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Making Legal Process Data Tangible

John_0 — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:56:02 +0000

A rough account of ‘The Gavel’ – project initiated by Donovan Hide, John O’Shea, Adrian McEwen and Andy Freeney at ScraperWiki Hacks and Hackers Hackday Liverpool, Friday 16th July 2010.

Early on in the Hack Day (described in previous post) potentially interesting data-sets were identified. I had recently found various sources of information relating to legal processes, which are being made available via HMCS (Her Majesty’s Court Service) which I felt might lead somewhere. Donovan Hide, a programmer (whose current projects include Churnalism*) also felt that this data was of potential interest and public value and together we decided to make something which would attempt to make legal process data more tangible.

Our first task was to identify appropriate sources and we found a couple of interesting things. One early contender was Criminal Online Results, a government site in a BETA stage (so not using REAL data) but basically which will be publishing the names of persons accused and the length and dates of their jail sentence!

However, a second HMCS site we found seemed more appropriate to our project: Xhibit Court Services displays a kind of commentary on various Crown Court legal protocols and seems to be continually updated. Donovan decided that he would like to develop some kind of REAL-TIME application which could notify the status of every court in nice clean data. ScraperWiki would not be the right tool for this kind of continous live data and so Donovan opted for node.js which is a really fast way of writing a web server which could churn out an aggregation of court data in real-time.

Adrian McEwen (whose Bubblino** device has been a fixture of tech conferences across the country for the last year) also joined us and he had various bits of electronic hardware with him. Together with Andy Freeney, part of the technical team at Liverpool JMU and self-described ‘tinkerer’, we all began to discuss what kind of physical output might be appropriate.

‘The Gavel’ (judge’s hammer) just seemed synonymous with the finality of legal rulings (even though they are rarely used today!) so we decided to find a way to bring a whole multitude of data and output to this one simple action – a judge, banging the gavel on his bench.

Strands of data scraped from the HMCS site are interpreted in different ways by the arduino micro-controller causing the gavel to strike the bench.

Example applications:

tune-in and follow individual through court process
notification of all legal proceedings in a specific geographic location
hammer comes down every time a case is closed
hammer comes down every time someone is given life!

Our presentation from the day is shared here and there are links to various other elements (including the scraper) below:

our scraper:

http://github.com/donovanhide/The-Gavel

a project Donovan has begun developing in the days after the event:

Cause List
Track what’s going on in the courts of England & Wales right now
http://causelist.org/

flickr photos from the day:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/john0shea/sets/72157624554065844/

*’Churnalism‘ uses various analytical methods examine news articles and determine what proportion has been directly lifted from press releases.

**’Bubblino‘ is a networked object which can be tuned into twitter #hashtags – when a specific hashtag is used, Bubblino blows bubbles! Although simple in premise, I have grown fond of Bubblino’s rendering of dispersed data into a kind of processed physical FLOW.

ScraperWiki, Hacks and Hackers

John_0 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:05:58 +0000

ScraperWiki is a collaborative environment for building, running, storing and sharing web screen-scrapers and their resulting bounties of data. (Here is a handy introduction to ScraperWiki by Paul Bradshaw.) I was lucky enough to encounter ScraperWiki right at the very beginning when Julian Todd and Aiden McGuire launched the concept at Liverpool’s first Barcamp (at the end of 2008) and last Friday I had the opportunity to take part in the ScraperWiki ‘Hacks and Hackers Hackday‘ at open labs LJMU.

The object of the day was for ‘hacks’ (journalists + activist bloggers and curious citizens) to work with ‘hackers’ (programmers + geeks and persistent meddlers) to collaborate in attempting to dig out publicly available data from over the internet and use this to tell new stories. Although, ScraperWiki was the proposed tool for doing this, the emphasis throughout was on accessing, understanding, re-interpreting and sharing previously oblique data.

The day began with presentations explaining the power of good data-visualisation and information graphics. Examples cited were:

BBC ‘best graph of the election’ – showing convergence of 3 Political Party’s public spending and taxation plans – suggesting very high chance of coalition govt.
Nick Clegg on They Work for You (data from Public Whip) – showing data-vis need not be graphical (computer generated sentences.)
Schooloscope (visualising schools in relation to OFSTED reports)
GapMinder – Hans Rosling (below) – 2d comparisons over time – less divided world than we might think!

The delegation in attendance comprised of roughly three groups:

professional journo’s (Liverpool Echo thru to Graniud) on ‘professional development’
hardcore coders (already invested in ScraperWiki)
& a sizeable contingent of those invaluable (and uncategorisable) people who are becoming harder to ignore these days now they are identified as the long tail.

What impressed me most about the event was the total commitment of all of those present to be involved in the process and deliver a fresh idea.

The value of such analytical approaches to journalism is immense and might well mark a sea-change away from soundbite political media. However, my own interest in screen-scraping is perhaps more inclined towards provocative and experimental data-usage and applications which demand reflection on the unanticipated dormant potentials within our familiar networked technology and databases.

Some more blog posts about the day here:

Policemen, Judges and Libraries – ScraperWikiBlog
Liverpool’s ScraperWiki Hacks and Hackers Hack Day – Alison Gow
Hacks meet Hackers – Mike Nolan
Using Data to Track Bobbies on the Beat – Ed Walker

Comfort Zone

John_0 — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:53:06 +0000

My recent performance work – PENUMBRA – involves the use of traditional theatrical lighting to project a special ‘zone’ onto the stage – the lighted area is described as a “NO ZONE.” Outside of the “NO ZONE” something is permitted. And inside the “NO ZONE” that same something is prohibited.

The work attempts to mix-up roles which are usually kept separate – that of ‘on-stage’ actor/performer and ‘behind-the-scenes’ director/technician.

Since I am both performer and lighting-operator I can direct the powerful beam wherever I want (even into the faces of the audience) and, within the construct of the performance, the “NO ZONE” is imposed wherever the light falls.

A member of the Liverpool audience suggested that the space described is in fact a “NO COMFORT ZONE” and this seems very fitting!

(images – stills from video documentation by Sam Meech)

Information Free Zone

John_0 — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:50:56 +0000

Designed as part of my response to Newcastle City Council’s ‘Interpretive Signage’ brief, which aimed at taking heritage information into the digital realm, the ‘Information Free Zone’ raises the questions “How much information do we need?” & “Where exactly can we go to get away from it?”

An ‘Information Free Zone’ would restrict “the use of the electromagnetic spectrum for wireless telegraphy (to include WIFI, SMS, Bluetooth etc)” and I proposed that the zone be applied to an already peaceful space next to the City’s Cathedral – Amen Corner – and went ahead and notified the public of this ominous change:

If the ‘Information Free Zone’ were to be applied in the UK public sphere, an important question would need to be addressed:

Does the zone impose an ‘information embargo’ through the use of electromagnetic signal jamming technology?
Or is the zone subscribed to by citizens (in a similar way to the quiet coach on a train.)

(A technologically imposed ‘Infromation Free Zone’ would likely be in contravention of the 2006 Wireless Telegraphy Act.)

Early responses from the public were mixed – here are some examples:

I was shocked to see it!
It is needed in buses and in parks
It would be a pain
I can’t see how it’s possible
Is it not a breach of human rights?
Everywhere should have one!
We’ll need a few…
I go fishing to switch off!

Zones

John_0 — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:02:12 +0000

zone [zəʊn]n

1. a region, area, or section characterized by some distinctive feature or quality

2. a sphere of thought, disagreement, argument, etc.

3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) an area subject to a particular political, military, or government function, use, or jurisdiction eg. a demilitarized zone

‘Section 60 – Zone of Special Police Powers!’

Under Section 60 (5) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994) a Police Officer in uniform can: “stop any person or vehicle and make any search he thinks fit whether or not he has any grounds (for suspicion)” within a given locality…

Regarding the given locality – I have been unable to clarify what this means… presumably ANY vector of space might be described?

What I do know, is that officers of the law, above the position of superintendent, are able to invoke special “invisible” zones ANYWHERE and, within such zones, the normal rights and privileges of UK Citizens do not apply:

I know this because, during 2009 I was subject to a “Section 60″ stop. What became apparent from the interrogation and my research afterwards (including a failed Freedom of Information request) is that it is extremely difficult for citizens to know precisely where and when “Section 60″ powers are in force – since no notification is given – and this creates a panopticon scenario where everyone in the UK must assume that such powers are always in place.

In case you are wondering what “any search he thinks fit” means, it refers to the legal euphemism “intimate search” – which is basically an implied threat of sexual violence – “a search which consists of the physical examination of a person’s body orifices other than the mouth;”. (Thankfully I was spared this – an account of my stop and search experience is linked at an earlier post.)

For the purpose of illustration, included below is the information provided by police explaining that “officers may stop and speak to you in the course of their duties…” See how the explanation goes to great lengths to make it clear that you CANNOT be searched without reasonable suspicion only for the elusive “Section 60″ authorisations to undermine the established and understood relationship (between citizen and state).

This stark experience of behind-the-scenes actors ascribing seemingly unlikely ‘virtual zones’ onto public space and operating subversively in the civic, political and legal realm, stuck with me. During the past year I have made my own attempts at invoking legally designated zones and some of these are described in the next two blogposts.

I’m afraid of making things.

John_0 — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:13:49 +0000

Just before yesterdays presentation I asked two fantastic helpers to draw on the back of these demo lanyards “something which they know nothing about” (and would like to learn about.) Connie and Eve (daughters of Jane Dudman – thanks!) suggested ’swimming’ and ‘the deep sea’ to go on the back of their lanyards:

I chose this example to illustrate that it isn’t such a big deal for children to express that they don’t have knowledge about something, but I think, as we get older (and more ’specialised’) it can become increasingly difficult (and socially embarrassing) to admit that our knowledge or ability is in some way inadequate.

This very lo-fi demo brought up some interesting questions about what exactly the project is trying to do. In the above example – wearers draw or write on the back of their lanyard something which they want to learn about and then they are in control of when (and to whom) it is revealed. This is akin to the kind of ’speed-dating’ or ’social-networking’ games which already take place within conference environments and is not really the type of interaction I’m trying to get at…

The device which I am building would not be activated by the wearer – instead it would be activated by the presence of others members of the community and it would *involuntarily* reveal inadequacies (or short-comings) in the wearer’s knowledge or ability.

what I am wanting to do

John_0 — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:59:17 +0000

Insight into the development process for my latest DOING assignment:

This piece is part of a larger dialogue/work ‘AUGMENTED INADEQUACIES’ which you can read about here:

http://www.intersectionspublicart.org.uk/project2.php?id=00028

and here:

http://www.intersectionspublicart.org.uk/project3.php?id=00033

more soon!

wearing medals

John_0 — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:36:18 +0000

The ubiquitous conference lanyard-pass (which is basically a wearable device combining properties of ‘ticket’ ‘pass’ and ‘identity badge’) allows individuals entry to talks and events and is worn to indicate membership of this temporary and exclusive community. Different coloured passes are given to different actors within the conference (‘delegate’ or ‘artist’ or ’speaker’) and different passes also indicate different levels of involvement (‘weekend pass’ ‘day pass’ ‘organiser pass’ ‘punter pass’…)

The combined properties of ‘exclusivity’ and ‘around-the-neck-ness’ mean that the device is, in a sense, a medal*.

The lanyard pass communicates an individuals name and affiliation and acts as a ’social signifier’ indicating the individuals own specialist status and subscription to the specific conference concerns.

I intend to develop a device for use within conference environments which would facilitate individuals in sharing (rather than hiding!) gaps in their knowledge. I think it is appropriate that such a device might be incorporated into the design of pre-existing conference lanyards.

The device would have an electronic display with two states:

passive/dormant state – electronic display shows usual delegate information: name, affiliation, role etc.
activated state – when in the presence of another device further information is revealed – the wearer displays a ‘gap’ in their knowledge

* ‘Thinker of the Year 2008′ medal awarded by close friends on my birthday that year – to this day I am still unclear about the irony:sincerity ratio of this gift.

Augmenting Inadequacy?

John_0 — Sun, 30 May 2010 14:36:38 +0000

The final submission for the Digital Media DOING module requires a response to the theme of “Extensions of Man” – invoking a McLuhanesque conception of communications media & technology as extensions ov our human capability.

This relates nicely to a new project I have been developing – Augmented Inadequcies – in collaboration with the artist Alan Smith and Allenheads Contemporary Arts:

Augmented Inadequacies

by John OShea

Traditional technological developments promise ever greater speed, power and independence and foster a notion of autonomous identity. Invention, a beloved offspring of necessity, solves problems and bridges gaps, effortlessly articulating both will and whim, diluting distance and domesticating desire. Through an open-ended dialogue and iterative process, John O’Shea will work in collaboration with Alan Smith, to propose and prototype new technological works – “strange inventions” – which will run counter to prevailing technological trends and attempt to make our human vulnerability, fallibility and mutual inter-dependence more visible and tangible.

Invented in 1994 and very popular in Japan for ages, QR codes* are increasingly being adopted in the UK by cultural institutions and corporate entities alike, signposting participants/consumers to additional ‘digital content’ accessed there and then on their mobile phone (typically a website or application providing further information).

QR codes were originally a tool devised for global logistics – the primary function of these markers is to reduce unique artifacts in ‘real space’ to mere place-holders for a meta-data doppleganger within a digital database.

I happen to think that QR Codes might be a rather useful thing, by the way, but I’m also interested in how such signs might be subverted or hi-jacked to tell alternative stories.

I thought that it might be interesting to use these codes (which are free of licence) and try to create an interesting poetic and conceptual feed-back loop for unsuspecting users:

Scanning the QR code below…

…takes you to a single page website (demo here.)

I made stickers ov the code…

…with the intention that these will be stuck over existing corporate and cultural portals wherever they may be found.

The stickers intefere with user-requests for more information and offer a re-direction service to the immediate ‘now’.

The reassuring ‘you are here’ red dot – typically a feature of tourist maps – is recontextualised as a kind of confounded statement; “but you are here?” “you don’t need anything else” “this is enough.”

I hope that the stickers can create some interesting temporary disruptions into otherwise smooth transitions away from our present moment.

You can download the template for those here: QRtemplatefinal.pdf

(use Matt White Waterproof Labels in laser printer.)

*QR CODES: Davey Smith wrote various posts about them/I’ve mentioned some uses of QR codes previously over here /and if you’re not at all sure what I’m talking about take a look at the the wikipedia entry /or take a look at a can of Pepsi!