computing_site

=Computing: Utopian Promises=

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Concept
Within the first decade of the 21st century we have witnessed profound changes in the computing industry, most of them we have yet to find ways to measure its significance against. The rise of the web2.0 bandwagon, the Moore's Law life expectancy prolonged by some 20 years, the birth of the seven-atom operated quantum mechanical computer, and ever more the endless promises that it has cradled since its initial insertion into society.

We come to realize that we are very much submerged in the beginnings of great advances, and that at the same time we have very watery ideas about its future bearings. We know for certain that whichever path our civilization takes on, it will in some way get caught up in a technological-deterministic-cycle-counter-cycle with the single most powerful tool our species have created for ourselves.

To paraphrase McLuhan, to make me sound more trustworthy and more good, we do not quite understand our media, and how they are interrelated nor their corresponding relationships because we are so emerged in them.

So we come to rely on predictions, and again, the utopian promises proposed by physicists. Which, according to these people who continued the work of Einstein's Unified Field Theory Of Everything, (//Everything!//) states that within 100 years the human race would have harnessed the power to control the Earth's weather patterns...

With full respect to their efforts in attempting to explain to the world super complicated maths by grace of their multiple degrees and breakthrough research, almost all of the things they propose sound like to me the ultimate plot of an adolescent boy's science fiction fantasy comic/fan-fic project he'd been concocting with his best-friend during their spare time.

Professor Michio Kaku affirms, this is not science fiction, this is real physics.

With every breakthrough technology that humankind comes up with there has always been talks about where it's headed, and how it will better the human race: the steam engine, the railway, electricity, the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, the TV all had their share of promises and disillusionments. Let us not forget some of the promises regarding the personal computer that were widely common during the late 80s and early 90s: the promise of shorter work hours, better education systems, unprecedented research methods in the medical field (leading to finding the cure for aids), and etc.

What we fail to question is how and in whose hands will these new technology enable such drastic changes. Professor Michio Kaku predicts the realization of these achievements within the next 100 years, but perhaps, in the words of Professor R. Levine, he'd neglected to include in his calculation the countless "socio-political and economical infrastructures" already in place that will greatly hinder the implementation of these assertions, regardless if the science behind these great forces can indeed be made available when the time comes.

In light of e-waste and everything terrible about the state of our planet such hopeful remarks about computing seem naive and troubling and at best, entertaining.

Rationale
I had many ideas initially as to how I wanted to approach computing graphically. I knew I wanted to work with isometric cubes, so I began cutting out equallaterals out of construction paper, hoping that I would be able to integrate it into my site [|, as shown here]. I also wanted to work with [|steampunk aesthetics] so as to communicate the high aspirations humankind have placed upon technology. At the same time I was very much drawn to pixelly patterns that are only possible (due to resolution practices) on the screen and not on print. As well as [|blueprint aesthetics] .. quite simply I'd crashed my boat upon too many shores and failed at trying to blend these ideas together into a masterpiece. In the end I attempted to honour my topic by creating a site that actually looks like a site, and not preoccupied with representing itself as something else like a sketchbook or a Computer monitor.

Final
http://gardensend.net/computing/

Process
http://gardensend.net/computing/process/

Research
media type="youtube" key="PW8rgKLPHMg&rel=1" height="355" width="425" A brief interview with Prof. Kaku concerning A.I. A great start for the general public.

media type="youtube" key="V7FVjATcqvc&rel=1" height="355" width="425" Dr. Kaku on the the future of civilization. Makes your mind race!

media type="youtube" key="OLUUCeAqOxs&rel=1" height="355" width="425" If you can be patient with the old man beside him Dr. Kaku can be very convincing with all that he knows! Here he talks about many things. The Super String Theory, parallel universes, quantum mechanical computers...

Got Ideas From !!
http://www.mdcn.ca/tiki-view_articles.php computer-y patterns

http://www.m0oo.com/ I like the cheeky "non-graphic" graphic interface thing when you click on Book.

http://www.jeremieharper.com/ 90s and computer things!

http://www.katemoross.com/personal/ I like her use of isometric(!!!) geometry.

http://zak.to pre-mac/early mac-inspired design maybe!