Comments on: Google, Rome, Empire http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2009/12/26/google-rome-empire/ learning, networks, knowledge, technology, community Sat, 4 Feb 2012 22:56:23 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Lisa M Lane http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2009/12/26/google-rome-empire/comment-page-1/#comment-33444 Lisa M Lane Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:02:14 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4523#comment-33444 Hi! George, please don't get me wrong -- I don't think of an extension of communication in terms of "merely". Rather, extending communication is one of the most crucial of global human activities! It is the source of most human creativity, and peaceful mutual understanding cannot exist without extensive contacts. I only differ where people claim that such extension is a guaranteed "good", that peaceful and productive relations will automatically result. I understand the idea of it being a space, but in many ways all intellectual communicative endeavor is also a space, such as that enabled by trade, ideological spread, and the sharing of resources over millenia. Hi! George, please don’t get me wrong — I don’t think of an extension of communication in terms of “merely”. Rather, extending communication is one of the most crucial of global human activities! It is the source of most human creativity, and peaceful mutual understanding cannot exist without extensive contacts. I only differ where people claim that such extension is a guaranteed “good”, that peaceful and productive relations will automatically result. I understand the idea of it being a space, but in many ways all intellectual communicative endeavor is also a space, such as that enabled by trade, ideological spread, and the sharing of resources over millenia.

]]> By: gsiemens http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2009/12/26/google-rome-empire/comment-page-1/#comment-33410 gsiemens Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:29:54 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4523#comment-33410 Hi Lisa - I was thinking of some of your comments in CCK08 when I read the article...wondering what a historian would say about the analysis! Great comment: "Similarly, the “lessons” only reside in the analogies — history doesn’t actually repeat itself, because there is always more than one lesson tied to the same event or era." In terms of the internet - I'm moving in a different direction with my thinking than you are. I think it's developing into another space, not simply an extension of communication. As data overlay and augmented reality develop, this will become more prominent. Hi Lisa – I was thinking of some of your comments in CCK08 when I read the article…wondering what a historian would say about the analysis!

Great comment: “Similarly, the “lessons” only reside in the analogies — history doesn’t actually repeat itself, because there is always more than one lesson tied to the same event or era.”

In terms of the internet – I’m moving in a different direction with my thinking than you are. I think it’s developing into another space, not simply an extension of communication. As data overlay and augmented reality develop, this will become more prominent.

]]> By: Lisa M Lane http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/2009/12/26/google-rome-empire/comment-page-1/#comment-33408 Lisa M Lane Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:26:21 +0000 http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/?p=4523#comment-33408 I gotta comment as a historian. The analogy between Rome and Google is a new analogy only. As with all efforts to tie "history" to current events, the author picked and chose from the Roman Empire and made comparisons. The link between them is actually the collection of analogies developed by the business world, in comparing economic empires to military empires. In many ways such analogies don't fit at all, but they give us deeper understanding via the creation of the analogies themselves -- some aspects will overlap, and those that do provide insight. This is why history <i>seems</i> to repeat itself, because there are always just enough differences for people to claim this is a new situation and thus earlier similar events don't apply (as you noted). Similarly, the "lessons" only reside in the analogies -- history doesn't actually repeat itself, because there is always more than one lesson tied to the same event or era. In terms of the internet itself, I'm afraid I'm old-fashioned and consider it as an extension of communication rather than a "new world". Communication technologies have been changing over time, and each one seems to expand the connections between individuals, and provides a more accessible array of resources. The "goodness" that results from this may be what's overhyped. Lisa I gotta comment as a historian. The analogy between Rome and Google is a new analogy only. As with all efforts to tie “history” to current events, the author picked and chose from the Roman Empire and made comparisons. The link between them is actually the collection of analogies developed by the business world, in comparing economic empires to military empires. In many ways such analogies don’t fit at all, but they give us deeper understanding via the creation of the analogies themselves — some aspects will overlap, and those that do provide insight. This is why history seems to repeat itself, because there are always just enough differences for people to claim this is a new situation and thus earlier similar events don’t apply (as you noted). Similarly, the “lessons” only reside in the analogies — history doesn’t actually repeat itself, because there is always more than one lesson tied to the same event or era.

In terms of the internet itself, I’m afraid I’m old-fashioned and consider it as an extension of communication rather than a “new world”. Communication technologies have been changing over time, and each one seems to expand the connections between individuals, and provides a more accessible array of resources. The “goodness” that results from this may be what’s overhyped.

Lisa

]]>