We watched the “Code” episode of Netflix’s explained.There’s only so much that can be covered in 24 minutes, but I enjoyed the high level overview of concepts, history, and issues they presented within their constraints.
One of many iconic snippets – I may do an explainer post if I don’t find somebody else’s first – was from this 1999 interview of David Bowie. Paleofuture posted a handy transcript of the highlights.
“The internet carries the flag for the subversive and possibly rebellious and chaotic and nihilistic…”
I would have been skeptical in 1999 about “nihilistic.” But after seeing things people do for the lulz? Yeah, nihilistic.
“But it’s simply a different delivery system there,” Paxman says, holding his ground. “You’re arguing about something more profound.”
“Yeah, I’m talking about the actual context and the state of content is going to be so different from anything we can envisage at the moment,” Bowie says. “With the interplay between the user and the provider will be so in sympatico it’s going to crush our ideas of what mediums are all about.”
That summarizes the last twenty years, from Netflix to Facebook to 4chan to FOSS to 30-50 Feral Hogs and beyond.
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