Hi gh
I think this is a pro po
considering your experience this is a situation
where your telephone company doen;t seem to know
what is or isn't them or perhaps you don't know
what is or isn't you
I know the feeling - let down by the capitalist
infrastructure which suposedly wnts to make money
out of you while protecting you you think
while someone has taken over your phoneline and it's
legal etc... I don't mean you I mean me!!
X
-----Original Message-----
From: gh hovagimyan
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2014 2:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [NEW-MEDIA-CURATING] Altered behavior
Hi List,
I had a curious thing happen to me the other day that was very telling.
I have an old cellphone that I use. It's not networked. I rarely use
it so I use a pay as you go plan.
I buy a thousand minutes for $100 dollars and it lasts a year.
On the day in question, I was returning from a chore and was running
to get to a panel discussion.
I was one of the guest speakers. I had written down the address of
the gallery on a piece of paper that I left on my desk at home.
I also forgot my cellphone. Since I am of a certain age I thought, I
would simply go to a pay phone and call information. Then I realized
there are no more pay phones!
Then I thought, maybe I can ask someone on the street, if they would
call for me, they all had cellphones and were walking down the street
staring at them. Then I thought, no that's too weird.
People wold take offense. Desperate, I thought well maybe if I ask
someone to google the gallery. That was a good plan but It
necessitated me engaging someone on the street. I thought, maybe
there's an internet cafe or someplace I could log on for a moment.
Finally I formulated a plan, I thought if I went to a bar/restaurant
maybe someone would help me. I walked into a bar walked to the back
where there was a dining area and looked for a phone booth. A waiter
came up to me and asked if he could help me. I asked if there was a
pay phone. He said there's one in the back but it doesn't work! I
thanked him and was about to leave when he opened a drawer and pulled
out a smart phone. He said you can use this.
I then coyly asked if it was a smart phone and if he would google the
galleries name to get the address. He said ok and while he was
searching he said he knows the gallery and its a couple of blocks
down the street.
That particular experience illustrates how we interact and perceive
the world. The human thing is to ask a person if they know where an
address is. The early tech thing is to phone information and our
current situation is to use GPS and Google. In a very fundamental
way this can become a basis for a performance.
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