I think the idea of historical information about the building being permanent is striking. The only way it would move was if the building was demolished. There is no separation. The act of recording and "planting" the info on a weekly basis would be like tending to a garden, ploting the growth that may effect many lives in its history. If it is easily accessable to man its liable to end up in a library or a room built 20 years later, just to house the faceplates because they a clashing with the new remodel job.
On the other hand the faceplates may be useful for tourism in historical cities or sites. As you approch a building it could talk to you interactivly.
The idea of measuring temp and loads in a brick structure may be useful in some buildings but not all. Perhaps this technology may be applied to other building materials on site, as the structure is being built. A weekly log or journal could be loaded into the "chip" recording the weeks events: the architect and general contractors' meetings, workers names and thoughts, subcontrators present at site for the week, etc. This would record a history of the building for historical purposes and future troubleshooting. Major construction sites ( well, say a building by Frank Gehry) would have an "real time historian" on site recording daily activities.
Fast forward 100 years later, tours of the building are given by a hand held docent. As the tourist makes his or her way through the building he/she receives the weekly logs at each point where applied. Or the building has roof problems, before repairs are made one may view info from the "chip" near the roof, listening or reading the meeting between the contrator and architect.
Journals or history recorders could be applied to an object for any activity. Imagine visiting a city and as you drive or walk around you could pick up freqencies of the past. You see the structure/object and then it's life appears on your hand held.
Slashdot Mirror
I think the idea of historical information about the building being permanent is striking. The only way it would move was if the building was demolished. There is no separation. The act of recording and "planting" the info on a weekly basis would be like tending to a garden, ploting the growth that may effect many lives in its history. If it is easily accessable to man its liable to end up in a library or a room built 20 years later, just to house the faceplates because they a clashing with the new remodel job. On the other hand the faceplates may be useful for tourism in historical cities or sites. As you approch a building it could talk to you interactivly.
The idea of measuring temp and loads in a brick structure may be useful in some buildings but not all. Perhaps this technology may be applied to other building materials on site, as the structure is being built. A weekly log or journal could be loaded into the "chip" recording the weeks events: the architect and general contractors' meetings, workers names and thoughts, subcontrators present at site for the week, etc. This would record a history of the building for historical purposes and future troubleshooting. Major construction sites ( well, say a building by Frank Gehry) would have an "real time historian" on site recording daily activities. Fast forward 100 years later, tours of the building are given by a hand held docent. As the tourist makes his or her way through the building he/she receives the weekly logs at each point where applied. Or the building has roof problems, before repairs are made one may view info from the "chip" near the roof, listening or reading the meeting between the contrator and architect. Journals or history recorders could be applied to an object for any activity. Imagine visiting a city and as you drive or walk around you could pick up freqencies of the past. You see the structure/object and then it's life appears on your hand held.