The seminal pieces by Bush, Licklider, and Nelson seem to continue expounding upon the question that Turing and Wiener were interested in: just how do humans think and what does that mean for the design and use of technology?
Archive | February, 2004
Kafka’s Challenge
I think we ought to read the kind of books that wound and stab us. If the book we’re reading doesn’t wake us with a blow in the head, what are we reading it for? So that it will make us happy? Good Lord, we would be happy precisely if we had no books, and [...]
Notes on Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado”
Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” takes the reader on a psychological journey through the mind of Montresor; his and Fortunato’s descent in to the catacombs of Montresor estate parallel the journey into the subconscious of the dying narrator.
Thoughts on McLuhan
After reading Marshall McLuhan’s “The Medium Is the Message” for what seems like the google-first time, I’m thinking about his definitions of “medium” and “message.” The former he defines as “any extension of ourselves” and the latter as any medium or technology that changes the “scale or practice or pattern” of human affairs (Wardrip-Fruin 203). [...]
New National ID Card?
ZDNet’s Declan McCullagh writes: the House approved the Real ID Act by a vote of 261-161. The article states: The U.S. House of Representatives approved on Thursday a sweeping set of rules aimed at forcing states to issue all adults federally approved electronic ID cards, including driver’s licenses. [. . .] The measure, called the [...]
An Observation on London’s "To Build a Fire"
In his short work “To Build a Fire,” Jack London seems to suggest that humanity’s reason and intelligence might not be enough for survival when pitted against instinct and natural selection. If humans’ most profound evolutionary trait are their big brains, then it would follow that products of those big brains might eschew a symbiotic [...]
Nebula Nominees
The nominees for this year’s Nebula Award have been posted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writiers of America. Most of the nominees’ works are linked form this page, so you can work on your science fiction level.
