Two children plug their VMUs together to transfer an i-ball

For this project, 350 children were given hardware and software for the creation and sharing of “i-balls” – effectively, little software memes – among which were messages, animations and games. Each child was given a Sega VMU (a kind of mini-Gameboy) which could play the i-balls; even better, two VMUs could plug together to transfer i-balls without an intermediate computer.

There’s a ton of fascinating stuff here. Firstly, the i-ball builder, which allowed eager kids to both create simple programs and modify existing ones they’d received from others. Secondly, the use of (fabulously appropriate) commodity hardware, given to each individual. But best of all is the research that resulted from being able to track the transmission and evolution of i-balls through the school. It’s a technology-anthropologist’s dream, and it’s here that the term folk really applies: just like folk songs and tales, the most interesting and entertaining i-balls were the ones that made the longest journeys, with the most branched versions reflecting their transitions into different groups.

Take a look – there’s more potential packed into these eight pages than some research departments create in a lifetime. If you want more, Richard Borovoy’s dissertation goes deep into the project, with lots of good stuff about embodying the concept of folklore with current technology in the most natural ways.
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