Marcelo Pias and I recently completed a study on IoT convergence for the Technology Strategy Board. We were looking at smart pedometer and smart meter data and how this might be used together for wellness applications. The issue of “who is analysing the data and why?” led us to the concept of self hacking already being developed in the London QS community.
The first Self-hacking event was amazing. On Saturday 9th June, at 9am I met the volunteers who made it possible to organise the day and make it worthwhile for others. At 10am people started arriving and suddenly things fell into place. Oh yes, things were occasionally chaotic and I am sure there were things I could have done better, but in the end, the event certainly worked as an opportunity to get the QS community in London together in a format different to meetups and talk about topics that don’t normally get covered.
Thanks for Ken Snyder’s skill and willingness to record the proceedings, this is what the morning sessions were about:
from Ken Snyder on Vimeo.
Self-hacking & Data literacy (Adriana Lukas)
What is self-hacking? Can we understand data without being data experts?
from Ken Snyder on Vimeo.
Data ownership, security & privacy (Alec Muffett, Eric King)
What happens to (personal) data online and why it’s good to think about privacy and security when desiging QS tools, devices and apps.
from Ken Snyder on Vimeo.
Data Visualisation (John Fass)
General principles, QS context, skills and tips for representing data over time
from Ken Snyder on Vimeo.
Data Analysis (Ian Clemens)
General points about data analysis based on personal project of battling with cancer
from Ken Snyder on Vimeo.
The Big Picture (Ken Snyder)
What’s up with QS, self-hacking and all that?
from Ken Snyder on Vimeo.
The afternoon consisted entirely of Open Space discussions. There were two rounds to draw out people who didn’t know what to expect and get a variety of discussions under way. It worked. So much so that the next self-hacking day event will consist entirely of Open Space. This would allows us to follow up on each discussion group and see if the topic can be pursued beyond the event. Here is Ken Snyder’s organised notes on evernote. I believe there are some videos of the summaries of the discussions, which I will post once they are processed and available.
The next Self-hacking day event is definitely in the works, ideally before the end of this year, if I can get the same venue. Any announcements will be made here and via @selfhacking on twitter. Watch this space, as they say…
For those who haven’t seen it already, on Saturday 9th June, there will be a Self-hacking day event. More details can be found on the eventbrite registration page.
We are planning to record the proceedings, certainly the morning sessions as well as the closing session and will post them here.
When: Thursday, March 29, 2012, 6:30-8:30PM then pub afterwards.
Where: MAT Lab, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science
Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS
Please let me know if you would like to do a short talk, 10-15 mins maximum. Personal experience with your own data gathering, analysis or visualisation especially welcome. Tips for presenters.
Logistics: Before 6.30pm there is usually me or someone waiting at the reception directing people to the right room. We do try to start on time, though understand work and London travel can interfere with that. This is fine provided you don’t mind finding your own way once we start. You can always contact me on my mobile: 07876757129.
Look forward to seeing you at the next meetup. Relafen
This is a place for self-hacking, which has been around as a term for a while. More precisely, since the second London QS meetup.
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