Monday, January 30, 2006

Editorial Comment

I disagree with the talking heads in Wired 02/2006 039, who say "cyberspace" is dead (reminds me of an old existentialist movement, popular when Mom was going to college).

Yes, we could be creatures of fashion and rename the thing every few years, setting up a whole new "wired | tired | expired" loop. However, what these experts neglect is the Greek root (a root with root access, I think most will admit, witness greek letters).

Per my Grunch FAQ, "cyber" stems from the Greek "to steer" (as with a rudder), and cyberspace indeed serves that function, owing to its speed, breadth, and sensitivity (in the hands of an expert sand sifter anyway). See my Q: Isn't this just another right-wing, pro-corporate, propaganda site? (hey, the whole FAQ is kinda fun).

So I, for one, plan on keeping "cyberspace" in circulation. Besides, it's backward compatible.

Beyond that editorial comment, I thought this was a fun issue, worth referring back to. Tara is really getting into programmable robot dolls, more affordable than Disney's audioanimatronics.