Wires aren't so bad. I tried satellite internet for a year and it was a nightmare; no service for days when there was heavy cloud cover, high latency, and the worst customer service I have ever experienced.
In addition to Daroo's link, there's a video on wireless electricity on www.TED.com. (it's still on the front page)
On the other hand, if you look at the history of electromagnetic transmission, I'm sure it's increasing exponentially. Some say it's all harmless, but some people say "they can't stand it any longer" and have moved to isolated area's to be able to "live in silence" and without headaches. Not to mention the discussion on the alleged carcinogenic effect of cell phone microwaves.
As far as I can tell, Henri Rousseau was the first artist to incorporate telephone poles and other "modern" aspects of life in his paintings; airplanes and balloons among them.
I used to paint a fair amount of local landscapes in the 70s-early 80s. I preferred the places in town with funky cars and lots of telephone poles, while the majority of landscape painters around here looked for places without those things. A more Impressionist take on things. For me telephone poles defined the 20th century. More of a Dutch sensibility, for me, not that it matters.
Maybe I got it from Crumb. If you watch the semi-fictional movie Crumb, there's a place where he shows all his photo reference of telephone poles and 20th Century infrastructure. He sure nails it!
Wires aren't so bad. I tried satellite internet for a year and it was a nightmare; no service for days when there was heavy cloud cover, high latency, and the worst customer service I have ever experienced.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of Robert Crumb's comics. He always has a ton of telephone poles in his backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteAre you refering to this?
ReplyDeletehttp://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/wireless-0607.html
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ReplyDeleteIn addition to Daroo's link, there's a video on wireless electricity on www.TED.com.
ReplyDelete(it's still on the front page)
On the other hand, if you look at the history of electromagnetic transmission, I'm sure it's increasing exponentially. Some say it's all harmless, but some people say "they can't stand it any longer" and have moved to isolated area's to be able to "live in silence" and without headaches.
Not to mention the discussion on the alleged carcinogenic effect of cell phone microwaves.
So maybe wires are not that bad...
As far as I can tell, Henri Rousseau was the first artist to incorporate telephone poles and other "modern" aspects of life in his paintings; airplanes and balloons among them.
ReplyDeleteI used to paint a fair amount of local landscapes in the 70s-early 80s. I preferred the places in town with funky cars and lots of telephone poles, while the majority of landscape painters around here looked for places without those things. A more Impressionist take on things. For me telephone poles defined the 20th century. More of a Dutch sensibility, for me, not that it matters.
Maybe I got it from Crumb. If you watch the semi-fictional movie Crumb, there's a place where he shows all his photo reference of telephone poles and 20th Century infrastructure. He sure nails it!
That's great! hehe. It always freaks me out when I can hear them buzzing.
ReplyDeleteCable TV and DSL. The thing most people over 35 still have land lines.
ReplyDeleteI know I do.
I think it was worse about 100 years ago.
http://www.porticus.org/bell/images/phone_lines.jpg
www.porticus.org/bell/images/phone_lines.jpg
ReplyDeleteJeff: That photograph is hillarious. Im guessing only one call could be transmitted at a time per wire.
ReplyDeleteIn most towns in Britain, the cables are all buried. There are no poles at all around here. Internet is on (buried) fibre optic cables.
ReplyDeleteConversely, in Iraq the electrical cabling is on poles and is a wild tangle, because everyone just connects their own house to the nearest wire.
Shanghai's got some ancient wiring... it's a bit scary.
ReplyDelete