Dedicated Servers + Scalable Web Architectures

[Andrej Marjan]

Jamon Camisso wrote:

> I'm not a luddite who would prefer that the telephone were never 
> invented, but some awareness of how these changes affect people and 
> society would be nice. Instead of unbridled hysteria over a glossy 
> touchscreen phone, understanding the implications of easing barriers 
> to communication is, I think, much needed. That is to say, having any 
> sort of device like an iPhone, Blackberry, or using a website like 
> Facebook, Twitter etc. almost necessitates that those who use such 
> things communicate ever more, sacrificing quality for quantity.
>

In fact I'd argue that saying these things ease barriers to 
communication is a dubious claim. It's about as correct as saying 
"information technology" is about information in the way normal humans 
(i.e. everyone except mathematicians) use the word.

Things like blackberries all too frequently *impede* communication. Face 
to face suffers because the addict is unable to focus on the person in 
front of them and feels compelled to check the device every time it 
buzzes and a few times when it doesn't. Email communication suffers 
because the addict tends to skim all communications, not perceive -- 
much less comprehend -- at least half the incoming email, and then jump 
to wildly inappropriate conclusions about the portion of the email they 
DID see. Etc., etc.

It's mildly depressing that all the essays from the early days of 
NetFuture (netfuture.org) are just as pertinent, and just as unexamined, 
today as they were in 1995+.


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