Purposive Drift

Some homework for the rest of us

John Thackara has set us all a compelling challenge:

"Reducing the movement of matter - whether goods, or people - is a main challenge in the transition to sustainability. Technology, in this context, can help us use resources in a radically more efficient way - and by 'resources' I do not just mean matter and energy, but also space, and time."

Personally, I would like to combine that with another challenge posed by Tim Webb at reboot 9.0 (closing keynote), June 2007:

"When I come back to this conference next year, I would love to see presentations full of active products: Websites, media and services that are about experiences, that openly talk about their motives, that gossip and chatter and feel personable and humane."
(You probably need to read the whole presentation to get what he means)

And why do I want to combine the two? Well for that I leave you with a quote from one of my design heroes, Charles Eames:

"Who ever said that pleasure wasn’t functional?"