Do you participate fully in post-digital culture? It’s likely that you do, even if you don’t recognise it. Here’s a light-hearted adaptation of a critical article, “What is post-digital?” by Florian Cramer. 1. You play down the special nature of digital technology According to Cramer, post-digital cultures exhibit “either a contemporary disenchantment with digital information systems and media gadgets, or a period…More
When did we become post-digital?
Eighteen years ago Nicholas Negroponte wrote in Wired that “the digital revolution is over.” Digital technology was already so woven into the fabric of everyday life that it no longer needed a special label, nor social commentary, nor propagandists (like Negroponte). It had gone the way of the plastics business –– once regarded as revolutionary, but now taken for granted, and…More
Indexcess
Indexcess is the space you are in when unable to stop indexing your manuscript. There’s always another word to include. The start of the process is known as indexcitation, when the cataloguing of your ideas presents as an exciting challenge. Near the end you reach indexhaustion. (Indexpress is when you are doing it on a train.) Here’s…More
The enormous fly wheel
“Habit is thus the enormous fly-wheel of society, its most precious conservative agent” (121). That’s how the philosopher William James (1842-1910) characterised the inertia evident in people’s behaviour patterns, from brushing teeth to putting into practice the benefits of a professional education. Patterns that are once established require no attention, unless you want to change them. Once we human…More
Best intentions
“My manners must have been in fault, but not intentionally I assure you. I never meant to deceive you …” (331) declared Mr Darcy in his reconciliation with Elizabeth in Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. By this reading, to have an intention is to act with a goal in mind. Most of us would rather deny…More
How geometry aids recollection
We made our way along the path through the woods and struggled up a steep trail carved out by mountain bikes. Eventually the path flattened and we were on a low ridge, though still under the canopies of hornbeams and beech trees. We caught glimpses of a meadow in the sunlight. A single oak stood before…More
Blood lines
“We Transylvanian nobles love not to think that our bones may lie amongst the common dead. I seek not gaiety nor mirth, not the bright voluptuousness of much sunshine and sparkling waters which please the young and gay. I am no longer young; and my heart, through weary years of mourning over the dead, is…More
The empathy bus
Who could deny the need for greater empathy? Apparently the twentieth century was the era of introspection and navel gazing. Let’s make the twenty first century about outrospection. At least that’s the enthusiastic proposal of Roman Krznaric in his 2014 book Empathy: Why it Matters and How To Get It, and related website. That’s one of a legion of self…More
Attending to the world
“Stand to attention!” The deputy head teacher would say this once a week to the ranks of sweaty kids assembled on the asphalted schoolyard — or was it a parade ground — in the arid Melbourne sun. Then we were called to “stand at ease.” To be at attention, to attend, is to be at the ready, to listen, receptive, alert. In the case of…More
How to grow a project
It’s good to be ambitious, to aim for impact and to make a difference. Here are some ambitious project ideas: create an exhibition, build a pavilion in a city square, fabricate a dynamic sculpture in a workshop, produce an interactive computer app, make a film, run an elaborate experiment, conduct a massive survey, embark on a Kickstarter campaign, run…More