And now we turn to some pessimists… Darin Barney analyzes the economic effects of computer networks, and their consequent political and societal effects (primarily in America, or other countries in the North–this being a term that replaces the antiquated “West”). He approaches network technology with a great deal of skepticism, offering a cautious, and even…
Kelly, Lurie, Trippi
While Kevin Kelly’s optimism is rather refreshing, it is seems a bit idealistic, especially now that we are in 2011 rather than 2005. Yes, the internet grew exponentially despite the dot-com burst through the private interests of internet users, but these interests (at least now) are not altogether divorced from economic interests. A gift economy?…
Barlow, Negroponte, Gilder
This week’s readings continue the theme of disembodiment that the last few weeks’ of critics have examined. Negroponte astutely emphasizes the shift in focus from material atoms to immaterial bits in computers. He pointedly notes the way in which bits flow more smoothly across “borders”–which break down when the flow is so free (look at…
May I Introduce You to “Lovelace and Babbage”?
This is only the first panel of the comic on Ada Lovelace’s origins by Sydney Padua. And I’m already obsessed. One of my favorite webcomics is Kate Beaton’s Hark! A Vagrant, a comic on history, literature, art, and culture. In a couple of her comics, she has linked to Sydney Padua’s webcomic, 2D Goggles, or…
Turkle, Plant, and Haraway
PLANT: Why Freud Gets the BS Award (and I Do Not Mean Bachelor of Science) I LOVED Plant’s essay, “Ada Lovelace and the Loom of Life.” It was short, stock-full of information, and offered a compelling and engaging argument by going into the details of the history of weaving. As Plant explains, that very history…
Turner and Hayles: Hippies and Cyborgs
Let me begin by saying that this week’s readings were pretty much AWESOME. Any reading that begins with extensive discussion of the 1960s art, psychedelic, and counterculture scene wins points in my book. Roll up for the mystery tour! Hayles competes with Turner for awesomeness points by discussing cyborgs and A. I., and making clever…
Friedrich August von Hayek
What happened to the Marxists?! Well, as we move into a more strictly economic and political realm, I will start with a lovely little clip: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKIWjnEPNY] I think Hayek would agree that “you can’t expect to wield supreme executive power just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you.” Power comes from delineations in…
Debord and Baudrillard
As soon as I think I’m getting the hang of these dense texts on media-studies, Debord and Baudrillard come along to throw down the gauntlet. Let’s see how I do… I thought that this week I’d use the WebCT prompt for inspiration: What is it about the modern electronic media that so disturbs Debord and…
Foucault with a Dash of Barthes
… sounds like an utterly complicated French dish that would take way to much structuring, deconstructing, and restructuring for my tastes. I’ll stick with a hamburger for now. Since I am leading the discussion on Foucault tomorrow, I have been fiercely focused on his works, and poor Barthes has fallen somewhat to the wayside. As…
Great Women of History: Ada Lovelace
If you have never read the glorious webcomic Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton, then by all means start now. Her comics are always informative, hilarious, and more often than not, downright silly. This week she has created a comic about one of my new-found heroes, Ada Lovelace, who I heard about last year through…