COVER STORYChanging energy use through design

ABSTRACT

Editors' Note: We are delighted to present Eli Blevis' Sustainably Ours forum as the cover story for this issue

REFERENCES

• 1: This perspective is inspired by work of the STATIC! group at Interactive Institute, Ivrea. Backlund, S., M. Gyllenswärd, A. Gustafsson, S.I. Hjelm, R. Mazé, and J. Redström. "STATIC! The Aesthetics of Energy in Everyday Things." Paper presented at the DRS Wonderground Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, November 2006.
• 2: Phantom power (standby power, idle current, vampire power, and wall warts) refers to power consumed by electronic devices when they are switched off, in standby mode, or are otherwise consuming electricity without performing any useful function requiring power. Three to 10 percent of residential electricity is attributed to standby power, according to recent estimates. Bertoldi, P. et al. "Standby Power Use: How Big is the Problem? What Policies and Technical Solutions Can Address It?" Proceedings of the 2002 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings. (2002).
• 3: http://www.potenco.com
• 4: The XO, which has been referred to as the "$100 Laptop," is an inexpensive laptop computer designed and distributed by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization for children in developing countries around the world.
• 5: According to the OLPC website, the XO "consumes less than two watts---less than one-tenth of what a standard laptop consumes." http://laptop.org/laptop/hardware/highlights.shtml
• 6: Gyllensward, M., Gustafsson, A., and M. Bang. "Visualizing Energy Consumption of Radiators" In Persuasive Technology. Berlin: Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, 2006.
• 7: Verbeek, Peter-Paul. What Things Do: Philosophical Reflections On Technology, Agency, And Design. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2005. Verbeek proposes transparency and engagement as design strategies for improving the material aesthetics of products in order to facilitate product attachment.
• 8: http://www.tii.se/static/curtain.htm
• 9: Anthony Dunne, Hertzian Tales: Electronic Products, Aesthetic Experience, and Critical Design, The MIT Press, 2006
• 10: The phrase "do less with design" owes to the title of a public presentation by Eli Blevis.
• 11: http://www.dieelectric.org

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.4 COMPUTERS AND SOCIETY
      K.4.1 Public Policy Issues