[opendtv] Re: Twenty comments; Re: Re: Obama Asks Congress to Delay DTV Transition
- From: "John Willkie" <johnwillkie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 15:07:36 -0800
There is actually a centuries-old term for this: it is called being a
Luddite. It comes from people who destroyed factories and rioted when
mechanical looms around two centuries ago. Their arguments were that
mechanical looms would destroy the land and society. As a practical matter,
it's "retro on steroids." And, it's a non-starter for those in living in
the present time, whatever that time is. I'm not saying that progress
doesn't impose changes, I'm saying that it is simply progress.
And, indeed, Ludditism is one of the strongest religious beliefs there is.
Bert got it about right; people talking about the romantic sound of
horseshoes clopping along cobblestone streets. How many Virginians does it
take to change a light bulb? Three. One to hold the ladder, one to change
the bulb, and the third to talk about how good the old light bulb was.
As anyone who has read Flick's "Early Implementation of the Automobile in
America" knows, to drive an automobile after dark in the early days, most
U.S. states required the operator to pay a person to walk in front of the
car with a lantern, to warn the horses who "would otherwise" be scared by
the automobiles. Indeed, the American Automobile Association was formed by
breaking off from the League of American Wheelmen (bicyclists) to overturn
this onerous requirement.
There are many aspects of Ludditism in the modern environmentalist movement;
including belief triumphing science and good sense.
John Willkie
_____
De: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] En
nombre de Cliff Benham
Enviado el: Friday, January 09, 2009 2:30 PM
Para: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Asunto: [opendtv] Re: Twenty comments; Re: Re: Obama Asks Congress to Delay
DTV Transition
Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
Cliff Benham wrote:
Here are some random anonymous quotes [from 20 out of 55 emails]
from these other technical people who have a view of the transition
which I believe is more like that of most people who do not live,
eat and breathe the technical, political and financial aspects of
television.
To the last one, the comments sounded like they were from non-technical
types. However, some of them did get it. Others sounded more like my
mom.
You can disagree with their comments and think they are non-technical if you
want.
I just passed on their thoughts so you could understand that not everybody
agrees with the
"religiously zealous" beliefs in digital and HD that proliferate on this
list.
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