Simplicity … the wishful pipedream of a society overwhelmed by technical revolutions, global networks, and inundations of information from the mass media, the mantra of a new generation of user-centered information designers, the ideology of technophobic naysayers to progress, and, up to now, the empty promise of IT producers ….Has there been a concept of late that has been laid claim to from so many different quarters? And what could surpass in urgency this expression of the central challenge of these times? How are we to equip ourselves to manage the increasing degree of complexity of the reality we inhabit? How can we tap and utilize the potential of global communications and real-time access to information and ideas, to people and markets? How can we develop more flexible, adaptable devices and programs that accommodate the strengths and intuitive capabilities of their users, and thereby support users’ activities in complex contexts? Which options and features could we possibly do without? And which would we dispense with gladly?In this volume from Ars Electronica, artists, software designers, and scientists elaborate on their strategic and tactical approaches to dealing with complexity—a spectrum bounded by resistance and adaptation, and featuring creatively designed alternatives, poetically useless machines, and innovative new developments.Don’t be afraid, upgrade!Festival Ars Electronica, Linz,  August 31–September 5, 2006