I think the major difference you might be looking for is tasks/media that are paced and motivated by the person doing/consuming them, and for that I heartily recommend books.
audio books are generally fine, but this is the key thing they lack. ebooks do this fine as long as the device youre reading on isn’t networked. read some ‘art in the age of mechanical reproduction’ and ‘society of the spectacle’, then just some Utopian fiction, maybe start with le’guinn.
its not the time. its not even the specific technologies. it’s the characteristics of the implementation of them. refine what you’re longing for. try shit out. don’t put on the nostalgia goggles.
it’s missing the point, I know is not better and probably way slower and annoying, but it just looks so peaceful, I wish modern information seeking were as peaceful, and not just like aimlessly navigating this world of lies the internet has become.
that’s the thing. there are elements there which appeal even if overall it was awful. what are those elements, and what can we learn about them to apply to the future?
shit does not have to be this way. technology is not inexorable. this shit is not purely the result of technology. this is a political decision about our economic system, about who controls our technology, and about how power is exercised.
what would all or most of the modern capacity with whatever you find appealing about cozy mid 20th century library world look like? what would it feel like? how do you build that?
I think the major difference you might be looking for is tasks/media that are paced and motivated by the person doing/consuming them, and for that I heartily recommend books.
audio books are generally fine, but this is the key thing they lack. ebooks do this fine as long as the device youre reading on isn’t networked. read some ‘art in the age of mechanical reproduction’ and ‘society of the spectacle’, then just some Utopian fiction, maybe start with le’guinn.
its not the time. its not even the specific technologies. it’s the characteristics of the implementation of them. refine what you’re longing for. try shit out. don’t put on the nostalgia goggles.
it’s missing the point, I know is not better and probably way slower and annoying, but it just looks so peaceful, I wish modern information seeking were as peaceful, and not just like aimlessly navigating this world of lies the internet has become.
that’s the thing. there are elements there which appeal even if overall it was awful. what are those elements, and what can we learn about them to apply to the future?
shit does not have to be this way. technology is not inexorable. this shit is not purely the result of technology. this is a political decision about our economic system, about who controls our technology, and about how power is exercised.
what would all or most of the modern capacity with whatever you find appealing about cozy mid 20th century library world look like? what would it feel like? how do you build that?