data dōgu (道具)
I am staying in my little hotel apartment in the financial district of NYC, popularly referred to as FiDi. For me it feels like the old NYC of my college days. Glamour with just the right amount of grit. And instead of a Gideon’s bible tucked in a hotel dresser, you will likely find books of design available for your leisure reading.
Dieter refers to dōgu, “objects made, designed and improved by people…that reflect the owner’s personality.” Sounds like a brand awakening to me. An invitation in a tech world insisting on conformity, algorithms and speed induced decision making. It took me over a year to write my first traditionally published book. I wanted readers to learn how to learn because I possessed the humility to know that a book can’t hold or guide anyone beyond its pages without letting you in on the secret.
If you are lucky 1000s of people will read your book(s). Each seeking an answer to their own question. If the answer isn’t inside, their hubris might hold you accountable. This is the problem with our skinny latte, mochaccino, half caf, humming bird milk entitled society. We believe in shortcuts and expeditious destinations.
Immediately I tap into a quiet revolution sparking my creativity. Technical skills fuel the ideas allowing us to render images and information from simple numbers or bytes and pixels. Data scientists, whether specialized in geospatial or other disciplines or verticals can now vibe code their way into a multiplicity of previously unaccessible datasets, libraries and platforms. What I learned in the prehistoric days of data science by coding in Fortran back in college or learning R, Python and SQL in the modern era is now being supplanted by speed with a bit of a compromise to accuracy but apparently that is a risk we are willing to take.
I am not buying it. I still sit down and figure out how to integrate Blender with Postgres so I can explore a location and integrate it into a story or talk. It might take 30 minutes for a clip that lasts 10 seconds but without that information — something is missing from the narrative I hope to create. Same thing with Unreal Engine, Cesium, QGIS or any other piece of tech I need to tame to create something cinematic.
The stages at conferences are for developers and folks building out things for you to purchase or event planners to solicit monetary support for their production. I get it. It’s a thing and a new economy that flourishes.
But I came to NYC to visit museums and to celebrate my daughter in-law’s birthday. They say to become a better writer you need to be a better reader. I am compiling a list as a resource in my Milanote account. I found a new font that I want to compare to the established quick norms. Hint: it ain’t Helvetica.
So far this year, I am building foundations first. Looking at style elements, uploading data resources and preparing themes around our data driven world. Stay tuned for downloads from this weekend of exploration.
Look at the intentionality of Henry David Thoreau’s journal. Would we be mesmerized over a century and a half later if this was AI generated artifice built for the masses?
As a scientist, author and creator I am exploring how to consciously uncouple from algorithmic manipulations of where we can share content and access our creations. Let’s be slow and intentional…think dōgu not dogma.