4/26/26
This article has a list of features and problems that come up with using standard “user centric” computing devices in a communal context:
User centric computing model is the idea we have with most computers now. There’s one person who is primarily using the device at a time. This can result in weird behavior when that devices is tried to be shared communally instead. An example is using your Spotify to play music for a party and then it starts autoplaying your own songs instead of party appropriate stuff.
- https://folktechnology.org/
- I ran across this site yesterday. They are describing something similar to what I mean by communal computing with the term folk technology.
- This concept is a little different. Its not specifically about computing in physical communal spaces.
- But, it is about not using large cloud providers. Running services for friends and people local to you. There’s some overlap with Local-first software.
3/7/26
This is a new top level note to encompass things like Folk Computer and Dynamicland. In general, I’m interested by these projects that mix computing with a celebration of physical space. I’m sick of things like VR and AI and large social media sites that are all about massive scale. I want to do small computing things with the people close to me.
I learned about Folk Gadget as an option for A portable folk (communal) computer today.