The Speculation Studio

Material things

Swedish Students Are Going Back to School and Getting Analog Books

September 12, 2023 by What if..?

https://gizmodo.com/swedish-students-head-back-to-school-with-analog-books-1850826621 I hate school. Actually it’s not just school, I hate everything. I hate being the odd one out. Not everyone says something but they all have that look in their eye. A toxic mixture of pity and puzzlement. They know what’s in my bag when I walk into class, when I get my chicken … [Read more…]

Posted in: speculations Tagged: analog, education, Material things

The Game Boy that survived the Gulf War has been removed from Nintendo New York

July 1, 2023 by What if..?

https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/30/23780549/gulf-war-game-boy-nintendo-nyc There was a box of them. Of course it was poignant but we often smiled as we sorted through the collection. We told stories to each other and the kids as we lifted each one out. Trying to explain what it was, how it worked and what he’d done with them brought memories back. … [Read more…]

Posted in: speculations Tagged: family, gaming, Material things

Deepfakes for scrawl: With handwriting synthesis, no pen is necessary

January 29, 2023 by What if..?

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/01/computer-generated-handwriting-demo-offers-deepfakes-for-scrawl Clients love visiting the offices. They smile as the receptionist politely asks them to leave their devices with him. They particularly love the smells. Not just the freshly brewing coffee but the inks, glue, papers, books. They all seem to make the same Proust joke and ask where Madeleine is. The directors always make … [Read more…]

Posted in: speculations Tagged: artificial intelligence, creativity, Material things

The Hottest Gen Z Gadget Is a 20-Year-Old Digital Camera

January 9, 2023 by What if..?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/07/technology/digital-cameras-olympus-canon.html It’s the blur for me. Not completely indecipherable or impossible to understand, just slightly… out. It fits with the way I see things. Nothing’s clear any more. I look at the world, politics, my future, my identity. Nothing is black and white. It’s all a bit fuzzy. I’m OK with that. I’m not going … [Read more…]

Posted in: speculations Tagged: Material things

The stubborn persistence of paper in a digital world

October 20, 2022 by What if..?

https://www.ft.com/content/16ad85e4-ba2d-487c-bc91-6f90e934974f It seemed like it was every other panel. The new big thing. The great hope for the future. Bubble or bandwagon. Every pundit was talking about it. Every vendor wanted to be seen to be in front of it. Every speaker had their own take. It served as opening gambit in every networking conversation … [Read more…]

Posted in: speculations Tagged: Material things, metaverse, NFTs

Dispatch from an advertising future #259

August 23, 2022 by What if..?

Thames Water reviews data centres’ water use as London hosepipe ban looms https://www.ft.com/content/8d8bf26f-5df2-4ff6-91d0-369500ed1a9c The village had voted overwhelmingly for it. Some said the residents had no real choice. There weren’t many other options in that area. Those that could had moved away believing things were better in the South or in the city or somewhere… … [Read more…]

Posted in: speculations Tagged: Climate, Material things

Dispatch from an advertising future #246

June 17, 2022 by What if..?

Novels still cast a spell in the age of BookTok https://www.ft.com/content/3c8ec449-44f8-4fd4-9f10-380fefc3008b At least it was summer. As he stretched after a warm if still uncomfortable night, he looked at the queue. It didn’t seem as long as usual. He remembered the last launch. All those cameras taking his picture as he held it aloft by … [Read more…]

Posted in: speculations Tagged: Material things, reading

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