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The Future of Fun II: Handheld & Ubiquitous Fun
===============================================

September 27, Karlsruhe, Germany
http://www.viktoria.informatik.gu.se/groups/play/fof/

Arranged by PLAY: Applied research on art and technology
The Viktoria Institute, Gothenburg, Sweden.

In connection with the International Symposium on Handheld
and Ubiquitous Computing (HUC 99), September 27-29, 1999,
Karlsruhe, Germany.


Welcome to the future!
----------------------

We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are
going to spend the rest of our lives. But how come that so many
visions of the future make it seem so serious and grim, be these
visions created by computer scientists, industrial designers,
architects, science fiction authors or filmmakers? Are we all going to
spend the future eating suspicious-looking sushi in the rain, served
from Bladerunner-style street-stands? Will we be beamed back and
forth, endlessly pursuing important missions dressed in shiny Star
Trek-garb? Or will we leave the physical world altogether, bathing in
the cold virtual city-lights of an alternate reality? The arrangers of
this workshop would rather hope that this is only part of the picture.

The first Future of Fun workshop was held at the Viktoria Institute in
May 1998. It was co-hosted by Glorianna Davenport, Director of
Interactive Cinema at the MIT Media Lab, USA, and Maureen Thomas, Head
of Screen Studies at the National Film & Television School, UK. It
gathered an international community of 30 researchers and
practitioners, and the results were documented in an article in IEEE
Multimedia, July-September 1998, entitled Fun: A Condition of Creative
Research.  Inspired by the theme of the International Symposium on
Handheld and Ubiquitous Computing, this second Future of Fun
installment will examine all types of handheld and ubiquitous
computing technology from an entertainment perspective.

>From the first piece of music broadcast to the first commercially
available radio, to the electronic burp of the latest, alarmingly
life-like virtual pet, 20th-century technology has been going hand in
hand with entertainment. Now, seamless integration of computer
technology into daily life is being promised by researchers and
industry, and recent buzzwords have included ubiquitous computing,
augmented reality, tangible media, wearable computing and information
appliances. We believe that the potential for having fun with these
technologies is immense, and just waiting to be tapped. Current
handheld technology, like the Tamagotchis, Furbys, Gameboys,
Lovegetys, beepers and mobile phones already being used by millions
all over the world, can probably only give us a vague notion of what
to expect for the next century.

This workshop will gather a small and dedicated group of researchers,
practitioners, artists and designers for an intense "brainstorm"
session, in the format pioneered by the first Future of Fun
workshop. This will be a creative workshop, where participants are
expected to contribute new thoughts and ideas. The results will be
documented in a paper that will be submitted for publication to a
suitable forum. The intended workshop audience is anyone interested in
creating the future of entertainment, including but in no way limited
to information technology researchers, human interface designers,
artists, authors, game designers, new media professionals, etc., etc.

To apply, write a 1-page description of an idea for a new form of
entertainment that in some way integrates the notion of handheld
and/or ubiquitous computing technology. The idea should be new and
original and clearly described, and the description should include
some realistic notion of when and how it could be implemented.
Additionally, include a short description of your current work.
Submissions will be reviewed by at least 2 independent reviewers, and
selection for the workshop will be based on the originality and fun
factors of the submitted ideas.


E-mail your submission to:
Lars Erik Holmquist, [log in to unmask]

Submissions due: May 31, 1999.
Notification of acceptance: August 15, 1999


Web page addresses
------------------

Future of Fun workshop homepage:
http://www.viktoria.informatik.gu.se/groups/play/fof/

International Symposium on Handheld and Ubiquitous
Computing (HUC 99):
http://www.teco.edu/huc/

PLAY: Applied research on art and technology:
http://www.viktoria.informatik.gu.se/groups/play/

The Viktoria Institute:
http://www.viktoria.org/
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