more on new printing
A few posts ago, we wrote about the influence of the idea of ‘printing‘ on a whole series of new technological developments. After adding a pinch of ‘bio’ to the search equation, various other developments surfaced in the information soup, e.g. inkjet-based tissue engineering (cf. scaffolding), printing skin, ‘organ printing’, dermal displays, DNA-printing, bacteria printing, …
As we mentioned the printing metaphor also relates to ‘memory’, to storing and safeguarding information for future generations, something paper still scores higher in than new media. Bacteria seem to be an extremely robust option in terms of long term memory.
As such, one might say that the ongoing synergetic convergence between bio-, information, cognitive and (micro/)nanotechnologies (referred to by many other names as well) is leading to a Gutenberg-like renaissance of the printing idea (among a plethora of other developments of course).
It would be interesting to hear continuations of the theories of people like Havelock, Innis, Marshall & Eric McLuhan, Ong, etc. in terms of impacts and fundamental changes brought about by these ‘new new media’ directions, especially now the biological component enters the playing field. The former authors and their colleagues, followers etc. taught us about the fascinating shifts from oral to print culture to second orality etc. Insights gained in all of these have much to say about how people’s ways of looking, thinking, acting and communicating change because of such new ‘extensions of man‘.
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