Listening to: Did Galileo pray? - Ellis Paul

Geographies of the information society - M. Dodge & R. Kitchin (2001)

Q According to Dodge en Kitchin with the advent of cyberspace we hardly share any historical conciousness with the people who are geographically close to us. Isn't this a little harsh?

A Here I have to refer to Queen's Day again (and with any luck upcoming Independence Day). The multitude of people who feel the need to share these national holidays with the people that live close by is a sure sign that the social connection we feel with others – even virtual strangers – is still present.

Q Do we really need cyberspace to create a global community?

A I’m wondering won't something like the formation of the EU already homogenise global culture. Perhaps we’re already creating some sort of United States of Europe in which it will become harder and harder to distinguish between countries. I feel it is important to use certain countermeasures to preserve the characteristics of national and local cultures alike. A good example of how to do this could be the radio policy employed by the French government. In France it is legally compulsory to air a certain minimum of French artists and music. This helps to keep the distinctive character of France and its language alive.

»» I'm sort of unable to formulate a critical question but the subject of Chapter III did intrigue me and kept me thinking. Having studied astronomy for a while it all seemed wonderfully familiar. It made me wonder if studying the properties of cyberspace might be able to help us understand more about the (physical) laws of outer space especially in relation to black holes and their singularity, where there is timeless time and placeless space (or not :o) as well.

Introvertster