CL-03 / Ambient systems / proposed
A quiet ambient status display
Can a glanceable display convey useful status without becoming surveillance?
01 / One week
Make the smallest useful proof.
Prototype three paper or browser states for shared equipment availability using synthetic events; test label comprehension internally.
02 / Four weeks
Stretch the experiment.
Add an optional low-voltage e-paper display and user-controlled quiet hours.
03 / Materials
Start with what is available.
- $0–120; paper or optional USB-powered display
- Skills to practise: Visual design, basic electronics, prototyping
Illustrative materials only. Equipment purchases, expenses and access need human review.
04 / Privacy + boundaries
Choose a safe test fixture.
No cameras, microphones, people tracking or mains wiring. Use status and text as well as color.
05 / Success
Measure the change.
Four of five consenting adult testers identify each state within five seconds
06 / Deliverable + review
Leave a usable handoff.
State vocabulary, browser prototype and installation sketch
Human review: Mentor approves any hardware and placement. Mike approves public installation; agents cannot infer people’s presence.
Before work enters the world.
- Pay, hours, eligibility, supervisor, location, agreements and legal review must be resolved before recruitment or work begins. Budgets are illustrative materials estimates in USD, exclude labor, tax and shipping, and are not spending authorization.
- Use synthetic or licensed public fixtures first. A human supervisor must approve any participant involvement, consent, collection and data lifecycle.
- Agents may draft, code, propose tests and document evidence. They cannot supervise interns, approve their own work or infer authority to send messages, buy materials or publish.
- PointCast publication is the programme’s intended context. Physical venues, partners and installations need separate confirmation; no external venue partnership is claimed.
- Credit every contributor with permission. Publish measured results and limitations only after human review; preserve a record of corrections.