Whenever the opportunity to illustrate the marvels of innovation and creativity happens to visit my doorstep, I am all too happy to try.
What is fire good for if we can’t sit around it and enjoy the company of others? What is a cave painting good for if we can’t communicate its message to others? In short, what is technology good for if we can’t use it for good?
- In April 2002 I got my first digital camera.
- In 2005 YouTube created a platform for anyone to share videos.
- In 2007 Street View was introduced as a feature on Google Maps.
Before moving to Canada In October 2002, I had a summer ride with my dear friend Oded in the streets and alleys of Jaffa. I was already hooked on the newly found freedom of absent-mindedly shooting photos wherever I went. I wasn’t blind to the risk of taking photos while riding the scooter, but what is risk good for if not for the thrill?
What did I do with the images?
Occasionally, I flipped through them and enjoyed the sense of place and movement they entailed. But then piles of new photos were added to my database, another camera was purchased, and smartphones made me come up with the phrase “From being the cigarette, the camera has become the ashtray.”
From the ashes, though, a routine chat with Oded, now, some 22 years older on both sides of the line, brought back the memories of that ride. Half an hour later, almost the whole set of images from 2002 became the video you can see here. With Google Street View, you can even follow the approximate route and see what has changed, and what stayed the same.
This link shows some key points on the way: https://maps.app.goo.gl/u7uYBf5jCxrYqxqv8)
This is a route that roughly shows the way: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qwvGmvPRY1iGXeri9
Design is a Matter of Life 