As a species, humans have always created new technologies to improve our lives.  In contemporary times, most technologies that change our lives are put forth by large corporations, for their profit.  The results are not always beneficial, and sometimes actually make things worse for some people. Currently, hackerspaces are popping up all over the planet, each with supportive community for people to explore and do what they love, and along the way creating all sorts of interesting new technologies.  As technology progresses at ever increasing speeds, we are poised to see our lives change forever.  Will this change be good?  Can we have influence over it?  Will hackerspaces be an ameliorating and positive influence? 

In this provocative lunchtime talk, Mitch Altman, co-founder of Noisebridge hackerspace in San Francisco, pioneer of Virtual Reality, and inventory of TV-B-Gone universal remote controls, will briefly touch upon this set of topics.

After the talk, as part of our Open Studio Friday programme, we will be joined by Bristol games developer WormSlayer who will be demo-ing an Oculus Rift, a prototype Virtual Reality headset that has been taking the tech world by storm. This will be the first opportunity anyone in the region has had to see for themselves what all the fuss is about. Demos will be available subject to capacity http://www.oculusvr.com

This Lunchtime Talk is part of Open Studio Friday, which takes place at the Studio every week.

Do you want to find out what is going on at the Pervasive Media Studio? Are you interested in meeting our residents, talking about a specific project or curious about pervasive media? Why not pack a sandwich and join us for one of our Lunchtime Talks and Open Studio Friday.

Lunchtime Talks are informal presentations by Studio residents and associates. They normally take place at 1pm on Friday, are free and open to everybody who’s interested in what we do.

After the Talk, we also invite you to stay with us for the afternoon to continue the conversation or work on your own projects. We provide chairs, tables, wireless and a great space. You bring what you need to work with (laptop/mobile). Our open afternoons close at 5pm.

Let us know if you’d like a tour of the space and we'll be happy to show you around. Send an email to admin@pmstudio.co.uk