Siggraph 2017 with Tween Boys

I remember when we got our first iPad. Ryan was two years old.

We opened the box, and the baby Ryan walked up to it, lifted it up, swiped it to power it on. He is eleven now, and the master of negotiation for more device time on any given day.

Ryan and his friends take notes on iPads (let's not discuss how their handwritings are...), have virtual play dates (one friend on the phone, the other on iPad, and they are playing in the same virtual world in Minecraft on their computers). They give each other virtual gifts ("I'm building something for Mateo for this birthday."). As much to my puzzlement, they love watching others playing their favorite games on YouTube. Sometimes I find him watching someone playing Minecraft on YouTube while he is playing it on his laptop. He builds stuff on SketchUp to print on his desktop 3d Printer for his language art homework. He presents his poetry museum in his cyber world of Minecraft where a person has to keep answering riddles to see the whole poem when the person realizes that the answers make up the poem.

As an architect, I try to keep up with technologies. I'm fortunate enough to be surrounded by highly-tech minded friends who are on top of their games and live in Los Angeles where the exposure to the new technology is in its abundance. But there is always confused fear that I am not sure what kind of world I am preparing him for. A few days ago, my good friend Anthony from Arup New York was coming to Siggraph 2017 held in Los Angeles and thought Ryan would have a great time there.