"In the Beginning There Was the Command Line" by Neil Stephenson is a quirky essay exploring the earliest days of the "computer" to the computer as it was at the turn of the century. For the most part, this essay explores the ins and outs of the ever expanding Mac v. PC debate.
However, there were plenty of other issues discussed in the paper besides whether Apple is a better company than Microsoft. I'd like to take this time to talk about the technosphere described in chapter 7, The Technosphere.
Like an apple, the world of technology has many different properties. The shiny red skin is what is happening now. It contains every technology we have that we have to purchase and are actually willing to. It contains everything from computers coming off the assembly line to the newly developed Windows 8.
The meat of the apple is things that we have already consumed, like phones that could only make calls and teletypes and Windows Vista. These are things that were once the hip and happening tech on the scene but are now simply gutter fodder.
Lastly, there is everything beyond the apple; the air, the water, the nutrients. These are the most important parts of the technosphere. This is where every idea and thought and prototype live, waiting for a chance to touch down on the skin of the apple and therein be consumed by the masses.
As nice as the apple/Apple correlation is, it's not the point. The technosphere is there to create competition and insight creativity. By having only a limited amount of space for current ideas, we as a technologically advanced species are forced to filter our thoughts and ideas through quickly, which can get confusing, but in the end makes for a turbulent ride.
This turbulence can excite how we view the world, creating art in it's many forms.
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