Sprachsache

Lange Sendepause. Unter anderem um zu überlegen, wie es weitergehen soll, mit diesem weblog. Sicher ist: Es wird weitergebloggt. Vielleicht auf einem anderen Sendeplatz, das wird sich noch zeigen. Auf jeden Fall nicht mehr zwangsläufig auf Englisch.
Und weil Sprache selbst so ein Lokalisierungstool ist, zur Illustration ein paar deutsche Wörter, die sozusagen globalisiert haben :-)

Wen's interessiert: Mehr deutsche Vokabeln, die diesen Weg gegangen sind z.B. bei Wikipedia

Connecting to Urban Space

Connect To Urban Space

View more documents from Ines Seidel.

Recently I had a look at trends and developments that are related to the creative industries. And there was a aha!-moment for me when I realised that for many of the creative professionals, who often have a message that they are passionate about, the street is the place to go. It is not the gallery and not the virtual world in the first place.

And as we know, also activist movements and flashmob activities use the web as a tool to interact but the "place were things happen" is the street, the public place, the city.

At the same time it also seems to be true that cities can have a deadening effect: The urban environment is a post-natural environment which gives us the impression that we as humans stand outside nature. This may be one of the reasons why people find it hard to act about environmental issues. The environment seems to be a place far away that has little to do with everyday life.

So, to sum things up, I came to the conclusion that the urban space is one of the hottest interactive platforms that we have for social transformation, but many people feel not connected. So I created this fun presentation which suggests various ways to develop a relationship to the wild nature that even the urban space still has, ways that at the same time also work to strengthen one's own creative muscles.

Climate changes what?

Climate change is making big headlines, and rightly so. Yet, when you try to find out what climate change means for you, personally, in the next 5, 10 years, all you get is abstract scenarios (at best): tourism will suffer in certain regions, as will agriculture and transport, we'll see more catastrophes like tsunamis, and the extinction of species ...things like that. And on the other hand, you get ecofriendly technologies, LOHAS, governments discussing ... which is all ok, but i still think that the real topic has not been touched yet. Or am I the only one thinking that upgrading my home and my lifestyle has very little to do with the impact climate change will have on my life?

How are we going to live with limited resources in a more fragile world?

I am not a futurologist. So here some wild guesses that I suspect many share. (Maybe inspired by growing up in the GDR, a country with limited energy resources and a high premium on over-the-border transport as well)

Due to higher costs of transport & energy, prices will rise for all products, including groceries. People will have new priorities when they go shopping: Food is more valued. Exotic fruit will be the luxury they once were and locally produced food the cheaper choice. Overall, the range of brands will diminish - local manufacturers compete with only a few global brands (who often will also source locally). Also travelling will be more of a luxury, hence the world will get smaller. Local bonds will be strengthened with a new interest in feasts and rituals. Who will care any longer what catastrophes happen in a far away country when the disasters in your neighbourhood take up all your compassion.

OK, that may sound like a fallback to medieval times. Which would be nonsense as a complete picture. I am quite sure about the end of consumerism and throwaway society, though. The economic crisis that will accompany this will be a pain and a challenge to the social stability of Western nations... Is this why nobody is interested in writing about such visions? Instead, you get soothing stories about investing in green shares, buying low-energy lightbulbs, driving a conscience-friendly car. I'll keep looking for answers...