By: Lenie Lucci
I was super interested in the ideas of
technobiophilia, and the larger relationship between nature and technology. The
question that inspired me, and served as the theme behind my three references
was, does technology separate us from nature or bring us closer to it?
The first article I found is probably my
favourite because it comes from a wiki dedicated to information about the
relationship between nature/humans and technology called cyborg anthropology. The site itself
states "When it comes down to it, the wiki is an extension of my brain.
It’s a place to collect, store and build upon thoughts." Referencing this
idea of technobiophilia in the platform itself, paralleling wikis to the human
brain. This particular article discusses Mediated Reality, a concept devised by
Steve Mann "to describe a mix of virtual information with visual
information from the real world." The images provided to help illustrate
the idea of mediated reality is what drew me to the post, and basically shows
you what the world would look like with Google Glass. I think the article
brings up a supporting idea about technobiophilia and the new space where
nature and technology come together. Technology like Google Glass is the
evolution of nature and our relationship with the world around us in the
digital age - a mediated reality or a digitally enhanced experience of the
world around us. Not necessarily separating us from the world around us, but
providing us with a new experience/interaction with it.
The second reference
is a TED Talk with Jon Nguyen, as he takes you through the incredible
software he developed to help visualize space and track real-time space
activity. After reading through some of the comments about the relationship
between technology and nature, one argument stood out to me - that advances in
technology bring us closer to a larger understanding of the world around us,
and furthermore, evolve our understanding of nature beyond the limitations of our
planet. This was an epiphany moment for me - of course - technology evolves our
understanding which therefore evolves our relationship with the world around
us. As Nguyen discusses, software like the one he is showcasing, helps our
perception of space and time and brings us closer to the universe. I felt like
this was the strongest and most convincing argument for me when it came to
seeing technology as part of nature in an authentic way - this seems to make
sense because to know your surroundings better is essentially to be more at one
with them. By virtue of technology being able to simply provide us with more
information about the planet and the universe does it better our relationship
with nature, because we understand it more completely.
Lastly, as kind of
a nice close to this idea is a documentary that takes you through ways in which
nature and technology work together to improve the overall good of our world
and has been throughout history. Instances where scientists have learnt and
continue to learn new things by studying nature. From the design of airplanes
to biometrics, the relationship between nature and technology continues to
strengthen. This documentary brings back the basic ideas that are involved with biophilic design, that is, bringing an element of nature into the modern spaces we know occupy. The documentary does a great job of illustrating how closely nature and technology have worked to solve problems and progress the human species over history, and actually, technology and nature seem to have quite a symbiotic relationship
.
After really looking into it, I would have to say that nature and technology are not only closely related already, but the knowledge provided to us by advances in technology brings us closer to understanding and interacting with the world around us.
References
My Delicious
link:
https://delicious.com/lenielucci
The Solar
System in Your Grasp by Jon Ngyuen
When
Nature and Technology Combine
Documentary Written by Alfred Vendl and Steve
Nicholls
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