Eric Kluitenberg, "Connection Machines"
In his article, "Connection Machines" Eric Kluitenberg makes the following claim,
"It is difficult to escape the economic rationale that favoured the rapid development of telecommunications technology from the mid nineteenth century onwards. The continued expansion of global trade created the social and economic context for this particular breed of technology to flourish. Yet, if we rely exclusively on this all too obvious economic explanation for the rise of contemporary electronic connection machines, deeper layers of motivation that inform the creation and the wider adoption of these technologies will continue to elude us. To grasp these rather hidden motives it is necessary to excavate some of the seemingly irrational undercurrents that accompany much of the visible history of technology, and thus to probe more deeply into the realm of the mythological."
Present arguments both supporting and retorting Kluitenberg's claims that we should consider connection machines' mythological resonance. Cite specific examples from the article to support your arguments on both sides and relate your points back to his concept of "'the existential sublime."
(P.S. I know that this article and these concepts are challenging. Please just do your best.)
63 comments:
Well, according to the article, humans have a strong sense of needing to not be in solitude. If we are in fact left to our own selves we become deeply depressed and feel as one dead. If we are in this state and suddenly we have someone to rely on, to have companionship with, we feel "delight". Delight is a strong word, and we don't often feel it unless we knew what we were missing. So by this explanation it makes perfect sense that we see in the machines we make, a sense of partnership. In the case of telecommunications the invention itself has the ability to connect people, but it may go beyond that. We may feel that this thing we created to connect us to other people is, in fact, more of a human lifeline, or a way to stay away from the fear of absolute solitude. Even if for some reason the machine fails, somewhere inside we still feel connected to the machine itself. After all, we work with technology daily, and it is not so inconceivable that one might relate to a machine as if it were a regular coworker. However, also in the article it states that Lewis Mumford, a historian and philosopher, is quoted as saying, "the clock is not merely a means of keeping track of the hours, but synchronizing the acts of men." So in a sense, there is no delight in working with a non-living machine, but instead using that machine to connect to others. In a way our need for human companionship is simply redirected toward technology because that is what we are used to working with now, more than men.
oops, sorry I forgot my group number. GROUP 3. Jackie Bentley (jackie bentley film 201 blog)
Nacia Schreiner group 1
film 115
Technology, as explained by Eric Kluitenburg, stems from the imaginatory beliefs/assumptions of the future. All standard connections of mechanics had to first be invented out of a mystical idea of where the future is heading. Kluitenburg states "...the history of technology is littered with unfounded claims about the future...[as well as] misconceptions, arbitrary assertions, and inherently mythical beliefs about the immediate and longer-term significance of the machinic contraptions that emerge from the inventor's laboratory." For example, on order to have our standards of television, a person had to first imagine the possibility of seeing small images of people inside a box that sits in your living room. To further emphasize his point, Kluitenburg finishes by saying, "Ironically, in many of these accounts the rhetoric of scientific rationality is emphatically employed to propagate preposterous, highly opaque, and sometimes deeply mystical ideas."
After all, for skydiving to exist, someone had the bright idea of jumping out of a plane with a nylon sac. This holds true for all forms of communication and will only continue to be the case for technologies to come.
The invention of the clock was first merely used for religious reasons. They believed that it connected them to the divine. That time was "movements of the heavens." "the idea that technology compensates for the deficiencies of human conduct remained vividly alive." But how can anyone say that this was false.
But the following invention of things like the tranatlantic cables, making it possible to comunicate globally, was an economically advantage. allowing us to trade and communicate allowed us to progress in technology tht only benifited us.
Without mythological ideas alot of early inventions, such as the clock leading to greater ways of connection, probably wouldn't be able to exists. But that can also be a false acutation. To know whether or not connection machines are mythological resonance is highly opinionated and argumentable.
Dreams, Kluitenberg seems to be arguing, drive the human need for communication technology. We feel insufficient in our world, compared to our neighbors, and in comparison to death; we long to over come these shortcomings. Kluitenberg relates the lives of two of science’s most influential and eccentric characters: Thomas Edison and Nikolai Tesla. Both men spent their lives dedicated to improving the human condition through science and technology. Yet, at the end of their lives they faced the universal truth of life: death. Facing their failures to make death obsolete they desperately developed their sciences into research of the metaphysical, seeking communication with the dead.
While this search for pan-dimensional communication, as argued by Kluitenberg, is rooted in the philanthropic pursuit connecting people with the dearly departed, both Tesla and Edison seem to be selfishly motivated: if they cannot achieve immortality, then they could at least grace the temporal plane with their knowledge and services.
Likewise, Kluitenberg cites the inherent human fear of being alone but neglects immense effort and disappointment of actually being with someone. His argument states that the mobile-phone catchphrase of “Where are you?” translates into a plethora of statements and inquiries that reveal a fragile inner-core that needs to the presence of a person that is cared for. However, the actual presence of that person brings awkward silences, arguments and the use of time one can scarcely afford. So the mobile device that expresses our longing to be with someone is just as easily used to substitute the actual presence. “Where are you?” instead translates into “I couldn’t make it by your house today, so I’m calling instead,” “Last time we hung out, I got sick of your endless quotations from Monty Python, so I’m just calling to let you know I care.”
Lydell Peterson
Film 115
Group 1
We should consider connection machines as mythological resonance but also be aware that this mythological resonance can produce practical machines/concepts from what started off as just an imaginative or “delusion of grandeur” type idea. Many of the technological advances come from trying to connect with a higher power or something spiritual in nature. The example of the clock being used not only to coordinate secular affairs,but to connect with the divine shows how the idea of technology used to connect with God can be advanced into practical secular uses (Kluitenberg, 1). Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower can also be used as an example of how both spiritual and practical uses can be mixed through technology. The tower itself turned into mythological resonance (in the sense that it was thought to be able to communicate with the deceased or transmit electrical energy wirelessly) but in many ways this idea was advanced and used later in telephone towers. When I think of all the wireless cell phone towers up and running nowadays they had to have been inspired by Tesla’s work. So in a sense, the Tesla tower became mythological resonance, but inspired practical creations based off that work. I think this holds true for most technology. Before the machine itself is created, someone has to imagine an idea that they want to come true. The airplane was invented because of man’s curiosity to fly like a bird or angel (if thought of in a heavenly sense). The camera because people wanted to be able to capture segments of their lives or possibly to capture one’s soul or psychic phenomena. These technologies or connection machines are created with the goal to reach an existential sublime or achieve something that is thought to be not humanly possible but instead turn out to achieve something less lofty and more practical. So connection machines are both mythological resonance but also practical inventions/adaptations.
These mythological ideas or "resonance" are what has shaped much of what we see today. Much like the concept of media archeology, but deeper such as ideas that are placed in the realm of the far-fetched or the unreachable. The connection machines that have brought us thus far should not only connect us to the world, but also to the past from which they came. We feel connected to these machines, but we don't consciously think about the connection we have to them or their predecessors. Kluitenburg mentions that these predecessors seem laughable now, but really the "now" is merely a predecessor to things even greater to come. We are truly in an age of technological advancement that is never-ending and must appreciate and witness this "technological sublime" in order to understand the now and shape the future.
-eddie roberts, group 2
Technology brings people together first starting off with the clock to the cell phone of today. Humans needed to organize life. The clock was the answer. When to go to work or sleep or worship could now be determined. With the clock, people could all come together/organize at one time. A community was built and people could work together expressing ideas and creating new inventions. A bonding was also created amongst humans. That problem of loneliness had found it's solution. Inside of every human being is a want of belonging. People can not resist relationships. As it is stated in the article, "being lonely is worse then death". So humans created machines in order to establish a relationship. The clock organized meetings where loneliness was diminished and a sense of belonging was created.
But none of these machines could have never been produced without a "mythological resonance". Someone had to totally disassociate himself from all historical pretexts and come up with some wild idea to eliminate this loneliness felt by humans. In order to invent a solution to this problem one must think of the "imaginary product fulfilling real-world needs to survive". All inventions are new ways to survive. It states, in the article, "Infamous names in the history of technology invention derive their inspiration from deeply irrational, mythological, and even outright mystical sources". Tesla and Edison are perfect examples. They both believed it was possible and attempted to communicate with the dead. So they tried to build machines that could, but, in the end, those projects were either destroyed or abandoned. Are ways of connecting are becoming more easy. Now-a-days, people can send images across the globe to friends or loved-ones through the use of their cell phones. They can also hold a conversation with a friend or loved one who is across the globe. So there is always a sense of connectedness. New ways of connecting will keep on coming because humans are always looking for new, better, and more efficient ways to survive.
-Michael Schafer Group 3
Technology and connectedness is a double-edged sword. You can argue that it bring people together, which is true. We can get in contact with anyone across the world seemingly instantly. (almost) Everyone has a cell phone, everyone has a computer... Through SOME means of what we have created, there is no way that we can be alone. You could also argue that this technology also creates a group of socially inept people who RELY too much on this technology.
Communication technology definitely helped to bring us all together as a whole, but could never (as far as I can see) help us improve our inter-personal skills.
This problem with the 'social recluse' also brings fears of what is to come. Communications technology was created to bring people together - in contact with each other. But if we advance too far, we may be looking at a machine realistic enough to our likeness that we bond with it as easy as with others. This technology that we then created to aid us in contacting others has begun to replace that need.
- Eric Fritz, Group 3
Eric Kluitenburg explains technology saying that it stems from the imaginatory beliefs or assumptions. Narcia from group 1 makes a good point that someone had to first imagine our forms of media like tv. All of our forms of technology or "connection machines" are expanded on everyday. Just look at how far your e-mail, texting, and music has come. Kluitenburg even says"... It is diffucult to escape the economic rationale..." even for people in the nineteenth century it was hard to stay away from advancing technology. Now a days we can even get television, sports, and the entire internet at our finger tips...literally. I saw an add at a bus stop saying "you don't have to be on a couch to be a potato" with a potato on a city bus. In two years our cell phones will be extremely outdated. We just have to be happy with the technology now and work with what we have.
Evan Koepnick
Group 4
The idea of the existential sublime relates to the feelings one has of being at peace with not only ones self but also with the world surrounding them. Burke's idea of delight, is the realization of the existential sublime, to be in the light far from the darkness that we fear.
Kluitenberg wants us to accept that modern communications technologies have arose from a desire to obtain this state of the existential sublime. Feelings of loneliness and solitude make us afraid, but if we have a cell phone, we can instantly be connected to someone and resolve our fears.
During the 1900's wild ideas regarding the afterlife were rampant, the spiritualist movement (later debunked as forgery by people such as Houdini) was extremely popular. Fears and misgivings about death and the afterlife have always plagued mankind, and it seems only natural that some should attempt to dupe death itself by attempting to commune with the other world. Kluitenberg details the efforts of two such attempts by both Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Both attempts were failures (or in Edison's case a true "imaginary machine") but their ideas were grand, and they both seemed to be honest in these pursuits. It certainly follows that, from an existentialist point of view, these men (and humanity as a whole) would wish to invent on the basis of solving humanities age old problems of death and the afterlife.
However, there was of course money to be made. And, both Tesla and Edison were business men. It is possible, that these men's attempts to create machines to communicate with the afterlife were simply moneymaking schemes (Tesla was known to make wild claims to get money for projects after all). This argument can also be attributed to modern communication devices. Its possible that Apple does not make the iPhone to resolve the human problem of feelings of loneliness, but plays on these very ideas to make us buy such products. It is possible that much of what humans see existential problems actually stem from marketing and not the other way around.
Theresa Ennis
Film 115
Group 2
I have noticed that many of the others comments from this class say that humans do not like to be on there owm. That could be try in some cases but I also know people who would think the exact opposite. It is true that our society is somewhat obsessed with technology. Being obsessed cannot be good. We use it as a crutch in our daily routine. The problem I have with is is what happens if technology crashes. All of the people who have valuable information stored on technological machinery would be screwed. I still find it better to have "hard copies" of very important documents incase this ever happens.
As far as the communication aspect of this article, I think that it is a great invention. How we have improved on it is wonderful. It is a great way to keep in touch with people who are far away. Back in the day letters used to be the only way to communicate with people, however we live in a society that demands instant gratification.
“Invention and imagination are relatively closely linked, as concepts and as functional principles of human endeavour.” When Eric Kluitenberg wrote this he was obviously trying to link imagination to invention, which also connects to human effects because that where inventions come from. He was stating that all humans have effects on inventions because we are the people who use the inventions. Kluitenberg claims that humans aren’t the only thing that make an invention flourish across the world. For example he talks about the clock and how the churches needed them so they could pray on schedule everyday. Overtime they put clocks in public as a religious symbol which overtime has been lost and now is looked at as a scheduling requirement. I don’t know if I agree with when he is saying that most technologies are flourished through the world by something hidden in history. I believe that sometimes something is just needed or wanted and that’s why it flourishes not because something other than human pushes it to be. For example computers are a want which have transferred almost into a need among our society. No religious factor or something of that sort pushed the inventors to make it.
Colin Sytsma
115
Group 3
In rejection of the mystical qualities of the communication machine, it seem quite sound and straightforward to say that these machines are only that, tools. Their sole purpose is to transfer information between people. They are our technological middlemen, like a letter, note, or shopping list is method to transfer information. As people move further apart, the connection machine becomes a great convenience and indeed a necessity in order to be productive in the modern world. This technology, as with all technology, was conceived of as tools for humans to use to manipulate information. And that is all it will ever be.
On the other hand, there seems to be a much deeper and humanly satisfying use for the connection machine. That is where Kluitenberg's ideas of the mythological motives come into play. The idea that we are using these machines to fulfill the inner human desire to be with people, to touch other people, to feel what other people are feeling. Since our society allows us to be further apart from people we care about, these connections allow us to have those people near us at all times. Thomas Edison understood this and he took it to the extreme by trying to fulfill our desire to converse and learn from our ancestors. The connection machine was created as an extension of our self so that we can interact and be with others no matter how far away.
- Toby Staffanson
- Group 4
Group 1
The clock was one thing that was developed and then improved. Connection machines are started with a form of the media that is being created. The media that is created always has the ability to be improved by someone that makes the product that much more interesting to people. People are always trying to improve the product better than the the product was before. The watch for example, the watch was used for a religion purpose and now days we use the watch to tell time, remind us of things, and to tell us how many miles we have walked or ran.
People need to have change in technology to keep society moving. People are so used to waiting for advancements in technology.
I truly had a tough time maintaining interest in this article. I felt the entire article was overly wordy, not in the regard of vocabulary but in relevance. Just as I thought I was finally getting a hold of what Kluitenburg was trying to say, it seemed he lost me by going off on some irrelevant tangent. In the question, you asked us to,"Present arguments both supporting and retorting Kluitenberg's claims that we should consider connection machines' mythological resonance." To be honest, I didn't really see any sort argument showing that connection machines had mythological resonance. Being frank, I think that this article is just some pompous asshole's way of trying to sound philosophical.
"Machines have become not only the mediators of the divine, but in their mythological significations the complexity of the new machineries and their extraordinary transformative powers in society and in the private lives of an ever growing portion of the global population, have become the abstract embodiment of the divine." How in the hell is it the abstract embodiment of the divine? I don't see an argument, I see some guy who's trying to sound sophisticated, and intellegent, with some "out of the box" thinking. I'm sorry I just don't see the connection between technology and the divine, it sounds like bullshit to me.
-David Ebner, Group 3
Kluitenburg states that mystical thought is how we have began developing technology such as telecommunications and other electronic connection machines. I think that his claims seem to be accurate because in mythology they explain natural things through spiritual explanations and supernatural occurrences. To the first people exposed to clocks they believed that the clock kept track of the passing of day to night and it also represented that the divine clockwork ruled and governed earthly existence. These people believed that the clock had mystical powers. At this same time it was becoming a large part of social life and became the medium of the way that people ordered their lives. The philosopher Lewis Mumford states, "The ticking of the mechanical clock might thus almost be likened to the humming of the modern production line...the regular collective beat of the machine; for the clock is not merely a means of keeping track of the hours, but of synchronizing the actions of men." This observation makes technology look like it is out to control us, not us to control it. This is where the trend began of technology grasping to the natural human lifestyle. In the present time, we have immensely increased the varieties of technology and the control they have over our daily lives. Mumford also says, "The habit of order itself and the earnest regulation of time-sequences had become almost second nature in the monastery." I think a lot of present day technology feels secondary as well, along with time. Such as I expect my computer to work, and I expect to be able to access infinite web pages. I also expect to be able to contact and communicate with whomever I please. Those are just two examples, but I hope you understand my point. Our present civilization also has turned our various technologies into a second nature part of life. These are things we come to expect to possess, and we have enough knowledge to use them.
The problem with Kluitenburg's mystical reasoning for telecommunications and other electronic connection machines is that they had to be developed, and in mythology is based on the historical existence of an object or person. When creating new technology you are not using previous historical existence, rather you are exploring your imagination for something that could benefit or make an object that makes/performs certain tasks simpler. I think in the creation of new technology that the power of your imagination is more important in regards to advancing and creating new technology. The mythological/spiritual significance to the people alive when the first mechanical clock was made is what started synchronizing the actions of man with technology.
--Nick Reindl, Group Two
I can't decide whether or not I agree or disagree with Kluitenburg's ideas of mythology connecting with technology, how people idolize "new", but not new ideas, let me explain.
First of all, from this article you can tell that the market has a way of jacking up prices on items people think will be "the next big thing"(Telecom, Enron, etc.). For example, Blu Ray and HD DVD's have almost the same picture quality, but a Blu Ray player costs $500 more. The difference in picture quality isn't anywhere near the jump from VHS to DVD, but in knowing how people are so into a little bit of picture quality the $500 is justifiable. This is where I don't agree. Our society is so deeply rooted in the "economic rationale". I think it's hard for me to grasp this because our generation has seen most of the mythology squeezed out of modern products that a little change will wow us.
However, I can see how the mythological factor played a great role for inventors from the beginning of the 20th century. Kluitenburg cites Edison and Tesla, both late in life, as being obsessed with the paranormal and somehow reaching the paranormal through technology. This drive to achieve what most certainly is impossible is almost entirely explainable by fear. This is where the concept of "the existential sublime" comes in. He writes that perhaps they were so dissatisfied with the results of their previous inventions that the only thing they had left as their lives were coming to an end was a way to extend past their mortal boundaries. Both men wanted to keep some part of them back where they couldn't stay physically. In the end, death is the only thing that is certain for all of us. Technology's "mythical" power kept Tesla and Edison searching of a way out of that inevitability.
Derrick Markowski, Section 3
I believe our need to be “connected” with machines and our need to use machines to stay connected with others, only fuels our desire to keep creating and inventing more advanced ways of doing so. Sometimes, even I have felt more connected with a machine (my desktop computer) than I probably should be. Recently, when I purchased a laptop, I felt guilty for “abandoning” my desktop! I had been using the same computer for four years and almost felt more connected to it than some of my friends. (that probably sounds a lot worse than it actually is! ☺) Of course, after thinking about why I was feeling this, I realized it was probably because of the things my computer did for me – it kept me connected with friends who had moved away and helped me to stay connected with friends and family who were still close, but I was able to email or chat with them at times when I normally wouldn’t be able to do so (when they were at work I could still email them and get a response instead of say, waiting until they got off work to see them). Thankfully, I will still be able to do these things with my laptop, and I am sure, in time, I will get to become “friends” with it too. ☺
Lastly, both Edison and Telsa spent a significant period of their lives attempting to discover the way to communicate with the dead. This concept seems ridiculous to most, but ironically, is probably ridiculous in the same way as Telsa’s Tower and the idea that it would “transmit wirelessly not only communications and radio signals, but also electrical power.” Look at all the wireless towers around the world now. It is interesting to think that a few hundred years from now, humans could be looking back at Kluitenberg’s article, and wonder how we thought communicating with the dead was such a “mythological idea.”
Amanda Zimmerman
Group 1
The article seemed to want to debunk the notion that all technology is created simply for convenience, control and capitalism. The author tells us that there are deeper, “mystical” reasons for the development of technology; the desire for closeness, happiness and in some cases, immortality. Kluietenburg relays a story about Edison’s obsession with the paranormal. This is not merely scientific industriousness or the desire for a neat gizmo that allows you to contact the deceased with more convenience than a Ouija board. He was hunting for comfort. He was hunting for certainty. Who doesn’t love the idea that when our bodies stop working and we become meat, that our personality, our soul, our essence is floating around doing nice things for people, making occasional guest appearances at séances and abandoned castle keeps in Europe. Is that not why anyone carries a cell phone? For the “just-in-case” scenarios? What if I were to drive into a ditch? What if I were to be mugged? What if I were stranded without another soul in sight? What if I’ve had too much to drink and need to tell someone I love them? The author explains that technological developments are all solutions to instinctual desires. Fear of the dark necessitates the invention of the light bulb. The fear of loneliness calls for communication devices of all types. Cell phones, the internet, television and yes, even YouTube are all attempts to be closer, to be within reach.
In the article, it was said that the clock was the “medium for ordinary man to bring his life into unison with this divine order.” It was designed to connect people to God, however it is now used for more practical matters such as knowing when to do things at exact moments, and when things begin and end. It also mentioned in the article of Edison doing an interview, speaking of working on a device to communicate with the departed. In these cases, we should consider connection machines as a mythological resonance. Today, the reasons behind new technology seems to be only to make things better and faster in our lives. There seems to be no mythological purpose behind them. People nowadays are obsessed with making things easier and faster for ourselves. Connection machines are invented to reach an existential sublime, making things more practical. People rely so heavily on their technology these days, everything from clocks to cell phones to computers. They are supposed to be means of connecting us to other people, through texting and internet, however isn’t technology taking away social contact in a way as well? Things are constantly being put on the market to make things in your life go faster and easier, yet it is taking away social contact with other people, like credit cards, e-mails, and satellites.
-Sarah Myszewski
Film 115, Group 3
Jon Phillips
Group 3
Technology being considered mythological is a concept which only happens in very few actual instances. Kluitenburg tries to make it applicable to everything, but it simply isn't. Certainly, clocks have played some importance in the history of the world (without clocks, how would we ever experience the feeling of not being able to set the VCR to the right time? Or the TiVo, I guess). They are without a doubt the realization of the fantastical dream of being able to keep track of the intangible idea of time. Perhaps a few have ascribed some mythological importance to it, but even in the middle ages I doubt more than a few did so. It's an invention, an important invention, a useful invention, but it hardly can hold the title of “mythological”. Cell phones certainly cannot. Myths can only exist after everyone has stopped using the object like it had been used in antiquity- no one uses Stonehenge for a calendar anymore, for instance.
Also, his tangent on saying “Where are you?” at the beginning of a conversation was incredibly misguided. Usually when I say “Where are you”, I'm wondering where the person is, not expressing my longing for them or subconsciously dictating humanity's need for a night-light. But I digress.
I can't help but feel like Tesla and Edison believed they were creating something bigger than themselves. Connection machines were doing things more than any one man can do. "Wireless Technology" connecting people in ways that only "God" could do trough faith. And I think their belief in these systems took some blind faith along with their scientific Knowledge to progress in their work. So when it came to their personal feelings I think that the motivations of developing a connection with "the other side" was plausible to them. If they could wirelessly connect communications across the globe, why couldn't they connect to the spiritual energy they felt in and around them at the time. Although I can sympathize with Tesla's and Edison's somewhat egotistical/ fanatical competition, I tend to to think of "connection machines as very grounded. Maybe it's my 21st century hind site, but although waves of communication are soaring through the air across the globe. For people to think we can connect to an energy of a passed being seems like unfounded mysticism.
I support Kluitenburg's claims that we should consider connection machines' mythological resonance because it reminds me that however robotic our ways of communicating seem, they come from a very human desire. An example of this can be Edison's and Tesla's motivation to invent new telecommunications. It relieves me to consider that their crazy brilliant ideas may have stemmed from the very human feelings of guilt and fear of death. This relates back to "the existential sublime" because it shows their fear of being alone. Maybe if they had invented ways of communicating with the dead, their existential fear would have lifted. On the contrary, does our need for communication highlight a weakness? Should we have such an intense fear of solitude? Like mentioned in the article, the "Where are you?" phrase reveals our addiction to have contact with someone. We are relieved when we call someone and we hear them answer. I wonder how people with this anxiety of absolute solitude would have survived five hundred years ago. Fortunately, the whole wireless communication thing seems like its here to stay, so I'm sure they have nothing to worry about.
Devin Smith, Group 1
Yes it is true that economics play a role in the development of communications. People will pay money to stay in touch with people and to be able to contact them at all times. It is a convenience to conduct business when away from the office, or to be able to do work from home. But I do agree with Kluitenberg that there are "deeper layers of motivation". A cell phone allows you to talk to anyone anywhere. Why do people want this? Because it means you are never alone. Even if you are stranded somewhere, you can call someone and not feel alone. Also sometimes you must look at why and inventor created the item. Why were Tesla and Edison working on ways to contact the dead? Because once they died than people would have a way of contacting them and in essence they would continue living. Why are people interested in creating a 10,000 year clock? They will only be alive for a small fraction of its existence. Because in a way a part of them will live on. They aren't building the clock for people of the future. They are building it for themselves and making a part of them immortal.
-Joe Simanis (Group 3)
Peter Holzinger
Group 1
The doors of communication that have been opened in the past century due to advances in technological machinery make it hard not to concede that Kluitenberg's claims that machines' ability to connect us in a mythological way is true. As his cell phone example illustrates, we have the technology avaliable to speak to anyone anywhere and at anytime. Not only is the technology avaliable, it is common. Through machinery we've made ourselves omnipresent, maybe even omnipotent if you can communicate in a powerful and moving enough way. Just as the lightbulb provided with a way to escape the inconvenience and discomfort of darkness, modern communication devices have given us a way to escape from the inconvenienc and discomfort of being unable to communicate with one another. In this way it seems as though machinery could be considered a vessel through which to attain the existential sublime- a realm in which we are the masters and therefore don't have to worry about any obstacles disrupting our happiness. That could explain the obsession and addiction that can accompany the use of devices like cell phones, instant messenger, email, and chatrooms. People continue to use these devices long after any practical needs these devices can satisfy are met due to their hunger for contact. The other side to the argument is that there is efficiancy to be credited for the motivation behind technological development. More and faster is the name of the game and technology simply develops as rivals compete. Even if the competition isn't directly benifiting in a monetary way from owning the latest phone, ipod, or television they are being paid in status for being ahead. In this way it could be said that the motivation is in attaining a different existential sublime; to constantly be on the cutting edge. This can become as addicting as the pursual of social contact making it difficult to decipher which is the motivator and whether machines hold a mythological resonance through connection or are simply satisfying our need to consume and progress.
Kluitenberg's claim that it is important to look at the mythological when considering the birth of new technologies holds some truth. In his article he discusses Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower as a means to connect with the spirit of his dead brother. Because Tesla was believed to be into the occult and was responsible for his brother's death, it is possible he intended the tower for such purposes. However, in the quotes by Tesla in the article there is no exact mention of some kind of paranormal intent.
Kluitenberg also suggests that Edison's inventions were motivated not merely by money but a spiritual curiousity. The author cites an interview with B.C. Forbes (the guy with the lame magazine) where Edison claims to have worked on a "psychic telephone" to communicate with the spirits of the dead. While this may very well be true, as it was confirmed by one of his lab assistants, it goes nowhere in proving that Edison's inventions were motivated by paranormal ideas.
What may have motivated these two men beyond economic gain was to allow a further connection within society. By inventing communication devices we create a bridge between cultures and communities. Kluitenberg's discusses how when left alone we become dark and isolated and therefore are miserable and filled with painful feelings of abandonment. However, as he says, when we are more socially active we become happier and more willing to pursue a passion for life. He speaks of the "existential sublime" as a feeling of "delight" when we pass from the cold and dark existential world to the world of socially interactive happiness. Perhaps what should be discussed is whether or not pain and existential worry are good for the inventor. I think history has proven that times they are.
Kluitenberg discusses the relationship between humans and the machines we create. He mentions how “the clock is a connection machine, a medium to co-ordinate not only the affairs between humans, but also the human and the divine. The clock “the machine” can be looked as coordinating the affairs of humans but is also a connection between humans and religion. Like we look at religion as a guide to a better life we look to machinery as helping us live the lives we choose. It shows that we resort in looking at machinery as a source of communication and companionship. Like with religion we preach and communicate what we believe. The existential sublime maybe found in society with the concept of solitude but can appear in different forms of experience. It says that we fear solitude and depend on being socially interactive. We depend upon the machinery and technology we create to give us pleasure and depend on it to fulfill the void of not being alone. We long for companionship and without that machinery takes over and fills the void. It gives us a sense of pleasure and well being. This is an interesting concept to believe but it has its flaws. I do not see that machinery could ever fill the void of social interaction or communication. Also I don’t see that communication with others can be replaced. If we use machinery for everything we do where is the pleasure and what is the purpose? I am more scared of the idea of using machinery and technology to fill my social void and take over the social interaction I go through everyday rather then being alone.
-Judith Marker-
Group 1
The first few paragraphs talk of a clock holding great spiritual and religious significance. Giving machines human qualities and greater importance than they truly hold, sounds like the great 90's flick, "The Brave Little Toaster"! We see this over and over again in history, humans tacking on a tie between human and non-human. "The clock is not merely a means of keeping track of the hours, but of synchronizing the actions of men", this is true, accurate meeting times, would be impossible without a clock. Like the old action movies, "synchronize your watches men!" In the Technological Transcendence section Kluitenberg discusses the gap between imagination and invention, this grey area where one's imagination can make it possible but reality cannot. Its a hard place for an inventor and a difficult struggle for your head to say within boundaries. I believe that will be an issue for most of the film students, when designing our first storyboards. Keeping within the margin of creativity and staying realistic, it's always been a struggle for me!
~Kurt Sensenbrenner
group 3
Upon reading Kluitenberg's essay, I found more so that the statement, that we should consider connection machines' mythological resonance, not to be true. Under the heading,Nikola Tesla and the Wardenclyffe Tower, Kluitenberg talks about how invention is linked with imagination and goes on to explain Tesla's building of a radio tower. Kluitenberg then says, "However, Tesla envisioned other, more important uses of the system he was building. He was convinced that the facility would be able to transmit wirelessly not only communications and radio signals, but also electrical power." This sort of imagination allows us to constantly advance on the topic of communication and who knows, maybe we will someday have wireless electrical power which at was at one time thought of as obscene. However, to counter this thought there is also the idea that this concept is physically impossible and is already a dead subject of it's own. I can see how Kluitenberg can say that connection machines are of mythological resonance but items in the essay such as Tesla’s ideas, in my mind, prove otherwise.
Max Larsen
Film 115
Group 3
The article, “Connection Machines”, by Eric kluitenberg, seems to be arguing that by these machines being invented, inventors were able to change the human life for the better and worst. From the 1300’s clocks were used as a way to connect people to God. Now in the year 2007, people are scheduling more things based on how much time it takes, vs. on a religious belief. Thomas Edison made the telephone and later tried to make a telephone to speak to dead people. But because of the telephone, someone decided to make the phone smaller and portable and now we have the cell phone. It’s the same idea, but improved to better the lives of people who want to talk to each other, at school, work or whenever.
One interesting thing that struck me is when Burke stated, The pleasure of general society, of contact with others, is even stronger than the fear induced by the threat of absolute solitude. The threat of an entire life of solitude . . . “contradicts the purposes of our being, since death itself is scarcely an idea of more terror.” That statement for me sums up technology and makes me realize how much we as humans survive on it. I got the impression that Burke was stating that we would continue to invent to communicate with others, at the expense of it isolating each and everyone of us.
That on one hand, technology brings everyone together with its invention. (The clock was used first as a way to connect people to heaven, by making sure that they had a structured, organized life.) On the other hand, the article seems to state what makes everyone separated. The overall view that I got from the article, is that socializing with others is replaced by technology, not on purpose, but because of self gratification.
Veronica Mosley Group 4
Kluitenburg argues that most new technologies are an attempt to fulfill their expectations for what the future could potentially hold. In other words, people's dreams of having something only the divine can produce inspires the creation of new technology that could make their dreams come true. For instance, people had to first desire to communicate with their loved ones on the other side of the world in order to fuel the creation of the telephone. Kluitenburg writes "technology compensates for the deficiencies of human conduct." So if humans are creating new technologies to achieve something believed to be only possible by a higher power, then the successful creation of some mind blowing technology makes man feel closer to god. It could also be argued however, that new technologies are created to compensate for the absence of god. Either way, the mythological connection or lack there of drives the creation of new technology in an attempt to create a better world.
Sorry, forgot this info
Kyle Smith
Group 2
Film 115
In support to the argument, I can see where he is coming from. In the article, he talks about how inventions are just mythological ideas that come into inventors heads. We, as a society, generally see these professors as raving madmen like stated in the article. But in reality, these men are just looking into the future and thinking to themselves "what would make life a bit easier." The author goes on to talk about Tesla and Edison in great depth on how they were very similar in what they wanted to achieve and what they worked with. These men were not madmen, they just wanted to make the world an easier place to live in. To make a disagreeing argument, connection machines are just things that come and go and then get forgotten. They are left behind and only talked about in the past like myths and legends.
Ryan Laing
Section 2
I think that this article was confusing and written much too excessively for its own good. I understand some of main themes Kluitenberg was talking about, but I did not enjoy reading it. The words he uses and his sentence structure seems to be trying too hard to appear intellectual while I feel like the article could have been written in a third of the length of this and far more accessible while still be able to get all the points across to the reader. However, I did find some of the article interesting. While it seems obvious that inventions are driven by imagination and creativity, I haven’t heard most of the examples of ‘mythological’ and ‘mystical idea’s’ he talks about. I appreciated parts of the article where he would cite lesser-known examples of this actually happening with widely known scientists, such as Tesla and Edison. At first when I was bored with the article and didn’t see it going anywhere, after reading the stories to emphasize his point, it really gets the idea across that sometimes people don’t realize there are people with stories that go into creating new technologies rather then just a linear set of advances in science. This isn’t a completely new theory or anything, but it does emphasize the respect deserved for the people driven by more then the economical side to it all.
Certain technologies in wide-spread use tend to be more useful and thus the smaller companies and pieces of technology that only satisfy certain needs fall by the way-side. However, some mainstream technologies, such as DVD over film reels, do not have the better quality. Consumers care more about price than quality, in most cases. Our desire to be connected the same way as everybody else holds us together and at the same time degrades some level of quality. Society has a general tendency to conform; they continue to conform under the reign of technology. As the article states, "For centuries to come the clock would become the ultimate connection machine, organizing and binding the lives of millions into an integrated social, economic, and religious system." The clock, now not even thought of as technology, holds society at a uniform time (for every region). It is a good thing that we can all run under the same schedule. But is it good that we all adapted to something that now makes us early or late? The cell phone is a "connection machine" that we hardly think about but most of us rely on. It is easy to love our phones for keeping us close to family and friends, and now news and music; but when they break down, die, or a satellite malfunctions we curse ourselves for relying so heavily on a tiny machine. Personally, the evolution of technology is unstoppable and we should just accept what brings us closer together and reject what will hurt us.
-Julianne Arnstein Group 4
All humans share the common desire for connection. We are all similar in form and in the longing to discover more about ourselves and our kind. Even the most foreign tribes of the Amazon share a comparable moral standard and emotional resonance with members of modern Western society. By opening ourselves to unfamiliar cultures the individual can absorb more understanding of their personal identity and the identity of their entire species. The ever constant growth and quality of this technologically backed connection between humans started with the simple accumulation of the mechanical clock and has since flourished into something as advanced as video chat.
With the addition of the mechanical clock, humans were provided with a uniformed schedule and daily synchronization with those they lived in relative proximity to. This in turn brought a harmony with nature and the divine natural systems that control our natural life. With the evolution of telecommunications such as the phone, radio, television and computer, humans not only have a timed connection, but a direct connection to specific peoples and cultures thousands of miles away. In mere minutes I can be informed of breaking news in Japan and be quickly connected with any loved ones or friends I may have residing their. This explosion of telecommunications is the result of humans desire to be everywhere at every time all the time.
All humans share the common desire for connection. We are all similar in form and in the longing to discover more about ourselves and our kind. Even the most foreign tribes of the Amazon share a comparable moral standard and emotional resonance with members of modern Western society. By opening ourselves to unfamiliar cultures the individual can absorb more understanding of their personal identity and the identity of their entire species. The ever constant growth and quality of this technologically backed connection between humans started with the simple accumulation of the mechanical clock and has since flourished into something as advanced as video chat.
With the addition of the mechanical clock, humans were provided with a uniformed schedule and daily synchronization with those they lived in relative proximity to. This in turn brought a harmony with nature and the divine natural systems that control our natural life. With the evolution of telecommunications such as the phone, radio, television and computer, humans not only have a timed connection, but a direct connection to specific peoples and cultures thousands of miles away. In mere minutes I can be informed of breaking news in Japan and be quickly connected with any loved ones or friends I may have residing their. This explosion of telecommunications is the result of humans desire to be everywhere at every time all the time.
group 2
As much as society would like to say we are not technology obsessed, it is painfully obvious that we are dependent on our technological advances. This dependency is not to be solely blamed on recent history but rather it began hundreds of years ago with the invention of the clock. Human life is functional because everything is run by an organized schedule; it is undeniable that without time and order the world would be in a state of chaos. Even as early as the 1300’s “The clock had become the central medium structuring and ordering the life.” With the invention and reliance of the clock the progression of technology has been without lapse. Every new machine that is bred from so called “crazy ideas” will overtakes its predecessors. Kluitenberg states, “It will come as little surprise then that the dividing line between inventiveness and the imaginary is ambiguous and often porous.” All new technologies are products of new innovative ideas, and therefore advancement is limitless. In order to fully appreciate this “technological sublime” we must learn to understand and appreciate it. In my opinion today’s society greatly takes what we have for granted. Without the early invention of the clock, who knows where we would be today, t=he thought of life with out cell phones and computers inconceivable. The constant evolution of technological devices is essential in order to keep society functioning.
Kluitenberg brings up an interesting idea regarding machines' mythological resonance. While we are often quick to judge technological advances, Kluitenberg reminds us that these advances stem from human desire to communicate. Humans always want to feel that they can communicate and reach others. We never want to be alone.
What is interesting to me is the idea that as humans strive for these “advances,” in many ways communication is lost. We rely on text messages and photos that could be distorted as opposed to seeing people and having conversations in person.
At the same time, on the other hand, why do humans fear solitude so much? Why can’t we ever be alone or feel secure without the knowledge that we can reach someone on their cell phone or though email?
As technology advances, the personal connection that many humans crave diminishes on a certain level. When someone is home alone text messaging is there really a connection there? It’s debatable.
It has been suggested that this fuel for technological advancement has stemmed from the need for communication (whether it’s just motivated for economic gain, that’s debatable) but there is irony in this.
-Jacob Feiring (group 2)
Troy Key.
Film 115; Group 1.
Kluitenbergs claim that the flourishing of technology represents a subconscious desire to become closer with not just each other, but the metaphysical as well, is supported by numerous statements. The facts that he laid out for us, such as how the clock was originally used to synchronize the acts of man, particularly so that everyone would be able to pray at the exact same time of day. This also further shows us that we truly do wish to be connected with the world, for even on today's standards, where would we be without time. If one desired to see a movie, how would you know when the movie was going to start. How would you know when to pick up your friends? Time literally consumes and runs our lives-- as the saying goes, 'like clockwork'. Kluitenberg even mentions the mobile phone, and his statements in the section "Privation, horror, delight" are fascinating. It is very easy for us as human beings to either relate or at least admit to having seen such acts of desperation done without thought. However, on the other hand, some could say that this is merely a hindsight bias, making connections that merely appear to make sense. To someone who stubbornly refuses to look at things from Kluitenberg's point of view, it will appear that he is simply pulling free speculations out of his head that might not actually be there. Some might argue that the clock was not made to connect people, merely to set a standard for prayer and time. That the mobile phone was made so that we could call each other in case of an accident, but I earnestly feel that these people would be missing Kluitenberg's point. WHY do we need to know if someone got into a car accident? Surely in most cases there is bound to be someone else around, so why do WE need to know everything? This is where Kluitenberg's argument prevails, in questioning the motive behind the literal facade. Furthermore, we have to remember where and when these things originally came from. Every invention comes from a time when, prior to its creation, the very thought of it seemed inconceivable.
"Ironically, in many of these accounts the rhetoric of scientific rationality is emphatically employed to propagate preposterous, highly opaque, and sometimes deeply mystical ideas."
Thus, it required an intensely imaginative yet logical mind to grasp the possibilities, and sometimes it took several building successions to reach the intended ends.
Throughout this article it seems that the author attempts to connect the very intangible ideas to tangible objects. By this I mean time, represented by the clock and the inevitability of death and the afterlife, represented through various attempts to connect with the deceased through man made machines. In my opinion the psychology of an individual as they approach death seem to look for fulfillment in their life and assurance of some kind of afterlife. This is seen in the example of Edison a self proclaimed atheist early in life later attempts to connect with the dead as he draws closer to his own death. These attempts at harnessing the intangible forces of the world through man made devices simply prove man’s inability to comprehend everything beyond the physical world which may elude him. In essence man attempts to connect himself through machines to that which he cannot explain himself. This in itself can be seen as a desperate attempt to comfort man and give solace to him as he approaches his own end.
-Brian Shea
Noah Therrien Group 4
"Invention and imagination are relatively closely linked, as concepts and as functional principles of human endeavour. It will come as little surprise then that the dividing line between inventiveness and the imaginary is ambiguous and often porous."
This quote shows that there is a fine line between turning myth into real life, but it can be done with the use of invention. We can't make something without having a vision of it first. That vision is up to the inventor's or inventers discrection, which can be a fantasy that they had. Yes, practical uses come into play, the needs of society, but they still have a relationship with the inventor. To say there isn't a "mythological" connection would be a blind assumtion, because in your head, an invention is a myth before it occurs, so it's concept is of course, mythological.
Much of the inventions in our time most definitely occurred due to someone's fantasy. These inventions were dreams that these men had and many of the ideas seemed so far-fetched and ridiculous that they almost seemed mystical and mythological. Some of these inventions failed and obviously many were greatly successful and affected our life today still, but whether they passed or failed was not only due to the inventor's mystical dream. For example, Tesla's "Wardenclyffe Tower" brought out in the article "might be considered... his most catastrophic failure" but it would've never been so unsuccessful if it wasn't for societies doubt and ignorance towards his dream. As much as it is a dream for the inventor it's also a dream for the people all over. They want to believe in these mythological ideas concocted, but if they cannot then any new technology will never be created. We need to stick to the resonance of these mythological machines as Kluitenberg brings out.
However, we don't always have to cling onto these mythological ideas cause many of them are just too unrealistic. I remember when I was younger people speaking of everyone having flying cars and we'd see hovering skateboards in films like "Back to the Future: Part II" but today obviously both of those items are not part of everyday life. Edison, who was and is known as a complete genius spoke of being able to communicate with the dead. Ideas like this make people like Edison "suddenly appear all the more human, because he exposes his own fragility." Some mythological ideas just get the best of their inventors and it is silly that we should support them.
oops.. i forgot as well. :)
the following comment was left by...
ryan fox.
group two.
Nate Meads group 2
Film 115
Kluitenberg says that it is important to look at the mythological side of technologies when considering new ones. This holds true in some sense. I agree with Dane Jordan in when They wrote that Kluitenberg suggests that Edison's inventions were motivated by a spiritual curiousity. Thomas Edison was a man who was fascinated by electronic things of all sorts. I may sound cliche, but not everything comes down to money.
Kluitenberg also talks about Heinrich Suso's "Horologium Sapientiae" which talks about how a simple clock in Moastaries ruled the Earth. It was all sort of confusing to me.
I DO, however, agree with Eric that there are a lot of people, much than we think out in the world, that rely too much on our technology for survival. We are in the technology age, but what happens when that technology fails on us? We are sent back about 150 years. The problem is we don't know how to adapt to that.
Kluitenberg mentions in his "Technological Transcendence" article that scientists often appear to be somewhat of a mainiac. This does hold true in most cases, but I disagree with it because that isn't at all what they are like in the real world. sure, you get guys like Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Emmett Brown, or John Nash who do indeed have a bit of maniac ion them, but this is not the case in the real world.
Nate Meads
Telecomunications technology grew rapidly in the last century and continues to pick up speed as the minutes go by. We all know this, but we never really take a step back to look at what is going on. Kluitenberg shows us at an econmic standpoint that it is a large part in making money, but also a faster, easier way to do ordinary things in our lives. Isn't that what technology is? A way to make a new invention that makes preexisitng invention more efficient? We have credit and debit cards to make purchases somewhat faster and also lets us do our shopping at home. We have cell phones seem to have everything except a pop-up car from The Jetsons. Computers can do more than ever, and continue to progress. Our iPods now can have the internet. This technonology makes our activities much more efficient; however some of this prevents us from have traditional face-to-face talk, and no webcams don't count. But is this a bad thing? If you think of it, where do we see our friends? Where ever you decide to meet through your computer, phone, iPod or anyother elecommunications device. Technology progresses for not only a way for companies to take our money, but also to helps us socially. Besides, when you call your friends on your brand new state-of-the-art phone, won't you meet them somewhere to it show off? Yes, you have also gotten to the point where technology is a major fashion statement.
To respond to Klutienburg's article I'd have to say that technology is created to better connect with one another rather than the divine. In the example of clock being used in the church it seems like less of a tool to become more closely connected to God, but rather a tool to keep an appointment. Time in regards to life and God seems morbid as one begins to reflect more on mortality than living a good life. Also Tesla's tower which was speculated to commune with the dead can be seen just like the internet. We commune to faceless, voiceless, cold beings everyday via the internet, but nobody feels like they're communing with the departed. Technology helps us in many ways and can be comforting as we all long for contact, but the contact that technology provides is not in anyway divine. Then again there may be technology in the future that can fill that role.
David Lewandowski 115 group2
Our strong connection to technologies in the current days are both helpful and dangerous. Addictions and misuses of these systems convey society, not only into a halting of progression, but almost a retreat, cripling ourselves until newer securities and advancements overwhelm their predecessors, only to find further barriers and obstacles to overcome. Kluitenberg said "if we rely exclusively on this all too obvious economic explanation for the rise of contemporary electronic connection machines, deeper layers of motivation that inform the creation and the wider adoption of these technologies will continue to elude us." Clearly, the possible technological opportunities we are allowed provide some problem. However, with as many troubles we encounter, our evolved tools and machines have given us great hopes, if not results, in survival as well as enlightenment. Like Kluitenberg mentioned, we must examine the history of our technologys' development to understand how it came to be, and therefore, not only uncover some answers to our own problems, but keys to the next great step we can take for the future.
-Matthew Balz
Film 115
Group 3
Tyler Briese
Film 115
Group 4
Kluitenberg argues that invention and imagination are relatively closely linked, so by fulfilling our expectations for the future new technologies are produced. The article “Connection Machines,” seems to argue that by new technologies being invented, it can change the human life for better or worse. The article explains the demands for new technologies and states that although it can be created for convenience and control, there is also mystical reasons for the creation of new technologies. These reasons could be anywhere from happiness to immortality. Kluitenberg argues that these new technologies have arose because of the desire to obtain happiness. In our world today when you are depressed or lonely you can pick up your cell phone and immediately be connected with another individual.
We live in a society today where the current technology can be outdated before you even new about it. This ideology for new technology is fueled by the hopes and dreams of a better world. We live in a society that drives us farther apart from the people you care about, but constantly finds new ways to converse or connect with individuals no matter how far away. The connection machine was created as an extension of our self, so no matter where you are you can always be connected with others. Our world is run by ever-expanding technologies and it is fueled by instant gratification.
Technology has changed rapidly throughout time. It starts out with a simple time piece, a clock that may survive its owner or it may not. It is only kept alive to remind us of how technology has progressed over time or as Kluitenberg puts it, “Some time-pieces are kept alive only thanks to the great effort of their owners. Technological transcendence therefore requires a more profound temporal perspective than traditional clocks can offer.” As technology advances more devices will become obsolete, and there is just another object to remind us of how the history of time has changed. In a mythological sense clocks, time pieces, cell phones are all simple machine that either tell time or are capable of telling the time. It is a machine that can do something that only humans should be capable of. Machines in their mythological significance show their ability to use their powers in society to serve their purpose in the chain of life.
Mike Terrill
Group 4
I forgot to post my full name and group number. I'm Dane Baumgartner in Group One and I'm posted as Dane Jordan
To support Kluitenberg's claim on the ways that mysticism influenced technological advancement, his inclusion of Tesla and Edison's other-worldly beliefs was extremely valid. I didn't even know that. It is also note-worthy to suggest that more modern technology does try to paint a fairy tale life of ease and outstanding capabilities; (at least their advertisements do...) I also agree that it's important to inform people on the less practical aspects of how we got to where we are today- for the sake of religious beliefs or recognition, or modern inventors and scientists trying to out-do eachother and what has been done. I can't, however, accept that a mythological motivation for technological advancement throughout history is such a crucial part of where we are today. Even though Kluitenberg notes the obvious economic purpose of telecommunications, there are several things that I didn't read about- such as the developement of technology during war times, or how it plays into education, or it's health and safety purchases. (I'm thinking weapons in WW2, projectors in classrooms, and availability of ambulences or policemen among so so many other things.) When all is taken into consideration on the reasons why we are the society we are today, I don't agree that mysticism is nearly as relevant as much else is. (I was interested by his history of time as we know it).
AshLeigh Brown group 2
To first retort what Kluitenberg claims as mythological resonance in connection machines, it is definitely impractical in today’s society to not view clocks as a means of societal control. Lewis Mumford supports this idea when he talks about how clocks shifted from being used as indications of prayer intervals during the day, to signifiers of production in the beginning of modern capitalism.
In regards to supporting Kluitenberg’s claim, I would say that there is a certain aspect of connection machines that make it seem mystical. Edison was definitely interested in this idea, as he tried to create a device that would communicate with the dead. It seems that both Edison and Kluitenberg were interested in transcending the limitations of technology to reach this more spiritual level, this existential sublime.
-Brian Dunigan (Group 1)
Human beings have always striven not to be alone. As Mr. Kluitenberg illustrates in his description of advances in commutative technologies, we have taken giant steps forward towards connecting the world. However, with every step forward it seems that we leave something behind. Do the obsolete technologies that we have tossed aside have any mythological resonance? I think they do. Just as popular myths of Greek heroes and gods still have pertinence and even a tremendous impact on society and the way we imagine the individual, the connection machines of the past still have a great impact on the way we communicate today.
Although I agree that the communication machines of the past have a certain mythological impact, I believe that the communication machines of the future wont. The way we communicate is becoming less and less personal, less emotional, and less spiritual. Kluitenberg describes how the clock connected people not only with other people but with the divine moments of heaven and therefore god. Does instant text messaging have similar power? As we strive more and more to become less alone, we are only becoming more so. As Mr. Burke describes that the fear of darkness is in fact a fear of losing light, so we to are losing light. As communication becomes less personal, we will become more alone. I believe that the more personal acts of communication will be like reintroducing the light in our darkness. Truly connecting to people will be an experience of existential sublime, of delight.
Matt Smaglik
Group 1 film 115
In the centuries following Heinrich Suso's mystical imaginations of the divine clockwork, the idea that technology compensates for the deficiencies of human conduct remained vividly alive.
This statement instigates the idea that technology is not just a way of making life easier or simpler, or something that we can do without if it was truly necessary. But instead technology is a form of evolution that allows humans to protect themselves from their own deficiencies in a conscious and creative manner. As humans are required to do more an more tasks to perform daily life, more and more technology is created, but this obvious statement does not explain the reasoning for the human race making life more difficult and also simpler the use of technology?
For what reason would a person even need a clock? Is a clock just a sign of social distinction?
As with cars, clothes, real estate, or briefcases, new communication devices and technological gadgets are objects of social distinction. Owning the right item, rather than the merely functional one, confers status.
If one feels as if they are social distinguished, is it possible that they also feel more distinguished in the eyes of a divine entity? Kluitenburg's claim the mythology is involved in the creation of technology is not completly refuted. But when one considers that the concept of a divine entity has almost no evidence in the eyes of a logical philosopher, perhaps technology and god are creations produced from the same factory of the human mind.
It's amazing to realize how far we've come with technology in only the past 10 or so years. If I think of my daily routine as I get up, I can tell you that I use three different technological devices even before I go to the bathroom! I turn off my alarm clock, make my way over to my desk and check if my phone rang the night before and then immediately check emails on my computer. Cell phones alone are insane, how they are most of the time attached to everyone's hip just in case someone were to call them, it is convenient for them to have that communication device at their hip. I still remember the times when I would have to call someone's home to see if they were home so I could go over and hang out with them. It's always amazing to see the difference of mailing things, and although businesses still connect through actual mail, personal mail however, is really only contacted through email. It would be amazing to see what would occur had people's technological attachments would go astray. For some I wonder if it would cause people to go into pyschological shock.
Eric Kluitenberg writes in his essay about the connection of church clock towers chimes to a person’s coexistence with a set mechanical driven time. “In Suso's mystical vision, which became highly popular throughout Europe in the 14th century, the clock is a connection machine, a medium to co-ordinate not only the affairs between humans, but also between the human and the divine.” So Kluitenberg is already establishing a connection of the connection machine. The ordinary people connect with the churches clock tower to give them a time. This time is set by the church and thus dictates and informs the people that are centered around this clock where they need to be and when they need to be there. And if this church is set by the church it is a direct link to God. God is connecting with the ordinary man, but also every one who follows the clock’s time as well.
As history moves on us humans continue the trend of following the chimes of a church bell, to the more modern check in and out of the assembly line work force in America under Hennery Ford and others. So now we are connecting to a clock that has a much bigger impact on our life. The punch clock starts and ends the work day and as the amount of work time adds up so does the amount of compensation we are being pain comes closer to us every week. This punch clock becomes an essential because it determines are lively hood through economic influence. In this quote Kluitenberg takes a quote from the great historian and philosopher of technology Lewis Mumford.
“In his seminal work Technics and Civilization from 1934 Mumford writes: "(..) The habit of order itself and the earnest regulation of time-sequences had become almost second nature in the monastery. (..) So one is not straining the facts when one suggests that the monasteries - at once there were 40,000 under Benedictine rule - helped to give the human enterprise the regular collective beat of the machine; for the clock is not merely a means of keeping track of the hours, but of synchronizing the actions of men"”
These actions that are being referenced are those that come back to us today. With the invention of the phone and also mass connection capability’s developed by such men as Nicholas Tesla, Edison, and others. There is now a new ability to contact any body you want when ever you want. This is of course a double edged sword, as we talked about in class; the ability to be able to get a hold of anyone you need to any moment is an extremely important advancement. How ever the ability to have mass contact to anyone can create a loss of privacy. There is an irritation that is created when people constantly call you or won’t give your time to enjoy a movie with having to put your cell phone on silent so as to disturb others who are trying to enjoy the same movie. And yet there is still another side effect this constant attention becomes an addiction, with out this constant attention the feeling of loss and loneliness can impact a person harder.
So here we are, most of us can be contacted by anyone we wish or vies versa. Are time is determined by are work schedule, school schedule, cell phones. A new addiction has developed on constant availability and the effects of no or little contact impacts us harder with feelings of loneliness and also creates a need for us to seek out those to contact to dissolve these feelings. Time is moving fast and is only getting faster it seems.
Matt Gonia
Braulio Garcia group3
Technology and myth are very closely related. It is very easy to see that technology today was once a myth, a dream some dreamer thought up and then was turned into reality. It seems that most myths of fantastic things eventually come into being. Flying machines, distant communication, exploring another planet, these are all things once thought to only occur in the imaginative world but now are a reality.
These inventions and dreams may have come from the needs of society, or maybe they just saw what they wanted for the future. "...the history of technology is littered with unfounded claims about the future..."
This article made me think about mans relationship to machines. We work with machines everyday; most of us have become dependent on them. In this day and age, computers connect us to everything in the world. We do everything on these machines from finding movie times, looking at the news, online dating and even creating digital worlds for our digital personas. Some people find companionship with computerized worlds; because it makes their life better by creating a better world then they live in. We really can’t do anything about because technology is always going to move forward and improve human living. I would like to quote Munford a historian and philosopher that said, “The clock is not a means of keeping track of the hours, but synchronizing the acts of men”. I feel our dependency on technology goes further then we think. This is making our lives easier to take care of harder tacks. Medical technology helps people everyday, like a respirator helping someone to breathe whose lungs may have collapsed and need assistance. We are never alone, because our technology connects us with one another with just one click or button. Linking us to millions and creating an almost companionship with the machine.
-Randal Jackson-
The idea of connectedness as divinity is one that drives humans and human religion, but also simple day to day life. To use a machine as an extension of ourselves to become interconnected to others and the world at large is something that we today may take for granted. The article helps us expand our thoughts on the subject by presenting the idea that in our ever expanding search for new ways to create a global machine or economy we are simply following in the footsteps of earlier cultures and schools of thought. The interaction between humans through machines is reaching such a level that we may indeed start to view the machine as a person in it's own right. Animism may sound like pure nonsense, but the expanding reliance on machines to help us live through our daily lives and maintain contact with the world at large is quickly leading to much more personal relationships with the machine than had previously been known.
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