The Information Age

Information is in ever greater abundance and ever more valuable; and yet at a time when this is the case the general quality of information has never been in greater doubt, witness the rise and rise of so-called "experts". There has been an explosion in the availability of opinions - often with virtually non-existant regulation - via the weblog [the lightbulb a case in point]. Concordantly witness the rise and rise of wikipedia, frequentally called into question, granted, but largely respected.

It is the opinion of lightbulb that Wikipedia, and to the same extent, Facebook, cater and have fulfilled the modern requirement for endless information in a predetermined - or to reflect previous posts - discrete formats. Information is arranged into a single page per "word" entry (or person(s) in the case of facebook) from which we are able to track down the data : rather than through the previous arrangement of the websearch.

This system avoids that classic modern condition of "I searched on google and got so many thousand entries, but did not find a single answer".

No, it is true to say that - as with so many things in life - the internet has massively increased the quantity of information available whilst massively reducing the general standard of quality. A quick search for any popular internet topic generally turns up (these days) not the information as a first hit, but rather a directory, which if one is lucky points directly to the source...

Given the choice the average punter would like to view the source, but in the way are an ever increasing number of levels of - for want of a better word - crap. It's rather like turning up at a party with a view to speaking to an old friend, but on your way to finding them meeting several different people all promising to introduce you but repeatedly passing you amongst themselves without ever getting around to it.

The solution is not immediately obvious, Wikipedia etc propose a Wiki based set of presorted search results to answer standard questions... Lightbulb remains skeptical that any system could either be possible [in light of the staggering quantity of information available] nor able to cope with ever changing and widely varying syntax in use by the general public.

More likely, in the view of Lightbulb, is that we might have found one of the primary new uses of the Artificial intelligence - a digital librarian if you will.

"There's only so many times you can do the 'square-within-a-circle', 'circle-within-a-square' motif"
Eleanor Mayfield

Well, quite, a damning critique of a certain office's work...

The Augmentation of the Human Intellect : Part I

Design is continuous

Computing is discrete

Therefore computer aided design is limited by the discrete boundaries of the digital system

In striving for an ever increasing sampling a closer and greater degree of both imitation (of the analogue system) with a view to remove the appearance of the boundaries of the discrete system, and an increase in the possible complexity detail (beyond 1:1) a fundamental query is raised in the age of digital design:

Where do we draw the line?

And more specifically: why do we attempt to imitate the analogue system digitally in preference to the "authentic analogue" device. In losing imperfection and inconsistancy [through the binary outcome of a digital device] have we sacrificed our experience of both the mundane and the extraordinary? And more specifically :

Is it possible to be authentic in the digital age?

Lightbulb on History

It can not be, it has gone. They believe that we can do the same sort of
work in the same spirit as our forefathers, whereas for good and for evil we are
completely changed, and we cannot do the work they did. All continuity of
history means is after all perpetual change, and it is not hard to see that we
have changed with a vengeance, and thereby established our claim to be
continuers of history
William Morris - in his inaugrial address to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings

Abandoned

"More empty buildings, for invisible men..."

Maximo Park - Russian Literature, from the Album 'Our Earthly Pleasures'

- This collection (www.abandoned.ru) of abandoned buildings, dilegently photographed that lightbulb discovered a few weeks ago is truly inspiring. Further links to an entire webring of abandoned-building enthusiasts can be found on the site. Yet more inspiration landed on Lightbulb's desk this morning - this time in the form of a book all about airships... keep an eye out for it soon!

Half Awake in Fake Empire

"Tiptoe through our shiny city - with our diamond slippers on...
We’re half-awake in a fake empire. We’re half-awake in a fake empire"

The National - Fake Empire, from the album 'Boxer'

The Lightbulb Is On

If you will excuse the metaphor... The idea here is to set down on one 'page' things which have been found and collect them together. Nothing new there then...

The idea is not to present a particular agenda or bias although the Lightbulb is chiefly concerned with Architecture and related forms of art and expression. Do not presuppose that by 'Architecture' we mean this:



Instead head over to http://www.bemakeshift.com/ and - to use the cliche - "think outside the box"