Tools for Investigation - Assessing and Critiquing Sources

DIY 

"Whole Earth Catalog"

The "Whole Earth Catalog", published by Stewart Brand from 1968, represented a strong viewpoint of individuality and grass roots design. It served as a source of counterculture in a time where hippies were in the midst of their sixties movement and the world was experiencing a rise in experimentalism and a do-it-yourself attitude. On the opening page of each issue was a paragraph on the purpose of the publication which went as such;

"We are as gods and might as well get good at it. So far, remotely done power and glory—as via government, big business, formal education, church—has succeeded to the point where gross defects obscure actual gains. In response to this dilemma and to these gains a realm of intimate, personal power is developing—power of the individual to conduct his own education, find his own inspiration, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested. Tools that aid this process are sought and promoted by the WHOLE EARTH CATALOG"

This description accurately represents the entirety of the publication's ideology in that it is a response to the apparent rule of the "higher man" over the people of society. In 2005 Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, remarked that the "Whole Earth Catalog" was "sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along." It allowed the people access to information about the world they lived in which they had never had access to before.

The wrongly titled "Last Whole Earth Catalog" was published in June of 1971 and ended with the message "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." After which came republishings of the final and intermittent new releases, with a "Whole Earth Epilog" in 1974.

The Everyday

"The Evolution of Useful Things: How Everyday Artefacts-From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers-Came to be as They are"

Henry Petroski's book "The Evolution of Useful Things" is an in-depth review of everyday objects, answering questions which society doesn't even realise exist. It works to show the reader how much detail there is to the objects of our day to day life which we just utilise without reserve or wonder into the actual existence of such things.

The preface to the book asks; " How did the table fork acquire a fourth tine?  What advantage does the Phillips-head screw have over its single-grooved predecessor? Why does the paper clip look the way it does? What makes Scotch tape Scotch?" These questions and many more make up the content of the book as a convincing exploration and argument into why objects vole the way that they do.

Many portions of the book consider arguments against the common idea of "form follows function." Petroski has three interesting variants upon this idea

1. "form follows failure"
2. "form eschews fashion"
3. "form follows where the future leads"

These novel ideas demonstrate Petroski's ability to analyse what we take for granted in the world, and how he is able to come up with solutions to our unbeknownst problems. He and his writings are a source of inspiration for anyone looking for a detailed analysis into the finer points of design in our world.

Critical Design

"Critical Design and Critical Theory: The Challenge of Designing for Provocation"

In the text "Critical Design and Critical Theory", the authors postulate that critical design is a central research activity for constructive design, and that critical theory remains under-articulated in our current design writing. The text explains the effectiveness of a strong connection between researcher and research participant when designing for provocativeness.

The authors state that that critical design proposes that researchers "stage dilemmas that force a decision onto the user", that this approach allows us to "enrich and expand our experience of everyday life." It encourages a perspective of designing for provocation, instead of just rehashing old surface features for the fashion of the time. They are knowledgeable and thoughtful of their opinions and their diverse scholarly background make this resource invaluable on the subject of critical design.

Google Warming

"Privacy Online"

This text is a discussion on the subject of our current digital age and the dangers of having our private information widely accessible to anyone, anywhere via the internet and the fact that the public is generally unaware as to the threats they face as a consequence of their online actions.

Bowers implores that "clearly, the public needs to be educated and empowered so that they have control over their personal information", a statement which, although made in 1997, is still applicable to today's society. She then goes on to describe the sets of laws which were created by the Information Infrastructure Task force concerning individual privacy applying to government and industries. This is a very informational and contextual article concerning the viewpoint of a time when personal computers where increasingly becoming a commonplace item in society.

 

References:

Various. (1968-1998). Whole Earth Catalog. California: Stewart Brand.

"Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA&t=12m45s. Retrieved 18/03/2013

Petroski, H. (2010). The Evolution of Useful Things. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Bardzell, S.,Bardzell, J.,Forlizzi, J., Zimmerman, J., & Antanitis, J. (2012). Critical Design and Critical Theory: The Challenge of Designing for Provocation. Proceeding, 288-297.

Bowers, Diane K. (1997). Legislative and Regulatory Issues: Privacy Online. Marketing Research, 9(3), 37-38.