>From: brian carroll <human@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>... i wonder about the impacts of the new Honda... it seems that something
like that might
> tip the scale in the right direction, should it become popular
> or even chic...bricks and mortar have a
> lot more staying power than magnetic plastic disks it seems...
> as John suggests, could the architecture on the Internet become
> the next Atlantis for a future civilization?. are we ham radio
> hobbiests... living in a world of yesterday...? like living
> in a vacuum, a frog in a kettle under low heat... bc
Ever smaller cars that run across the continent on thimblefulls of
fuel--seems like the material desires of increasing billions of humans
asymptotically approach the necessity of having the impossible perpetual
motion machine. Who knows, Brian? On my good days I¹m certain we clever
technologists will figure it out. On my bad ones I¹ll buy John¹s Atlantis
hypothesis because it¹s plain to see that the laws of physics will beat us
with a wicked punch. While bricks, steel, stone, and glass have more
durability than magnetic disks it is those disks that point in the direction
where we must go. Life is paradox. As Earth becomes more densely populated
it becomes ever more important to communicate not only with your immediate
neighbor but with the person on the the other side of the globe if only to
ingrain in our psyches that we are all equal humans separated by artificial
boundries and artificial power structures. Ayatolla Khomeini¹s cassette
tape revolution wherein he organized Iran¹s revolution by remote control
from France was the real beginning of the communications revolution--i.e.
you don¹t have to physically be there to make a difference, you only have to
communicate effectively. Technology made it possible.
I like modern civilization--hot and cold running water, central heating, a
clean well lighted place, soft music, deluxe cooking facilities. I think
what we¹re talking about here as designers and builders, creators of our
built environment, is that it may no longer be enough to design well and
build well but that we need to look up and out from our desks/screens and
take responsibility for the social systems that occupy these places--and
urge others to take their share of the load, to demand optimum not maximum.
I¹m saying the day to day rush and keen of commerce, business, success, the
American dream, the Western idea of individualism is wildly and blindly out
of control because its so easy to be helpless and so easy to say *why should
I be the first to give up my SUV*. We¹re a bunch of petulant children.
Time will tell.
>... i wonder about the impacts of the new Honda... it seems that something
like that might
> tip the scale in the right direction, should it become popular
> or even chic...bricks and mortar have a
> lot more staying power than magnetic plastic disks it seems...
> as John suggests, could the architecture on the Internet become
> the next Atlantis for a future civilization?. are we ham radio
> hobbiests... living in a world of yesterday...? like living
> in a vacuum, a frog in a kettle under low heat... bc
Ever smaller cars that run across the continent on thimblefulls of
fuel--seems like the material desires of increasing billions of humans
asymptotically approach the necessity of having the impossible perpetual
motion machine. Who knows, Brian? On my good days I¹m certain we clever
technologists will figure it out. On my bad ones I¹ll buy John¹s Atlantis
hypothesis because it¹s plain to see that the laws of physics will beat us
with a wicked punch. While bricks, steel, stone, and glass have more
durability than magnetic disks it is those disks that point in the direction
where we must go. Life is paradox. As Earth becomes more densely populated
it becomes ever more important to communicate not only with your immediate
neighbor but with the person on the the other side of the globe if only to
ingrain in our psyches that we are all equal humans separated by artificial
boundries and artificial power structures. Ayatolla Khomeini¹s cassette
tape revolution wherein he organized Iran¹s revolution by remote control
from France was the real beginning of the communications revolution--i.e.
you don¹t have to physically be there to make a difference, you only have to
communicate effectively. Technology made it possible.
I like modern civilization--hot and cold running water, central heating, a
clean well lighted place, soft music, deluxe cooking facilities. I think
what we¹re talking about here as designers and builders, creators of our
built environment, is that it may no longer be enough to design well and
build well but that we need to look up and out from our desks/screens and
take responsibility for the social systems that occupy these places--and
urge others to take their share of the load, to demand optimum not maximum.
I¹m saying the day to day rush and keen of commerce, business, success, the
American dream, the Western idea of individualism is wildly and blindly out
of control because its so easy to be helpless and so easy to say *why should
I be the first to give up my SUV*. We¹re a bunch of petulant children.
Time will tell.