Hi salim, let me post an interesting one from Ziauddin Sardar on new networked technology:
regards, Ahmed rafeek Calm down, dear, it's only chaos Ziauddin Sardar <http://www.newstatesman.com/writers/ziauddin_sardar> Published 10 April 2008 The rules of chaos theory state that individuals can make or break society The chaos at Heathrow's Terminal Five says a great deal about modern life. Within no time we had what the airport authorities themselves described as a meltdown. "Meltdown", I believe, is increasingly going to be our lot in times to come. We are becoming ever more dependent on fiendishly sophisticated technology. Just what did we do before computers, microwaves and mobile phones? The problem comes when they break down, as machines inevitably do. Simple technology is simple to fix. But sophisticated technology, from a rail network to a flu vaccine, is not easy to patch up. When things go wrong, they go wrong in a big way, as they did at T5. But that is not the end of the story. New technology is connected, linked up and networked. So, a breakdown in one system has a knock-on effect, unsettling some other system, perhaps even causing it to collapse as well. The potential for feedback - for things to multiply rapidly and dangerously - is enormous. If you combine complexity with networks, you get uncertainty. When there are so many complex interactions going on at the same time, it becomes much harder to predict exactly what will trigger which effect. Just think how many competing companies, regulatory bodies, health and safety institutions, ministries and passenger groups make up the entire Great British railway network. They have different interests, competing plans, differing remedies. A minor hiccup at one point sometimes has a multiplying effect on the whole network. Result: everyone suffers. When a problem happens we know about it instantly, in detail. Thanks to mobile phones, email and 24-hour news media, we are constantly in the know. We are primed to react, and thus set off new chains of reaction. The more we complain about a problem, the more we try to fix things, and the more likely we are to usher in the meltdown. So the sense of lurching from crisis to crisis is built into our modern way of life. Complexity, networks, instant feedback: these are ideal conditions for chaos - not for the chaos endured by commuters, but for the theory of chaos. What this tells us is that small, apparently insignificant, changes can trigger big upheavals. A computer breakdown, a virus, a sub-prime mortgage, can set off a chain reaction that can bring the whole world to its knees. This type of chaotic behaviour is most visible in the stock markets. A network of computers links them all into a single, global market. Investments, capital transfers and share dealings all happen in the blink of an eye by electronic signal. Ups and downs trigger reactions. Market sentiment can quickly multiply small changes and turn them into grave economic crisis. We seem to live constantly on the edge of chaos. So, is there anything we can actually do? I think there is a moral here for us all. By nature, complex systems are not passive, but adaptive. Species adapt to changes in the environment; markets respond to changing circumstances; the human brain constantly organises and reorganises its billions of neural connections to learn from experiences. In this way, a complex nation such as Britain can respond actively to transform chaotic life to its advantage. But that depends on us as individuals. The rules of chaos theory state that individuals can make or break society. They tell us that the accumulating and rapidly multiplying effects of our minor activities, such as driving the children to school, or greedy manipulation of the market, or panicking at every computer glitch, could have devastating effects all round. My advice to all those who want to avoid the next meltdown? Calm down, dear. Stop being selfish. Do not move with the herd. Relax and simplify your life. Link to this article http://www.newstatesman.com/religion/2008/04/chaos-theory-individuals-break ------ On 8/25/08, salimtk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > yes aftab, i too thought the discussion on new media will engage with newly > created spaces and modes in new terms and phrases. (there are new words > emerging in digital world). but, we still stick on the old morality of > 'memory' and hisotical responsibilities. > > On 8/24/08, Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> Dear Neelan, >> >> I don't think people expressed views in this thread are stupid enough to >> believe that the new media is the solution for our communication problem.. >> If you look at it, it is also hegemonic and there are a lot of attempts >> there to control the web... But there are still a lot of possibilities to >> resist such attempts and keep it some what democratic.. >> >> Whether such a media will help us to regain freedom and memory is another >> question for social scientists and I will be stupidly arrogant if I try to >> answer... Any way I am not that cynical about history... If we are ready to >> abandon the notion of history as a "progressive march" through time and our >> "absolute knowledge" and optimism about human destiny, I don't think there >> are too many reasons to be that cynical... >> >> Regards >> Afthab Ellath >> >> >> On Sun, Aug 24, 2008 at 8:34 AM, neelan neelakandan < >> [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> >>> >>> >>> Dear Afthab, >>> Have we regained memory in the new space and medium????...is not the lose >>> of memory and hence the lose of the sense of history , following us?Just >>> questions out of curiosity. >>> Neelan >>> --- On Sat, 23/8/08, Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> >>> > From: Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> > Subject: [GreenYouth] Re: New Media discussion >>> > To: [email protected] >>> >>> > Date: Saturday, 23 August, 2008, 10:35 PM >>> > Still memoryless cyberspace is possible with moderators can >>> > cut and >>> > stitch pieces to make designer wears... >>> > >>> > On 8/23/08, Afthab Ellath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> > > >>> > > The interactive cababilities of this new media in >>> > space-time axis, also >>> > > enables those rare intellectuals to be present and be >>> > part of >>> > > those dynamic events of history creating new space and >>> > time, in realtime, >>> > > whether one in Singapore or in U.S... This is >>> > happening while many others >>> > > are stuck in the past even while they are physically >>> > proximate to these >>> > > events... >>> > > >>> > > The tragedy of the third category is even >>> > disastrous... They are in >>> > > multiple spaces and times or left with no space and >>> > time .. They will give >>> > > you an impression that they are moving with people, >>> > but next instance they >>> > > are back with their oppressors and balance >>> > themselves... There meomory fades >>> > > not in years, but in weeks, if not in days... >>> > > >>> > > But this balancing is not easy with this media, when >>> > everyone is >>> > > continously exposed, when reflections are destabilized >>> > by reflexes, when >>> > > past are present are stitched together, both readers >>> > and writers are >>> > > questioned, or when readers becomes writers and vice >>> > versa... In a media >>> > > where mardock and lottery kings will not dictate >>> > terms... >>> > > >>> > > Regards >>> > > Afthab >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > On 8/21/08, damodar prasad >>> > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> > >> >>> > >> 1. The New Media, I doubt, is still understood in >>> > Print terminology and >>> > >> with a Textist mind. The Analog and Linear Mind >>> > fails to recogonize the >>> > >> dynamics of digital ontology. >>> > >> >>> > >> 2. It is meanignless to impose a Print template >>> > over the interactive and >>> > >> de-territorial space of new media. >>> > >> >>> > >> 3. The first thing to understood that it is rather >>> > difficult to govern ths >>> > >> space unless applying some crude tactics which >>> > only enables further >>> > >> innovation. >>> > >> >>> > >> 4. I doubt many people come to e-forums with a >>> > print & lienar mind even >>> > >> as they pose to be extreme contemporaries. >>> > >> >>> > >> 5. The broadcast, digital media, is a memory-less >>> > medium not bcoz it has >>> > >> no storage capacity but it is ruled by the >>> > 'momentariness'. >>> > >> >>> > >> 6. The discussion takes place at so many spaces >>> > accessible globally and >>> > >> now even in the unglobal above-horizon spaces >>> > making new media generative >>> > >> through time and space. >>> > >> >>> > >> 7. The impulsvity is the propelling dynamics of >>> > new media. The print and >>> > >> boradcast, though momentary, allows time-lapses >>> > for the participant ( both >>> > >> producers as well as receivers) indulgences. But >>> > the spontaniety in >>> > >> conversation and dialoging makes the new medium >>> > exciting. But time lapses >>> > >> are also allowed. One can take time and think and >>> > access the same content to >>> > >> further generate discussion. >>> > >> >>> > >> 8. Transfomartivess and generativeness is the >>> > nature of new media >>> > >> discussion. With a kernel subject line you >>> > transform the semantics of >>> > >> discussion and genearte innumerable meanings. >>> > >> >>> > >> 9. e-discussion does not believe in any >>> > constructed hierarachy though the >>> > >> "hierarchized mind" demands that kind of >>> > respect and reverence similar to >>> > >> that of analog mind . >>> > >> >>> > >> 9. The new media discussion captures the fleeting >>> > moments and documents it >>> > >> for posterity as and when it occurs and making >>> > accessible the document to >>> > >> audiences elsewhere as it is enabled. >>> > >> >>> > >> 10. But the beautiful part ( dangerous as well) >>> > is that one is not only >>> > >> expsoing one self to one's own time but to the >>> > future as well. 75 years >>> > >> after ( or count less, 25 years) some one >>> > researching on some subject, say >>> > >> Subaltern upsurge and social change will find the >>> > documentation of the >>> > >> fleeting moments a great exposure to the times >>> > than any printed lenghty >>> > >> footnoted documents and account for who said... >>> > what?. Say for example, a >>> > >> strong of words like "the homogenous us and >>> > here" will be read as what... ? >>> > >> The star of a period will be the comical of those >>> > times. Print was/is cozy; >>> > >> New Media is too uncomfortable in this respect.* * >>> > >> ** >>> > >> 11. We should welcome any interferences/ >>> > indulgences/ interactions/ >>> > >> intiations from anyone or organization to make the >>> > Present enriching for the >>> > >> Future. >>> > >> >>> > >> >> >>> > >> >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > -- >>> >>> > > Regards >>> > > >>> > > Afthab Ellath >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > -- >>> > Regards >>> > >>> > Afthab Ellath >>> > >>> > >>> >>> >>> Connect with friends all over the world. Get Yahoo! India Messenger >>> at http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/?wm=n/ >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
