Subject: An item for your listserv "Magicbikes"
Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 10:52:33 -0700
From: "Wendy Wigen" <wwigen@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Students Send Very First Email From NYC Subway Platform Using "MagicBikes"
Newswise - Momentary panic, euphoria, and a technological breakthrough all
took place within a New York lunch hour, Thursday, December 11th, as New
School University's Parsons School of Design instructor Yuri Gitman and
his Design & Technology students went down in history as being the first
to successfully transmit an email from the subway. The project was part of
a Parsons classroom project, called "Wireless Bikes and Urbanites," in
collaboration with the Education Division at Eyebeam, a nonprofit new
media arts organization.
Using a configuration of two "MagicBikes"- bikes outfitted with
off-the-shelf technology to act as wireless access points or hotspots-the
students sent the email to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, copying New School
University President Bob Kerrey and Parsons School of Design Dean Randy
Swearer.
"The hard work paid off, and today was a real success for us," said an
excited Gitman.
Not that there weren't any tense moments. In high spirits, Parsons
students and Gitman launched the initial attempt from the Union Square
subway platform at 1:00 pm, and when the attempt failed, they huddled into
serious troubleshooting.
Cheers erupted minutes later, as the following email was transmitted:
Dear Mayor Bloomberg:
Happy holidays from the Union Square Subway Platform!
We are proud to send you the first ever underground email from NYC's
subway system, using MagicBikes, a network of wireless bicycles!
(magicbike.net)
The Design and Technology Department at Parsons School of Design and
the Education Division at the nonprofit new media arts organization
Eyebeam collaborated on a class titled Wireless Bikes and Urbanites.
In the season of giving, our class' "humble" final project is to make
history by being first to give New York subway commuters free wireless
internet access. As Mayor, you know how New York steadily brews
with remarkable spirit and capability, and as students, faculty, and
artists, we're glad to add to the collective history of this great city!
We would like to thank all those who have made New York both bicycle
friendly and a place where public spaces are increasingly becoming
infused with free internet access, including Union Square Park,
NYCWireless, Transportation Alternative and many others. Keep up the
good work!
Have a great New Year!
Sincerely,
Yury Gitman and the Design and Technology students at Parsons School of Design
"What the students and I did was part performance art, and part
technological breakthrough: we showed people that the technological
boundaries we live with are conceptual and not actually technological,"
said Gitman, an advocate of free wireless access in public areas.
"Bringing Wi-Fi [wireless technology] underground is the next logical step
for internet users. Imagine sending emails while waiting for the subway!
It's a future we're working towards."
The project is fueled by Gitman's belief that technology need not wait for
corporate funding to make great advances. Gitman believes that in an age
of technological overload, more technology is not always the answer.
MagicBike playfully establishes that sometimes all people need is more
imagination and creativity for meaningful breakthroughs.
"The project is thrilling," says Parsons Chair of Digital Design, Colleen
Macklin. "Not only does it demonstrate how simple technologies can be
harnessed to democratize internet access, but it's doing what only truly
clever design can do: reinventing the way we interact with our world."
When asked why he chose to outfit bikes, Gitman, a bicycling enthusiast
explains, "Bicycles are one of the best forms of transportation in New
York City. By meshing two of my favorite interests, I've created something
uniquely fit for today's city. "
MagicBikes can be scheduled for appearances at
<http://www.magicbike.net>http://www.magicbike.net and can be used to set
up ad-hoc Internet connectivity for emergency access, public
demonstrations, cultural events, and communities on the struggling end of
the digital-divide.
Yury Gitman, a wireless and emerging-media artist, was awarded the Ars
Electronica Golden Nica for Net Vision in 2003 for creating Noderunner, a
very popular wireless game that fuses open spectrum activism with digital
gaming. Harnessing wireless technology and popular culture to create
expressive pieces and art interventions, Gitman's work has exhibited at
Eyebeam, The New Museum, and has also appeared in numerous European and
American publications.
Eyebeam (<http://www.eyebeam.org>http://www.eyebeam.org) is a
not-for-profit organization established to provide access, education, and
support for artists, students and the general public in the field of art
and technology. It was founded in 1996 by John S. Johnson with the purpose
of introducing broad and diverse audiences to new technologies and media
arts while simultaneously establishing new media art as a significant
genre. Additional information is available online at
<http://www.eyebeam.org>http://www.eyebeam.org.
Parsons School of Design, a division of New School University, is one of
the largest degree-granting colleges of art and design in the nation.
Currently enrolled are about 2,400 undergraduate students, 500 graduate
students, and 2,500 non-degree students from all 50 of the United States
and from 60 countries. Parsons' main campuses are located in New York
City's Greenwich Village and Midtown Manhattan. In addition, Parsons has
affiliate schools in Paris, France; Kanazawa, Japan; Seoul, South Korea;
and at Altos de Chavon in the Dominican Republic. Undergraduate degrees
are offered in Architectural Design, Communication Design, Design and
Management, Design and Technology, Fashion Design, Fine Arts,
Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design. Graduate
degrees are granted in Architecture, Design and Technology, Lighting
Design, Painting and Sculpture, Photography, and the History of Decorative
Arts. For further information on Parsons, call 212-229-8910 or visit the
Web site at <http://www.parsons.edu>http://www.parsons.edu.