
Manifestos at their heart are one person's vision of what they feel the world could or should be. Who then is better equipt to put out a manifesto than a designer, or at the very least, a science fiction author who really digs designers? Enter Bruce Sterling with Shaping Things.
Shaping Things is brimming with energy and urgency. Sterling looks to the future and envisions where our present is going (hint: landfill). But he doesn't want to halt progress either. So instead what he does is touch on ways in the future we might better account for our actions so we can evolve our object lusting ways into something more sustainable and possibly more lustworthy. Don't forget, designers play a big part.
This is a great, energizing read and at its core, an optimistic look toward our future's greatest achievements.
Comments
I just finished reading this, and I totally recommend it. Sterling fleshes out an extremely lucid concept for an "internet of things" for the future product culture. Totally believeable and extremely provocative. Check out the podcast he did with Businessweek to hear more about the subject: http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/innovation/innovation_12_13_05.htm
Mad props to Craig for turning me on to Shaping Things. :)