Digital dump

What would happen then if we had a digital dump?

The idea would be having a computer application that could connect everyone's trash with a common garbage repository on the internet.
It could be made by building a "recycle bin" that would basically stay close to the one commonly used, and where people could choose to put their trash in order to share it with the community.
An other option, but the twos are not exclusive, could be creating a warning that every time you dump something will ask if you want to share it or not.

The repository would be an internet resource miming what also happens for real in the design recycle process, that is basically reuse something that the society labelled as useless and try to give life to it again.

Recycle design in general, is maybe not the most productive solution for the environment problem, but it's in my opinion a huge statement regarding society and its attitude of selecting the right things to buy, choose, leave and be.
Who said that thing was useless? Who will be able to criticize the end result of those processes? And why things are actually thrown away?

This are some of the questions that are, among others, coming out approaching the topic:
Is everyone dumping the same kind of material? What does this material look like? What is it about?
Can we find connections between what we dump and our lives? Our way of thinking? Our opinion on society?

I have the feeling more are going to come!

Small presentation

-Slides group critique-download-
Group critique presentation.
(main ideas at page 13, for design ethics, and 17, for digital recycle)

It can go even further!

This doesn't just fix aesthetic problems(guess you noticed the bald head), but more alarming is the difference between the picture from the Italian and from the English magazine in matter of message communicated. Already the title can explain how things are going in italian journalism: "La grande offensiva" Vs. "Feeling the heat".

Photoshop warnings?

Photoshop can have a social responsibility too. It seems nobody can renounce to the perfection you can gain using this amazing tool, specially fashion scene and advertising.
This is actually building a world made of as unreal characters, whose fame is leading to unreachable beauty ideals for generations of teenagers that are more and more relying on cosmetic surgery.

So far the retouching issue interested just in the gossip magazines, but the social consequence of this banal manipulations recently extended into the political debate.
Specially in France and UK is growing the idea of warnings that should clarify how much the image has been retouched.

[Above: Kim Kardashian, Keira Knightley]

BP - Emerald Paintbrush award

The prize was offered at the company for its great attempt to greenwash its brand over the course of 2008(nice brush homage too), in particular Bp, invested millions of dollars in an advertising campaign announcing its commitment to alternative energy sources(with very strong claims too).

The realityis of course different, since we are speaking about an oil company. Greenpeace found the way to get internal company documents, which could clarify the real intents of the company, that was of course still investing more than the 90% of its investments just in oil and gas.

more at http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/bps-wins-coveted-emerald-paintbrush-award-worst-greenwash-2008-20081218

This is definitely beyond the line that divides ethics and money, or it isn't? Is design meant to be that cynical?