integrating technology into everyday life

I know this might sound as a crazy idea, but I imagine this is how technology might be integrated with our HDB life, for now. Of course ideas like these could always be broken down into smaller and smaller elements all the way to the individual, but hey, just try to stay with me for a while.

Technology thinking has mostly been centred around the individual, like how the individual can be empowered using devices, or how technology can be integrated into shirts and accessories and all. These are exciting no doubt, but I would like to think of something else.

I want to imagine the connected HDB flat and the connected HDB estate, or a connected residential estate, for that matter.

Its rather simple, actually. Its simply social networking brought down to a more physical reality. It means linking every homes to every other home, into a network. This network would allow people to communicate with each other like how they would for a normal networking website, instead now, you are communicating with people just next to you.

This is at the same time, breathtakingly stupid and breathtakingly smart. Its breathtaking stupid, because since all of us are together, why would we need these tools to stay connected? Well, the thing is, I think urban people stay online with distant people more than they stay in touch with the people next to them. So what my idea does, is simply putting people closer to each other in the digital sense. People say that living in HDB flats took away the whatever-kampung spirit. Well, here's my stupid solution. Wire up all the houses together, have a user interface simple enough that people will commit to using it to tell their neighbour what they are doing. Live IM in the HDB flats. Allow people to communicate to each other easily!

And still better. Connect all the flats to each other so people in adjacent blocks can be connected to each other. Wouldn't all these nurture better ties to each other?

And the thing is, it has to be simple, intuitive, and accessible. I'm sure this idea will be implemented sooner or later....

Its fun, isn't it?

Of course there are problems, the main one being, whether people are keen to do this or not? Will people be willing to IM each other? If people are willing to Twitter in the public, I don't see why not. This is going to cater to young people to share with each other their lives' experiences, this is going to cater to parents who want to discuss with each other about parenting and education, this is going to cater to suppliers of household stuff - so this is where money might come from. It could all work! theorectically.

hah.

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