<nettime> the importance of being rhizome digest [pocock, economy car]

[nettimes_zeiten_sich_bespiegeln <nettime@bbs.thing.net>]

Fwd: <nettime> The majordomo panoply of other nettimes
     Philip.Pocock@t-online.de (philip pocock)
Re: Rhizome: Institution Lite Version
     Economy Car <economycar2003@yahoo.com>

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Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 17:01:32 +0100
Subject: Fwd: <nettime> The majordomo panoply of other nettimes
From: Philip.Pocock@t-online.de (philip pocock)

Anfang der weitergeleiteten E-Mail:

> Von: Philip.Pocock@t-online.de (philip pocock)
> Datum: Sun, 26. Jan. 2003  16:42:01 Europe/Berlin
> An: Bruce Sterling <bruces@well.com>
> Kopie: philip pocock <philip.pocock@t-online.de>
> Betreff: Re: <nettime> The majordomo panoply of other nettimes
>
> there was a time i avoided nettime, a few of years ago, when so many 
> regulars were pumping the channel with the cv soft job-seeking sort of 
> info mails  disguised as communication. if geert means by 'coming to a 
> halt' that the 'opportunity' function of nettime is over, i think that 
> is the case. however nettime is imho not ordinary at all at one end of 
> its bell curve and i enjoy scanning it and reading some entries. get a 
> chuckle out of the mail below.
>
> 'time is the moving image of eternity.' (Timeaus) nettime is perhaps 
> the reverse, flips Plato's formula and 'nettime is the moving image of 
> the times'. something like that. hope the issue of time becomes more 
> apparent as i feel it is the number one out-of-sync issue in our 
> troubled world.
>
> philip pocock
>
> Am Sunday den, 26. January 2003, um 02:38, schrieb Bruce Sterling:
>
>> Geert Lovink remarks:  "The nettime project in my
 <..>

the more we share, the more we have. - l.nimoy

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Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 08:02:45 -0800 (PST)
From: Economy Car <economycar2003@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Rhizome: Institution Lite Version

I think all of us are trying to do the same thing
here, which is make our work and find a reasonable way
to support ourselves in a society which does not
support cultural production. At the same time, I
believe that people love to hate institutions, so
maybe that's the sole reason that this rhizome debate
drones on. 

But I think it's something else.

While I agree with Cary that we need the institutions
AND we must keep a critical eye towards them, I have
to point out the irony of the fact that New York
City-centrism continues even on the Net. Being a
net-based institution, I don't see why Rhizome *has*
to be based in NYC (very much unlike why someone whose
primary venues are performance art spaces, requiring a
material, corporeal presence, has to be in NYC--this
type of work of course has good reason to be produced
in a population center). 

So, when Mark Tribe's salary is published and it is a
good $20,000/year higher than starting salaries at the
institution at which I teach (which is not in NYC), I
am not willing to say "yes, but poor Mark HAS to live
in NYC and it is so expensive there." I chose a life
outside of NYC because it means that I can enjoy a
reasonable standard of living and make my work, and
work for an institution that I can at least feel good
about at the end of the day (I know, Are Flagan: you
have some deep-seeded hatred of universities and
academics, we are all evil in your eyes, please refer
to the first sentence of this post). One of the
reasons I love the Internet as a medium is because it
enables connections among geographically-diverse
people.

But my point is actually much more simple: I think
that Rhizome is elitist, has contributed to the
creation of a hegemonic structure in what is at its
core a non-hegemonic medium, and is not rhizomatic at
all in its growth patterns. It seems that there are a
lot of others who feel this way too. Charging a $5
"cover" will only further these attributes. So, I'm
not interested. If, on the other hand, I felt
differently about Rhizome, and they were merely asking
for $5 and not demanding it as a prerequisite for
access, I believe I would comply. To me, that is the
simple heart of the issue, and I believe it's the
reason that so many have posted on this topic.

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