Author Archive
Everybody is Stupid Except for Me and Other Astute Observations: A Decade’s Worth of Cartoon Reporting for Reason Magazine, caught my attention. Cartoon reporting? Actually it’s Peter Bagge using the comic to make social critiques of the various issues that arise in his hometown of Seattle, as well as some observations on the national level. The appeal for me was the similarities between the issues that occur in Seattle and Madison. Gambling casinos? Light rail? Malls? Concealed carry laws? Medical marijuana? Bums? Public art? Bagge looks at all of them– although his reporting doesn’t quite come across as “fair and balanced.” Probably understandable as he’s cartoon reporting for Reason and his libertarian beliefs aren’t hidden. But I’m okay with that.
The stories he provides often present the issues in pretty harsh and unflattering light. With views from those portrayed (what we take to be the “left” and “right”) often coming across as either well-intentioned and dumb, or insensitive and dumb. And if you happen to feel strongly about either side of the issues he introduces, you might find yourself a little chagrined to see how he reframes the issues that he presents. And he asks the questions that don’t really lend themselves to simple answers.
While it isn’t always flattering (and, yes, I did see “myself” in some of these scenes) it does make you aware that the issues have more sides than we usually see in our individual views of our world. Most of the material was previously published in Reason magazine between 2001 and 2008 so don’t expect to find mention of the Obama presidency or the tea party movement. Probably just as well as Mr. Bagge would probably find a way to make you think differently about them. Good cartoon-reporting will do that.
March 16th, 2010
Dennis - Central
He: Liz?
She: Hmm?
He: Will you snuggle with me?
She: If you stop farting.
He: Nevermind.
Now, if you don’t see the humor is that little exchange, then Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed? a collection of comic strips by Liz Prince may not be for you. The comics focus on Liz and Kevin, a co-habitating young couple who are saying and doing the sorts of things that only the young and in love will say and do. And it does have a goofy sort of charm, even if an occasional comic may be a little risque for some readers.
That’s not to say there aren’t problems with the book. The art comes off as pretty crude, and seems practically unfinished with parts that appear to be rough drafts rather than completed art. That picture of the cover art is as good as it gets. That may or may not explain why the book was printed on such tiny pages. And at 71 pages, it’s not really a book that’s likely to be lingered over (although there were some comics I kept flipping back to). Like I said, it has goofy charm.
So, even though Valentine’s Day has already passed, this may give you a few ideas about keeping the fun in your relationship (or let you know what you could be missing). Rest assured, there’s more snuggling than sex, more kissing than crudity, more badinage than bare-naked and more fun than anything. It probably won’t change your world (or save a bad relationship) but it just might give you a smile or two.
And for you foodies out there, may I suggest starting out with the corn on the cob kiss? What’s that? Sorry, you’ll have to read the book.
February 25th, 2010
Dennis - Central
… a clump-filled-cat-box-of-a-review.
So I paraphrased the line above from the book The Stupidest Angel : A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore. The book has been around for a while (since 2004) and was actually my first introduction to the occasionally inspired lunacy of Moore. I sang his praises earlier in a review of his last book and am looking forward to his next as well (just be patient). But, in this season dedicated to overeating, overspending, familial overcrowding and forced good cheer, I thought I’d share one of my favorite Christmas stories.
The setting is the quaint, picturesque town of Pine Cove, California, a coastal locale that attracts the upscale clientele of northern California for some small-town ambiance during the holidays. Cries of “Give up the cash, you cheap son of a bitch” from the bell ringing Salvation Army volunteer fill the mall parking lot as the evil developer tries to ignore her and, failing that, whomps her in the gut with a bag of ice cubes. How festive is that?
Turns out the two used to be married so a few hard feelings keep cropping up. But it was an accident that his throat was cut by the shovel she was holding when he caught her digging up (stealing) Christmas trees on his property. And him in his Santa suit too. Which sort of traumatizes the young boy who saw it happen. Christmas without Santa is pretty much ruined. Enter the title character, the archangel Raziel with the power to grant one child’s wish this holiday season. Bring Santa back from the dead? What could go wrong? Well, wait till you read about the horde of zombies who just crawled out of the graveyard with the re-animated “Santa” in the lead, intent on feasting on the “Lonesome Christmas” party-goers now barricaded in the nearby church as a storm rages.
As always with Moore’s writing, there’s an abundance of amusing characters in humorous situations that will keep you laughing all the way. Whether it’s the pot-growing town constable, his psychotic wife– a sword-wielding former B-movie queen (currently off her meds, which sort of explains the sarcastic voice in her head), the horndog helicopter pilot working for the Drug Enforcement Agency who hooks up with the bell-ringer after helping bury her Santa-suit-wearing ex-husband, the broken-hearted field biologist trying to use shock therapy on lab rats to control amorous tendencies (he also uses it on himself), as well as the inhabitants of the local graveyard– who don’t get out much– not until the climax anyway. And that dim-witted angel.
It ain’t Dickens. But that’s okay. Give yourself a little holiday treat this season. You deserve some Moore.
Also available in large print and on compact disc.
December 7th, 2009
Dennis - Central
My new favorite novel is The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews.
Now, if I told you the story was about a woman named Hattie, who had just broken up with (been dumped by) her boyfriend in Paris and flown home to take care of the kids of her sister, Min, who needs to be institutionalized for something appearing to be bipolar disorder, and that Hattie decides– sort of on the spur of the moment– to take the kids on a cross country trip to try and find their long absent father, without really knowing where he was, you might think it was an uncomfortable read. It is at times. But it’s so much more than that too. And it really is a fun read, with the occasional side trips into fear and despair.
Road-tripping across country has always been a good device to examine characters up close, on an almost intimate level, and not always at their best. First there’s Hattie who gets to reveal some of herself, sometimes in internal monologue, but often in conversation with the kids. Then there’s 15-year-old Logan, well into the brooding teenage phase of growth who seems focused on developing his basketball skills and seems to be dancing on the edge of serious trouble. Finally, there’s 11-year-old Thebes (occasionally know as Theodora), an absolute charmer of a character, with purple hair, and a flair for art and chatter that will make you want to take this child home with you. Min appears mostly in flashback, her gradual and recurring descent(s) into madness often recalled by Hattie, whose motivation to keep her sister’s little family intact conflicts with her fear of being overwhelmed by the demands of being a “parent” to Logan and Thebes.
The narration just speeds you along, revealing the characters as they are, as well as looking at Hattie and Min growing up and the various challenges Min faced in her somewhat irrevocable descent into despair. Parts of it are heartbreaking and bleak, others are uplifting and empowering and you can’t help but hope everything turns out all right because these people are truly worth the effort.
I have to confess, I’ve read through this book three times. Not something I usually do, but I kept picking it up and falling back into the story where these weird and troubling and hopeful characters tried to find a little bit of that “happily-ever-after” that really should be there for them. And the writing is that good.
I don’t usually quote at length from the books I review but I do want to end by giving you a taste of what I’ve been enjoying.
On Thebes: “She couldn’t get very far past that before it all erupted and she was sobbing in my arms and then all the captive little heifers in the barn next to us joined in, crying and lowing like a bovine choir of angels in solidarity with Thebes.”
On Logan: “He looked away, towards Saturn, or farther up, maybe towards some satellite that only he could see. I liked the silver and gold specks. They softened him up. He looked like a sweet, kind of gay, raver alien waiting for his crew to take him back to space, to some benevolent planet that partied hard but happily. I left him to pine and sparkle in the moonlight.”
November 18th, 2009
Dennis - Central
Chill October night
A vampire writes in non-verse
A nip in the air?
How do you like my haiku?
I felt compelled to write it only because it seems appropriate to at least try to use the form when reviewing a book written in haiku. Vampire Haiku by Ryan Mecum, uses the form created in Japan (seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, then seven, then five syllables) to write a book. It’s not really poetry, it’s a narrative, using the short poems to convey the story. Call it poetic license. And it’s pretty fun.
The story starts with twenty-one year-old William Butten, on the deck of the Mayflower as it begins sailing to the New World. William makes a vow to document all his new world adventures into small poems. A young woman on deck a few nights later charms the young man. Once they begin necking, life as he knew it takes a whole new direction. Because he’s now, well, immortal. And the vampire woman he fell in love with? He kind of alienated her by killing her vampire husband. So she disappears from his life, reappearing from time to time as the story progresses. Not that she’s that necessary to keep the story moving forward. But every story needs a love interest, right? So there you go.
American history provides a pretty convenient backdrop on which our poet can sketch his vampiric ways. We move from feasting on Pilgrims in the 1620s (that first winter wasn’t really that harsh) to draining Redcoats in the Revolutionary War, to Davy Crockett, who didn’t so much die at the Alamo as well, you get the idea. Emily Dickinson, P.T. Barnum, Babe Ruth, Amelia Earhart, James Dean, J.D. Salinger also make cameos. Pop culture through the ages gets tweaked as well, including Woodstock, Buffy, Count Chocula, goths, and a Facebook “menu” for real dining. The movie version of Twilight gets mocked of course. Oh and he notes that flat-screen monitors will fit inside your coffin when the lid is closed. I tell you, is this a great country or what?
All told, it was a pretty enjoyable read. It’s illustrated with drawings and photographs and occasional drops and splashes of red on the pages. And it’s a pretty quick read so, even though you know you’re wasting your time, you don’t waste that much of it. More story than poem, more humor than horror, this may not be the best example of haiku but it was (I’m just guessing) a lot more fun.
And if you prefer your undead to be of the rotting flesh variety, look for Zombie Haiku.
November 5th, 2009
Dennis - Central
Another attention-grabbing, yet misleading review title, the book is not (entirely) about monkey prostitution, but I did want to see if I could coax yet another comment out of Gerard.
Super Freakonomics : Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance is Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s followup to their hugely successful Freakonomics, which looks at how economics (or perhaps motivation is a better word) influences much of human behavior. This time around, in addition to the concepts mentioned in their subtitle, they also look at things like getting doctors to wash their hands, child car seats, the murder of Kitty Genovese and, yes, monkey prostitution (sort of). Deftly and interestingly told, it examines why people do certain things, avoid other things, and how researchers can (sometimes) figure out the real incentives driving human (and occasionally monkey) behavior.
If you’ve read and enjoyed the first volume, get ready for more of the same. If you’re new to the freakonomics bandwagon, rest assured that the “dismal science” by which some refer to economics can actually be humorous, informative, often fascinating and quite possibly enlightening. At least when written with the skill Levitt and Dubner display. Topped off with an extensive section of notes (including a pretty humorous dig at Levitt at note 49-56) and a good index.
I’ll note up front that prior to publication, there has been some negative reaction to their chapter on global warming, with some writers and bloggers convinced that Levitt and Dubner don’t give the issue (or perhaps the proposed solutions?) the deference it deserves. And it’s true that they seem to have less than fervid adoration for former vice-president Al Gore, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Academy Award winning filmaker, whose policies are looked at (from an economic perspective) in two different sections of the book. They’ve also discussed some of the criticisms on their chapter on global warming on their blog, prior to the publication of the book. Their blog, by the way, also makes for some fascinating and enjoyable reading.
Don’t let the bit about monkey prostitution (it’s in the epilogue) keep you away! This is, once again, an enjoyable and thought-provoking (and not always flattering) read about — us.
Available soon on compact disc or in large print.
October 29th, 2009
Dennis - Central
This book made me pretty angry.
It’s not that I disagree with Jessica Valenti’s arguments in The Purity Myth: How America’s Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women. It just bothers me that women, teenagers, and even younger girls are being manipulated and actively lied to by their parents, teachers and religious leaders. These women and girls are being judged by only one standard: whether or not they have sex. The message they’re being given in no uncertain terms is: if you’re an unmarried female who is (or has been) sexually active, you’re just not as good as a woman who’s still a virgin.
Granted, any young woman who chooses to delay or avoid sex for whatever reason she chooses isn’t really making a wrong choice. But, according to some individuals and groups, young women who make the choice to engage in sex, whether or not they make the choice willingly and deliberately, somehow become lesser human beings. This act becomes the only standard by which their character is measured. Like an inverted form of pornography, women’s worth is being judged only in terms of their sexual status as virgins. And the weapon some of these individuals and groups use against young women who fall from this pedestal is shame. Because the only worthy goal for women is to save this “gift” for marriage, where she’ll give it to her husband. Actually, as Valenti points out, she’s given in marriage by her father, whose role is to safeguard her chastity until almost literal ownership of said chastity is passed to the daughter’s new husband/owner.
Valenti describes purity balls, where girls as young as nine years old are dressed up in formal wear and taken to an event where they pledge to their fathers that they will remain chaste until marriage. And, really, what nine-year-old girl wouldn’t do that, if only because everyone else in the group was doing it? Other attempts at damning the sexually active attempt to equate chastity with being a piece of candy, once some guy has licked it and sucked it, you just can’t put it back in its wrapper. Who would want it? Other reinforcement techniques include group exercises where “used” women are equated with a piece of tape stuck to a boy’s arm. Once that boy rips it off, that piece of tape has picked up dirt and hairs from the boy’s arm, and lost some of it’s stickiness– making that piece of tape (that girl) less likely to be able to bond firmly with another boy. Another group indoctrination technique would equate a sexually active woman or girl as a used tissue, which was thrown on the ground while the group was encouraged to step on it.
Is this really how we want to teach young people to treat their fellow human beings?
Valenti also makes the rather provocative assertion that these images of pure young women usually focus on a specific type of chaste girl: one who is attractive, slender, straight, and white. This seems to me to possibly stem mostly from the socio-economic circumstances of the families that support the political agenda that the purity movement is aligned with rather than any overt racism on the part of the purity movement, but Valenti makes the more confrontational claim that non-white women and girls are viewed as somehow less pure (or viewed as more inherently sexual) in a white-centric cultural view.
And some of this is being funded by your tax dollars under the heading of abstinence only sex education. The hope is that young women will choose to avoid sex out of an idealized valuation of chastity and inflated fears of any kind of sexual activity, rather than giving them the knowledge to make an informed decision to be, or not-be, sexually active.
This volume will probably be useful in rallying the already converted. But I doubt that it will be read by many who don’t already sympathize with feminist views. This is one of those issues which seems to leave no room for debate or nuance. Whatever side you choose, if you’re not in agreement with the side I’m on, you’re just wrong. Which is kind of a shame. I do think it’s a book worth reading. And discussing.
I should point out that the book is pretty extensively foot-noted and has a pretty good-sized index for a relatively slim volume. (Pretty wide spacing of the text on the pages, too, causing me to wonder, in my less-charitable moments, if Valenti had to cheat a little to inflate the page count.) Also included are questions for discussion and a list of additional resources including organizations, web-sites, blogs and books.
Valenti also has a web site feministing.com where you can keep up-to-date with news and views from a variety of feminists.
October 23rd, 2009
Dennis - Central
Hey, anybody remember Sex, by Madonna? It came out, er, rather, was published in 1992. Madonna was pretty popular then– lots of music videos on MTV, lots of interest in the press because she was “dating” so many celebrities and professional athletes at the time. And so it’s really no surprise that her book became a New York Times bestseller. Not that the subject matter didn’t help. Which was a bit of a problem for the library, since the book consisted mostly of pictures of Madonna in various stages of dress (mostly undress) and offering her thoughts and opinions on all matters sexual.
Which caused problems for us. We can’t be seen as buying “pornography” because there are quite a few members of our community who would be quite upset about their tax dollars being spent on “fill in the blank, bad for you books”. At the same time, lots of other people from all over our service area, were requesting the book. What to do? Well, the people who were requesting it were “saved” when the South Central Library System, of which we’re a member, funded the purchases, which would be used throughout our service area, rather than taking the money from the Madison library budget. We purchased several (three?) copies, had them rebound (they were originally “bound” in a pretty heavy aluminum cover, with pretty sharp edges, as I recall), and sent them out to start filling holds.
At one time, I believe there were upwards of two hundred people waiting to read a copy of the book. The books spent years in circulation without ever actually having landed on the shelves where people could innocently stumble across it. Not that they could do that now. We made a decision at the time we acquired the books, that they would be permanently shelved in our “storage area.” You can still read it, of course. You just have to work a little harder to get at it.
I confess, I may be misremembering some of the details. It all happened a long time ago. I recall glancing at a few pages of the book when it first arrived but being, frankly, a little embarrassed to be looking at it. A Catholic upbringing will do that to you. And the book didn’t look to be particularly well done–grainy black-and-white pictures, hand-written text, “artistic” layout. We still have it in our system, it’s just not worth the effort to me anymore. But, again, that could be part of that Catholic upbringing.
By the way, if the thought of that Madonna book, or any other books or sound recordings or videos, sitting on the library shelves bothers you, take some comfort from the fact that none of the materials we buy are required reading, or listening, or viewing. Some people were outraged by the very thought of that Madonna book, yet hundreds more wanted to read it. That’s part of what is so great about the library. We give you choices. We use public dollars to buy materials (less expensively than you usually can) and let you borrow them. And we try to choose materials that will “inform, inspire, enrich, and entertain” — though most of our materials probably won’t do all those things at once.
And they won’t always have that effect on every user. Your mileage will vary. But you’ll probably spend most of your time on those materials that will entertain you, or inspire you, or teach you, or challenge you, or help you do that for your children. And when you’re done with those items, you can bring them back to us, so we can store them until someone else wants to use them. Which is another thing we’re good at. We’ll store your books for you and save you money in the process. Money that you can save or spend locally instead of sending a big chunk of it to a distant publisher or distributor.
Talk about win-win.
And we thank you for your patronage.
October 14th, 2009
Dennis - Central
There was a post on a librarian’s blog about a recent New York Times article dealing with the Brooklyn Public Library’s decision to remove a Tintin book from open shelves because it was racially offensive. The librarian blogger was equally concerned about an online companion piece in the Times that showed ten different challenges to books over the years that had gotten published online with the names of those who had challenged the books clearly presented, although their addresses were redacted (blacked out) from the online posting. The public library is supposed to protect patron confidentiality so that last bit does tend to make one uneasy.
Anyway, the article does list ten different items that were challenged over the years, and the library’s response to the challenges. Call me curious, but I wondered how many of those books were held by us or one of the other libraries in our system. Lo and behold, we are eight for ten! Here’s a list of the ten Brooklyn Public Library challenges, and the (condensed) reason they were challenged.
I’d like to say that none of this is intended to make light of people’s concerns about the appropriateness of library materials. We’re a public institution funded primarily by local tax dollars, and we’re always dealing with a too-small budget. That doesn’t leave us a lot of room for making choices that are so far out of the mainstream that they won’t find an audience. However, we do have a fairly diverse audience. I’m not one of the people who selects books, so I really don’t have any insights into the selector’s thinking processes. I’d like to think that I wouldn’t reject a good book just because I was afraid someone might complain that it was inappropriate but I just don’t know for sure.
And if you read any of the challenges filed with the Brooklyn Public Library, you’ll see that people often challenge materials because they don’t want [their] children exposed to it. Not being a parent myself, I can still imagine why someone would have a hard time trying to explain sex, let alone incest and child abuse, to a young reader who inadvertently picked up a copy of Daddy’s Girl. (FYI, I’ve read the book Daddy’s Girl and parts of it were very upsetting). And if any of you parents have insights on how to answer those tough questions young children can pose, feel free to share in the comments section.
September 28th, 2009
Dennis - Central
It seems like Carol Tyler has been kicking around the comics scene since it was referred to as the underground comics scene. In the last few years, she’s turned her attention to the full-length graphic novel. Her latest, You’ll Never Know: A Graphic Memoir begins to tell the story of her father, Chuck Tyler, in words and pictures, with an effort to tell about his time in the army during World War II, as well as her life growing up with him and later with her own family.
Growing up it seems neither Chuck– nor most of the men of his generation who had served– spent much time talking about the war or their experiences. Even the photographs and souvenirs they kept were seldom spoken of, although they were kept and preserved with something like reverence. Carol had tried at various times to get her father to answer questions about the war, only to have him forcefully reject the overtures. Then, one night, forty years after the war, he calls her on the phone and spends two hours talking about the war. The phrase “rivers of blood” fairly leaps off of the page.
It’s a beautifully and cleverly done book, with some charming and imaginative illustrative and narrative techniques that cleverly glide from one era to another using overlapping dialogue and scenes that evolve. A really terrific piece of craftsmanship, it jumps nimbly between eras separated now by almost seventy years. It’s a fairly large-format book, with a cover suggesting it’s been made out of plywood, a sly salute to the working-class, can-do man that was her father. This particular volume is titled Book one: A Good and Decent Man. Her story of her father’s time in the army has only taken him to the shores of north Africa so far. Still, to come: Italy, France, and finally Germany. I’ll certainly be reading any future volumes that come out. But there’s more than a little trepidation about what will eventually be revealed.
At times charming and enthralling, and at other times emotionally wrenching, the story so far leads only to the edge of the war Chuck Tyler experienced. The title, “You’ll never know” appears in the lyrics of a love song from the era and it’s a sweet counterpoint to the scenes where young Chuck is wooing Carol’s mother on the dance floor. But it also hints at the dark side of the war (every war) that never seems to be revealed. Like Carol, I want to know her father’s story, but I’m more than a little afraid of what I’ll find out. The book’s title suggests a many-layered truth, not just about this one man, but about war itself.
If you’re interested in finding out more about author Carol Tyler, her website is here and there are numerous links to newspaper and magazine articles exploring her work as a teacher in the expanding field of “sequential art” (i.e. comics).
September 22nd, 2009
Dennis - Central
Mary’s comment on a different thread prompted me to look into Reading-list-gate– it’s the first I’d heard of it. Five books must mean it’s a pretty short vacation. Or he’s assuming other things will come along to suck up some of his reading time.
Here’s the (short) list:
The Way Home by George P. Pelecanos.
Lush Life by Richard Price.
Plainsong by Kent Haruf.
Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman.
John Adams by David G. McCullough.
What, no Ann Coulter?
I have a feeling he may not be able to get all this reading done without a little help. So I’m asking all of my fellow Americans to read at least one of these books (maybe not the Ann Coulter stuff), just in case he drops by the neighborhood potluck and you’re grasping for a conversational gambit that won’t result in Secret Service agents wrestling you to the ground while the President is rushed from the room and your hosts burst into tears.
Together, we can make America great again, or at least better read.
Yes we can!
September 12th, 2009
Dennis - Central
Every once in a while I’ll spot a book that Just Looks Interesting. Case in point: Year million : Science at the Far Edge of Knowledge, a collection of essays by scientists and science writers edited by Damien Broderick. What will things look like 1,000,000 years from now? Fourteen different essays contributed by fourteen different people with some pretty impressive academic credentials have fourteen different ideas and opinions, but no definitive answers.
There’s not really a road map on how we’ll get to the future, either. No one predicts what the world will look like in even twenty years, which was kind of a disappointment. We’ll probably keep getting smarter, or at least we’ll be adding to the sum of human knowledge, where most mathematical problems have been solved and the physics of the universe is more fully understood. And we’ll be able to store and retrieve that knowledge more efficiently. We may travel to the stars, but we may not be able to exceed the speed of light, in which case interstellar voyages may be less Star Trek-like visits, and more like colonization, with no plans to ever return to our “home” worlds. Although we may decide that physical exploration is pointless if less developed life forms we might encounter are as fascinating to contemplate as mold in a petri dish. Two-way communication with colonies on distant stars won’t be possible either, if the lag time between sending and receiving messages is measured in years. This is all assuming we don’t figure out how to travel at faster than light speed. Energy needs will still be a problem. If power needs keep rising, at some point we’d have to surround the sun with solar collectors just to absorb every bit of available energy and convert it for our needs. Not to mention deconstructing most of the planets in the solar system for their usable materials. So if you thought we’re a rapacious species now, well, we’re just getting started.
Humans will continue to evolve, of course. We have been evolving all along, although we don’t really notice it over the course of three or four generations, except in the machines we develop. One of the essayists pointed out that humans are actively evolving, just by being selective in choosing their mates. Smarts, being good providers and physical attractiveness will still be desirable characteristics in a mate. Not stated is whether there will be an X-Men type super-species that will for all intents evolve a separate evolutionary path while homo sapiens becomes another branch of the hominid tree that the new “we” acknowledge as sharing the same ancestors. The ability to extend life, or perhaps digitally store most human thoughts, feelings and memories is also suggested. If we achieve a form of immortality where we’re ageless, all-knowing, and essentially indestructible, will we become like the gods our ancestors worshiped?
Community may evolve as well. Social networking has already caught on. Terms like the “hive mind” aren’t quite as threatening as they once were. Advances in communication will continue and that, combined with computer processing power and storage as well as portability, means that people can stay connected and share more. It’s even possible that the lines between human and machine will blur. Nothing so threatening as the the Star Trek Borg, of course.
Fascinating stuff to contemplate, although the are some pretty daunting ideas to grasp. The future we can envision from today’s vantage point is a far cry from the one imagined by previous generations. The sad part, of course, is that with these big brains we’ve evolved we can also envision past 1,000,000 years in the future, when not only humanity itself ends, but also the universe itself. At least as we know it.
September 9th, 2009
Dennis - Central
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