one more thought on glancing

i remember a conversation that went around new devices who would let strangers tell each other that they are ok, just ok.

itsnotok (audio/x-mpeg, 271 KB)

i don't know what effect the patriot act has over there, but for sure it doesn't make them more social as keeping their guns nearby the bed and googling.

googleranking (audio/x-mpeg, 537 KB)

when i saw the first tangible media devices and listen to stories like: wouldn't it be nice when you can feel the motion and mood of a person through wire, i wasn't amuzed. reminds me on the situations when your skin aches and you can't get rid of the feeling and start to scratch yourself all the time. most likely that ends with scabies.

teleworking doesn't function without meeting people from time to time. videoconferencing doesn't substitute conferences or business meetings, emails are often misunderstood, information theory is too narrow...

closing the comment feature, but finally talking with each other when they meet in person doesn't mean that software creates a social relationship at all. it just creates a topic, people can talk about, as they talk what was on tv yesterday and maybe helps to create an interest group.

whoishe (audio/x-mpeg, 554 KB)

something is wrong here. to call for new devices to say/show someone i am ok is not the answer. it 's just like waving with another flag. again i am back at tom sherman's line in a video in which he endlessly talked with a computer. when he got the feeling the machine's attentiveness is fading away he swings in his rocket chair and says with a smile on his face: "there is a life outside the screen". so call it anything, but don't call it social.

"please do not write another line of code until you finish reading this article." joelonsoftware