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Urban Exploration Walkware

Posted by Hemos on from the social-hacking dept.

wilfriedhoujebek writes "The Dutch Group Social Fiction has been experimenting with walking on algorithms for some time now. Under the heading ".walk" they are taking the thing one step further by introducing pseudo-software to determine the route of their walks. They explain how this works and how different .walk can be connected together to form a 'pedestrian computer'. You might want to read the postscript first."

3 of 101 comments (clear)

  1. Dog walkers by batobin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've been wondering how long it would take before something like this would hit the market. I've always had the fantasy of using robots with set paths as dog walkers. Can you imagine driving through a residential area, with a bunch of robots leading dogs around? Well....maybe only rich neighborhoods at first, but things only get less expensive.

    Of course, it would be a mixed blessing. It would take away another reason to get out of the house, and I don't imagine the robots would be able to clean up after the dogs at first. Plus you're going to need a huge robot to lead a big dog around. And there's nothing to pull the dog away when it bites the mailman.

    Well, it seamed like a good fantasy. I'd buy one for my dog.

  2. This has already been invented? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Has anyone read Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age"?

    He already invented the pedestrian computer in that novel. Of course the interactions are a wee bit more "colorful" there than just walking by each other...

  3. I was one of the walkers!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I did the London walk and...

    A) I thought it would be a dehumanising experience
    B) It turned out to be a great way to see streets in London that I'd never walked down and never would have walked down.

    I thought it was funny that one of the posters above wondered whether this is what happens when you are sans girlfriend. Quite apart from the fact that Hemos is the only confirmed sighting of a mated Slashdotter (prove me wrong, studly geeks!) - I DID THE WALK WITH MY GIRLFRIEND! So there.

    Her account is here...