Ed Weick wrote:
> But what I don't find in it is a recognition that each time one part
> of the world advances (mostly the west during the past millennium),
> other parts are left behind. Nor do I find recognition that progress
> in the materially advancing part of the world requires exploitation of
> much of the rest, or sets up situations in which the wealthy in the
> rest can exploit their own people — e.g. oil in Nigeria. Whether
> because of exploitation by the rich world or because they lack skills
> and resources, the people of the less developed world have been left
> farther and farther behind during the twentieth century.
There seems to be a consensus that computers will disappear
<http://www.ubiq.com/hypertext/weiser/UbiHome.html> from desktops and
laps and literally fade into the environment of walls, doors, chairs,
clothing, household appliances whence they will be activated remotely by
voice, eye and body movement, brainwaves, detection of DNA and other
physiological data, and the wireless transmission from other
computing/sensing devices. The military-inspired surveillance technology
of the 20th century may evolve in sophistication and capability to
emerge as the key system
pervading the 21st century. It is this technology that may well provide
the support system which in the past has been met by jobs and social
welfare. Just as eons ago the earth's soil system emerged to support the
flora and fauna which humans later were to use as a support system, so
the new digital environment may be tapped to fill an analogous role. And
just as the soil system was not the product of conscious design so will
the digital system emerge unplanned from the decisions of billions of
human minds. A Kevin Kelly quotation is relevant to this notion:
The tiny bees in my hive are more or less unaware of their
colony. By definition their collective hive mind must transcend their
small bee minds. As we wire ourselves up into a hivish network, many
things will emerge that we, as mere neurons in the network, don't
expect, don't understand, can't control, or don't even perceive. That's
the price for any emergent hive mind.
Source: http://panushka.absolutvodka.com/kelly/ch2-g.html
While some may say "hive mind; slime mould - big deal!" others may
perceive the essence of a new system, yet undefined and vague, that may
be the successor to capitalism.
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http://publish.uwo.ca/~mcdaniel/
