Re: [ARSCLIST] Hard disk drives and DAT

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

see end...
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Hi Karl:
>
> Look back on my previous posts. I'm a big advocate for selectivity and
definitely understand limited
> resources need to be applied wisely. Interesting musings though.
>
> McLaughlin Group yesterday, discussion turned to unregulated Internet
political media like the
> anti-Hilary "ad" spoofing the "1984" Apple ad. McLaughlin, who is not dumb and
not a Luddite even if
> he is a bit long in the tooth, piped up "don't we all agree the Internet is
quickly becoming an
> utter sewer"? I thought, "quickly becoming"? How about was from day 1 of AOL
and even before. The
> downside to a "democracy" of ideas and content is that most are far south of
useful or extraordinary
> and thus just serve as fog and pollution blocking the truly great ideas and
content from rising to
> their proper place. The growing problem is that the sludge is so thick that it
even blocks that
> way-out-of-left-field great idea or content that is supposed to be the golden
fruit of the
> "democracy."
>
> OK, that's my musing for the night.
>
First...I suspect that the parties involved have long since blocked my
e-identity...after all, I have no graduate degrees, positions with]
impressive institutions or any of that sort of thing!

That said, this post appears...at least to me...as strongly elitist!
The simple fact is that there exists (and has for a long while!)
a <somebody--science fiction author as I recall>'s Law which
simply says, "99% of everything is crap" (or a stronger description?!).
Certainly that applies to the Internet...to television content...to
radio content...to "hard copy" punlications...and, probably, to
all interpersonal communications!

As well, there exists...and always HAVE existed...a large quantity
of people who can be desribed as "uncultured" (by the "cultured,"
mainly...that is, people who prefer pop music to classical, or who
are totally uninterested in reading "serious" books, or who have
never visited a museum or an art gallery...and probably drink
beer rather than vintage wines. Note, however, that there are
also "nouveaux riches" who have developed remarkable abilities
at mimicking the ways of the "cultured"...at least when in
public environment!

One problem which exacerbates the "deterioration" of public
communications media is the present-day economy, in which more
and more people can aspire to larger and larger incomes. The
sad fact is that our natural primate-based Dominance Hierarchy
will drive many...possibly most...to desire ever more money,
and to do just about anything to reach that goal. Thus, if
something sells, provide it...and never stop to consider any
long-term repercussions of that provision...!

I will agree there is plenty of "sludge" to be found, in many
aspects of 21st century life (not just the digital). However,
I would use a less formal and less elitist "defining point"
to separate sludge from non-sludge. Also, keep in mind that
it is...and has been for millennia...simple human nature that
leads us to disapprove of that which is popular with the
younger folks (often our offspring)...and they of ours!

My own musification...

Steven C. Barr