writing tables...dry erase board...palm pilots!! Hmmmmmm I see a trend here...

This week’s reading wasn’t as enthralling as I had expected, but it was interesting nonetheless. I actually found myself, inadvertently, really into the reading about table-writing. I must admit, my first reaction wasn’t too pleasing…the 41 pages kind of threw me off…luckily it was a fairly easy read. Anywho, the idea of a book of erasable leaves sounds kind of cool. In reading this article, the first thing that came to mind was a dry erase board; you write on it, erase it, write on it again, and so on. I happen to really like dry erase boards. They come in handy during study time, well….not necessarily for English students, but when studying science and those notorious chemical equations, a dry erase board is IDEAL!

Getting back to the article…

There was a point in the article about exercises that induce memory. Referencing Francis Goyet’s argument,

“Accumulation of commonplaces is pointless without selection and analysis. Recopying induces thought. The same sentence or anecdote can be classified under various headings, or the heading itself can be made more precise and explicit…the task of recopying, seemingly so rudimentary, is an intellectual exercise.

Oh how much I concur! Although this argument is directed towards the use of writing tables during that time, it also confirms how effective this “rudimentary” tactic is. Being that we’re students, pretty much finishing up the last bit of our curriculum, we all know that rewriting/recopying useful information is still a recommended study method. While writing tables are no longer used, this speck of overt awareness brings me to my beloved topic, the use of electronics. I will just shorten what could become a long, dragged out articulation of my thoughts and ideas by just simply stating that…computers took the place of writing tables. :-)

Now…as far as topics for the research paper, I am still a bit dense…more than likely do to my inevitable ability to…well I just didn’t give it too much thought. Nonetheless, seeing that I have this weird obsession with electronics, my research paper {of course} will display this verity.

Here are some ideas…

1. The internet vs. the library and how its effects on the current generation foretells what will come of the forthcoming generation

2. Does technology comprise some kind of inevitable dumbing down effect?

3. Will books lose their credibility: are they losing their credibility?

My thoughts on all three topics are pretty much equal so I’m kind of deadlocked…I {obviously} have some more thinking to do!!

Diebert

WOW! The longest reading thus far! I must say that this particular reading contained a mass of information...lots of note taking. Though interesting, I was surprised to learn that written communication transpired by way of the Church. However, I am not surprised that their dominance in the communications environment had gradually pulled them away from the practices of Church and more towards bureaucracy. “Their juristic education and bureaucratic experience did not tell them how to cope with the emotional religiosity and heretical inclinations of the urban communications.” Being that the Church is an entity designed to spread the word of gospel and a sanctuary of praise and spiritual bliss, its diminished power of written communication and thus its attempt transformation to a corporation verify that absolute dominion over civilization, or operating for profit, is not suited for a place of worship. There were some strange beliefs and practices revealed in the text such as letters themselves possessing a kind of Holy majestic power. Believers during that time wore pieces of parchment with letters inscribed on them for medicinal purposes. The thought of bestowing that kind of power and praise upon random letters sounds a little outlandish but I actually found it to be moreso fascinating than anything else. If you really think about it, words are said to be powerful, but what makes up the words….letters.

….moving on

As epitomized in my previous blogs, it’s no surprise that I apparently have an extreme fascination with technology and get a kick out of comparing it to the readings. Thus, it would be out of the norm to not, in some way, find something in the reading to correlate with today’s topmost method of communicating.

Let’s start with a quote from the reading…

“The printing press did not arrive on the European scene like a flash in the dark, but was the product of slow, converging social pressures for more efficient communications.” ----a statement that captured my interest early on in the reading, I thought it to be an appropriate parallel to a portion of our discussion in class relating technology with culture. From my understanding of the diagram that was drawn and the discussion, the two elements are directly correlated to one another. As we all know, technology emerged as a result of cultural change. It represents a progression or advancement in our way of living; it innovatively and resourcefully exposes our intelligence and our knack in manipulating and improving things for no particular reason except for mere amusement. But, nonetheless, technology has become somewhat of a byproduct of converging social pressures for more efficient communications. It began as something new and useful as a means of making life less arduous and more entertaining. It provided a more efficient way of keeping people connected with one another as well as a more competent way to obtain information. But as time went on and new technologies emerged along with the new augmented versions of them, it became more of an obsession.

This brings me to one of the questions on our handout,

The press led to fundamental changes in human psychology and social structuring. Do new technologies do this as well? How?

If you haven’t guessed already, my answer is yes. Technology has structured our way of thinking and behaving. I think how is pretty evident especially among college students. Not only has the internet (Google…and maybe others) took the place of going to the library, but I don’t know how many times people have had an epiphany of cell phones taking the place of the personal phonebooks or just simply memorizing phone numbers. How many times have your contacts mysteriously or accidentally gotten erased and you thought you were going to die??

Darn Print Revolution!

This week’s reading was quite, well, different. Trithemius’s idealistic approach really captured my attention. I was actually sort of fond of it. It’s a very powerful tactic to use a Holy entity as an incentive to coerce others into sharing similar beliefs. Of course I wasn’t at all convinced, in fact I thought it was nonsense, but I certainly can see how people during that time were swayed by it. However, the discussion in class stimulated more enlightenment to the context of Trithemius’ treatise, for example the idea of spending every moment of the day hand-copying. It sounds more like torment than anything else. Nonetheless, Trithemius’s motive (the introduction of “supposedly superior technology”) provoked another thought that is in relation to the superiority of technology but more so pertains to…well, now.

My mom and I made a much needed trip to the almighty Meijers today. I really wanted to go to Meijers because I had to return a DVD I had rented. Yup, I said I had to return a DVD I had rented at Meijers. The invention, and must I add, brilliant invention, of DVD kiosks makes it possible for movie buffs, such as myself, to rent DVDs from locations other than video stores. Did I mention how much cheaper it is to rent at these kiosks?? Well, my mom made a comment of how some of these “practical” inventions, or shall I say discoveries, are so revolutionary that now her generation, or the period in which she grew up, is seen as prehistoric (I must mention that my mom is a dazzling 57). I thought it was pretty funny.

There is always hype about the advancement of technology and there is always a discovery of ways to create a more comfortable or “practical” way of living. Landlines are slowly making its way on the prehistoric list right under typewriters, television antennas, and in most households, VHS tapes and VCRs, cassette tapes, and………maybe books :-O (nooooo)! My mom is still in awe of how television watchers were forced to turn in their antennas. I mean it is mind boggling but come on…we kind of seen that coming. Anywho, I’m sure there are many enjoyers that would love to muster up a treatise in regards to any of the items on the prehistoric list, but truth is we don’t have time, we’re too busy fumbling around with TiVo or trying to figure out how to add a Facebook app to this “new and improved” touch screen cell phone. Plus, what would be the purpose? At this point we’re pretty certain that there will always be hype about the advancement of technology and there will always be a discovery to create more comfort or a more “practical” way of living.