Ulmer - Electronic Monuments Part Four

I really enjoyed reading Ulmer's explanation of Mind over Machine.  Throughout all of the readings we have done in this course, the constant question regarding developing technology is the ability to make a "gut" decision.

"For a network to be intelligent it must be able to generalize; given sufficient examples of inputs associated with one particular output, it should associate further inputs of the same type with that same output. (Dreyfus, 10)."

This quote leads into the question of how technology can simulate expertise, such as the situation Dreyfus mentions earlier about purchasing a car with one's instincts.  This reminded me of a car buying decision I was faced with just before I was accepted into this program.  A dealership in south Charlotte had an RX-8, which is the exact sports car I was looking for.  It was silver, the Grand Touring Model, and had every single option that I was looking for.  I drove it several times and even kept it over night when trying to make a buying decision.  To this day, it is the smoothest and best handling car I have ever driven.  For some reason, I felt like it would be a bad idea to purchase the car.  Ultimately, I kept my car and the RX-8 was gone from the lot the very next week.  One month later, the buyer returned the vehicle under North Carolina's lemon law.  It did not pass the state's safety inspection and had a rebuilt rear axle that was considered unsafe.  My gut instinct prevented me from buying the car, but can that feeling be duplicated?

It was also interesting to read about the effect that TV and media had on how law enforcement works at the ground level.  Certain images regarding the Miranda rights have been portrayed negatively to the public which has made law enforcement officials approach their jobs differently than they may otherwise operate.

"The authors warn the trainees to avoid performing scenarios made familiar by the media, such as the good cop/bad cop routine."

"The handbook adds that, because of TV, people expect interviewers to take notes.  To be credible, therefore, one should at least have the props of writing available, unless the situation becomes accusatory, in which case such props should be hidden, so as not to remind the suspects that what is said could be used against them."

To me, these quotes basically say to tailor the law to the situation in a manner that will be the most effective in convicting a suspect.  After reading this, I can think of dozens of different television shows that I have seen that portray law enforcement in this same light.

In chapter 8, Ulmer further explains the peripheral of MEmorials and their significance.  I liked that he listed the individual components of the Y Collaboration and expanded on them.

Questions:

1. Derrida's "Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Science" describes the center of a structure and the idea of the center existing outside of it.  Do you see emerging technology as a potential center of our society?


2. I enjoyed the reference to the Enron scandal being the "internal equivalent" to the 9/11 terrorist attack.  When banks fail and/or merge, who should the MEmorial be constructed toward?  Should it be the people losing their jobs, the people losing their investments, or the general public that is effected by the swing in the economy?