In my opinion:<br><br>Technologies are tools designed to manipulate our environments, they change one thing into another thing.<br><br>The end for which they are designed, when political, makes the tool political. A microchip is a tool to process information more quickly - it usurps human minds and human abilities. When we have reached a stage where we can no longer write or design computer (machine) code directly, when we have programming 'languages', we have reached a stage where the vocabulary is more important than the tool. The very idea of repetition, of loops, of unending sequences, of the continual increase in complexity of knowledge and possibility, the computers' cold equivalence of data types. <br>
<br>For me all these things are political, they mediate our understanding of the world and our understanding of each other. The fact that we have the luxury of these technologies, and others don't (that we have drones that can kill-at-distance with no risk) is political. Can we have iPods and Macs without the suicides at Foxcom? Computers are going to become more expensive due to Chinese embargos on rare-earth metals. In the end these tools do not exist in a vacuum, someone made them, someone designed them. If we use the Internet without remembering that it is a cold-war outgrowth, don't we risk buying into ideas we might not be aware of?<br>
<br>The politics is contextual of course, but not only this, the types of tools available emerge from needs and ideas not necessarily our own. When Microsoft releases Genuine Advantage, or refuses to allow DVDs to play on their software due to copyright, these things are no longer tools, but also have inbuilt promotion of certain ideologies.<br>
<br>Tom<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 30 November 2010 14:57, Ben Dembroski <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ben@dembroski.net">ben@dembroski.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
The can be, but it certainly resides on a sliding scale with a huge<br>
range.<br>
<br>
The use of Twitter by Iranian protesters is more political than me<br>
deciding to use an Arduino over a Basic Stamp to automate the watering<br>
of my house plants. There's nothing inherently political about<br>
technology. IMHO, politics enter the equation when the tech is used,<br>
consumed or referenced within the wider context of human interactions<br>
and power relationships.<br>
<br>
I would hope that any of these topics would equally welcome on this<br>
list.<br>
<br>
Equally important is the distinction that not everything "political" has<br>
a significant element of "technology" to it.<br>
<br>
--<br>
<font color="#888888">Ben<br>
</font><div class="im"><br>
<br>
On Tue, 2010-11-30 at 11:01 +0000, M.Hersh wrote:<br>
> Hi,<br>
> I would also point out that technology itself and its uses are political.<br>
> Marion<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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