Theorizing things

Theorizing things talks about the meaning of "things" going deeper than their physical substance. In this article Prasad Boradkaar talks about the lack of research and understanding of the "things" which surround us in everyday life. The value of things goes further than their form or aesthetic value, they embody a large amount of cultural information\importance and understanding this information is an important part of design critique and theory. He states

"in the process of theorization, each discipline forgrounds specific aspects of the existance of objects. Though interesting and relevant in themselves, each one of these disciplines provides only a partial reading of the object."

I believe what he means here is that there is alot of information embodied in any object and without the lens of a particular discipline to understand certain aspects of this information we simply fail to notice or understand it. As most people stick within a couple of disciplines/methods of thought it is very difficult to understand an object as the whole sum of information it contains.

to be continued....

In the bubble - feedback and disection

I believe the message John Thackara is making in the intro to "In the Bubble", is that in a world of advanced technology and incessant technological development, People are often left out of the picture.
As the designers, engineers and scientists involved in the development of new technology focus on more complexity, more mechanical precision and generally more "things" for the sake of developing new things, people and peoples understanding of the world and the developing tech are left by the wayside.
To truly design beneficial and lasting change takes an understanding of the repercussions of every design choice, not just the effects on the object itself but also on society, the attitudes of society, people's daily lifes, ideas, opinions etc..
largely through design we have wound our way towards a culture obsessed new things, sciences and technologies but oblivious of the overall effect all these new things have on us. His propitiation seems to be to understand what we create, and to spend more time designing "macroscopes" or systems which help us see the bigger picture and help us understand the direction in which we are heading.