09.25.2017
- ARCHITECTURE RELEVANCE / GORDON PASK – “Parque Guell, which at a symbolic level, is one of the most cybernetic structures in existence” —— I would like to find more clarity in this statement. Does Pask describe this structure as cybernetic because it creates such a vibrant dialog as it blends architecture and art?
- DESIGNING FREEDOM / STAFFORD BEER – “Civilization is being dragged down by its own inefficiency. We cannot feed the starving; we cannot stop war; we are in a terrible muddle with education, transportation, the care of the sick and the old; institutions are failing, and often we feel unsafe in the streets of our own cities.” (p 89) —— technology is moving forward, claiming to be the savior of the world, but it has not done this, its only contributed to the problem if anything (weapons, antibiotics, food hormones). furthermore, the problems cited here are not created or solved by technology, they are human problems. – over population due to reproduction and religion, and wars due to money, religion, power. Beer says we are being dragged down by our inefficiency. I would argue we are becoming more efficient but not in a direction that is saving us. Or maybe that is the true inefficiency?
- DESIGNING FREEDOM / STAFFORD BEER – “do not even like the wretched things. If one of those unworkable institutions we were discussing buys a computer, what happens? It uses the thing, please note at enormous “cost”, to do more elaborately exactly what was done before. And, as we know, that didn’t work.”(pg26) —— I would like to better understand the reason for this example Beer brings up, about the computer manufacturer with the sales campaign to convert everything over to computers – which segways into Beer’s next idea that computers cannot make mistakes, only humans. Why does he think there will be catastrophic collapse when computers generate “untold randomness” – is he saying computerization of all things will create more data then humans can possibly handle?
