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Manifesto for Slow Communication
Sending and receiving at breakneck speed can make life queasy; a manifesto for slow communication (via WSJ)
Posted in Anthropology, Feature, Featured, Technology Also tagged communication, consciousness, speed
The relationship between textiles and computers is explicit
The relationship between textiles and computers is explicit – the punched paper cards used to program early computers are direct descendents of similar cards used to program Jacquard looms during the height of the industrial revolution, More so terms like ‘interlaced’ (among other synonyms) which describe the way pixels are weaved onto the screen, only [...]
Posted in Asides, Inverted Commas, Science, Technology Also tagged nature
Of Other Spaces, Heterotopias
The heterotopia is capable of juxtaposing in a single real place several spaces, several sites that are in themselves incompatible. Thus it is that the theater brings onto the rectangle of the stage, one after the other, a whole series of places that are foreign to one another; thus it is that the cinema is a very odd rectangular room, at the end of which, on a two-dimensional screen, one sees the projection of a three-dimensional space, but perhaps the oldest example of these heterotopias that take the form of contradictory sites is the garden.
Posted in Anthropology, Language, Philosophy, Politics, Science Also tagged Culture, foucault, heterotopias, History, Word 3 Comments
Bioplastics in Switchgrass
This past Monday Metabolix announced an incredible development: they have found a way to generate “significant amounts” of ecologically-sound bioplastic by growing it directly in switchgrass.
Posted in Agriculture, Design, Science, Technology Also tagged Agriculture, environment, industrial design, Science
Hidden Van Gogh painting revealed by giant X-ray
It’s rare that new paintings by Old Masters are discovered. But that’s exactly what happened in the case of a recently uncovered work by Vincent Van Gogh. It was found at a museum in the Netherlands — but the painting wasn’t lost in some dusty corridor, it was hidden under the paint of another Van [...]
Posted in Art, Asides, Technology Also tagged Art
Ah, Freedom
In all of these cases, U.S. multinationals have offered the same defense: Cooperating with draconian demands to turn in customers and censor material is, unfortunately, the price of doing business in China. Some, like Google, have argued that despite having to limit access to the Internet, they are contributing to an overall increase of freedom [...]
Posted in Anthropology, Asides, Business, Politics, Technology Also tagged Business, Politics, rights
Gin, Television, and Social Surplus
So I tell her all this stuff, and I think, “Okay, we’re going to have a conversation about authority or social construction or whatever.” That wasn’t her question. She heard this story and she shook her head and said, “Where do people find the time?” That was her question. And I just kind of snapped. [...]
Posted in Anthropology, Asides, Business, History, Technology Also tagged Business, electronic revolution, History, industrial revolution, media, tv, web, web 2.0, work
Muxtape K.I.S.S.
Made my first Muxtape in no time early this morning. You can access it by clicking here. Other than Google, of course, this has to be the simplest user interface out there/in here, at least where music is concerned. With such an elegant design at play I found it very difficult to turn away [...]
The Beauty, Secrets and Utility of Twitter
The Beauty, Secrets and Utility of Twitter for Business Lots of people laugh at Twitter, call it a waste of time and worse, and, that’s just fine with me. While they’re laughing, I’m learning, listening, meeting, and enjoying a global view of an endless flow of creative thought – 140 characters at a time…[Continue reading [...]
Posted in Asides, Technology Also tagged awareness, Business, collective perception, communication, consciousness, conversation, interactive, life, sharing, social media, social networking, twitter, web 2.0 2 Comments
The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats