~e; electromagnetic observations #2

[brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>]

[keywords]  chip, hack, hydroelectric, greenhouse, ipod,

===================================================
electromagnetic observations -- # 2
===================================================

* have been contemplating the following statement:

  'the heights of societal developments can be no greater
  than the least common denominator found in universities.'

if there was some educational limitation to what a society
can conceive of or consider, and thus capably act upon,
then it could be one rationale for why the absense of any
study of electromagnetism would make it beyond the upper-
reaches of a society to address EM related issues within
a single context. that is, if it is not conceived of as
being within the general mindset of concerned peoples,
and cannot unify otherwise disparate data from within
a bounded/limited/smaller scaled environment/context.

* was at the local central library looking for books on
symbols and saw a giant red book on the end of a row:
"Who's Who in Hell". it had Thomas Alva Edison in there,
though decided against copying the full entry - though
it was a dictionary of people and ideas deemed worthy
of inclusion (freethinkers, and and noteworthy others).
it may offer uniquely oblique perspectives for research.

* new local radio station (89.3 fm) named 'the current.'
heard on air mention of a music magazine named 'magnet.'
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/thecurrent/
http://www.magnetmagazine.com/

* i have been wondering if any musician has ever tried to
play the electrical infrastructure as a giant instrument-
that is, the 'strings' of high-voltage powerlines, and
other possible things such as turbines, generators, etc.
(maybe HAARP references a playing of the ionosophere).

===================================================
--urls--
===================================================

  "L'Homme Machine" -- distributed cognitive environments:
http://fm01.druh.co.uk/%20%22L'Homme%20Machine%22%20

	'this double inversion of organisms into machines and non-organic 
non-trivial machines into organisms, although clouded by equivalences 
of intelligence and tool using, suggest that the opposition between 
organism and machine has never been a given but the distinction has 
been the main stay of western metaphysics and is why, at its time, La 
Mettries thesis was so shocking...'

code art brutalism by simon yuill // 488k .pdf (architecture)
low-level systems and simple programs
http://www.1010.co.uk/code_brut.pdf

// a new 'content' model and future for news-papers/media ?

[headline] NY Times agrees to buy About.com // $410 million

// i saw these 'translucent' lego-like blocks somewhere in the
// last few months and it would seem to be a combination of the
// 'lite-bright' illumination toy with colored plastic blocks,
// and indeed could probably be a medium for EM lightworks...

[quote] Toys to Please the Inner Geek 
http://www.wired.com/news/gizmos/0,1452,66680,00.html
http://www.wired.com/news/images/0,2334,66680-17613,00.html

	'Despite the wires and batteries associated with many toys, some with 
scientific and high-tech origins turned out to be the simplest ones on 
display at the show.' .. 'At a booth flanked by brightly colored 
plastic creatures sat PixelBlocks creator Jay Simmons, whose product is 
composed of tiny plastic "pixels" ($10 to $60) that can be connected 
and made into 2-D mosaics or 3-D models. Simmons said he came up with 
the idea in 1983 -- the product is based on the idea of television 
screen pixels.' .. 'The product isn't new, but next year the company is 
coming out with larger blocks and adding colors to the palette, one 
employee said. In the future, the company also plans to sell LEDS and 
fiber optics that can fit inside the small, hollow pixels.' .. '"So 
it's really an art medium masquerading as a toy," Simmons said.'

3.2 Reverse Salients and Simultaneous Inventions
http://repo-nt.tcc.virginia.edu/book/chap3/chapter3sec2.html
5.4 Turning Students into Inventors
An Active Learning Module Based on the Telephone
http://repo-nt.tcc.virginia.edu/book2/chapter5sec4.htm

How Much Should an IPod Shuffle Cost? // Deconstructing electronics...
Analysts estimate that Apple makes a 40 percent profit margin on each 
device.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,119799,00.asp

	'The SigmaTel chip supports MP3 and Windows Media Audio files, 
although Apple has programmed it to play the AAC and Audible music 
formats, says Sylvester. The chip also includes a digital-to-analog 
converter, a controller for the USB2.0 interface, SDRAM (synchronous 
dynamic RAM) memory for buffering, and the headphone driver amplifier. 
Other functions present in the chip that aren't used in the Shuffle 
include an analog-to-digital convertor for voice recording, a driver 
for an LCD, and an FM tuner.'

A Vernacular Web by Olia Lialina
The Indigenous and The Barbarians // this is great.
http://art.teleportacia.org/observation/vernacular/

Hackers may target pacemaker technology // engadget.com
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/02242005/news/66202.htm

Hydroelectric power's dirty secret revealed // total environmental audit
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7046

	'Hydroelectric dams produce significant amounts of carbon dioxide and 
methane, and in some cases produce more of these greenhouse gases than 
power plants running on fossil fuels.'

High-energy particles reveal volcanic interiors // muons...
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7042

---------------------------------------------------
* please forward to your friends and colleagues *
---------------------------------------------------
send ideas to the list or info @ electronetwork.org
===================================================

  the electronetwork-list:  electromagnetism and culture...
  archives: http://archives.openflows.org/electronetwork-l/
  un/subscribe: http://www.electronetwork.org/list/