[iDC] Call for Questions

[Andreas Schiffler]

Mark Shepard wrote:
> Hello iDC list,
>
> With the Architecture and Situated Technologies symposium now less 
> than 6 weeks away, we'd like to ask for your help in shaping the 
> questions we'll address next month in NYC. What questions would you 
> pose vis-a-vis the confluence of Architecture and Situated 
> Technologies?  ...
>
> What would you add to this list?
>

The discussion concerns artifacts, real architecture, implemented 
technologies .... in short, "things". I'd be interested in the issues 
surrounding "practicality" of such "things", i.e. from a point of view 
of actual use rather than theoretical possibilities.

This includes actually a couple of subquestions stemming from the 
various gradients in the definition of "practicality":

     usefulness and utility - What is the definition of quality in the 
assessment for "being of practical use"? How is this assessment done by 
the different fields? Is it important at all? (I guess for some it would 
be ... as in "Smart home - cool! Where can I buy it?")

     functionality - Deployment of new "things" is ultimately driven by 
their role of serving a purpose better (as in "software with greater 
functionality"). I believe there are serious issues and implication with 
this "upgrade cycle" driver in design and development. Or is this a non- 
issue?

     viability - As we all know certain "things" are fun, challenging, 
visionary ... but just not viable. Is a particular approach capable of 
become practical and useful in the first place? Is it able to scale to 
the masses?