Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
8
S K E T C H E S O F A N O T H E R F U T U R E
What a long strange trip it's been.
The GraTeful DeaD,
“truckin'” (1970)
Writing this topic has taken me to places I never expected to go. Strange
worlds, new civilizations. To some I went willingly; to others, less so. I was
happy to find myself in art worlds I had never imagined; I have acquired an
odd interest in architecture, a field that never spoke to me before; it was fun
and edifying to sit for a while at the feet of Wizard Prang. I had forgotten—and
this is an important datum, I think—how literally wonderful the sixties were.
On the other hand, my heart sank when I finally admitted to myself that three
of my principals had written topics with “brain” in the title and that I had to
figure out some brain science. Likewise the realization that three of the “four
founders of cybernetics” were strongly associated with psychiatry and that I
needed to grapple with the history of that bleak field too. The brain and psy-
chiatry were more daunting prospects than biofeedback and even chemical
computers. Other topics just sucked me in: pursuing DAMS from a single
published footnote into the labyrinths of Ashby's private journals could drive
anyone mad, and the journey remains unfinished. Still, I got to visit all those
places, and I am very glad I did; I thank the shades of my cyberneticians for
taking me along. I am changed by the trip.
