dessalles

[Photo: Navy Information Operation Command in the National Radio Quiet Zone]

Re-reading Dunne & Raby’s Design Noir, I was reminded of the National Radio Quiet Zone. Described by the authors as an “electromagnetic sanctuary, relatively free from electromagnetic pollution”, the 13,000 square mile swath of land straddling the Virginias was designated by the FCC in 1958. Pretty much all forms of wireless communication are prohibited in the area; and I remember reading somewhere only diesel cars are permitted since spark plugs generate too much radio noise. I like how Dunne & Raby’s description of the area as a “sanctuary” implies we’ll some day be vacationing in the NRQZ - giving our heads a rest form the tin foil that encapsulates them. But as is always the case with such things, all is not what it seems. Tucked away in the hills of the NRQZ is is the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Navy’s Information Operations Command. It’s the later that has engendered the Quiet Zone’s mythical status, as it’s speculated the command center houses NSA intelligence gathering systems. Turning the paranoia of electronic surveillance on it’s head, suddenly the absence of wireless communication seems strangely suspicious. What is it they’re doing that’s not possible outside the “sanctuary”? And why doesn’t whatever they’re doing create any form of “electromagnetic pollution”? What sort of electromagnetic sorcery are they busy mastering?

I think the folklore emerging around the Quiet Zone is emblematic of a major cultural shift ubiquitous computing is forcing upon us: The absence of communication will be considered anomalous, inaccessibility to information will become incongruous and privacy will be more a matter of controlling mis-information than preventing information from appearing in the system.

The original, slightly ambitious, concept for the design of this here website was to setup my mobile phone to continuously point the map in the background to my real-time geographic coordinates. The thought being that if I expose this automation to visitors, and my website becomes the authoritative source on my current location, I ‘d be in a position to manipulate people’s knowledge of my location. Now obviously I flatter myself in thinking that anyone cares where I am at a given moment, but the point was, if keeping personal information offline ever turns into a losing battle, I want to be in control of my online personal mis-information.