2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

Hi William,

It's interesting that you look at technology from an anthropological perspective, i.e. how technology affects humans.

What do you think about how your (and others) writings of technology also affects it's use and direction of development?

I think your books have had a huge influence on this.

On a personal level, your writing had a huge affect on me. It had more than a little to do with why I spent almost 4 years in Japan (I wanted to see if the sky over Chiba was really the color of tv, tuned to a dead channel) and move into the software industry.

It's interesting to think about how much the market drives the direction of technology versus how much science fiction drives it.

Rhyc (pronounced like 'Rick')

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

I think electric cars are an important potential medium- to short-term solution to develop. But I consider it an intermediate solution. The reason I think it?s intermediate is that no matter what solution is developed for the current infrastructure, I?m not very inspired to support it. It?s tough to get excited about spending large sums of money to participate in a mode of transportation that can be so slow, inefficient and frustrating - and getting more that way every year. If I could see a way for that trend reversing, I might get more enthusiastic. Unfortunately, I don?t.

So for now, I ride my bike to work a good portion of the year - and it takes me about the same amount of time as driving - sometimes less. My wife and I haven?t bought a new car in many years and we plan to keep our current ones running as long as possible.

I would be much more excited in participating in the development of ?the next big thing? in transportation - a long-term solution. Because, ultimately, the current mode and infrastructure will reach a point where it will no longer work as a viable or desirable solution. I just happen to already be at the point where it?s not that desirable any more.

I?m sure that?s not what your guests John Viera and Mark Perry would like to hear. I certainly have great respect for the design, technology, and manufacturing skills that go into each of their company?s products. I don?t know how anyone can sit in a new Ford or Nissan and not be impressed with what they have accomplished. I just wish it was heading down a different road, um, or track - I mean, direction.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
view in context