When registering to CHI2010 I got the option of not getting a paper conference program and getting it as an iPhone app instead (of course I selected yes)

If we take into account that an iPhone has quite a low CO2 impact, that there are around 2000 people attending, and that probably almost everyone in CHI owns an iPhone, the savings for this measure can be quite significant. Good example of dematerialization.

David Wolman wrote an article in Wired about how we should get rid of physical cash and just use digital money. I have always wondered why we don’t accelerate the dematerialization of the micro-payments. This is happening in places as Japan and Korea, and at a growing rate in african countries where previously ad-hoc mobile banking solutions have become a primer way of economic exchange. In the western countries it seems that we are still attached to our heavy euro coins and thick dollar wads.

From the environmental perspective, using mobile phones, RFID, smart cards.. we could save energy and materials in both production, storage and transportation of money. However a good life cycle analysis would be needed to actually estimate the real savings and see if there is any rebound effect that would be needed to be minimized.

Illustration: Stephen Doyle for Wired

Picture from Wired.

Wired has made a worth reading review of the new Kindle version, with a 8 over 10 and quotes as “Kindle 2 brings books closer to e-nirvana”

I really like the concept of the kindle, and the fact that it’s computer-independent. I think that’s the trend to watch for, the internet of things. Going mobile without actually needing a computer behind.

My ideas about e-reading

I have been using Viasat To-go TV for some time. I am from the opinion that many technology will converge into mobile devices (as it is doing already), and most of the content and computer power will be virtualized into the data-grid of servers. But mobile tv doesn’t work, television is a medium that is probably sentenced by the potential of internet of providing asynchronous entertainment where and when you want. When I commute I don’t want to just watch what’s on CNN on that moment, I want to see the news, without advertisement. A video podcast work much better for that purpose.