Saturday, September 09, 2017
All oddballs now
Saw a stupid pun about 'record collectors'. Got me thinking....
Globalized and centralized information has turned ALL collectors into oddballs.
Before globalized info (iTunes, the Cloud, Kindle, etc) there was a sharp distinction between hobbyist collectors and non-hobbyist collectors.
Everyone who liked music had a record collection. Everyone who liked to read had a book collection.
Those collections weren't oddball hobbies, while stamp or coin or bottle collections were hobbies.
Crucial difference: Books and records are information. When you had a shelf of LPs or a shelf of dictionaries, you had your own unhackable storehouse of information. It couldn't be altered or censored without your knowledge.
Bottles and stamps are not information. The collector knows many things about his treasured objects, but the stamps and coins can't be consulted, can't be read or played to provide hours of entertainment.
Bookshelves and record racks were standard items of furniture, often built as part of a house. Stamp albums and bottle display cabinets were never standard furniture.
Private information is no longer the norm. We expect our information to be subject to censorship and disappearance. It's unsurprising.
Labels: Patient things
¶ 3:26 AM
