asia may be the economic new world, but how long before it’s social disparity rises again?
‘social disparity’ exists in the Western world too. And where it does exist in Asia is largely down to massive productive-consumptive processes driven by us in the west requiring a semi-slave class to churn out low-value goods.
CG, track down Burt Rutan’s TED speech from last year, he covers exactly what is wrong with spaceflight today. The private sector should overtake NASA et al, and we’ll see R&D rocket (so to speak). He’s extremely funny, a really dry wit.
did everyone see that virgin-galactic video?
i love that soothing computerized-female voice saying “welcome to space”
A lot of those things come true. It’s just a matter of when, and in what order. The one about the cars shows freeways. Which didn’t exist at the time, so they had to be illustrated. As someone pointed out, there is video conferencing. But, for video conferencing to be as instant as it is portrayed, people would have to be sitting at their video monitors 24hrs a day.
[quote=“N Harris”]‘social disparity’ exists in the Western world too. And where it does exist in Asia is largely down to massive productive-consumptive processes driven by us in the west requiring a semi-slave class to churn out low-value goods.
[quote]
yes. the point is, how long can this continue to happen?
I believe it comes down to Marx’s concept of commodity fetishism. I’m as guilty as anyone else here, but I don’t think our fundamental drive will change without inexorable external factors. Probably peak oil, hyperinflation, or runaway climate change.
perhaps social or political unrest in asia a well?
As for political unrest, I’d agree with you, but also infer that it almost constitutes a sub-category of hyperinflation. We’re in an enormous amount of debt, and a lot further away from the Caspian oilfields…
I’d absolutely agree that we in the west cannot be held accountable for all these political machinations, but do think our lifestyle is an important factor.
I don’t think untenable human-rights violations will prevent us consuming, if that’s what you’re implying. They haven’t so far.
I honestly don’t mean to sound like a crank. In fact it’s interesting to listen to the aforementioned Dead Kennedys as a sort of counter-point to our practice as Industrial Designers.
well-said. DK reference makes me feel old.
Last night, I listened to Q* on CBC. They interviewed Daniel Wilson, a scientist that has written a couple of books exploring this same thread. What’s happened to the future we were promised? Here’s the links:
Love it, even if it is very ‘Newson’.
Look forward to seeing the Starck take on it for Virgin.