[extropy-chat] FWD (Got Caliche?) Social construction of technology [SCOT]

[Adrian Tymes]

--- "Terry W. Colvin" <fortean1 at mindspring.com> wrote:
> Knowing these
> are problems inherent in 
> the social construction of technology, there must be
> a market out there for a
> Romulan cloaking device, or, for artifacts that
> dis-assemble to innocuous shapes
> for private travel.

Memory metal wire.  Blow dry it, and it's a wire comb
(among many other possibilities).  Pull it apart, and
it's a garrote or a hacksaw (again, among many other
possibilities).

> However, there are at least four
> problems with "SCOT" and 
> this type of material culture: (1) How to market the
> master of the universe
> device (it's hard to imagine these transformer
> action figures advertised on
> cartoon network);

Just like anything else - market the utility, and
perhaps the sexiness if you can make it sexy.

> (2) Future archaeologists will
> have a difficult time with
> classification and typology;

They can look up our records.  We're generating more
longer-lasting records than the cultures that our
archaeologists study.

> (3) Bill Rathje (of
> Garbage Project fame) may claim
> we are running out of landfill space with all the
> disassembled spare parts going
> missing into the trash;

Recycle.  Reuse.  If a part can't be used in one of
its forms, maybe its other form will find a use, so
this would actually seem likely to generate less
trash.

> (4) Since technologies have
> different meanings for 
> different social groups, how does W. and the D.
> Homeland Security keep 
> terrorists out of sex shops where they might learn
> to imitate cloaking 
> techniques and build IEDs (improvised explosive
> devices) or 'thermo-nukulur'
> dildos...

The more time they spend making fools of themselves
like this, the less time they'll have to violate
civil rights in ways the average person might confuse
for security.  Besides, one can already build IEDs out
of fertilizer.  (Granted, most fertilizer has taggants
to see who purchased them these days for that reason,
but those can be removed - and, e.g., suicide bombers
don't worry about people knowing their identities
after the fact.  Neither do their victims.)

> If you have an answer to any of these
> vexing problems of social
> construction and material culture, let us know.

How's this?  ;)