Scott Page

From Pew / Internet: "A new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that 45% of online American adults have taken virtual tours of another location online. That represents 54 million adults who have used the internet to venture somewhere else. On a typical day, more than two million people are using the internet to take a virtual tour."<br /> <br /> The need to represent urban areas on-line is greater than ever, especially when we consider the impact a movie can have on a City (The Sixth Sense is Philadelphia's best example of a tourist 'push' after release).

I'm finding this a bit late but i really like some of the projects and their potential for further exploration. "<a href="http://www.spectropolis.info/index.php">Spectropolis</a> Mobile Media, Art and the City is a three-day event (October 1-3, 2004) in Lower Manhattan that highlights the diverse ways artists, technical innovators and activists are using communication technologies to generate urban experiences and public voice. The increasing presence of mobile communication technologies is transforming the ways we live, construct and move through our built environment.

After Adam's last two thoughtful posts, I thought I should weigh in here being the resident urban design on Tech Talk. In general, I sometimes share others concerns with marquee architecture but usually when its seen as a way of boosting economic development or the status of a city. I think in those cases, there are far better ways to boost the livability and physical appearance of a place. Thinking of what an "icon" for say, Fort Wayne, would be is an uninteresting question as that city faces other underlying issues that a marquee project simply can't address.

Cool application underway by <a href="http://socialight.com/?p=index">Socialight</a>. Sticky Shadows are digital post-it notes for urban areas. I like the idea of neighborhood narratives.<br /> <br /> From their website:<br /> "How's it Used? <br /> -- I leave a note for all my friends at the mall to let them know where I'm hanging out. All my friends in the area see it. <br /> -- A woman shows all her close friends the tree under which she had her first kiss. <br /> -- An entire neighborhood gets together and documents all the unwanted litter they find in an effort to share ownership of a community problem.

As a new father struggling with finding baby names (our little guy was two months early), it was a pleasure to stumble across <a href="http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html">Baby Name Wizard</a> (this requires java). The site tracks the popularity of baby names through time. The interactive design is fascinating and a great example of how to pack a lot of overlapping information into one clear graphic. It seems the name we chose - Kai - is gaining popularity. I'm always behind the trends.