{"id":38844,"date":"2021-08-06T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2021-08-06T16:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=38844"},"modified":"2021-08-06T10:28:38","modified_gmt":"2021-08-06T17:28:38","slug":"jorge-camacho-strategic-designer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/jorge-camacho-strategic-designer\/","title":{"rendered":"Jorge Camacho, Strategic Designer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Our guest this week is Jorge Camacho. Jorge Camacho is a strategic designer, foresight strategist, and lecturer based in Mexico City. He\u2019s a research affiliate at Institute for the Future, a co-founder of Diagonal \u2014 a design futures studio based in Mexico City \u2014 and a board member of Plurality University Network. You can find him as @j_camachor on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/j_camachor\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@j_camachor\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Medium<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1096608781%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-Y4UY3J1oUKB&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/cool-tools\" title=\"Cool Tools\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\">Cool Tools<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/cool-tools\/290-jorge-camacho\/s-Y4UY3J1oUKB\" title=\"290: Jorge Camacho\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\">290: Jorge Camacho<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/cool-tools-show-and-tell\/id605920446?mt=2\">Subscribe to the Cool Tools Show on iTunes<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/feedpress.me\/cooltoolsshow\">RSS<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/12l6L7SK6oPsMhAnlImOlQLDZ7xaRyHDl\/view?usp=sharing\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Transcript<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/tag\/cool-tools-show\/\">See all the Cool Tools Show posts on a single page<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Show notes<\/strong>: <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2021\/07\/pocket-e1627594146687.png\" alt=\"pocket\" width=\"482\" height=\"500\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38848\" \/><br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/getpocket.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pocket<\/a> (free, or $44.99 for the Premium Annual Membership)<\/strong><br \/>\nI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any other tool \u2014 both digital and physical \u2014 that I use more than Pocket. Not only that, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a lot of people that use Pocket more than me. I have proof! Every year, in December, they send a mailing campaign to their top users and there I\u2019m always informed that I belong to the top 5% of Pocket readers. Last year I allegedly read more than 5 books on the platform. But perhaps I should qualify that. You see, Pocket was originally designed to save articles that you\u2019d read later (in fact, it used to be called Read It Later). But very often I don\u2019t read them later. I just save them. In this respect, I\u2019m like a digital content hoarder. This is due to the nature of my work. As a foresight strategist or futurist, my work includes being constantly on the look or \u201cscanning\u201d for signals of change. This can take the form of actively-focused desk research for a specific project or just being constantly prepared for saving a scanning hit even when you\u2019re just passively scrolling on Twitter. A few years back I discovered that Pocket was a great way to build a personal database of signals, articles and other types of content that I may need later for projects. There are two Pocket features that I find super useful. First, by installing the mobile app and desktop browser extensions, I can save links from almost anywhere. For example, if someone tweets an article that I want to save, I can just long-press the link on my iPhone and I will easily find the shortcut to save it on my Pocket account. The second feature is that on the save screen I can easily add tags like \u201csignal\u201d, \u201cprivacy\u201d, \u201cMexico\u201d, etc., that I will then use to browse my list whenever I want to find relevant content. More recently, I discovered the extended powers that you can get when you connect Pocket with other services using <a href=\"https:\/\/ifttt.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">IFTTT<\/a>. For example, I have set up multiple IFTTT applets to instantly add my Pocket saves to Google spreadsheets where I can share and manipulate them more easily. That\u2019s how I know, for example, that over the year I\u2019ve saved around 540 COVID-related articles (sigh) and around 790 potential signals of change. But it\u2019s not just about the quantity of content that I hoard but about the qualitative connections that this tool allows me to discover. It\u2019s my foundation for what a friend of mine, Tiago Forte, calls \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.buildingasecondbrain.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">building a second brain<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2021\/07\/Taylor-BT1-frl-2019-e1627594123182.png\" alt=\"Taylor-BT1-frl-2019\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38850\" \/><br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.taylorguitars.com\/guitars\/acoustic\/baby-taylor-bt1\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Baby Taylor (BT1) travel guitar<\/a> ($379)<\/strong><br \/>\nThis is one \u201ctoy\u201d I bought to make the pandemic lockdown a bit more bearable. I\u2019ve been playing the guitar since high school and, like others in my generation, I played in a couple of bands during college. We never got to release an album but we had a lot of gigs and recorded a few demos. In any case, a few months ago, to my surprise, my teenage son decided to pick up the guitar. I own a couple of electric guitars and amps but I don\u2019t use them very often due to hassle of connecting it all. Sometimes you just want to literally pick up the guitar and play some riffs or a song in between doing other things. Every month or so I travel with my family to a country house near to Mexico City and while I\u2019ve packed one of my guitars and amp before, it\u2019s really not that convenient. For all these reasons, back in September I decided to get one of these small travel guitars. Taylor has good distribution in Mexico and, after doing some research, I learned that the BT1 is one of the most popular in the category. I thought it was going to feel more like a toy but it really doesn\u2019t. It plays and sounds great \u2014 much louder than I thought it would sound. Not only is it a great travel instrument but also a perfect everyday distraction. I keep it close all the time to fool around in between meetings and to have more proper sessions where I learn new songs or come up with my own ideas. Perhaps the only downside is that my family has to bear with my singing now and then. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2021\/07\/mezcal-e1627594181255.png\" alt=\"mezcal\" width=\"333\" height=\"500\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38846\" \/><br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/delao.shop\/products\/mezcalero-glass-set\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mezcalero glass from Mexican designer Jos\u00e9 de la O<\/a> ($65 for a set of four)<\/strong><br \/>\nDuring the pandemic, I\u2019ve really become more of an aficionado of spirits \u2014 mostly whisk(e)y and \u201cagaves\u201d (i.e. mezcal, tequila, etc.) I really don\u2019t drink that much and don\u2019t drink everyday. It\u2019s more that when I have a drink, I want to have something special and really enjoy it, unpack it, etc. I\u2019m always amazed at how much of that enjoyment comes from the nose and thus the importance of a good nosing\/tasting glass. Glencairn glasses are the standard not just for whisky but also for tasting spirits in general. But there are now some cool designs specifically for tasting agave spirits, like the Mezcalero glass from Mexican designer Jos\u00e9 de la O. I recommend having sets of two or four as its always interesting to pour two or three at a time to compare different \u201cexpressions\u201d. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2021\/07\/austerity.jpg\" alt=\"austerity\" width=\"317\" height=\"500\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38849\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2021\/07\/austerity.jpg 317w, https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/files\/2021\/07\/austerity-190x300.jpg 190w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 317px) 100vw, 317px\" \/><br \/>\n<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/geni.us\/EiWdjh\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Austerity Ecology &#038; the Collapse-porn Addicts: A defence of growth, progress, industry and stuff, by Leigh Phillips<\/a> ($6, Kindle ebook)<\/strong><br \/>\nWith chapter titles such as \u201cThe Apocalypse Is Bigger than Justin Bieber\u201d, \u201cThe Great Primordial Flatulence of Doom\u201d, and \u201cLocally-Woven Organic Carrot-Pants\u201d among others just as witty and controversial, this was the book that woke me up from my dogmatic slumber \u2014 that is, from the anti-modernist guilt trip that one can develop from learning about the current planetary crisis. Whereas a lot of recent environmentalism seems to rest on the conviction that in order to solve this crisis we need to \u201cundo\u201d things (and almost repent for our sins), Leigh Phillips (along with the so-called \u201cecomodernists\u201d) show a way forward that is more about doing differently than about undoing. As he writes, \u201cOur best hope is for humans to keep getting happier, healthier, and yes, wealthier\u2014but also more equal.\u201d So he calls for a pro-industrial, pro-growth, properly modern response. The book\u2019s arguments are not perfect. I still think that other environmentalist positions (such as degrowth) offer important perspectives on the crisis. But Leigh\u2019s book has been an important contribution to form the idea that there is not one but multiple ways forward, including some that involve more and not less technology and wealth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Jorge\u2019s projects<\/strong>: <\/p>\n<p>About a year ago I started this research project called \u201cPreferable Worlds\u201d (you can <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/preferable-worlds\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">read the preface here<\/a>). It\u2019s something in the way of a book but presented as a Medium publication where I\u2019ll be posting different articles\/chapters and other types of content. The idea is simple although not necessarily aimed at a general audience. After about 250+ years moving through the so-called \u201cgreat acceleration\u201d we are now, so to speak, living in a cliffhanger. What comes now? There are multiple possible responses coming from various scientific fields which can actually be mapped to Jim Dator\u2019s \u201cfour futures\u201d: Growth, Collapse, Discipline and Transformation. In this way, you have people like Mariana Mazzucato and Carlota P\u00e9rez calling for new forms of green sustainable and inclusive growth. But also people like Rapha\u00ebl Stevens and Pablo Servigne calling for a \u201ccollapsologie\u201d. The degrowth movement, which maps well with Dator\u2019s original idea of discipline or constraint. And, finally, people like Benjamin Bratton exploring \u201cTerraforming\u201d or the completely artificial transformation of the planet through geoengineering as the only solution. Given that I work as a designer, in the publication I\u2019m exploring the implications of these potential responses for design practices. Along with the publication, I\u2019m running co-creation workshops such as the one I <a href=\"https:\/\/www.2021.primerconference.us\/workshop-preferable-worlds-design-practices-for-alternative-futures\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">facilitated at the PRIMER conference<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Another related project \u2014 and the one that has prevented me from writing and publishing more often \u2014 is an <a href=\"https:\/\/espacio.fundaciontelefonica.com\/en\/evento\/the-great-imagination-histories-of-the-future\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">exhibition I\u2019m curating for Espacio Telef\u00f3nica in Madrid<\/a> which will open in October. The exhibition is called \u201cLa Gran Imaginaci\u00f3n\u201d (\u201cThe Great Imagination\u201d), to establish a historical parallel with \u201cthe great acceleration\u201d, and tracks the historical explosion of futures imagination from the 18th century onwards. It will present a collection of images of the future in different media (books, movies, design artifacts, etc.) and four newly commissioned installations associated with the four futures described above. For these, I invited collaborations between leading thinkers such as Carlota P\u00e9rez or Rapha\u00ebl Stevens with leading design futurists such as NORMALS from Berlin or Jake Dunagan and Jacques Barcia from IFTF. I\u2019m excited about how it\u2019s turning up and I believe it will be an important contribution to discussions around the crisis we\u2019re living through and possible responses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cool Tools Show 290: Jorge Camacho<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":38845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[1559],"tags":[1472],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38844"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38844"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38855,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38844\/revisions\/38855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}