-sensitive
resistor - resistance to
electron flow changes
according to pressure)
Actuator (lights up)
Controller (interprets
changes in electron flow,
translates them based on
user-defined rules into
electron flows that power
actuators
User-defined rules for how
controllers should interpret/
translate electric currents
Internet of Things = sensors, actuators, and controllers

25. Many kinds of sensors exist; because of an explosion of access (affordable
microcontrollers), we’re getting better at figuring out how to use sensors in
innovative ways to make actuators do innovative things. Put that information on the
web (pachube), and anyone can access it/make something useful of it
User-generated Internet of Things

26. Standardized sensor/
actuator/controller kits
IBM’s Mote Runner platform
Protocol-assisted Internet of Things

27. from PSFK’s Intelligent Cities report
Centralized Internet of Things

28. Passive Capture
(how these things are letting us move towards more passive
methods of capturing data)

29. from PSFK’s Future of Health report
Passive daily data for better living

30. Green Goose: packaged sensor kits for home
use - tracks energy usage & fitness activity
Passive usage data for greener living

31. Nokia Bots: software that passively tracks usage
behavior, arranging home screen positions and
phone settings accordingly
Passive behavioral data for efficient living

32. Passive biometric data for smarter living

33. IKEA robotics: mobile, wireless robots that react
to a user’s tracked presence in a room,
reconfiguring automatically
Passive physical data for convenient living

34. Decentralization
(What does this mean for long-term human behavior? Locus
of control regarding wellness, production, and management of
resources is moving towards the individual)

35. from PSFK’s Intelligent Cities report
Decentralization of energy management

36. Tools that track biometrics allow individuals to manage their own health
to greater degrees, able to collaborate with physicians remotely
Text-messaging microchip pill
Decentralization of healthcare

37. 3D scanning + 3D printing = instant individual manufacturing plants
Decentralization of production

38. Services like CitySourced will soon be
powered by passive processes,
seamlessly and constantly updating
based on data collected by the natural
everyday actions of individuals
from PSFK’s Intelligent Cities report
Decentralization of city management

39. Rise of open data → persistent information
this information provides scaffolding + feedback
critical to performing optimally in the world
(living better lives!)
as we capture that info less mechanically/actively
& more organically/passively,
we move towards a place where wellness,
production, and access to resources become
decentralized

40. Thanks -
kylestudstill@gmail.com
@kylecameron
howtobreakanything.com