IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - December 2016 - 35

WILLIAM SANGODIRAN
Hacker, Maker, and Folk Engineer
by Brian Cantrell
How and where do you watch the equivalent of a 'film'?
Most technologies discarded from the mainland find their way to my shop. I repair obsolete or unfashionable projectors from fifteen
years ago with salvaged junk or parts smuggled into Makoko. We arrange discarded color LCDs to form walls of pixels taking
multiple shapes. Some of these are used in small floating domes where people lay down inside to view projected images. People
gather to see films played from personal devices or other upcycled media players projected onto hand-sewn screens attached to
the causeway. This is like the drive-in theaters of America's past-only we view these movies from our rafts or boats instead of
pick-up trucks and sedans.
How do you have a shared Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality experience?
AR lies at the heart of our entertainment and collaborative work practices. We equip drones with low-resolution laser scanners to
map the local environment. The models produced are called by software running on local servers, and shared across our ad-hoc
networks. If one has a pair of the numerous, ancient, AR glasses, one can participate in a shared experience-given, of course,
that electricity is flowing.
What tech is your character carrying on them every day?
I carry more technology than most in Makoko. This began when I was a teenager augmenting phones and other devices with
sensors for testing water and air quality, so my father could safely fish the Lagoon. Much of my technology takes the form of tools
or tactical devices: clothing with "chromatophores" that signal other people with color or messages, or go matte black, as well as
weaves that can contract to become water-tight.
What is the smallest piece of tech that you own?
Wearable technology could be considered "small" in that its mechanisms are largely invisible. Circuits (processors and memory
storage) are small enough that powerful devices can be housed in small enclosures. These devices we call "Mothers," to, to which
our wearables serve as peripheral devices. Some of my personal technologies, such as 'the Mother,' incorporate neural interfaces
so that sublingual commands control them.
What is your favorite piece of tech?
My favorite by far is the wearable, distributed drum synthesizer I call the Clouddrum. Each unit has built in speakers worn by
performers. Our performances comprise distributed sound environments in which each participant is dancer, musician, and
composer simultaneously. I've also converted the electron gun from an old television set into a scanning electron microscope for
working on smaller tech.
How is your favorite piece of tech powered?
Advances in battery technology and near-field charging allow for our proximity to other devices to recharge most batteries in our
wearables. An eclectic array of solar cells, generators, and hacked alternators distribute power to high-current applications.
Brian Cantrell is a researcher and media designer working in the field of data visualization and sonification.
He is currently an iMAP PhD student in USC's School of Cinematic Arts. brn.cntrll@gmail.com
Figure 7. Brian Cantrell's character, William, and his answers to the six questions regarding the future of media in Makoko.

are central to the design principles applied to developing
software in Makoko 2036.

Content, 2036
We learned several nuanced, along with more general,
pieces of information related to media content in Makoko 2036. Through the floating school system we
learned of the use of augmented reality games in daily
life and education. We discovered that AR and VR content will be available in shorter chunks than most conventional cinema or television in 2016. Along these
lines, soap operas in particular will be accessible in
very short chunks for consumption when viewers are
otherwise unoccupied, and binge watching continues,
although we are unsure of the importance of events or
stories that are broadcast live. There will be a large network of shared AR experiences, a rhizomatic system
that develops alongside an ability to save and share VR
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experiences. We also discovered the special abilities of
neurological experience sharing and drugs to stimulate
the mind.
VR conduits become a phenomenon, giving people
permission to "rent out" their augmented reality view of
the world, allowing others to watch someone else's life
(a future reality TV). These conduits develop alongside a
general rise in VR use to share experiences, within
Makoko and also in dialogue with the outside world; we
surmise this may lead to greater empathy and an opportunity to combat racism and promote intercultural
understanding. There will be a general increase in the
ability to share the "local view" globally. Local communities also mobilize drones to scan the environment in
order to facilitate shared AR and VR experiences. Along
these lines, groups can also utilize crowdsourcing to
create live tracking of a particular area, a use particularly notable for policing and security.

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