First Publication!

Some 7 months after returning from Vanuatu, the first related publication is coming out!

The paper that I wrote with my supervisor (Prof. Kristina Höök) got very good reviews, and is on a good path to being accepted at CHI 2011 in Vancouver, Canada!

The paper is called: Bodily Orientations around Mobiles: Lessons learned in Vanuatu, and it focuses on precisely that. Drawing mainly from phenomenology and somaesthetics, the paper discusses ways in which we extend our bodies through technologies, and the compromises and implications in doing so. The value we put on different parts of our bodies, with and without technology, the way we alter our posture and the physicality with which we are present in the world and other related issues are discussed in this paper, using as starting points for analysis different encounters occurring during our stay in Motalava and Rah (there is a post about this from end of February).

Once we get a final accept (hopefully there will be no bad surprises at this point...), I will post a link to the paper here, for those interested in taking a look. If you do take a look do not forget to post your comments here as I am very interested in getting more feedback.

At the moment three more papers are "in progress". One focusing on privacy issues, and how the way ni-Vans (again mainly in Rah) concerns regarding privacy reflected some of our own ongoing research concerns. Another one artifacts and the aging of artifacts. And finally one on playfulness and the value we place on the technologies we produce and consume.

So stay tuned as I try to resuscitate this blog!