"It's always a problem, so it's not a problem anymore"
// Overheard from a Thai guy fruitlessly trying to make people pronounce his name correctly.
First you try to make it work. It doesn't. You try again. It still doesn't. And this is where the negotiation process starts.
Remotes, videogames, tvs. Banging, twisting, shaking and blowing have always been part of our relationship with technology. Wherever there is an ill-designed or semi-broken object there is a human counterpart trying to discover a way to make it work. Sometimes it's clever. Sometimes it's fun. Sometimes it's just plain weird. The Bang Theory is series of experiments and reflections about our negotiation rituals towards everyday objects. You can read some of those stories here.
Just remembered how you had to blow that videogame cartridge every single time before playing? Share your own bang/twist/shake story: hello [AT] doisedois [DOT] net.
A paper concerning The Bang Theory was presented at ISEA Istanbul 2011. The paper discusses ill-designed or semi-broken objects as to their potential to stimulate the development of new, personal and unique ways to interact with technology; you can read the paper here.
