On a stroll in Berkeley I passed by what was formerly one of my favorite shops, Tupper & Reed. It was a music store. But no more: it's quaint awning has been usurped by the digital age...
Now I'm not a luddite, but does this bode the end of instruments (at least, those without a keyboard)? Do we lose something by not making music more "mechanically"? Is typing different than writing? Do we lose something of the creative process as we evolve into the age of bits and bytes? Just as Marx bemoaned the alienation of labor that came with mass production, I fear we will lose something of our cognitive and creative abilities as we increasingly automate.
For example, when was the last time you did - without the aid of any tool - math?....
Posts
13 years ago
2 comments:
2 days ago I mentally calculated the number of seconds between 2 timestamps.
But I share your distaste for digitally produced music. Every so often I take solace in being able to play my didgeridoo, even if I can't pull off that whole circular breathing thing.
Neil Postman is a great author who wrote several books about this topic...Technopoly is the one that I recommend.
http://www.amazon.com/Technopoly-Surrender-Technology-Neil-Postman/dp/0679745408
Bill
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