The first part of the word (ephemeron) means temporary. Sarx means flesh(used in religion to mean the body of christ). So i dont get how you went from the one to the other..<div><br></div><div><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
2011/10/27 Kevin Carson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:free.market.anticapitalist@gmail.com">free.market.anticapitalist@gmail.com</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
The following brain dump came to me as I was driving, and I'm keying<br>
it in here at the brew pub. �I cc'ed this to Andy and Francesca, since<br>
it's sort of in their bailiwick. �What I'd like help with is reducing<br>
this to a more succinct and coherent principle with fewer moving<br>
parts. �And I'm especially interested in how it applies to distributed<br>
activist movements like OWS.<br>
<br>
Paul Hawken and the Lovinses stated a general principle that when<br>
load-bearing infrastructures are built to handle the load at peak<br>
demand, about 80% of the unit cost comes from the added infrastructure<br>
that comes from the 20% increased usage that comes from the tiny<br>
fraction of the time when the infrastructure experiences peak load.<br>
They gave the �specific example of home heating, where enormous<br>
savings could be achieved by scaling capacity to handle only modal<br>
usage, with additional demand handled through spot heating.<br>
<br>
More generally, centralized infrastructures must be scaled to handle<br>
peak loads even when such loads only occur a small fraction of the<br>
time. �And then they must amortize the extra cost, by breaking user<br>
behavior to the needs of the infrastructure.<br>
<br>
At the opposite pole is distributed infrastructure, in which most of<br>
the infrastructural �goods are distributed among the endpoints,<br>
relations are directly between endpoints without passing through a<br>
central hub, and volume is driven entirely by user demand at the<br>
endpoints. �Since the capital goods possessed by the endpoints is a<br>
miniscule fraction of the cost of a centralized infrastructure, there<br>
is no �incentive to subordinate end-users to the needs of the<br>
infrastructure.<br>
<br>
The classic example is Bucky Fuller's own: �the replacement of the<br>
untold millions of tons of metal in transoceanic cables with a few<br>
dozen one-ton satellites. �The entire infrastructure consists of<br>
satellite dishes at the endpoints commuinicating -- via free,<br>
immaterial ether! -- to the satellites.<br>
<br>
Likewise projected systems which replace the fiber optic backbone with<br>
satellite connections and last-mile meshworks.<br>
<br>
Also the enormous infrastructure tied up in the civil aviation<br>
system's central hubs and batch-and-queue processing, as opposed to<br>
small jets flying directly between endpoints.<br>
<br>
Another example is mass-production industry, which minimizes unit<br>
costs by running its enormously costly capital-intensive machinery at<br>
full capacity 24/7, and then requires organizing a society to<br>
guarantee consumption of the full output whether consumers want the<br>
shit or not -- what's called "supply-push distribution." �If consumers<br>
won't take it all, you soak up surplus output by destroying it through<br>
a permanent war economy, sinking it into an Interstate Highway System,<br>
etc. -- or maybe just making stuff to fall apart.<br>
<br>
The opposite of mass-production is distributed production on the<br>
Emilia-Romagna model, with the capital infrastructure distributed to<br>
the point of consumption and output geared to local demand. �The<br>
transnational corporate model of outsourcing is an attempt to put this<br>
new wine in old bottles. �It distributes the production facilities,<br>
but does so on the basis of local labor cost rather than the location<br>
of market demand. �So it still relies on the centralized<br>
wholesale/retail infrastructure of warehouses on<br>
wheels/containerships, scaled to peak load, to transfer goods from the<br>
distributed production sites to the point of final consumption. �The<br>
pure and adulterated distributed manufacturing model, OTOH, does away<br>
with this infrastructure by siting production at the last-mile network<br>
of consumption.<br>
<br>
My last example, the one I suspect is more functionally related to<br>
distributed activism models, is the distributed model of stigmergic<br>
organization in Wikipedia or in open-source design as described by<br>
Eric Raymond. �Individual contributions are coordinated entirely by<br>
endpoint users, coordinating their efforts with the finished body of<br>
work, without the intermediary of a centralized institutional<br>
framework as in old-line activist organizations.<br>
<br>
BTW, what's a good word for the opposite of "ephemeralization"? �Maybe<br>
something that riffs off of gnostic concepts like sarx/sarcos? �If so,<br>
does this mean that Alfred Sloan was the Demiurge?<br>
<br>
--<br>
Kevin Carson<br>
Research Associate, Center for a Stateless Society <a href="http://c4ss.org" target="_blank">http://c4ss.org</a><br>
Homebrew Industrial Revolution: �A Low-Overhead Manifesto<br>
<a href="http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com" target="_blank">http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com</a><br>
Desktop Regulatory State: �The Countervailing Power of Super-Empowered<br>
Individuals <a href="http://desktopregulatorystate.wordpress.com" target="_blank">http://desktopregulatorystate.wordpress.com</a><br>
Organization Theory: �A Libertarian Perspective<br>
<a href="http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html" target="_blank">http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html</a><br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;border-collapse:collapse"><pre style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br></pre><pre style="white-space:pre-wrap">
Sincerely yours, </pre><pre style="white-space:pre-wrap"> Apostolis Xekoukoulotakis</pre></span><br>
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