Aldous Huxley Was Right: Tech is Making Us Shallow
October 28, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Asides
Here’s a months-old comic that compares what what British writers Aldous Huxley and George Orwell though of the future, based on their most famous works, Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Despite Orwell’s classically haunting belief that technology will make us slaves to a totalitarian government, Huxley’s fears that technology is making us more shallow depressingly seems more plausible (click the thumbnail below for the full version):
The comic above is basically a visual version of Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death.
Source
Student Sues Amazon for Remotely Deleting 1984 From His Kindle
August 5, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Handhelds
Yes, it’s amazing that Amazon can remotely delete customers’ books, and hide behind a prompt refund.
What’s even more amazing is a student is willing to go through the trouble of suing Amazon over this (the company deleted his copy of 1984, which he needed to finish homework) to “set a precedent”. Not for money in other words, but to make the courts declare remote control of paid merchandise illegal.
I’m suddenly glad the Kindle never tempted me too much. Then again, I’ve also started worrying about my Steam games collection, which of course is subject to Valve’s control.
