Coming off the momentum created by the QS conference in September, this week in lifelogging seemed to be all about the attention garnered by QS and self-tracking tools. Are quantified self and lifelogging on the fast track to mainstream? See the October 8th edition of Fortune: Quant junkies: The future is now
The Quantified Self: All this data, but what does it mean?
Of course there are no concrete answers, but Sona Makker explores some of the questions, concerns and predictions surrounding self tracking and The Quantified Self Movement. “QS evangelists… predict the emergence of a “Data Commons“ – a repository of individuals’ activity data from various streams.” Would you be a “data donor”?
Read more: Mapping the Quantified Self
Visual Lifelogging with Lifeslice
Most of us spend a good part of our lives in front of a computer, and now (you guessed it) we can easily log that time. Stan James created code that works with Macs to capture and locally store a screenshot and webcam shot every hour. “Pictures are a very powerful way to capture information for better understanding, you know, they are worth a thousand words.” The script also tracks your longitude and latitude and how long you were online.
Remember when…
A recent study from the Northwestern University found that you don’t remember things they way they actually happened. Memories are slightly altered every time you recall them, meaning that what you recall today is a distorted version of the original memory.“Memories aren’t static,”…“If you remember something in the context of a new environment and time, or if you are even in a different mood, your memories might integrate the new information.” Just like the telephone game you may have played as a child.
Read more: Your memory is like the telephone game
Mobile Cameras and Surveillance Issues
Researchers Tjerk Timan and Nelly Oudshoorn, from The Netherlands Institute for Research on ICT (NIRICT), have published a paper on new surveillance issues that emerge due to the mobile camera.”An exploration is made into how mobile cameras are experienced in the Nightlife landscape.” The article can be found in latest issue of Surveillance & Society.
Stealthy Life Tracking
These days, we all leave a data trail whether we want to or not and Heidi Boghosian attempted to track hers. So for everyone out there not actively self-tracking, what is being tracked? “Her account, below, is nothing extraordinary – and that’s the point. It is impossible to live in urban, wired America without leaving clues about ourselves, our movements and our views everywhere.” (Okay, this one isn’t from this week, but I thought it was still worth a mention)
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