1. It compared the music industry's chance of stopping napster to a new england ice harvester surviving over a refrigerator dispenser
2. The suburban home being the new cubicle due to having to be in commutable distance.
Joel

1 - "In the long run, the established music industry had about as much of a chance as the old New England Ice harvesters" - Mitchell, 135 - With all the talk in chapter 8 about the digitizing of books, I wonder if P2P book sharing will catch on the way p2p movie and music sharing has. I think textbook makers would be in for the same rude awakening that record labels and movie production studios if this ever happened. I believe this is the reason that textbook makers are NOT adopting the entire eBook idea.

2 - The idea of people getting "left behind" that refuse to adapt to new media is one that I believe can be seen here on campus. Personally, I hear from friends of mine that have classes where almost nothing is digital, blackboard is denounced, etc, that it is a much more difficult learning environment. Professors and instructors that refuse to update give some students the impressions of being "held back."

3 - A bad aspect of everything becoming networked and interconnected is the ease of "espionage" in today's world. The reference to someone sneaking into a building and physically having to take documents seems almost absurd now in our age where digital theft is all too common in our everyday lives.

-Does the "short-lived" dot com era signal a natural tendency for humans to compensate the impersonal attributes of the digital medium?
-In the short "Virtual Campfire" section, Mitchell supposes the creation of meeting places or the impromptu or digitized meeting place. With ingrained social meeting places such as bars, parks, coffeehouses (all of these becoming wireless and digitized), is there an integration or segregation?
-If electronomadics is an option or is something being explored, do memories become irrelevant in the definition of "human"?

1. Mitchell says that production is now much simpler than it used to be. He says that physical entities are only poor reproductions of digital ideas.

2. chapter 9 is where Mitchell really brings home his point about space. We have "reactivated" urban public space into the digital world. Do you agree that the phsycial world is becoming the digital world? I disagree simply because people do not spend all day at the computer (although they might in the future) they go out and do things still.

3. Ch. 10 is the most argumentative in the book I think. Mitchell focuses on all the things that can go wrong in a network. Mitchell says the internet "meshes" in places. What does this mean?

1. In chapter 8, Mitchell discusses the implications of an economy which is completely based of information. If goods and services become nothing more than bits which can be streamed into a quick matter combiner or robot, will this lead to an equal distribution of property or an economic collapse?

2. In chapter 9, Mitchell claims that the rise of wireless networks will contribute to the privatization of space. Will we ever get to a point where we don't meet each other in "real life" anymore, instead opting to perform all of our interaction on-line? Will there always be a desire to simply go somewhere and do something outside of the network?

3. In the closing paragraph of chapter 10, Mitchell claims that "sing Neanderthan early-adopters first picked up sticks and stones, we have never been human." Could it instead be that such natural tool-using is one (among many) of the things that makes us human? And is the fantasy of living Matrix-style (brain/body in a vat, connected to a network 100% of the time) truly one that is desirable? Would we not rather opt for a hybrid/cyborg system that would slowly supplant our existing bodies with technology - a reverse of the protagonist in The Bicentennial Man - until we didn't have anything that was "meat" anymore?

1. On p. 133, there is mention of the "limits of network capacity." It seems as though network capacity is something that is becoming less and less of a threat. Instead of physical capacity hindering us, as it did (and still does to a certain extent) in the past, we are now concerned about high volumes of digital information "traffic."

2. P. 136 talks about "desktop fabs." I was wondering if anyone could give a more general description of what this is and who it is different frome existing disks and mp3s and the like.

3. As far as crafts go, it seems that this increasing accessibility of craft-like machines and technology allows almost anyone to be an artist of a particular craft. Anyone can take a picture, anyone can print a file, etc... It seems now that the demand for the products are valued much more than the actual process of creating the craft.

-Hallie

1. The part on decentralized production (132) is interesting to me. It seems, by analogy to the ice cubes, that many more networks established today could become more efficient nodes of larger networks. How will this effect employment in the future? Also, the part on KaZaA (I used to use that!) was great. One bittorrent server went so far as to try to buy it's own micronation to avoid prosecution.

2. On pg. 141, Mitchell talks about a "evolving" software. I think that though I've never heard of this, it should definitely be in plans for the future. The way I imagine this evolutionary software would entail simple things like a better auto-correct on Microsoft Word up to a home computer that can manage every aspect of your house and even your home business.

3. The last part of ch. 10 (167-68) is insane. I don't know what I would say if someone said I could transcode my "soul" and live forever as a robot (that sounds like a cheezy old episode of The Twilight Zone).

1. Mitchell asserts that the piracy-obsessed music recording industry will soon be as obsolete as the ice-collecting industry before widely-available freezing technology. Is this true? Could it lead to an explosion of new music, with copyright bans and other such nonsense out of the way, or would it result in a chaotic dystopia where artists and record industry executives starved to death for lack of royalties?

2. As far as wireless goes, I think Mitchell's assertion that those who point out that wired network tech precedes wireless are missing the point is valid. I think it's possible (not a necessary occurrence, but possible) that wireless technology will reach a level of sophistication and reliability that will render wired PCs obsolete. The network infrastructure itself could remain wired, while the nodes of personal connection, our devices, would all be free from those constraints.

3. Ch10 "...we have never been human." Obviously an intentionally provocative statement; I think what Mitchell is driving at is that technology is inseparable from so-called human nature, and to think otherwise is inaccurate. We are technological animals. One wonders if, like the Dixie Flatline, human consciousness can be downloaded, maybe along the lines of a machine that generates thoughts and is aware of thoughts, capable of metathought. So far that kind of thing exists only in fictions, and some fiction writers (Neal Stephenson for one) thinks that real AI will never exist. The question is still an open one; personally I'm still skeptical.

Ajai Raj

1) Ch.8, pg. 138- "But maybe even more fundamentally, the debate is also about preserving the stability, identity, and closure of intellectual products versus the possibility of creative transformation and recombination." In the future, would humans fail to use and apply their knowledge, instead relying only on what already exists?
2) Ch.9, pg. 147- Mitchell talks about the idea that "continuous fields of presence provided by wireless networks." Although wireless networks allow for more "space use" such that we are no longer confined to any place, these wireless networks do invade our privacy.
3) Ch.10, pg.168- Mitchell states that "since Neanderthal early-adopters first picked up sticks and stones, we have never been human." Without humans in the first place, all this new technology would never have been invented.

1)Mitchell mentions a type of evolutionary strategy for software modules. These modules are allowed to mutate for a period of time, and after facing tests provided by a “specified fitness function,” they are either allowed to continue existing or are destroyed. I find myself feeling rather uncomfortable with the idea of allowing a program to simply mutate by itself. Perhaps something truly amazing could come out of the unmanaged changes, but that something could be equally terrifying.
(Mitchell, 141)

2)Mitchell notes that skeptics of wireless networks are “missing the point” when they say that these wireless elements are the last links in a wired telecommunications system, but I think these skeptics do have a point. While these wireless inventions do allow for a great deal more freedom, they are still nothing without their wired counterparts.
(Mitchell, 147)

3)Potential invasion of privacy has reappeared as a topic multiple times, and when Mitchell brings up how the wireless world is allowing people to work anywhere they wish, privacy does not seem to be the only thing that is being invaded now. Private time, in my opinion, takes a large hit when anyone can find you anywhere at any time. While we may be so addicted to our electronic gadgets that we might not want to be separated from them, one should at least be allowed to have electronic isolation be an option.
(Mitchell, chapter 9)

~Grace

1. Chapter 8. Pg 142. On this page he speaks of the desire of record labels, recording companies, and production companies to limit the the natural adaption that comes with digital media. This limit to produce new and unexpected outcomes in favor of keeping profit margins high will, in his mind, create an extreme loss to many aspects of evolving human culture.

2. Chapter 9. Pg. 146. Throughout this whole page he describes how the ability to leave a specified physical network has allowed crime to flourish as well. While no longer being bound by physical buildings and land lines crime is free to grow and spread without hindrence. This lack of physicality also creates a difficult time for those trying to track down and stop the activities.

3. Chapter 9. Pg. 153. He kind of goes back and references the dematerialization he talks about in previous chapters, however he looks at the negative aspects of it now. Pointing out that you will miss out at an office social life, the escape from you work, and negatives of the like.

1. In Chapter 8, Mitchell comments on miniturization allowing for production be be "decentralized and even mobilized...political power can be distributed (and centralized power can be subverted) by producing such devices in quantity and spreading them around." (Mitchell, p. 132). Power has not been eliminated from the hands of select few, rather there are more with the materials to have power.

2. In Chapter 9, Mitchell points to location-based advertising. We have become so spoiled by technology that it makes me wonder what we did before we could have practically anything at the press of a button, whether we want it or not.

3. In Chapter 10, Mitchell states, "...since Neanderthal early-adopters first picked up sticks and stones, we have never been human." (Mitchell, p. 168). If this is true, who/what is human?

1. Chapter 8 page 135-136: Mitchell describes the electronic change for books. Physical prints of books are being replaced with online books. During college, I have barely entered the library to write a report or essay. I just use UT’s online databases. This relates to Mitchell’s concept of geography. If I had a report due on Monday, but I had to travel to Chicago over the weekend, I could still use my computer to access the online collection of UT’s books. This also solves the problem of copies not being available. If I needed a book, and it was checked out, I would just have to wait. Now I don’t. I was trying to think how this could be instituted in elementary schools since students are restricted from more advanced level of books. Soon enough, could libraries in elementary and intermediate schools dwindle away?

2. Chapter 9 page 150: Mitchell briefly discusses personalized advertising. When reading this section I was reminded about our discussion in class about RFID tags. If we all had RFID tags implanted in us, with personal information about things we buy or enjoy, advertisements could be personalized to who ever walked by it. If they were advertising clothing or shoes, maybe the advertisement could depict you in the clothes or shoes based on information from your RFID tag.

3. Chapter 10 page 168: Mitchell closes with the chilling words, “…we have never been human.” The last section of this chapter made me think about only existing in cyber-reality. And although we use tools and technology, that doesn’t mean we aren’t human. You can train animals to use simple forms of tools and technology, does that mean they aren’t animals? When it comes down to it, I know I will always enjoy a personal conversation with my friend in the physical form, than a conversation I have in cyberspace. Real-life human connection and interaction is, to me, what makes us human. Maybe if we lose that, than Mitchell’s argument can ring true.

- Mackenzie

Chap 8 - One of the upswings of what Mitchell refers to as "Decentralized Production" could be the end of dirty factories. If everything can be assembled at the end point, there would be no need for power-consuming, waste-producing industrial complexes. With the increasing flexibilty of nano-tech, it may one day be possible to download the schematics of a car and turn on your carbon nano-tube machine, and voila, you got a car (thanks, Neal). Ok, it's a stretch. But w/ decreased dependence for human labor in the industrial sector, where many jobs are now done by robots, where will it end? The planet is too overpopulated to be a Utopia of enlightenment, some people got to go. Like maybe all the big entertainment lawyers trying to make just about everything illegal. Although, I've never illegally downloaded anything. Ever.

Chap 9 - With mobility increasing, will there even be a need for offices anymore? A sunny kitchen nook is the perfect setting for a videoconference using just your MacBook. Or go camping for a week but stay in touch via StarBand 24/7. Wait a minute. That sounds like it would suck. We may be facing a dilemma Mitchell brushes on when talking about the drawbacks of working at home: "...you might realize [it] no longer served as a refuge from work". I guess as long as our electronics have off buttons, we're guaranteed some respite.

Chap 10 - This just creeped me out. I don't care how many memories and emotions a software program carries, the downloadable human is an oxymoron.

Trevor Wallace,
t_rev2323@yahoo.com