cooking with the elements

leonardo amerigo bonanni presented work on ambient displays / augmented reality for the kitchens at interact 2005 so i am obliged to mention it. you can read the paper here. the heatsink, more or less the same as the bathroom fixtures from hansa and to a lesser extent the faucet friend, is the only project in the paper i was really keen on. but you already know i've championed that concept.

according to the author the kitchen is the "epitome of a feed-back less modern space," and goes on to assert that the kitchen has been filled up with ubiquitous computers, sensors and effectors. the proposed solution is... not to go back to the old times just lamented, but rather to install a "system of sensors and projectors specifically for the purpose of overlaying the existing space with sensory feedback to assist and enrich the user's experience."

now let me pause and say that my kitchen is quite the sensory experience. i can hear running water when i've left the tap on, hear the kettle boil, feel the heat from the stove, feel the cold air rush from the freezer, etc. however, if you are one of the inhabitants of these super-subtle kitchens, is what you are dying for the projection of a little tiny fire when your stove is on?

and please, please do not reference the ambient orb. i'm begging you.

[thanks we make money not art]