Jaron Lanier spoke at Rollins College in nearby WInter Park to, at least partly, promote his new book You Are Not a Gadget. I had not been aware of Mr. Lanier until I received an email from Chip Warren which included Lanier's biography. The fact that the gentleman had a personal history with the beginnings of virtual reality, computer manufacturing, and was a composer was intriguing to me. Especially since his latest commission is from the Winter Park Bach Festival, like I received a few years back for "Vision of the Earth". I am very grateful that Rollins College brings such interesting speakers from around the world to our area and making them open to the public. I took lots of notes from his speech and am reading his book. Mr. Lanier presented several good ideas worthy of consideration.

Here is a synopsis of his presentation:

About Choice:

• Our inventions control us by limiting choice.
• Human beings interact with their environment at a subatomic level, but computer sciences build machines that operate with very finite quantified definitions (data)
• To use software/hardware requires that the user follow its rules
• We, the users, must understand the symbolism and syntax of the computer and software we use
• Financially successful technology becomes 'locked - in". This is a process of eliminating the previous best choices for the then current 'best idea'. When the idea or process is accepted as the norm, it is locked in and the alternatives previously considered are largely forgotten or out of fashion. 
• The illusion of choice resulting from a hit list from a typical Google search vastly inflates the notion that it is more valuable or convenient. Who actually clicks on item 1000 on that list? What about the millionth?

The Impact:

• Our society has become so dependent on computer science, that our constant bending to its syntax has changed our outlook on our worlds.
• The  high concentration of digital information in our daily lives is changing us; creating a silo effect of polarizing society into 'wedge issues'. We are On or Off in regards to our opinions on voting, working, choosing a religious path, etc. Lanier called this the 'hardening'  of categories. This is a result of technological 'lock in'. 
• Facebook, Ebay, etc. define the relationships that its members are allowed to obtain by defining their interaction, and so are able to define their universe entirely and independently of other networks. 
• Unlike two farmers' markets that compete in the same town which can be observed and placed within a larger context, social networks have completely opaque walls. You can't see into them or out of them.
• The trivialization of people is profitable; we are the product not the customers of Google and FB, etc.  - They do not care what you think or how you feel - only that we use their sites and forms to communicate within
• Coercion works by amplifying the 'cost' of choice.
• Google, who successfully tied advertising with their search engine and has made billions, has a protection racket: what would happen if you did not buy Google ad? Result: even without knowing how much buying a Google ad adds to the bottom line, can you afford to not pay? 

A fun presentation mixing musical performance on exotic ancient instruments, ontology, technology, sociology, east meets west tech history and music history.

I agree with Lanier that the nature of progress leaves behind better ideas which are often forgotten. Greed, lack of power, sabotage, jealousy, cost at the time or misunderstanding - all of these things can bury a better idea. A good example of this is the work and inventions of Nicola Tesla which are largely lost. Steve Goldman and I were recently discussing how truly amazing the machinery of the teletype is - and how it is likely that no one living could build that 'outdated' amazing machinery at any price - the knowledge behind it is forgotten. I believe that if we never forget older technology and ideas - we as a species will be much further ahead. 

But I do not agree that the music industry's embrace of the MIDI spec in the early '80s is a detriment to music. MIDI became popular because of its cost saving, but it did not 'lock in' music to the 12 pitches and a finite rhythm set. That came, at least in the area of pitch, from the organ, harpischord and piano centuries ago and Western Classical music became 'locked in'. The last 80 or so years of classical music has challenged it with composers like Charles Ives, Henry Cowell, John Cage, Harry Partch, Xenakis and Boulez as well as most of the pioneers of electronic music like Pierre Henry, Pauline Oliveros and many others. Besides, there is still a lot of creativity in popular music- and much of it does not employ MIDI. Any film composer or producer worth their salt prefers live musicians over MIDI and sampling any day of the year.

 I doubt that this is any kind of emergency. Nothing to lose sleep over. Even if the internet becomes worse than broadcast television ruined by profit motives, it will still have a valuable function. Television and radio have been important in my formative years - and I certainly did not believe everything that I saw and heard. And even if a new rubric of social importance is born out of the new social network syntax, it  joins a host of other social height indicators that have only served to entrap the ignorant.

Desert Men made God in their image with their collective humility, instincts, social norms, understanding and wisdom. 

The Desert Men went to war with other tribes and believed their victories were their God's victories.

Victorious, the priests and believers became the authority about Man's universe.

He was an Angry God - a No Bullshit god. A god all about power (this includes the power of wisdom, forgiveness and love). A god to be feared. 

Man made computers/ artificial intelligence in his brain's image.

Everyday computers can access raw information much faster than our brains ever could.

Computer accessed information is taking over Man's understanding of his universe.

Victorious, the priests and believers became the authority about Man's future.

This is a profit driven god. A god to be feared.