Faster and faster flows the information, and in larger and larger quantities. Diving in and swimming through oceans of text, images, video, shifts the borders of imagination and reasoning every day. The 'making sense' is taking new shapes, as new content in new contexts become available.

We call for discourse in and around this area. We do so by developing concepts and tools for gathering, navigating and communicating information, and by housing discussions in various flavours. Join us!

Anthon Astrom
Works as a freelance programmer and developer in the Woods in Zürich.

Lukas Zimmer
Works as a graphic designer in the Woods in Zürich and as a part time researcher at HKB in Bern.

Mikael Prag
Runs his own web development company in Rotterdam.

The Café Society acts as a repository for our more experimental, non-commercial products, or "comments". The name tributes early student days in smoky cafés, where no idea was too small or too big for discussion, and no reaction too naïve or too mature to be regarded.

In early 2007, Lukas Zimmer approached Anthon Astrom regarding the development of the initial version of what is now trails. As Anthon was very busy (writing strange stories in a book), he connected Lukas with Mikael Prag, who provided excellent programming for an excellent idea.As spring turned summer, the 3 kept contact, and very soon the initial sketched for collecthing (at the time simply called "maps") decorated the napkins of various Amsterdam venues. The ball was in motion, and over the next years they continued their collaboration over distance (Lukas back in Zürich and Anthon shortly after moving to Berlin), taking trails to a next level, developing collecthing, and thinking up new ideas along the way.

Presently Lukas and Anthon work in the realms of the Woods, Zürich, and Mikael has set up shop in Rotterdam. Projects and collaborations are in constant flux; schplitZing is proudly developed together with Fabian Wegmüller, and we all keep our arms open for new and interesting ideas and constellations.

trails
In early 2007 we created a Firefox extension that enables the Internet user to edit and print his/her own "web book". The key point of the project is the transformation of combined website fragments (texts and images) into a linear-layout printable booklet. With the click of a button, the web fragments become editable, and the booklet can be extended with personal content, notes etc. The structure of the book layout is clean, but offers enough basic flexibility for individuality.

When a booklet is composed, you can choose to print, export (PDF), or upload it to the trails Public Library, and share your research trails with the rest of the world.

+ visit project site

Added as an export option for the trails Firefox extension, the trails Public Library provides a public stage for your research trails.

+ visit trails public library

collecthing (previously under the name "maps") developed from the same ideas about collecting web fragments as trails. However, it took on a completely different shape:Where trails allows you subjectively defragment your online research locally and physically, collecthing let's you gather everything online, order and categorise in a completely free, visual layout based on coordinates, and collaborate with others on dynamic information maps.

+ visit project site

With schplitZing we develop a publishing tool, where you present based on relations between works or ideas. The continuously changing split view always gives the reader a context, and enables the author to visualise inspirational patterns and trains of thought in a very interesting way.The system is still very much under development, but is available for testing by anyone interested. Please contact us for more information. 

+ visit Project Site