Difference between revisions of "Michael's Projects"
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The underlying theme in all of Illich's work is to try to give back to the average citizen some part of the control over knowledge and technology which is exercized by specialized elites. Illich was a precursor of the personal computing revolution and of the culture of the Internet. His book Tools for Conviviality directly influenced [http://conviviality.ouvaton.org/article.php3?id_article=39 Lee Felsenstein], whose key role in the invention of the personal computer is little recognized today. | The underlying theme in all of Illich's work is to try to give back to the average citizen some part of the control over knowledge and technology which is exercized by specialized elites. Illich was a precursor of the personal computing revolution and of the culture of the Internet. His book Tools for Conviviality directly influenced [http://conviviality.ouvaton.org/article.php3?id_article=39 Lee Felsenstein], whose key role in the invention of the personal computer is little recognized today. | ||
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| + | In particular, I wanted to apply Illich's ideas to the design of household appliances in order to tranform them into [[Reparable Tools]]. Designing appliances to be easily reparable by their owners would both give consumers more control over technology, and reduce waste by making applicances more durable and easier to recycle. | ||
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| + | More broadly, I wanted to explore the extent to which social systems and idea systems can be considered "tools," and how they could be made more "convivial" in Illich's sense. | ||
==Cooperative Social Network== | ==Cooperative Social Network== | ||
