Technology: Difference between revisions

From The Jolly Contrarian
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Removed redirect to Category:Technology
Tag: Removed redirect
No edit summary
 
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{a|tech|}}{{d|{{PAGENAME}}|/tɛkˈnɒləʤi/|n|}}
{{a|tech|}}{{d|{{PAGENAME}}|/tɛkˈnɒləʤi/|n|}}


An innovation or recently-contrived contraption about which thought-leaders and progenitors make grandiose claims, but which does not yet work. ''Bad'' technology.
An [[innovation]] or recently-contrived contraption about which [[thought-leader]]s make grandiose claims, but which does not yet work. ''Bad'' technology.


It is a paradoxical feature of modern life that there is no such thing as “good” technology. Technology ''Good'' technology is ''[[furniture]]''. Only ''bad'' technology is technology. Hence a paradox:  
It is a paradoxical feature of modern life that ''there is no such thing as “good” technology''. Technology that is ''good'' is not “technology”. It is ''[[furniture]]''.  
 
Only technology that breaks down, does not come up to brief, disappoints, creates more work than it solves or harbours a coven of [[Rent-extraction|rent-extracting]] parasites (yes, [[software as a service]], we ''are'' looking at you) — that is to say, ''bad'' technology is ever actually called “technology”.  
 
Hence a paradox:  


''Technology == Bad Technology''
''Technology == Bad Technology''
Line 9: Line 13:
{{sa}}
{{sa}}
*[[Invisible present]]
*[[Invisible present]]
*[[Software as a service]]
*[[Furniture]]

Latest revision as of 12:27, 8 December 2022

JC pontificates about technology
An occasional series.
Tell me more
Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

Technology
/tɛkˈnɒləʤi/ (n.)

An innovation or recently-contrived contraption about which thought-leaders make grandiose claims, but which does not yet work. Bad technology.

It is a paradoxical feature of modern life that there is no such thing as “good” technology. Technology that is good is not “technology”. It is furniture.

Only technology that breaks down, does not come up to brief, disappoints, creates more work than it solves or harbours a coven of rent-extracting parasites (yes, software as a service, we are looking at you) — that is to say, bad technology — is ever actually called “technology”.

Hence a paradox:

Technology == Bad Technology

See also