Lexicon

Abject
Accretion
Actant
Aeration
Aerobic
Algae-boosted
Animal
Anthropomorphism
Anti-Continuous Construction
Apocalypse
Aquaculture
Aquanaut
Ark
Artificial Intelligence
Autopoiesis
Assemblages
Asymmetry
Atrophy
Attraction
Autarchy
Automata
Automation
Autosymbiosis
Bambassador
Bathyscaphe
Bioconurbation
Biomedia
Bionics
Biosphere
Biotechnique
By-product
Capacity
Actant
Coisolation
Composting
Conservative Surgery
Consumer Envelope
Consumption
Continuous Construction
Conurbation
Correalism
Cultural_Memory
Cybernetics
Cybertecture
Cyborg
Dispositif
Diving Saucer
Dross
Earthship
Ecocatastrophe
Effluvium
Egosphere
End-use
Entanglement
Eutopia
Feedback
Foam
Folk
Gadget
Garbage House
Green Cyborg
Heuristic
Hoard
Holism
Homogenization of Desire
Hostile
Human Affect
Hybridized Folk
Hydroponic
Hyper-Materialism
Information Economy
Inner Space
Interama
Intra-Uterine
Maque
Megalopolis
Min-use
Mobility
Monorail
Multi-Hinge
Non-Design
Oceanaut
Oppositional Consciousness
Organic
Ouroboros
Panarchy
Parasite
Perceived Continuation
Permanence
Place
Prototype
Post-Animal
Reclamation
RI: Data Farms
RI: Garbage and Animals
RI:Shipbreaking
RI: Toxic Sublime
Sampling
Scale
Sensing Structure
Simulacrum
Simulation
Soft Energy
Spaceship Earth
Submersible
Superwindow
Symbiosis
Synthetic Environment
Technocratic
Technological Heredity
Technological Sublime
Telechirics
The Sublime
Thermal Panel
Actant
Thing-Power
Thinking Machines
Tool
Toxic Withdrawal
Turbulence
UV-Transparent Film
Vibrant Matter
Waste
Work

Prototype

Prototype (n.) The term itself derives from the Greek word, prototypon, which means “primitive form”, “protos” which means “first”, and “typos” which means “impression, mold, pattern”. 1 A prototype is the preliminary model or iteration of a product, from which other forms are developed or copied afterwards. It aids in providing specifications and analysis for real working systems, rather than theoretical ones that may be limited to only hypotheses. It is designed to test and trial various circumstances that would allow for more complete and advanced iterations afterwards. 2 The main objective of prototypes is to test whether or not the product is fluent and consistent in its purpose. They allow the tester to analyze its feasibility and usability, and create better opportunities to notice unexpected discoveries and innovations that may allow for the purpose of the product go beyond its initial scope. Walt Disney’s Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, EPCOT, can be seen as the perfect manifestation of the term. It idealizes it self as the “city of tomorrow” that aims to restore and rebuild a degree of comfort, cleanliness, and “humanity” that was missing from contemporary society. This miniature city/community was seen as a celebration of human achievement, technologically and culturally, and was referred to as a “Permanent World’s Fair”, where various new and innovative technologies were designed and tested in hope of being applied in society. 3

1. Merriam-Webster. Accessed April 28, 2015.
2. Rebelo, Francisco. Advances in Usability Evaluation. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press, 2013. 482.
3. Fox, Martin. “Disney World The Best of All Possible Worlds.” D&E 4, no. 1 (1973): 36-39.