Off the rails…

4 Responses to “Off the rails…”

1. 

   jross3 January 17, 2013 at 8:24 am #

   beautiful clip – what prompted its inclusion? I see your tags about innovation and technology as suggesting perhaps a broader picture of what ‘counts’ as technology, and how innovation has to be seen in its social context. It’s also a metaphor of arrival, of course… quite a controlled, if busy, arrival, in contrast to your post title!

   A technical suggestion – try making video-based posts ‘videos’ in your tumblog – if you put the youtube embed code in there, you should find the video previews on your blog home page.
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     Nikki Bourke January 17, 2013 at 2:51 pm #

     I had been thinking about what digital culture means to me and felt that interaction between /impact upon the user and the actual technology has an important role in shaping that culture. I think that this cinema treasure aptly represents a turning point in how society viewed technology. The audience ran from the movie theatre believing that the train was headed directly toward them – old school 3D! I thought that it was a fitting ‘starting point’ from which I could explore…
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   Giraf87 January 17, 2013 at 4:28 pm #

   Great clip. I seem to remember this was one of the first public showings of cinematography to the world…?

   My personal favorite as far as the introduction of ‘new technology’ and its effect on socioeconomic and cultural relations is concerned also involves the train: it is the film ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ by Sergio Leone. The metaphors about forever changing the fabric of communities, the shift in behaviours and resources is striking. The greed of corporates, the welcoming of this new technology, the threats and opportunities are not dissimilar to the rise of digital technology…the arrival of these trains ultimately marked the end of the cowboy era…
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   Jen Ross January 24, 2013 at 1:51 pm #

   ahhh! I hadn’t realised – that is fantastic. What a great story, and yes, a really good starting point.