"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" -Arthur C. Clarke, "Profiles of The Future", 1961 (Clarke's third law)

Monday, July 19, 2010

Conspiracy for Good

Brought to you by Tim Kring (of Heroes fame) , and the Nokia X6 , Conspiracy for Good looks to be one heck of an adventure, albeit limited in participation by geographic restraints.

It's an advanced experiment in interactive storytelling, with real-world implications for assisting irl causes, blurring the line between what is "real", and what is possible.




A few years ago I started thinking about an entirely new way to tell a story, far different from traditional TV. I didn’t just want to talk about “saving the world” in fiction, I wanted to create a narrative that spilled out into the streets. One that you could live inside of for a while. How cool would it be, I thought, to create a story that exists all around you all of the time? — On your laptop, your mobile phone, on your sidewalks, as a secret message hidden in your favorite song or while standing at the bus stop on your way to work.
A few years ago I started thinking about an entirely new way to tell a story, far different from traditional TV. I didn’t just want to talk about “saving the world” in fiction, I wanted to create a narrative that spilled out into the streets. One that you could live inside of for a while. How cool would it be, I thought, to create a story that exists all around you all of the time? — On your laptop, your mobile phone, on your sidewalks, as a secret message hidden in your favorite song or while standing at the bus stop on your way to work.


Read more about Conspiracy For Good by http://www.conspiracyforgood.com/aboutA few years ago I started thinking about an entirely new way to tell a story, far different from traditional TV. I didn’t just want to talk about “saving the world” in fiction, I wanted to create a narrative that spilled out into the streets. One that you could live inside of for a while. How cool would it be, I thought, to create a story that exists all around you all of the time? — On your laptop, your mobile phone, on your sidewalks, as a secret message hidden in your favorite song or while standing at the bus stop on your way to work.


Read more about Conspiracy For Good by http://www.conspiracyforgood.com/aboutI personally love the idea. Ghandi  said "be the change you want to see in the world" , and by using augmented reality, and social participation, one could argue, philosophically, at least, that the adventure *is* real. It's always been my belief that our (collective) "reality" is nothing more than where our individual "realities" intersect. By  taking what is basically a flash mob, combining it with (very) interactive storytelling, (including apps ), Tim has produced an augmented story that potentially benefits the physical sphere which we all share.

Who's to say that the villain "isn't real"? Where "truth" depends on your perception, the CfG villian is no less real than you are. What will you do about it, if anything?

I will be watching this experiment with keen interest...and a burning itch to go to London.

Go, and see.
Stay Augmented

No comments:

Post a Comment