Familiar Strangers

Posted by ryan at 09:35 AM in urban . | 7 Comments

Jabberwocky is a piece of software for bluetooth enabled mobile phones, developed by the familiar stranger project out of Intel Research at Berkeley. The idea behind the software is simple: on any given day in the city you pass thousands of strangers who are not so strange, people you pass by everyday. Jabberwocky keeps track of the strangers you encounter and gives you feedback about who is around you at any given time, strangers or not-so-strangers.

I took particular interest in the following scenario: In the midst of a frustrating day, an urban professional decides that he doesn’t want to eat lunch in his usual spot. After years at the same job, the large city seems more like a small town. He sees the same people every day in the same places. He wants to escape. As he walks quickly away from his work, he occasionally checks his familiarity device to see if there are any Familiar Strangers nearby. When he finds a street that the device tells him is completely unfamiliar, he chooses a restaurant. He feels as if he’s exploring new territory...

E.B. White wrote about this phenomenon in "Here is New York". People are often apprehensive about life in a big city, worried they will miss the comforts of a small town. In reality a large city is nothing more than a bunch of small towns put together. I would have to say that as I adjust to living in the city, my neighborhood feels smaller and smaller everyday. I see the same people at the market, walking down the street and waiting for the bus. To move to another neighborhood would be much like moving to a different town.