Place Based Ringtones

No longer confined to our offices, schools, and homes, technology is expanding at an astonishing rate across our everyday public urban landscapes. From the visible (mobile phones, laptops, and blackberries) to the invisible (GPS, WiFi, GSM, and EVDO), we find the full spectrum of digital technologies transforming nearly every facet of our urban experience. Many current urban computing systems focus on improving our efficiency and productivity in the city by providing “location services” and/or interactive navigation and mapping tools. While agreeing with the need for such systems, we are reminded that urban life spans a much wider range of emotions and experiences. Our claim is that our successful future urban technological tools will be those that incorporate the full range of urban experiences – from improving productivity and efficiency to promoting wonderment and daydreaming. This paper describes the development of Hullabaloo, an Object of Wonderment based on urban sounds, ringtones, and Bluetooth sensing. We also present concepts around the design of a toolkit for enabling the production of future Objects of Wonderment.