Lenoir, Heilig, Bush, Mayo - Reflections

I read “All but War is Simulation: The Military-Entertainment Complex” with mixed reactions. On one hand, I was enchanted by the possibilities of experiencing time and space and the use of our bodies in completely new ways due to emerging technologies. On the other, I was concerned by the prospect of taking a metaphorical super jet into the future, without a clear idea of where we are going or who exactly is flying that jet.

Is this jet, fueled by information technology, taking us into the new Renaissance that Lenoir spoke of (290)? If so, we will likely find the environment of our destination(s) altered along with how we interact with and experience our place within it (them). Biomimetic technologies, smart structures, wearable computers, augmented reality, virtual environments and embedded information technologies in the world around us will be a part of the new terrain. And as Lenoir points out, if this new environment leads to a “post”-human state, then there will “...be a fundamental shift in our notions of material reality...because materiality is deeply tied to technologies that affect how we experience space and time and how we use our bodies” (290).

If we are indeed entering a new Renaissance, and the inertia of technological development is pushing us into the new terrain of the post-human, then I think it important to pay heed to Heilig's statement about the cinema of the future. He says that because the cinema of the future will have such great power, the “ability to destroy or build men's souls will depend purely on the people behind it” (Heilig 247). Though Heilig was talking specifically about the development of an immersive environment that could completely lead man's attention by engaging all of his senses, I think it would be wise to apply the same statement to the modern technological world that is being built around us. In a sense, we are living in an immersive environment of our design that exists beyond the 5 walls of a cinema. The walls may not be made of concrete, but are instead made of modern technologies that create barriers between man and nature and the natural rhythms of life. And these technologies have the ability to direct man's attention. Thus, one walks with headphones, rather than listening to bird songs. Or, one watches videos on an iphone, rather than engaging in conversation with a person at the bus-stop. And on and on.

As much as new technologies extend the possibilities of man, they also create new social landscapes, whose effects may not be fully understood until the results are felt a few years or decades later. Marshall McLuhan expanded on this point and summarized his insights in these five words: “the medium IS the message”. In the Backstory of Digital Aesthetics, Mayo referenced Virilio who was wary of an “information accident”. What do these phrases mean and why should we care? Well, for example, the television did more than broadcast football games, soap operas, and newscasts. Though the TV may have brought people together in living rooms, the larger effect of the TV, was that people became more passive, choosing to be entertained rather than entertain. In a similar vein, the television influenced the growth of a materialistic culture as advertisements so seductively flowed into houses across the nation. And really, THOSE effects, WERE the message – not what Suzy said to Billy on the 100th soap opera episode.

Similarly, Virilio gives voice to the possibility of an “information accident”, pointing out that such an accident may not be immediately apparent, but may be developing nonetheless. In an information age, information is obviously key and Heilig credits information with taking us into the next Renaissance. And as much as such information may take us to where no man has gone before, how will it effect the individual along the way and society in general? Granted, we may well become post-human and in time our relation to the material world will change, but along the way, what will the detrimental effects be to humans, animals, and plants? As much as this age will open new gates to expansive amounts of knowledge and, in referencing Vannevar Bush, elevate man's spirit by giving him access to information that will allow him to “review man's shady past and analyze more completely and objectively his present problems”, how will stress from too much information affect people? How are the electromagnetic forces created from the new technologies effecting the environment and humans? How will our bodies be effected? Our bodies are 70% water and this water carries patterns within us. Might there be a direct physiological affect from sound pollution through the water patterns created within our bodies? Though cell phones allow us to connect with loved ones hundreds of miles away, those same electromagnetic signals cause cancer, can be used to control populations, and affect the flight patterns of birds and bees, which is not something to be taken lightly considering Einstein's quote “Without bees, we've got four more years”. Military drills using sonar have ruptured the ear-like membranes of whales causing them to beach and die. And these are but just a few of the examples.

Though we think of our developing technologies as modern, I wonder if they are not in some ways primitive? Shouldn't developments work with the natural world, and not against it? And maybe, this is what the information age will allow. It may allow us to correct our past mistakes by learning from what has not worked and allow the easy access to information necessary to create new paradigms in a time-sensitive manner considering the many problems that will be faced over the next few decades – droughts, rising seas, population overload, and shortages of food, oil, and water etc....

However, back to Heilig's point about the people behind the cinema having the ability to destroy or build men's souls. If the new Renaissance is to be truly modern, then people behind the developing technologies have a large responsibility if they are to move humanity in a direction that “builds mens souls”. Of course there is no easy answer for this, as any one technology may have a variety of individual, political and business interests and thus a variety of intentions behind it. Considering that technological development is driven by the military, porn, and games, only reinforces the fact that often such an aim is not the focus of technological development. Often profits are made by appealing to the lowest common denominator or by turning the other way and collaborating on projects that may have questionable aims. Therefore, it seems to me, that if the new Renaissance is to be truly a success, it must be measured in terms of the harmonious effects that it enables between man, machine, and nature. Societies will need to move in a direction that measures “success” in terms of a net effect – which specifically aims to satisfy two parts of an equation: How the new development solves an existing problem AND whether or not the development creates NEW problems in areas of health, social functioning, environment, etc... The development of biomimetic technologies may be a step in that direction. Individuals who are conscious of the effects of their actions on the planetary web that we are all apart of , will no doubt help too. And last, but not least, like Mayo states, “the ability to communicate and socially organize in new ways subverts previous models of information distribution and social control” (Mayo 106). So, such developments as social networking sites, You Tube and the like enable a more diverse range of voices be heard. Information need no longer come from the top down and consumers need no longer remain passive, but can step more easily into an active role of producer. Such development will be necessary to move into a truly successful future.


We need only look at a flower to appreciate a very sophisticated design and generate ideas for the new Renaissance.

This excerpt is from:
http://healingwaterinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55:part-five-water-a-guide-to-better-technology&catid=36:newsletters&Itemid=64

“Let us look at a simple plant to get a glimpse of nature's amazing technical intelligence. So, let's consider the water iris. Its flower has six beautiful curved petals, three rolling down,three rising up in blues and yellows with a light green stalk and vertical leaves, and a soft subtle scent.
Yet this plant is a small, super-effective factory that:
  1/ makes sugars out of sunlight.
  2/ transforms carbon dioxide into oxygen.
  3/ cleans the water it drinks, passing it into the air.
  4/ helps micro-organisms enrich the soil.
  5/ is alive!
  6/ reproduces itself.
  7/ has a sublime geometric form.
  8/ is beautiful living art, an inspiration to millions.
No technical inventions of human beings can do this.
All of nature's creations and their deeds, working together, are filled with an intelligence, a wisdom that we are only beginning to understand. Such a perfect and living technical design solution is something we humans can only dream of creating. Yet this is the sort of example we must aspire to.”

I'd like to end by saying, that in synthesizing the information presented in the texts, I've come to better understand the complex nature of forces at play in the world that we are creating and how science/business/university research/entertainment/military all play their part. At times I've wondered if our ipods, cellphones, and theme park rides are but ornaments on a very ugly tree. Microwaves can be used to cook food (any give cancer) just the same as they can be used for crowd control. The same technologies that are used to shoot zombies in pixel land can be used to aid in the shooting of real people in Iraq and Afghanistan, or as in the case of the previously mentioned article, steer the microwave beams electronically. But, then I must acknowledge that though Einstein's E=mc2 led to the atomic bomb, it also helped further our understanding of the world we live in. The Department of Defense's creation of ARPANET became the internet that I use today to learn about the world around me and connect with friends through Skype. A chip implanted in the brain could be used by the government to control people as much as it could be used to extend the capabilities of a paralyzed woman by allowing her to move a computer mouse with her thoughts.

So, here we go on this information jet....

And as we go into the future on this jet, I cannot help but ponder this Thoreau quote:
“Men have become tools of their tools”.

I will no doubt keep exploring the two sides of the coin - how we have become tools of our tools AND how tools expand our capabilities.......


Toodles ~Shamar

¡Ay Machina!

My father, who grew up on a farm, served in WWII as a ship’s navigator. He said that he decided to go to sea because there might be more of a chance to survive the war. Though he was a consummate storyteller, I never heard him talk much about his experiences, except for a few references to sailing up the Thames while watching explosions on either side of the bow. His message was that War is a brutal business, that cruelty and hardship are commonplace, and that it is not to be admired. It wasn’t until much later, after he died, that I heard about the deadly Murmansk Run, and how he navigated his crew to safety, at a time when the a majority of the convoy crews were killed by submarine attacks. In a way, it was not a surprise because he taught me most of what I know about how to navigate this life: how to look beyond the surface, how to listen to the wisdom of others from very different backgrounds, and how to find one’s own moral compass.

As a returning student, artist/designer, and experienced parent, my views on media might come from a slightly different perspective than those who are more enamored with technology for its own sake. From my vantage point, there is a prevalent mindset in the American culture that status, including academic status, is directly related to funding and which areas chosen to receive it. Therefore, it seems to me that Science and intellectual pursuits, which apply scientific methods of inquiry, have come to be treated with a reverence that the Humanities are not (unless we are talking about the famously lucrative entertainment industry). Additionally, it is said by many that the world of academe suffers from what is termed “the silo effect,” which can describe a lack of cooperation between an institution’s departments, or a lack of emphasis on interdisciplinary research due to specialization.

One aspect that I appreciate about New Media is that it straddles many of the realms of knowledge, which have previously been relegated to their respective corners, creating marriages of Music and Physics, such as in the elegantly designed game Auditorium, or melding technology with new ways to present history, art, and storytelling, such as at the Rijksmuseum. The attitudes of some disciplines being more “pure” than others are being challenged and new possibilities are being explored due to an increased ability for interconnection, literally and figuratively.

Therefore, after reading the article by Tim Lenoir, “All but War Is Simulation,” and being asked to express my reaction, I have to say that I found it both revealing and deeply disturbing. I have wondered before why game designers have focused so often on violent games. From what Lenoir has detailed, it has much to do with funding and how the military routinely underwrites and directs projects. This funding pipeline leads research in certain directions, and helps to create cozy business relationships once researchers learn how to jump over the necessary hurdles to become government vendors.

The same week that I read the Lenoir article, I began reading The Language of New Media by Lev Manovich. In the foreword written by the founder of Rhizome.org, Mark Tribe describes the debate, which took place on his email list during the time the book was being written. He recalls that the more theoretical Europeans criticized Americans for having a “ ‘California ideology’ (a deadly cocktail of naïve optimism, techno-utopianism, and new-libertarian politics popularized by Wired magazine)”. I think this criticism still has the ring of truth today since Lenoir’s article does not stray into observations on whether the alliance of the Military-Entertainment Complex has moral complications, training as it does entire generations of (mostly) boys to think of war and gaming simultaneously, death and enjoyment. Perhaps "Military-Entertainment Complex" should also be a psychological term.

Cartoon courtesy of artist and physicist Randall Munroe at www.xkcd.com