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There have been more than two really
Jul. 23rd, 2008 07:33 pmI've been sick again. Seems like half my flist have been sick recently or still are. Anyway, I'm over most of it and almost went to work today. Then I realised I wasn't up to a full day, so I rang my boss and told her I'd work a half day from home. Just like that. Its easy, I have access to my documents and email and people who need to talk to me have access to my cellphone numbers. No big deal right? Its a pretty common thing these days to telecommute. It isn't very long ago that it couldn't really happen though.
This isn't going to descend into a long ramble about how things have changed during this "second industrial revolution". You like that phrase? It used to be quite common, but I haven't heard it for a while. But I like the "revolution" aspect to describing what is happening in the world technology-wise and social-wise.* Instead it is about Terry Pratchett.
Pratchett likes to look at serious social change, even if it is in a rather silly fantasy universe. It isn't always about technology bringing about that change - it usually isn't in fact, but it is one of the mechanisms. The recent Going Postal was one of the most obvious examples about using technology to change the society in Ankh Morepork. It introduced Moist von Lipwig who reappears in Making Money. What was done for the postal system previously is now applied to the banking system. I liked Going Postal quite a lot - I thought it one of the best recent Pratchett novels. Part of that appreciation was enjoying the social change component that was strong in that book. Even though Making Money is a weaker book in many other respects, I again liked the treatment of social change. So with the postal system, banking and industrial engines (golems=steam engines) covered, I wonder what the next step in the Diskworld's own industrial revolution is while hoping that Terry has time to write that next step.
*Sure, we probably need another technological/social revolution to deal with some of the ecological stuff that is happening - strangely enough as a pretty much direct result of the first industrial revolution.
This isn't going to descend into a long ramble about how things have changed during this "second industrial revolution". You like that phrase? It used to be quite common, but I haven't heard it for a while. But I like the "revolution" aspect to describing what is happening in the world technology-wise and social-wise.* Instead it is about Terry Pratchett.
Pratchett likes to look at serious social change, even if it is in a rather silly fantasy universe. It isn't always about technology bringing about that change - it usually isn't in fact, but it is one of the mechanisms. The recent Going Postal was one of the most obvious examples about using technology to change the society in Ankh Morepork. It introduced Moist von Lipwig who reappears in Making Money. What was done for the postal system previously is now applied to the banking system. I liked Going Postal quite a lot - I thought it one of the best recent Pratchett novels. Part of that appreciation was enjoying the social change component that was strong in that book. Even though Making Money is a weaker book in many other respects, I again liked the treatment of social change. So with the postal system, banking and industrial engines (golems=steam engines) covered, I wonder what the next step in the Diskworld's own industrial revolution is while hoping that Terry has time to write that next step.
*Sure, we probably need another technological/social revolution to deal with some of the ecological stuff that is happening - strangely enough as a pretty much direct result of the first industrial revolution.