Newswise — Momentary panic, euphoria, and a technological breakthrough all took place within a New York lunch hour, Thursday, December 11th, as New School University's Parsons School of Design instructor Yuri Gitman and his Design & Technology students went down in history as being the first to successfully transmit an email from the subway. The project was part of a Parsons classroom project, called "Wireless Bikes and Urbanites," in collaboration with the Education Division at Eyebeam, a nonprofit new media arts organization.
Using a configuration of two "MagicBikes" — bikes outfitted with off-the-shelf technology to act as wireless access points or hotspots—the students sent the email to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, copying New School University President Bob Kerrey and Parsons School of Design Dean Randy Swearer.
"The hard work paid off, and today was a real success for us," said an excited Gitman.
Not that there weren't any tense moments. In high spirits, Parsons students and Gitman launched the initial attempt from the Union Square subway platform at 1:00 pm, and when the attempt failed, they huddled into serious troubleshooting.
Cheers erupted minutes later, as the following email was transmitted:
Dear Mayor Bloomberg: Happy holidays from the Union Square Subway Platform!
We are proud to send you the first ever underground email from NYC's subway system, using MagicBikes, a network of wireless bicycles! (magicbike.net) The Design and Technology Department at Parsons School of Design and the Education Division at the nonprofit new media arts organization Eyebeam collaborated on a class titled Wireless Bikes and Urbanites. In the season of giving, our class' "humble" final project is to make history by being first to give New York subway commuters free wireless internet access. As Mayor, you know how New York steadily brews with remarkable spirit and capability, and as students, faculty, and artists, we're glad to add to the collective history of this great city!
We would like to thank all those who have made New York both bicycle friendly and a place where public spaces are increasingly becoming infused with free internet access, including Union Square Park, NYCWireless, Transportation Alternative and many others. Keep up the good work! Have a great New Year! Sincerely, Yury Gitman and the Design and Technology students at Parsons School of Design
"What the students and I did was part performance art, and part technological breakthrough: we showed people that the technological boundaries we live with are conceptual and not actually technological," said Gitman, an advocate of free wireless access in public areas. "Bringing Wi-Fi [wireless technology] underground is the next logical step for internet users. Imagine sending emails while waiting for the subway! It's a future we're working towards."
The project is fueled by Gitman's belief that technology need not wait for corporate funding to make great advances. Gitman believes that in an age of technological overload, more technology is not always the answer. MagicBike playfully establishes that sometimes all people need is more imagination and creativity for meaningful breakthroughs.
"The project is thrilling," says Parsons Chair of Digital Design, Colleen Macklin. "Not only does it demonstrate how simple technologies can be harnessed to democratize internet access, but it's doing what only truly clever design can do: reinventing the way we interact with our world."
When asked why he chose to outfit bikes, Gitman, a bicycling enthusiast explains, "Bicycles are one of the best forms of transportation in New York City. By meshing two of my favorite interests, I've created something uniquely fit for today's city. "
MagicBikes can be scheduled for appearances at http://www.magicbike.net and can be used to set up ad-hoc Internet connectivity for emergency access, public demonstrations, cultural events, and communities on the struggling end of the digital-divide.
Yury Gitman, a wireless and emerging-media artist, was awarded the Ars Electronica Golden Nica for Net Vision in 2003 for creating Noderunner, a very popular wireless game that fuses open spectrum activism with digital gaming. Harnessing wireless technology and popular culture to create expressive pieces and art interventions, Gitman's work has exhibited at Eyebeam, The New Museum, and has also appeared in numerous European and American publications.
Eyebeam (http://www.eyebeam.org) is a not-for-profit organization established to provide access, education, and support for artists, students and the general public in the field of art and technology. It was founded in 1996 by John S. Johnson with the purpose of introducing broad and diverse audiences to new technologies and media arts while simultaneously establishing new media art as a significant genre. Additional information is available online at http://www.eyebeam.org.
Parsons School of Design, a division of New School University, is one of the largest degree-granting colleges of art and design in the nation. Currently enrolled are about 2,400 undergraduate students, 500 graduate students, and 2,500 non-degree students from all 50 of the United States and from 60 countries. Parsons' main campuses are located in New York City's Greenwich Village and Midtown Manhattan. In addition, Parsons has affiliate schools in Paris, France; Kanazawa, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and at Altos de Chavon in the Dominican Republic. Undergraduate degrees are offered in Architectural Design, Communication Design, Design and Management, Design and Technology, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design. Graduate degrees are granted in Architecture, Design and Technology, Lighting Design, Painting and Sculpture, Photography, and the History of Decorative Arts. For further information on Parsons, call 212-229-8910 or visit the Web site at http://www.parsons.edu.
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