Keeping an eye on

Last night I was in London for an event at the Science Museum's Dana Centre (where there is a nice cafe; I'd not been there before). Some of the authors of the Royal Academy of Engineering report entitled "Dilemmas of Privacy and Surveillance" were there, and I'd recommend the report, a fascinating read, and clearly the mix of engineers and social scientists on the working group found the process of interdisciplinary discussion enlightening. It's a very pragmatic study, considering where the world is going and where we are now, not just where we might like to be.

The real purpose of the evening was "Keeping an Eye On", a workshop to explore the implications of the report, and part of the Science Horizons project. The scenarios presented weren't great, I thought, particularly the second in which the main point appeared to http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifbe that the radical new technology didn't actually work correctly, but the discussions afterwards with members of the public were fascinating.

As an aside, in the context of science debate, should we (the technologists) describe the masses as the public? Aren't they the same as us really?

It was also interesting to compare the scenarios, and the presentation of the event overall, with the interactive discussion pack from Science Horizons, which alertme staff had a go at on Monday. This pack presents a potential future Britain in 2025, with scenarios describing various aspects of technology in this brave new world. Small groups of up to 12 people are encouraged to go through the pack, and report back how they feel about the technologies and their social and ethical impacts. The responses get fed back to the project, which continues nationwide until June 2007, and are then apparently to be presented to government. Whilst some of the pack's scenarios were interesting and could clearly spark debate, others seemed ill thought out, and barely futuristic at all. Also, some of the "where are we now with this technology?" sections were clearly incorrect. (RFIDs don't transmit data over distance on an ongoing basis!) Still, we did have a fair discussion around it, and a company dominated by engineers is not, perhaps, the target audience for the pack. (If you are interested, the website has a form where you can request a free pack, and organise a discussion yourself.) Despite the flaws, though, it's good to see these issues being raised and discussed outside the technology world. Privacy and surveillance affect everyone, whether they realise it or not. Some of the real world examples of current databases and systems going wrong were very scary indeed; if more people can be exposed to genuine potential outcomes of these technologies, they might be less bowled over by "CCTV spots terrorist" headlines. CCTV didn't stop the terrorist, after all...

Blogging alertme

AlertMe has a blog, which we're starting to post on more often as we gradually emerge from stealth mode. The RSS feed formatting isn't quite right for some reason, for which apologies, but it should be fixed soon. Meanwhile, you can read my first post on the site itself.

Bike pics

We managed to get Michael's bike home OK. Here it is with only the top box, and not the side luggage:





I think it looks great; a fairly unusual look compared to other bikes, although I'm aware my eye is extremely untutored in this!

Plant life

There are various plants gradually coming out in the garden here. Some of them I can identify, and some I can't; some photograph reasonably with my phone, and others don't.

Michael's new toy

is a Buell Ulysses.

Tangible Surface

As mentioned in my previous post, I have a new surface on my desk to help plan my day. You might be able to see I have tasks of various kinds, my own status, a calendar... I also have some documents, one of which is currently on Amyas's surface as it's his problem at the moment. We might collaborate on it later :)

Gizmos

If you've been checking out the alertme webcam, you might have noticed more gadgetry on some of our desks. Five of us are trying out a prototype tangible interface system, called TIPSY, to help us manage our time and collaborative documents. It's the PhD project of Darren Edge at the Cambridge University Computer Lab. At the moment we're fixing teething problems - like the dazzling lighting in this office - but it's a fun system to play with, and getting more stable by the hour.

It's Science Week again!

Don't they come around quickly? This year, I had a break from jitterbugs and instead helped out on the (new) IET Cambridge Younger Members "Engineers Explain" stand. We had a great turnout of people, and amazingly managed to give away nearly 100% of the freebies we had - about 5 minutes before we closed. If you were one of the many people asking for schools resources, check out the IET 5-19 site. If you missed the fun, you can capture some of the atmosphere from the photos.

Tiny friend

Last year, we had a friendly robin, who endlessly peered into our office from the tree outside, and who broke in once or twice through our open windows. This year, we have a pair of bluetits, who can even sit on the windowsill! They gaze adoringly through the glass, and I'm sure as the weather warms up will threaten to invade as we are forced to open windows.

DIY Kyoto

At the recommendation of a NESTA staffer I met at their Speed Networking event on Tuesday night, I've just ordered a DIY Kyoto Wattson. We'll see what it is like in the office - I'm hoping it's expensable! But it looks like an interesting project, and has good synergy for alertme. (Thanks Gerard!)

Outdoor blogging

Whilst typing up his (long) bike review, Michael sat out in the garden. This is a first in this house - our first very good weather weekend since we've been here.

Sunset over Girton

Yesterday, after spending some time out test driving motorbikes in the glorious sunshine, there was a lovely sunset.







Michael is blogging about the bikes at the moment. I expect an epic essay, given the time he has spent on it!

Emily Davison

Last night Michael and I toured parts of the House of Commons with MP Liam Fox. We were able to visit the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, which isn't part of the public tour route. This is an incredibly beautiful and old (begun in 1292) chapel in a very unusual style, most similar spaces being destroyed. However, one of the most interesting parts of the chapel for me was the broom cupboard at the back, where the suffragette Emily Davison hid during the 1911 Census, ensuring that her address would go down on record as "House of Commons". The cupboard is small these days, with bits of maintenance equipment in it, only fitting two very friendly people in at once. As Fox said, if this was America, the cupboard would be "a major feminist shrine". As it is, it is almost unmarked. There is, though, a plaque and a portrait of Davison - on the inside of the door, making it almost impossible to view.

The main point to me though was not that she hid there, or that the memorial to her actions was so discreet, but that the plaque itself had been placed there in what seems to have been a personal gesture by Tony Benn. Not an official commemoration; not done at or soon after the time women finally acheived suffrage; but a late addition by a rebellious MP. Apparently Benn arranged this himself, after the suggestion of a memorial was rejected by the Speaker. There was a note at the bottom of the plaque, which I paraphrase: "Well, Mr Speaker, I shall see that a plaque is placed there if I have to screw it to the wall with my own hands."

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