03 JAN 2012 by ideonexus

 How File Structure Affects Our Perception of the World

The file is a set of philosophical ideas made into eternal flesh. The ideas expressed by the file include the notion that human expression comes in severable chunks that can be organized as leaves on an abstract treeā€”and that the chunks have versions and need to be matched to compatible applications.
  1  notes

Files are compact chunks that can be categorized, have versions, and can be matched to applications. But don't we do this with taxonomy in biology? Species are defined, but they are flowing degrees of characteristics that we semi-artificially categorize.

29 MAY 2011 by ideonexus

 Advertisers Exploit our Tendency Toward Distinction

Advertisers, politicians, and anyone else who wants your money or support are very interested in programming you with certain distinctions over others and understanding the distinctions you see the world through so that they can take advantage of them. What are you more likely to buy for breakfast: a slice of chocolate cake or a "chocolate-chip muffin"? Calling a round piece of high-fat chocolate cake a "muffin" takes advantage of the distinctions you have around breakfast food and increases ...
  1  notes

Prompting us to distinguish their products into more positive categories.