presence and authenticity – routes to civility

A perceptive item in the Guardian yesterday, from Simon Jenkins: Welcome to the post-digital world, an exhilarating return to civility – via Facebook and Lady Gaga. The point – our contemporary world is a mixed reality – witness the growing importance (again) of “live events”, even as we are more connected digitally: A week in California…

Olivier – Le sombre abîme du temps

Laurent Olivier’s wonderful book Le sombre abîme du temps has just appeared in translation (as The dark abyss of time: memory and archaeology) – [Link] Laurent offers profound elaboration of the fundamental insight that the past is all around us, before us, in material traces, that presence is filled with the past, that the future…

racing experiences (2) – Laguna Seca

A fascinating week for the Revs Program at Laguna Seca Racetrack. Coordinated effort to document the driving experience – historic cars – and the community who cherish automotive heritage. Raising the profile of automotive studies, taking seriously this vital iconic part of the contemporary past. As Mark Gessler – HVA (Historic Vehicle Association) and FIVA…