globalization, or what?

Cabo San Lucas, Bahia California Family vacation this week. Some of the concrete building reminds me of southern Europe – the rebar sticking up ready for the second storey when the owners have enough money. But what of the small neighborhood stores here that are the same as those I knew so well in Greece?…

making things makes people

Barry (Katz) is presenting the first lecture in his Design History class for the mechanical engineers (ME110). We are having a running conversation (some two years old now) about design – completely agreeing that things make people as he puts it here this morning. The more subtle point holds too – that this dissolves the…

the economy of the gift and the concept of the virtual

Phil writes This is an interesting concept – the virtual gift. [Link to slashdot] Digitus1337 writes “Wired has an article up about a new online service known as ‘FunHi.’ You sign up and join a community, and give your fellows gifts, but as Wired has reported, ‘these are not ordinary gifts. They’re purely digital: little…