2.1.21 - The Three Societies
There has never been a better time for artists to take over the world. This entry describes progress on the 3D printing front before running through trends which I believe to be significant thus far in 2021. This will examine The Three Societies:
the Credit society
the Hawthorne society
the Creator society
AMPEL February Update
*for background on AMPEL, see any of these articles:
I still find myself walking in footsteps, though they get shallower on each new expedition. As the expansive world of additive manufacturing widens before me, my grasp of our progress within it becomes more refined. Just when a line of question reaches its end a dozen more arise. Even without effort or attempt to “think of good ideas” during a period of work, they appear. Unfortunately, there are more good ideas than I could hope to conduct research and documentation upon. Happily, this is not a terrible complaint to have.
On Organizational Structure
Before discussing recent improvement and next projects, I must share a mental strategy of utter importance to our operations. This is the strategy of finding a happy medium between two organizational models of distributed responsibility: the network and the hierarchy.
The network style of distribution relies on the power of the collective to reach the best decision. In general, the more pairs of eyes we have on a project, the more confident we can be that we will achieve the “correct” result. In fact, more and more often we are finding that the collective decision is the best decision because collective effort can be leveraged into altering the environment to make it the best decision. The power of the network is not to be underestimated.
The hierarchy puts executive power in the hands of individuals, proving it the opposite of the network. The hierarchy works because decision-making is centralized and position is fully understood. Particularly in times of chaos or in instances where great, important decisions are necessary, the hierarchy shines. It’s ability to script and run actions is as powerful as the structure it is built upon. Leadership is coveted and prized in the 21st century.
AMPEL seeks to pull the best traits from each model to build a hybrid. This hybrid’s strength doesn’t come from its ability to represent each aspect of both models, but rather its ability to switch between the models. When projects arise which need a network to solve the problem, the organization can quickly split into a collective group. As milestones along the project require seniors to make decisions the organization is adherent to a hierarchical structure in order to execute.
Recent Developments
In the spirit of maintaining updates of the additive manufacturing program, here’s some recent updates. Details are in the work log, but the summary is as follows:
Locally networked printer: the E3-T1 machine I’m assigned to is now a part of the AMPEL network. The integration of a Raspberry Pi Zero running the Octopi networked print system has smoothed operations and produced a mountain of data.
*note: running Octoprint on rPiZero is not necessarily recommended, as the smaller board may not handle large, complex GCODE transmission. Use of rPi3 or rPi4 is recommended. Having said that, it works just fine for me currently though projects with 100k+ triangles begin to show lag.
Mixed materials were tested in replacement of the normal glass print bed, this was an interesting test with incredible results. Take care not to confuse this mixed deposition surface with the mixed deposition materials we will see in one of the next projects.
Design complexity, with an emphasis on print-in-place codes, has had more investment. One of the largest working factors here is my own time which can be dedicated to practicing in and learning more of design programs. Fusion 360 by Autodesk remains the program of choice, but Solidworks may need to be revisited.
Next Projects
Mixed materials have been acquired to grow the database. This is PETG, or polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified. Still a thermoplastic, this boasts more durability than ABS as well as less shrinkage. To say that I’m excited is an understatement, having had to work with that disgusting polylactic acid material for the past few months.
Expanded network of design subcontractors is an ongoing project, but now can be undertaken with structure. Up until now I’ve done all Fusion 360 design in-house and sourced designs from Solidworks. Though I believe Fusion to be the superior program, Solidworks is well-established and the education process for Fusion is lacking in implementation.
What I propose, and indeed what has been undertaken, is to build an established and trusted network of Fusion 360 designers by teaching them myself. Now, this turns into an opportunity for me to design a video-based curriculum, affording me a chance to practice my own skills in the process (see the Hawthorne society below).Expanded network of additive manufacturing machines. This will build on the current AMPEL network to allow myself (and authorized users) to access the printer database and capabilities remotely. I don’t expect this to be difficult but I do expect it to be an exact science.
Integrated wearables must be explored. Designs of both headsets and hand/wrist pieces have been tested with good results. Now these must be fitted to the network.
A large part of integrated wearables will benefit from integrated material by adding conductive material to the database and manufacturing system. Since we already have 1kg of Nintatek Eel in stock, this just comes down to making time.
To summarize, AMPEL has had tremendous development during work on wintertime projects.
The Three Societies
The Credit Society
More and more I am approached in conversation about an opinion on the eerily-similar-to-black-mirror system of social credit reported upon in China. My comments wander towards how our system in America might not be too far away, and recent events only confirm this suspicion. Just as the economic unfolding of COVID eased its way up recovery, the power of the internet disrupted the monetary system in early 2021 in two forms. The first challenged the concept of value as an internet community waged war against the institutional investors on Wall Street. The second form was another vault in the story of cryptocurrency: not era-defining but still an incident of interest. Both of these narratives are unique and incredible in their own right, but their advent served the purpose of making us question the definition of money.
Let’s face it: money, at least “money” as we’ve known it, may very well be useless. Indeed, in the two weeks prior to the writing of this post the number of businesses in my county which exclusively accept payment via credit card (no cash, no bank card) jumped to 15.5% growth, according to a google search. This is from a previously steady 2.4% growth through the 4 prior months. To investigate, I called several new vendors and they confirmed that they would only accept transactions on credit. Correspondingly, a look at national interest rates shows that they have receded to close to zero.
This example should not serve to convince the reader that social credit (a la China’s) has crept into America alongside rising monetary credit, but to display how the phenomenon of credit (investment in future value) is accelerating to replace currency. The things which we are going to do in the future are more valuable than the money which we are holding right now.
The credit in society exists on trust and, in our case, trust that the collective effort of our current and future generations will fit the investment we’re making today. This is no new concept but the fantastic rise in debt following the COVID pandemic begs investigation for no other reason than the phenomenon’s occurrence. Current events coupled with the power of deep learning and AI are accelerating the predictive nature of our markets out and away from “present-value” by executing on
The credit society is here to stay.
The Hawthorne Society
The year is 2021 and odds are that if you are out and about, you’re on camera. Such an interesting phenomenon, being on camera. An obvious statement is being made: there’s a possibility that someone is looking at you, a privacy issue which our ancestors would have taken deep offense to. Today, though, we seem to be over it and accept the fact that we are under almost constant surveillance.
Perhaps nobody’s watching. Perhaps everybody’s watching! Perhaps a particular group is watching. Regardless of the external mental stance (nobody, everybody, somebody) taken in reaction, the reaction which is taken is indicative of our base level of awareness.
Evidence of Reaction
In 1958, Henry Landsberger published Hawthorne Revisited, a revolutionary assessment of the 1924-1932 Hawthorne studies. Through this study, the productivity of groups of factory workers was tested in work environments of varying light levels. Incidentally, what the research uncovered was not the optimum brightness for lights filling the factory floor, but rather reached the conclusion that, regardless of the light level, all groups who were a part of the study (under observation) worked harder and had higher productivity than groups who were not a part of the study.
The Hawthorne Effect refers to a type of reactivity in which individuals modify an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed.
We see this reactivity phenomenon in other events. In the previous case, workers experienced a physical and mental reaction, as their productivity demands both. Stage fright presents a more extreme case, where actors have been known to experience a physical reaction before even setting foot on the stage itself; the mere idea of observation spurs a reaction. Actors or reporters who frequent the camera often tell a pressure while recording film to be “on” and engaged with the audience watching.
The Hawthorne Effect tells us that reactivity, or change, should be expected under any observation. Now let us examine the status quo, where cameras and observation are ingrained in the 21st century.
Observation Everywhere
Perhaps the most astounding phenomenon I’ve come across is the tendency of young parents to create a social media account (facebook or instagram, for example) for their infant child. A host of debates surround the phenomenon but the issue towards which I’d like to draw attention is the child’s experience as they are under the camera from an extremely young age. We are breeding a generation of humans who are growing up with observation as a staple of their life.
Further we see the virality of visual media amongst youths and teenagers. Platforms like Instagram, Tik Tok, VSCO and others have created an environment where the reward for “sharing your life” through picture and video with an audience is so great that online vendors, sometimes even the platforms themselves, will pay large sums to those willing to share the innermost facets of their life. Those influencers and creators who share the most vibrantly and the most genuinely are rewarded. In fact, the notoriety which comes with high levels of “engagement” on visual media is extraordinarily valuable and coveted. Unfortunately since this engagement is often visible to all, hierarchies are established in youth communities based solely on internet popularity. Observation and recognition are critical to the youth society.
The Products of Observation
The presence of cameras or devices of recording has always played a role in the spreading of ideas and expanding one’s general sphere of influence. Those with the equipment and the capabilities are able to use powers of observation to their own advancement by spreading curated information. A second product has to do with an individual’s reaction to their own observation. These can be described in two types of change:
External change is driven by media production. The power of television in particular to direct the attitudes of others has been flexed at various points through history. The television is capable of creating people who “believe instantly in dramatic fantasies and can be controlled with tiny dots of light” (Dai Soto, 1999). Media is how we share ideas with the world around us and direct their action.
Internal change is driven by feedback loops. In personal experience, the act of being on camera then watching it back always spurs me to change, whether this be in composure, grooming, or manner of speech.
Observation, then, presents two great capabilities in one. The strategic media creator can use these to improve their own skills while coincidentally influencing the community around them. Analysis of the Hawthorne Principle paints for us an interesting picture of how to see future generations of humans grow: under the camera.
The Creator Society
Esse est percipi
George Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne, was an avid idealist and critic of materialism during the 17th-18th centuries. His challenge of our relationship with reality turned inward after describing the modes through which we interact with the world around us. Most famous of his quotations is that “Esse est percipi: to be is to be perceived.” For example, the hermit who lives secluded in his cave is essentially nonexistent to the society which has no perception of him. Alternatively, a celebrated artist who appears on various media in front of millions of people is very much a part of reality to those who see that media (music, TV, magazines, billboards). Berkeley’s analysis of perception is better analogized through the popular riddle: “If a tree were to fall in a forest with no one tohear it, would it still make a sound?”
Who, then, possesses a greater capability to change the world? Who’s present situation among his peers and the material world about him is most conducive towards affecting his environment to be different? The one who has impressed himself upon the material world and upon his peers. Perception is power, and we can assign varying degrees of power to varying degrees of perception. Creating the right perception is a capability taken advantage of by skilled media creators, and this skill of altered perception offers incredible power.
Perception is Power
If one’s level of power upon his environment is limited to what others perceive it to be, then we can make some interesting propositions about this relationship.
Action and impression are the drivers of power. How is one to be perceived? By doing something or being somebody to be seen. How is one to effectively communicate ideas and drive others to action? By practicing how their self and ideas are manifested into the world and shared with others through curation.
Content curation is indeed a valuable skill. The practiced content creator is an expert at translating information into an understandable, enjoyable format. Creating a reproduction which the audience is excited to see cannot be undervalued. However, curation quickly leads to manipulation.
Manipulation seems to be encouraged. I do not pretend to ignore the moral repercussions of information manipulation; I only present that it is rarely in an organization’s best interest to present “the truth” and much more often is it in their best interest to curate a reproduction. The best reproductions are fraught with loaded, sweeping phrases and visceral, emotional appeal. The best reproductions rely on skilled, visionary creators.
The Creator Society
Finally, we come to 2021. The world is still reeling from the chaos of the COVID pandemic. People flat out “work from home” or just commute much less frequently to the office. Consumption of media is at an all-time high, with video streaming services prevalent in every home and on every device. This vast consumption of video media during the middle part of 2020 might be the time period of the most dense transmission of information in human history and this consumption has demanded a new supply.
This vast consumption demanded action from the production side on the part of Adam Smith’s invisible hand: too many, quarantined and bored, had finished all the good shows on Netflix! The invisible hand was already in motion, and had provided humanity with incredible devices capable of capturing pictures or videos. The democratization of content creation was not done, though, and soon these devices were in the palms of millions of people. Now, anybody could be a creator.
The invisible hand, spurred by vast consumption, altered the gateway to shared creativity. No longer does Hollywood own the video production business: tech giants have taken over with their own production studios as customers flock to their streaming platforms (Amazon, Apple, Google/Youtube, Netflix/Hulu). Social media platforms consume both screen time and mental energy off-screen as the youth become enraptured with the brilliance of others online. Even the artistic community thrives, as thousands of painters, sculptors, and other creators share their passion and teach others through the web. The democratization of content creation opened the door to a creative arts revolution of a digital degree.
To capture a version of the world and create a representation through media has always been part of what it means to be an artist. The creator today has more media through which to be expressive as well as more avenues through which to be perceived. Further, the internet celebrates artists! The computer shudders in delight each time the phrase “what if” is uttered. No wonder it is the tradition of TED speakers to begin a speech with “Imagine with me…” as they share their vision of the future.
The Creator Society is all around us.
Conclusions
There has never been a better time for artists to take over the world. The credit society has shown us that our belief in ideas of the future is more valuable than materials currently in our hands. The Hawthorne society describes our world in perspective of reaction to stimuli, and the society which is born out of an awareness of observation. Finally, the Creator society is one which will continue to dominate so long as unique visions and the skills behind their reproduction are held in such high value.
What will happen if we use this power to spread unifying, world-changing ideas? What will happen if we don’t?
As always, thank you for reading The Blog =)
