This morning, Maria Jose told us an story that was quite cartoonish and has the potential of becoming an urban legend. She said that yesterday, after having lunch in the house of one of his professors in the Hyde Park neighborhood, she found a raccoon inside the engine of his car. She said that she…
During the Cambridge winter, when mountains of snow grow on streets near sidewalks and thick white carpets cover roofs, the tunnels of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology get busy. Students, professors, visitors, workers, and other members of the community, transit an underground system of pathways that connects the Institute’s buildings and departments. Such interconnectedness resembles…
The development and popularization of the Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite navigation, and digital mapping, are transforming the way in which we imagine, encounter, and experience the city. Before we used to navigate with the aid of physical landmarks, paper maps and face-to-face advise from other citizens. Nowadays we can navigate with the help of…
Two weeks ago I did a presentation at the Digital Media and Learning Conference (DML 2013 : Democratic Futures) in the format of an Ignite Talk. This format is challenging. You have 5 minutes to tell your story, explain you idea, and ignite the audience. You have also 20 slides that change every 15 seconds,…
When musicians march in the streets people is happy. Or at least that is what I like to think. I love parades. Walking, marching, dancing in public space is a sort of happiness. A collective performance that usually happens during carnivals. It could also happens during especial national or patriotic celebrations. Today, I joined the…
It feels great to be back in a diverse and cosmopolitan city. Walking the streets, flaneuring, drifting, getting lost in the crowd, are always re-energizing. Like a boost of freedom and power. Although this time I couldn’t walk walk Chicago that much due to my participation in the DML conference. I did have enough time…