Re: nettime: submission to nettime list

[Gordon Cook <cook@netaxs.com>]

Bruce Sterling writes:

     For all I know, there may be people on the nettime list who
seriously believe that a popular American magazine on contemporary
computer culture  is a stalking-horse for a European-inspired
cabal of  cyber-illuminati inspired by the sinister doctrines of
H.G. Wells and bent on global domination.

Cook:  anyone who has observed Mark stahlman's commentary online over a
period of some months will realize, that the above summary is a gross
simplification that is also colored in such a way as to get the reader to
dismiss the subject with no further thought.

I don't claim to be expert in the history of ideas.  however 25 years ago
in my dissertation, I did explore the origins of P.Ia. Chaadaev's critique
of Russian culture.

Mark is doing something similar but vastly more complex -- namely trying
to develop a cohesive and rather complete intellectual history of the
advocates of technology during the twentieth century....not a small task
but one with fascinating relationships, roots and alliances.

Wired has never risen above gosh, golly gee wiz snapshots of some of the
players....Big picture views of the "global economy" by the likes of
korten and greider are terribly important.  Big picture overviews of the 
intellectual roots of  our current situation are just as important. I am
fascinated by the tapestry that Mark is weaving.  of course I am biased.
I let my wired subscription lapse a year ago.
 
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