The Crock of Shh: A Whispering Water Interface for Reshaping Reality

dc.contributor.authorAbles, Brandon
dc.date.accessioned2025-11-21T00:30:12Z
dc.date.issued2025-10-12
dc.description27th International Conference on Multimodal Interaction,October 13 - 17, 2025,Canberra,Australia
dc.description.abstractThe Crock of Shh is a water dispenser interface designed for typing messages to water. Instead of dispensing water quickly, users must press the nozzle repeatedly to scroll through whispered positive words representing letters of the alphabet. Each short press releases a small amount of water, slowing the process and creating time for reflection. Users listen to the whispered words by placing their ear near the water tank, which resonates the sounds through an audio exciter. Four buttons on the interface allow users to scroll forward or backward through the spelling alphabet, select letters, insert spaces, and print messages on a Dymo label printer. The printed labels, in black ink on transparent material, can be attached to a water cup or the dispenser jug. The printed labels transmit positive messages, fostering a connection between the user and the water. The work builds on ideas of slow technology, embodied interaction, and placebo effects.
dc.description.urihttps://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3716553.3757088
dc.format.extent3 pages
dc.genreconference papers and proceedings
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2wnie-2bhm
dc.identifier.citationWaylan Ables, Brandon. “The Crock of Shh: A Whispering Water Interface for Reshaping Reality.” Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Multimodal Interaction (New York, NY, USA), ICMI ’25, Association for Computing Machinery, October 12, 2025, 772–74. https://doi.org/10.1145/3716553.3757088.
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1145/3716553.3757088
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/40853
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherACM
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Visual Arts Department
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Student Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Information Systems Department
dc.rightsThis item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
dc.subjectUMBC Human-Centered Computing
dc.titleThe Crock of Shh: A Whispering Water Interface for Reshaping Reality
dc.typeText
dcterms.creatorhttps://orcid.org/0009-0000-3107-5054

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