Answers?... we'll see Part 1

Ok so at this point I really feel it’s time I did something constructive as so far I’ll hold my hands up and say I’ve been “cautiously passive” in my attitude to documenting my thoughts within this blog. (An alternative way of putting this would be to say I’ve been really lazy.) Now picking up on that word “passive” it seems wise to begin by jotting down my thoughts on the quote itself, what it could mean how I feel it relates to the technology we are looking at. (This is a very odd post to make because I’m not sure who I’m addressing it too, Steve or Anneke? Let’s go with Anneke as Steve already knows what I think as we discussed it and helped each other to form many of the opinions contained in the pages bellow this post.) Anyway less waffle more thoughts, ‘We are all robots when uncritically involved with our technologies.’ This can be very simply split into three different parts the “robots” part the “uncritically involved” part and the “technologies” part (now that all seems slightly obvious but go with on this one.) By choosing to describe us as robots Mr McLuhan is attaching our preconceived notions of what a robot is to his ponderings, that is to say in my mind he could just as easily used the word passive but then that doesn’t have quite the same dramatic overtones and god forbid we fail to inject a large dose of drama into everything we say Mr McLuhan (criticising him for being over elaborate in his style of writing feels a little like the pot calling the kettle black…) The point being I believe that’s what McLuhan is simply saying that we have a passive attitude towards technology and possibly life in general, the large majority of us being perfectly happy to sit back and watch things play out in front of us with little involvement on our parts other than to occasional complain when things don’t seem to be moving in beneficial tandem with our own experiences. Think of it all like being sat on a comfortable sofa watching television, your mouth slightly open, eyes glazed over casually tossing the remote around between your sweaty digits when ITV news suggests you text in to offer your opinions on the northern rock crisis. Or course being the financial expert you so clearly are moral obligation drives you to pick up the phone and venture forth with your sound piece of financial advice. Perhaps this is getting off track ever so slightly (does that matter when writing a blog?) the point is we act in a passive manner when dealing with technology, choosing to be lead rather than guide. “Uncritically involved” this is fairly self explanatory and doesn’t much levy its way beyond its own meaning, such as how a Buddhist monk may walk the white path between heaven and hell along the assassins road, choosing neither the light nor the dark but becoming a black void (perhaps an automobile would be a more succinct metaphor.) Silliness aside more can be extrapolated on this subject in essence contradicting what I just typed out. How can we be uncritically involved?

Orison was a product of Controlled society.

The Orison was a product of Controlled society. This could be an explenation as to why it is a part of a network and why its functions seem so controled. ?

Mind Over Matter

I have used this title slightly out of context, more like sentience over impulse.

Towards our presentation we are looking towards having the transition of technology visible as our medium of presentation, for instance Pictorial, advancing into writing, transforming into print, TV, CG etc, etc.

I think written book to printed to typed up on a monitor is an interesting way of doing it.

However I don’t want to mince our ideas by doing this. Im not sure if the theory that suggests that eastern/pictorial and western/typographic ways of thinking will be used and or contradicted by a presentation that uses this visual description.

Could we show some kind of battle or contrast?

In David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas the distinction is made between civilized and savage individuals. Also that wee all contain a mix off both, savagery and civilized nature, individually and as a whole society. This argument supports the Idea that we are mechanical, when unattached to technologies and when using them.

Here are some concise readings of the above statement?

*TV zombies, using their technologies in an uncritical manner.

*People who use them uncritically and as a result the technology has no significant impact on the course of their lives, e.g. they destroy themselves or rot away regardless of their interaction with the technology. They simply carry on with their robotic/beast like Impulse led lives.

*People who use the technology but never take it beyond a physical extension of their being. Simply allowing it to change them??

This one I am still a bit confused about.

The character in the middle character of Cloud Atlas describes the down fall of mankind.

Wonderful aspects of our technologies are described, medicines and boats with fusion/fission engines. She goes on to describe how we burned our skies and poisoned

our oceans. How we chose denial over facing difficult truths and decisions.

It describes our technologies leading to a hollow existence much like that of the savages, where we take what we want when we want it. This led to our downfall, we rose to a bright shining future, but then pissed it away as a result of our robotic/beast-like nature.

“The Diets that Time Forgot”

Last night on channel 4 I witnessed the opinions of the historian “Sir Roy Strong”

whose view reflected this sentiment. “We live in a time instant gratification where they want it now so they take it now, people no longer understand the concept of restraint”

He also had this to say on the C4 website, just thought I would add it.

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/D/diets-that-time-forgot/

"We live in the golden age of the slob. I don't believe in going back, but I do believe there are serious and practical lessons to be learned from the past that could help us conquer the obesity epidemic of today."

I think that this is an example of the idea that we have regressed as a result of our technologies. Reflecting the views found in Cloud Atlas regarding our fall from grace.

We could have used this as a starting point to research ancient history, possibly to see if the collapses or reforms of ancient cultures had anything to do with a the effects of technology upon us or our reaction to them.

Maybe we could use the technology of mass production as something that effects our eating habits. Looking at an uncritical approach where the individual destroys their life.

We could display this in the style of 1950s advertisements. This fits that era of American style mechanization.

What have I basically said?

I think this might be a mistake, here I think I am saying that our beastly and impulsive nature causes us to be uncritical when approaching our technologies, possibly because I am using the words of others. What I mean to say is that our reactions to some technologies are uncritical as a result we become robotic and get trapped in that impulsive cycle, this may spread outward, affecting our approach to all the technologies around us. That last bit is simply speculation on my part.

I wanted to expand onto the Idea that being critical with your technologies may result in a higher state of being, a greater degree of awareness of oneself. Almost comparable to the Sonmi’s awakening, those moments where you feel slow and out of practice. Where you don’t really know your place in the world.

Burke “the first right of every man in civilized society is to be protected against the consequences of his own stupidity.”

Simmelar quote from Sonmi, second chapter.

Similar case of critique.

"Thats a dangerously simple crypto"

"Merticulous brains often overlook the simple"

Random quote from Half-Lives

Taken this out, Wondering if mr Mitchel is thinking about passivity and the abbillity to criticise ones surroundings thruought his book. But yet again, it isnt in the context of technology so It is most likely completely irrelevent.

"the dumbest dpg can sit and watch. What takes brains is knowing when to look awway. Am I making sense to you Richter?"

I dont know what this means

passivity pushes you forward
we can pushh somnie and her interrigator, who is passive, who is inmpassive, which fitts the mold???

Chriss and Dave

An example of different gennerations and their different speeds at addapting to new tachnologies, Dave admierd Crisses patience and abbility to sit and learn a new piece of technology.