01/threesiblings/SiblingRivalry/Iamanonlychildwiththreesiblingsthebombtelevisionandthecomputer/Iwasbornintheearly1960sandthesethreehavebeenpartofmyfamilyforaslongasIcanremember/AllofthemcameintotheworlddecadesbeforeIdidinthecrucib/leofWorldWarIIbuttheysurgedtoprominenceatdifferentperiodsduringthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury/Aswehurtleintothetwentyfirstthisbookisacallforthethirdsibling
02/thecomputertosavethefamilyfromitself/ThebombputanendtoWorldWarIIbutinauguratedbot/hthecoldwarandtheloomingfearthatthefateoftheearthhunginthebalance/Thebombhasbeencitedasthecatalystforeverythingfromtheriseofexistentialisminthe1950stotherebirthofreligiosityintheWestfromatomicagegoogiedinersinSouthernCaliforniatothekawai/cu/tenessofcontemporaryJapaneseSuperflatart/IwasababywhenPresidentJohnF/Kennedya
03/ppearedonallthreemajortelevisionnetworkstoannouncethattheSovietswerestationingballisticmissilesjustninetymilesofftheFloridacoastandthatwhatwaslatertobecalledtheCub/anMissileCrisiswasathand/KennedyusedthemediumoftelevisiontotalkaboutthebombnotonlytotheAmericanpeoplebutalsototheleadershipinHavanaandMoscowbypassingthecustomarydiplomaticnotificationproceduresentirely/Thefamilyloreisthatmyparentsstayed
04/upal/lthatnightinterrorforthemselvesandforme/AllthroughoutmycollegeyearsIwouldoccasionallylookovermyshouldertoseeiftherewasavaportrailintheskypointingthewaytoatomicapocalypse/Thehistoryofthebombisimprintedinourdeepestreptilianbrainitisahistoryof/fearmutuallyassureddestructionandablindinglightfollowedbydarkness/Ifthefirstsiblingcameoutasthebiggestbullythattheworldhadeverseenwhatofthenextonetoemerge
05/ontheworldstage/Imaynotbethebestpersontoanswerthisquestion/Aneighborofminewroteoneofth/efirstantitelevisionbooksThePluginDrugandforyearsmyparentsdidntevenallowmetowatchthetube/ButIoutsmartedthemmakingfriendswithkidswhoseparentswerenotnearlysoaverseandsothesituationcomedydoubletakeisasembeddedinmyDNAasitisinanyotherredbloodedA/mericansevenmoresoperhapsasIeventuallyandforreasonsstillobscureeventomys
06/elfwentofftogetaPhDinfilmandtelevision/WhenIwasveryyoungtelevisionwasstillsomethingthatyoucouldcontainsomethingthatyoucouldcordonoffasseparatefromtherestofculture/Bythe/timeIwasanadolescenthowevertelevisionhadbecomethedominantmediumtheallencompassingetherinwhicheverythingthatseemedtomatterentertainmentsportsnewspoliticsandevenwarwassuspended/TelevisionwasnotapartofculturebythetimeIwasinmytwentiesi
07/twascultu/re/Televisionwastheentertainerwithitstwitchyhistoryimprintedonourganglia/Whatofthethirdsiblingthatlatebloomerthecomputer/Whiletheothertwowereridinghighthebombterrifyingandthetubedistractingthegeekythirdsiblingwasbidingitstimeinuniversitylab/sandhighendofficeparkswaitingforitsmoment/Thefamousandprobablyapocryphalcommentfromthe1950sthattheworldwouldneednomorethanadozenorsocomputerspointsto
08/theslowadoptioncurveinthegeneralpopulation/By1982thoughTimemagazinetooktheoddstepofnamingth/ecomputeritsManoftheYeargivingmeatleastoneexcuseforanthropomorphizingthesemachines/Inthegogo1990sthosedeskboundmachinesandlumberinglaptopswerebeingconnectedintotheglobalnetworkthatnowdefinesthecomputerasthedominantsibling/Thisbookisanannoun/cementthatthethirdsiblinghastrulyarrivedandthatifweplayourcardsrigh
09/tthereisachancethatitwillnotjusteclipseitssiblingsbutinsteadtransformtheworldthattheymade/Thisisbecausethecomputeristhefirstmediamachinethatservesasthemodeofproductionyoucan/makestuffmeansofdistributionyoucanuploadstufftothenetworksiteofreceptionyoucandownloadstuffandinteractwithitandlocusofpraiseandcritiqueyoucantalkaboutthestuffyouhavedownloadedoruploaded/Thecomputerhelpspeopletocreateexperience
10/sandoffersthem/spacesoftenvirtualandsometimesaugmentedtosharethem/Thinkofthosefleetingmomentswhenyoulookoutaplaneswindowandrealizethatregardlessoftheindignitiesofcontemporarycommercialairtravelyouareflyinghigherthan/abirdmovingthroughtheairitselfathundred/sofmilesanhouranIcarussafefromthesun/Nowthinkofyourlaptopthinnerthanamanilaenvelopeoryourcellphonenestledinthepalmofyourhandorbetteryetyourear/A
11/scomputersgetsmallermoreubiquitousembeddedinevermorequotidianobjectsfasterbetterconnectedandeasi/ertousetake/amomentortwotowonderatthemarvel/Youaretheluckyinheritorofadreamcometrue/Thesecondhalfofthetwentiethcenturysawacollectionofgeniuseswarriorspacifistscranksvisionariesentrepreneursgreatsuccessesandmiserablefailureslabortomanufactur/e/adreammachinethatcouldfunctionasatypewriterandprintingpresss
12/tudioandtheaterpaintbrushandgallerypianoandradiothemailaswellasthemailcarrier/Notonlydidtheydevelopjustsuchadevicebutbytheturnofthemillenniumtheyalsomanagedtoembeditinaworldwides/ystemaccessedbybillionsofpeopleaday/WhileothertechnologicaldreamsthatsproutedupinthetwentiethcenturythatPopularMechanicsfutureofflyingcarsrobotbutlersandthousandstoryskyscrapersnevermadeitthisvisionofamachinethatcansimula
13/teanyotherisnowawid/elysharedreality/Teenagerswatchvideosontheircellphonesubiquitousgridscreatewirelesshotspotsinthemiddleofmedievaltownsandinteractiveinstallationscanbefoundingalleriesworldwide/Thecomputerisadreamdevicethefirstmediamachinethatservesasthemodeo/fproductionmeansofdistributionandsiteofreception/Itisthetwentyfirstcenturysculturemachine/Butforallthereasonsthattherearetocelebratethecomp
14/uterwemustalsotreadwithcaution/Thisisbecauseweareengagedinasecretwarbetweendownloadinganduploadingand/itsoutcomewillshapeourcollectivefutureinwayswecanonlybegintoimagine/Thepromiseofthethirdsiblingthecomputerinitsguiseasculturemachineistobuildthefeedbackloopsthatkeepthisavirtuousratherthanviciouscyclebuttodosowillentailourtakingsidesinasecr/etwarthatisalreadydecadesold/Beforeexploringthissecretwar
15/Iwouldliketoofferawordaboutthestructureofthisbook/Interspersedwithinthebodyofthetextaresidebarsofferingstoriesofexemplarypeopleobjectsandplaces/Herearesyntheticmusicalsandsilkbookscos/monautsandurbanistsbrilliantsamplersandthemisguidednephewsofgenius/Thesesmallermorepersonalnarrativeswillhelptogroundthetheoreticalandcriticalmaterialelsewhereinthisbook/ThequestioncanreasonablybeaskedWhydoesthecriti
16/calandtheoreticalmateria/lrequiregroundinginthepersonal/Iwouldrespondthatthekindofuniversalizedomniscienttheoryweassociatewiththegenerationof1968doesnotconnectwithaculturethathasbeenweanedonOprahWinfreystheaterofconfession/Winfreysimmenselypopulartelevisiontalkshow/ranformorethantwodecadesandwithinitssyndicatedonehourafternoonformatWinfreychampionedarelentlesslypersonalnarrationviamassmedia/Bythat
17/Imeantheascentoftheindividualascreatorandpromoterofhisorherownstorywhichisoftenbutnotalwaysanarrativeofred/emptionthroughsuffering/TheOprahizationofdiscoursehasseenthedeclineofdisembodiedexperienceandascendanceofthememoir/Adjustingtotheexpectationsofaudienceforthepersonalandthedetailedisnotintheendsuchabadthingperhapsthepersonalispoliticalaftera/llandmaybeeventheoretical/Inadditiontothemainargumen
18/tsandthesesidebarsthereisathirdcomponenttothisbookahistoricalnarrativethatoffersagenerationalhistorytacklingthestoryofhowthecomputerbecameourculturemachine/TheGenerationssectioncanbereadbe/foreduringoraftertherestofthebook/Likethesidebarsthehistoricalnarrativeconcentratesonpersonalstorieswithtwofiguresfromeachgenerationdiscussedatlengthandaconcentrationonthewaysinwhichthememesofsimulationandpartic
19/ipationdevelopedandintertwine/dovertheyears/ThefirstgenerationthePatriarchsestablishedthesefoundationalmemesintheearlyyearsafterWorldWarII/TheywerefollowedbythePlutocratswhoturnedcomputingintoabusinessduringthe1950sand1960s/InoppositiontotheprofitmindedPlutocratsthe1960/sand1970sbroughtustheAquarianswhoproposedthevisualpersonalizednetworkedcomputers/Inthe1980sand1990stheHustlerstookthisvisionandtu
20/rneditintoacommoditygettingitontodesktopsworldwide/ThenextgenerationthatoftheHostsconnectedthesemachinestogethe/rintoatrulyWorldWideWebandpushedparticipationtothenextlevel/WearenowlivingthroughthesixthgenerationthatoftheSearchers/Forthisgenerationthewealthofinformationproducedbythebraidingofsimulationandparticipationissogreatthatmerelyfindingourwayth/roughthemorasshasbecomeasignaturequalityofouren
21/gagementwiththeculturemachine/WhilethesidebarsandGenerationsconcentrateonpeopleanddiscreteobjectsandsystemsthebodyofthebookengageswithmoreoverarchinginvestigationsthatgeneratenotjustnewfindings/butalsonewwaysoftalkingaboutthesefindings/Thepagesthatfollowplaywithlanguagewithpairingsmeanttoestablishcomplementaryandoppositionalrelationshipslikethecentraldownloading/uploadingcouplingalongwithmeaningfu
22/l/mindfulaswellastweak/togglepower//playsimulation/participationandfigure/ground/InthesepagestherearealsoconceptsthatIproposedoveradecadeagoandamponderingstillsuchasunfinishhypercontextsandthecomputerasourculturemachine/Evennewerwordsandphraseshadtobecoinedjustfortheargument/spresentedherelikeWebn0RPRreallypublicrelationsMaSAIorMassivelyPublicApplicationsoftheImaginationbespokefutures89/11andinfot
23/riage/Alsopresentistheappropriationoflanguagethathappenswhenyouscourscienceforconceptslikestrangeattractorsorwhenyou/createportmanteaussuchasplutopianmeliorismandpositthatwecannowspeakoftheEnlightenmentElectrified/Thenthereisthefinalissueofwhatkindoflanguagedifferentiationyouneedtouseinthefaceofahybridizinghegemonyofunimodernunimedia/Ofspecialnoteinthisbo/okistheperiodbetween1989and2001inwhichallt
24/hreesiblingsreachedsomethingofatippingpoint/AftertheBerlinWallcamedownandthesenseofnuclearmenacediminishedIstoppedlookingovermyshoulderforthefirsttimeexpectingclearskieswithoutvaportrails/Buttheeven/tsof9/11transformedtheHbombintothehumanbombandthespecificthreatofdeathfromtheskytransformeditselfintoafreefloatinganxietyaboutweaponsofmassdestructionandterror/Atthatpointtelevisionrefinednewwaysofmark
25/etingfearasentertainmentinatwentyfourho/urnewscycleandtheworstexcessesoftheblogospheresimulatedthismodelacceleratingitintotheviraltorrentofRSSfeedstomobilephonesandthenewattheclickofthebrowsersrefreshbutton/Whenfearoritsinverseemptyheadeddistractionbecomethedefaultcontentthesecre/twarbetweendownloadinganduploadingiswellonthewaytobeinglost/Thisbookoffersawarningbecauseifthebombisthebullyandthetelev
26/isionistheentertainerthecomputeristhefamilysmimic/Andifthecomputerchoosestomodelitsbehaviorafteritssiblingswewillbeinwors/eshapethanever/Thismimicryorsimulationasitisbettertermedcomestousfromthecomputersveryoriginsandwilldefineitsfuture/Butshouldwepushthecomputertoitslimitlesslimitstakingadvantageofitscapacitytoenableparticipationwemaywellbeabletoaddresssomeof/thekeyproblemswefaceandmakethefirstha
27/lfofthetwentyfirstcenturymorelivablethanthesecondhalfofthelastone