The Gutenberg press was the catalyst for the Renaissance and the Reformation, but it shaped what we communicated as much as how we communicated. What, then, to make of the electronic global village of our modern Gutenberg revolution? Are we on the cusp of a new Renaissance, or will this technology only further degrade a culture already in decline? The promise of the Internet: Library of Alexandria or Library of Babel?
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Wow! I have to admit I’m in a head spin so often here at “thecorbettreport”. The breadth of topics on philosophy! There is so much out there to learn, imagine all of it in attempts to define what it is to be human.
I love it! Keep it coming James. We all need to learn to become critical thinkers!
Very, very thought provoking. I especially appreciate the words on “time” and how the concept of it has become so severely altered in our modern age. I will need to get an audio book of that work I think.
It is interesting to note that in this era many young adults can not read nor write in cursive. The school system has chosen to teach keyboarding rather than cursive penmanship.
ANECDOTE Flameworking Glass Sculptures
As the 1980’s were wrapping up, I decided that I wanted to make some glass roses. Part of that decision involved some business ideas.
So, I went to the mammoth downtown Dallas library to dig up how to do it. I tried trade magazines, books, etc. trying to learn the tech involved. I could only find pieces of information, but not a complete guide.
I visited some local glass flameworkers in the artistic malls. One guy said he would teach me for $10,000. Of course, I declined.
It took a long while of repeated researching to not only figure out the tech, but also to find the local sources of glass and supplies. At last, I was ready. Fortunately, I had an understanding wife, because we lived in a 2 bedroom apartment.
So, for 20 bucks I buy an army surplus metal table. I go to different suppliers to get the rest of my equipment and glass. Into this apartment, (at night) I bring in my oxygen and propane tanks and welding type nozzles, along with a kiln which could approach about 2500 degress F.
At night, you could hear the wild hiss of the torch and see the faint pattern of flickering light through the open window but with closed blinds. It took some practice, but eventually I made a bunch of beautiful glass roses. And they looked like long stem roses, not a “rendition done modern-art style”.
I sure could have saved lots of time on my research if the internet was available during this period.
(The glass roses are fragile…especially thin parts like the leaves and stems. Gave away the last of them a few months ago. Kept some broken pieces for decoration in the garden/rock area.)
No cheap cigars, but “Kentucky Select Pipe Tobacco” used in my “Top-O-Matic Cigarette Rolling Machine” with “Zen” cigarette tubes. While watching a Corbett video, I often roll. (No tobacco surtaxes like a pack of Marlboro has.)
“Kentucky Select” used to have labeled “organic” tobacco. Some regulations a few years back killed that term.
Thinking about smoke signals and literacy. I live in the northwest US, not the climate or topography for smoke signals, but perfect for the deep notes of drums with thick hides. If someone from one of the longhouses I frequent heard these far reaching sounds, they would know the song, the linked category to which it belongs, the gift associated with it, the powers. They would know where the spirit of the song lives, the stories to which it is associated. They would even know what food it likes and its color. They would know who has the right to sing the song, and the reason of the right. All this would tell the listener what to do, what ceremonial gear to take and where to go. In the dense reverberation of this language, this medium, they would know what had arrived.
The definition of “reading” blew my mind. I never even considered a thought on that line.
https://media2.giphy.com/media/26ufdipQqU2lhNA4g/giphy.gif
Wow! I have to admit I’m in a head spin so often here at “thecorbettreport”. The breadth of topics on philosophy! There is so much out there to learn, imagine all of it in attempts to define what it is to be human.
I love it! Keep it coming James. We all need to learn to become critical thinkers!
mkey, n2abstract, et al,
Ditto here.
Very, very thought provoking. I especially appreciate the words on “time” and how the concept of it has become so severely altered in our modern age. I will need to get an audio book of that work I think.
It is interesting to note that in this era many young adults can not read nor write in cursive. The school system has chosen to teach keyboarding rather than cursive penmanship.
ANECDOTE Flameworking Glass Sculptures
As the 1980’s were wrapping up, I decided that I wanted to make some glass roses. Part of that decision involved some business ideas.
So, I went to the mammoth downtown Dallas library to dig up how to do it. I tried trade magazines, books, etc. trying to learn the tech involved. I could only find pieces of information, but not a complete guide.
I visited some local glass flameworkers in the artistic malls. One guy said he would teach me for $10,000. Of course, I declined.
It took a long while of repeated researching to not only figure out the tech, but also to find the local sources of glass and supplies. At last, I was ready. Fortunately, I had an understanding wife, because we lived in a 2 bedroom apartment.
So, for 20 bucks I buy an army surplus metal table. I go to different suppliers to get the rest of my equipment and glass. Into this apartment, (at night) I bring in my oxygen and propane tanks and welding type nozzles, along with a kiln which could approach about 2500 degress F.
At night, you could hear the wild hiss of the torch and see the faint pattern of flickering light through the open window but with closed blinds. It took some practice, but eventually I made a bunch of beautiful glass roses. And they looked like long stem roses, not a “rendition done modern-art style”.
I sure could have saved lots of time on my research if the internet was available during this period.
(2 minute video on Glass Flameworking)(Note: Those are special lens glasses which allow you to see the glass during torchwork.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzEIVqLhgQo
ha! I am laughing. Your way of expression is fun.
I loved Columbo.
(The glass roses are fragile…especially thin parts like the leaves and stems. Gave away the last of them a few months ago. Kept some broken pieces for decoration in the garden/rock area.)
No cheap cigars, but “Kentucky Select Pipe Tobacco” used in my “Top-O-Matic Cigarette Rolling Machine” with “Zen” cigarette tubes. While watching a Corbett video, I often roll. (No tobacco surtaxes like a pack of Marlboro has.)
“Kentucky Select” used to have labeled “organic” tobacco. Some regulations a few years back killed that term.
Thinking about smoke signals and literacy. I live in the northwest US, not the climate or topography for smoke signals, but perfect for the deep notes of drums with thick hides. If someone from one of the longhouses I frequent heard these far reaching sounds, they would know the song, the linked category to which it belongs, the gift associated with it, the powers. They would know where the spirit of the song lives, the stories to which it is associated. They would even know what food it likes and its color. They would know who has the right to sing the song, and the reason of the right. All this would tell the listener what to do, what ceremonial gear to take and where to go. In the dense reverberation of this language, this medium, they would know what had arrived.