Embracing Analogue; why physical is hot
The more we are online, the more we value the physical world, according to a study by JWT Intelligence . Using standard association techniques, they measured the unconscious emotional responses to specific objects in both physical and digital form. The result: “People are fetishizing the physical and the tactile”
Datarock
There are research findings that support this.
For example, 70% of people believe that scratching things makes things personal and the same principle is missing in the list to data digital world, there is a predicted 25% increase in mail sent in the US over the next 3 years and vinyl record sales are showing a 19% growth per year.
Make sure that digital services also play into these kinds of emotions. As an example, they give the filters in Instagram that give it an old-fashioned photo feeling.
Use physical objects to increase the perceived value of digital services. As an example, they mention the band Datarock that sells a DataRock Diamond with a USB drive with the music on it.
Bridge the gap from digital to physical. Example: an online postcard service. JWT advises to also translate the social world of consumers to the physical world, with Stitchtagram as an example , where you can print your network of friends on cool cushions.
100 Year Starship: institutional travel and beyond
You could almost forget it, but the United States of America is the home of NASA. That is probably why there are so many space-related presentations and panels during this SXSW. It undoubtedly also has to do with the renewed interest in space travel. The 100 Year Starship, Instellar Travel & Beyond program aims to make instellar travel possible within 100 years. Remarkably, no one here questions the usefulness of this program, except perhaps the undersigned.
Geordi_La_Forge
On stage were moderator Benjamin Palmer ( creative thinker , a punk a la Sid Vicious), Mae Jemison (the first black female astronaut), Dr. Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute and actor LeVar Burton, known as Commander Geordi La Forge from Star Trek. It was a motley crew, but that was exactly what made the panel interesting.
Tarter – an old wise woman type – works at SETI, which stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Far fetched , you might think, but not for Tarter and her institute. She made it completely conceivable that we will soon be able to live on other planets. And we're not talking about two centuries, but according to her it is feasible for our grandchildren. In passing, she gave America a dressing down and advocated more cooperation with other countries, because 'we can't do this alone.'