Comments

1 - Paul Hartzog

Thu, Dec 4, 2003
@ 16:43

This overly-used position has been put forward by numerous neo-Luddites. Not that we shouldn’t be aware of the hazards of new technology, but should we lament the passing of the massacre of Christians in the Colliseum as a means of community building? I think not.

Technology changes what we mean by ’space’ and ‘place’ for sure. I mean is a chat room a ‘room?’ It is for me and those who gather ‘there.’ Venturi opposes those who “idealize the primitive and elementary at the expense of the diverse and the sophisticated.” The fear of change presents us with ample opportunities to rationalize opposing it.

For a sophisticated reading of urban architecture and virtuality, try Taylor’s “Moment of Complexity”

2 - Paul Hartzog

Thu, Dec 4, 2003
@ 16:45

This overly-used position has been put forward by numerous neo-Luddites. Not that we shouldn’t be aware of the hazards of new technology, but should we lament the passing of the massacre of Christians in the Colliseum as a means of community building? I think not.

Technology changes what we mean by ’space’ and ‘place’ for sure. I mean is a chat room a ‘room?’ It is for me and those who gather ‘there.’ Venturi opposes those who “idealize the primitive and elementary at the expense of the diverse and the sophisticated.” The fear of change presents us with ample opportunities to rationalize opposing it.

For a sophisticated reading of urban architecture and virtuality, try Taylor’s “Moment of Complexity”

3 - Paul Hartzog

Thu, Dec 4, 2003
@ 16:45

Anybody know why that posted twice?

4 - Howard Rheingold

Thu, Dec 4, 2003
@ 18:02

Hi Paul. I haven’t read Taylor, but I think you are perhaps a wee bit zealous — like two orders of magnitude — with the Coliseum comparison. Maybe I should move Taylor higher up on my wish list?

I have no doubt that the presence of people walking around talking to people who are located elsewhere is changing perceptions of public space for the people inhabiting those spaces. And don’t forget the people with their earphones, off into Beethoven or Snoop Doggy Dog land, bopping across Shibuya Crossing or nodding off in the A train. And the people who walk down the street, looking down at their Blackberry, texting with both hands. The people talking to themselves, or to a tiny microphone — it’s hard to tell t he difference any more. I don’t know that I’m sure we’re going to like the resulting zeitgeist. I think it’s too early to draw conclusions, but not too early, nor particularly Luddite, to note that we’re going in a weird direction.

5 - Jeroen Steeman

Fri, Dec 5, 2003
@ 02:05

I think that the younger ‘children of chaos’ can grow up with the ability of multi-tasking. They will be able to be in multiple ‘worlds’ at the same time: Listening to music, talking on the phone and interacting with their environment.

6 - Leon Cych

Fri, Dec 5, 2003
@ 05:23

I do not agree with this - there is still very much the genius loci of a place and if we can replicate this virtually by augmenting it (as in enlarging in the root of that word) then we will expand our definitions of place and location. I am more concerned with the making and ownership of such space and how communities can use it to interact at a local and virtual level.

7 - Paul Hartzog

Fri, Dec 5, 2003
@ 08:59

There is a difference between living in an augmented space and withdrawing from physical space via cell-phone/headphone/etc.

Certainly Howard is right about my zealousness. By way of explanation, I think it is important to remember that our observations of change are embedded in who we have been vs. who we may be becoming. I’m not sure that we even have any grounds for criticizing change at all given that. Kuhn talks about different paradigms being so incommensurate that their members can’t really even speak the same language, or even translate (such as Newtonian vs. Einsteinian physicists). Not having lived in the connected future of our children, I don’t give a lot of weight to my apprehensions about it. I have a faith in human beings that no matter what their environment they will find beauty and each other.