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436 comments on Is Relocalization Doomed?: A Response to Staniford’s "Fallacy of Reversibility"

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jokuhl on January 23, 2008 - 12:55pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The problem is that Stuart (Intentionally or not) DID include prejudicial or leading characterizations in his definitions of 'Reversalists', which quickly set up a negative value-judgement on that label.

'..Advocates of Electric Trolleys and Banjos..'

Come on! That's 'belittlement through cuteness' and a very weird set of associations. I guess I'm alright if I've got a Combine and a Stratocaster, but fie unto me if I'm seen intown with my Prius and the Sousaphone and Cornet in the backseat. (That's my Dad, BTW) With that comparison, he made his views of Electric Light Rail completely clear. Noone could miss the message, could they? So what makes them Backwards and inappropriate technology, which is the implication? He wrote an article on that a year or so back, with much the same dismissing of the potentials of Transit Oriented Development, and how unlikely it was, since the trend wasn't moving that way.. Predictive Graphs, feh!

Wind:
Yes. It's 'OLD'. This is the point. Does that make it backward? "Reversalist?" If wind were just blowing the Other Direction, would that make it properly 'Forwardist', and hence, properly Modern? Actually, its 'ReNEWable'.. Old AND New. The wind blowing this morning is NEW wind. Today's power.

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tstreet on January 23, 2008 - 1:10pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I believe that the term that needs to be used is "appropriate technology". The discussion about which technology is new or progressive seems silly. Bicycles are a really old technology but we should be seeing more of these in the cities. As far as that goes, walking is as old as when we first stood upright but would be appropriate under our circumstances.

Whatever gets us through the day. Oh, it is very modern to sit on one's fat ass and drive one's Expedition to the store for a loaf of bread.

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jokuhl on January 23, 2008 - 1:23pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Well said!

I've now had, sad to say, a very 'Modern' morning. I'm walking some product downtown to one of my clients!

Bob

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marcosdumay on January 24, 2008 - 7:00am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

"Come on! That's 'belittlement through cuteness' and a very weird set of associations."

That point is marginal to the original argument, while it is central to the reply. That is the problem.

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jokuhl on January 24, 2008 - 9:45am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

It may seem to be an aside from his calculations and charts, but it was used to set up a false dichotomy, by suggesting that 'The Others', this 'Fantasy Opposition' just want to live in a Sweet, Cheery Revival of 'Little House on the Prairie'. While various folks want certain aspects of life from earlier days that seemed to be workable and fun, this is all collated into some massive group of 'Reversalists'..

I listen to Bach, Ray Charles and Phish, I usually cut wood with a handsaw, and I'm designing a robot that can look for satellites (Home use only). If you want to stick a label on me, better make it a good one. No matter how good his sources were for other data, this use of describing people struck a blow to his essay's credibility. Maybe he just tossed those comments off casually.. but that's almost worse.

.. It's possible that I missed your point, however. What was the problem you were concerned about?

Bob

"The weighty issues must be handled with lightness, while the 'little things' must be regarded with a great seriousness."

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