The following is a series of quotes from Arnold Pacey, Meaning in Technology. Read them, mark the parts you agree or disagree, and comment on them.
"Much technology has been “conceived and applied in the context of war and oppression”, yet many still want to think of it as morally neutral, as if it bore no mark of its origins."
". . . much is said about the impact of computerization, as if we were dealing with something that has come on us like a meteorite from nobody knows where. The reality is that the source of this technology is as much human as other major intentions. Like literacy, printing, firearms, bicycles, and automobiles, computers are self-revealing inventions. It is what we learn from them about ourselves – our impulses, purposes, abilities, and potential – that makes these technologies seem revolutionary."
"[airplanes] with propellers _behind_ the wings working propulsively, and one Cessna design of 1961 with a tractive propeller at the front of the body and a propulsive one at the back. Other options that have scarcely ever been used include the canard design, with the stabilizer at the front rather than forming a tail. This design could have weight-saving advantages. . . . some pilots rejected . . . the 1961 Cessna whose exceptional lateral stability made it seem too safe and easy to fly. . . . “the kind of safety given by this aircraft . . . did not fit the male image that a pilot has”. Conventional aircraft shapes also seem to have social meaning fro the general public denoting reliability and efficiency. It has become difficult for designers to depart from a conventional symbolism . . ."
Cindy Xin
Posts made by Cindy Xin
The following is a series of quotes from Clay Shirky's book Here Comes Everybody. Read them, mark the parts you agree or disagree, and comment on them.
"Our social tools are not an improvement to modern society; they are a challenge to it. . . ."
". . . social tools don't create collective action - they merely remove the obstacles to it. Those obstacles have been so significant and pervasive, however, that as they are being removed, the world is becoming a different place."
"Communications tools don't get socially interesting until they get technologically boring. The invention of a tool doesn't create change; it has to have been around long enough that most of society is using it. It's when a technology becomes normal, then ubiquitous, and finally so pervasive as to be invisible, that the really profound changes happen, and for young people today, our now social tools have passed normal and are heading to ubiquitous, and invisible is coming."
"For us, no matter how deeply we immerse ourselves in new technology, it will always have a certain provisional quality. Those of us with considerable real-world experience are often at an advantage relative to young people, who are comparative novices in the way the world works. The mistakes that novices make come from a lack of experience. They overestimate mere fads, seeing revolution everywhere, and they make this kind of mistake a thousand times before they learn better. But in times of revolution, the experienced among us make the opposite mistake. When a real once-in-a-lifetime change comes along, we are at risk of regarding it as a fad."
"Our social tools are not an improvement to modern society; they are a challenge to it. . . ."
". . . social tools don't create collective action - they merely remove the obstacles to it. Those obstacles have been so significant and pervasive, however, that as they are being removed, the world is becoming a different place."
"Communications tools don't get socially interesting until they get technologically boring. The invention of a tool doesn't create change; it has to have been around long enough that most of society is using it. It's when a technology becomes normal, then ubiquitous, and finally so pervasive as to be invisible, that the really profound changes happen, and for young people today, our now social tools have passed normal and are heading to ubiquitous, and invisible is coming."
"For us, no matter how deeply we immerse ourselves in new technology, it will always have a certain provisional quality. Those of us with considerable real-world experience are often at an advantage relative to young people, who are comparative novices in the way the world works. The mistakes that novices make come from a lack of experience. They overestimate mere fads, seeing revolution everywhere, and they make this kind of mistake a thousand times before they learn better. But in times of revolution, the experienced among us make the opposite mistake. When a real once-in-a-lifetime change comes along, we are at risk of regarding it as a fad."
Hi Jessai and Sylvia,
I tried to participate in the online session but nothing worked for me. I could hear, and see people's chat, but couldn't speak or type. I tried every single button on the screen. It's funny how fighting with technology is such a perpetual theme.
I do prefer asynchronous communication/discussion. It always worked for me, technologically, pedagogically, and psychologically speaking.
Cindy
I tried to participate in the online session but nothing worked for me. I could hear, and see people's chat, but couldn't speak or type. I tried every single button on the screen. It's funny how fighting with technology is such a perpetual theme.
I do prefer asynchronous communication/discussion. It always worked for me, technologically, pedagogically, and psychologically speaking.
Cindy
Fei Gao wrote,
Someone else can continue responding to this.
Fei, great to see you experimenting in the Sandbox. Keep playing and post your reaction. I'll be watching.
Cindy
I have created a couple of post in this forum so people can trying out Marginalia on them. You should feel free to make your own posts and annotate them.
Cindy
Cindy