Mike, how goes it? Thanks for your note. The field of science and technology studies is indeed interesting. Over the years I've tried to track cultural studies and philosophical works that have tried to reveal the form of what is emerging. The following authors turned up: Taylor and Sararingen, Standage, Wertheim, Slouka, Calloway, Stone, Heim, Brook and Boal, Ruskoff, Kroker and Weinstein, Turkle, Helmreich, Harbers, Holtzman, De Landa, Deleuize and Guatari, Beauregard, Foucault, and of course all the great novel by the cyberpunk writers and now the biopunk. The thread here for me is the continuous expansion of the sensorium via artificial means, including virtual networks and virtual space-time, the space-time "wrinkling up of the globe" with some parts pulled much closer together than other parts creating interesting cultural dislocations within cities (digital divides of various kinds) and the creation of a Borges library like approach to knowledge (that is the inability to separate journalism from blogging or to determine what is or is not a good reliable source). I wrote a piece based on a lecture of JT Frazer that tried to draw the implications of what he called the techno primitive relative to decision making.
In any case, your review of how the introduction of technology changes work relationships, etc, is very useful and revealing. More of the same or different? Like the issue of design and productivity relative to the velocity of technology innovation and fashion as its speeds around the globe. Who will drive fashion when the China and India markets are bigger than US and Europe combined? Japan's effects on US is a good example with "hello Kitty" which was heavily influenced by Japan's experience with two atom bombs (see Japan Society's exhibit catalogue: "Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture", by Takashi Murakami.) These are the undercurrents that interest me the most. They also reveal my interest in the Santa Fe/cyberculture cross pollination. Peace, Gus Gus Koehler, Ph.D. President and Principal Time Structures, Inc. 1545 University Ave. Sacramento, CA 95825 916-564-8683, Fax: 916-564-7895 Cell: 916-716-1740 www.timestructures.com - ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org