Re: <nettime> Galloway: 10 Theses on the Digital

[Newmedia@aol.com]

Hello:
 
> What is the digital exactly? 
 
At last, someone is asking the right question . . . !!
 
> The digital means the one dividing into two. 
 
Actually, that would be BINARY -- named after binary arithmetic, with
only two values. The widely used term "bit" is actually a contraction
of "binary digit."
 
Yes, in the early days of computing, those involved somewhat  arbitrarily 
decided to contrast "analog" with "digital" computing but,  if they had cared 
much about the words they were using, *digital* would  probably not have 
been their choice. 
 
What they were getting at was closer to "discrete" as opposed to  
"continuous."
 
If you look up the original meaning of the word "digit," what you will
find is FINGER (or toe)!
 
> Its heart lies in metaphysics, and adjacent philosophical 
> systems, most importantly dialectics. 
 
Not really. There is plenty to discuss in the metaphysics of
continuousness vs. discreteness that has little to do with any common
meaning of "dialectics." It feels like this whole investigation is
heading off in an odd direction.
 
> By comparison, the analogue means the two coming 
> together as  one. 
 
Huh?  Analog simply means continuous (i.e. not discrete) and has no  
implication of "two" or of "coming together."  This is getting pretty  strange now.
 
> It is found in theories of immanence: either the immanence of the
> total plane of being, or the immanence of the individual person
> or object. Either immanence in its infinity, or immanence in its
> finitude.

Okay, I get it.  This isn't about "digital" at all -- is  it?  
 
So, I wonder what his "10 Theses" are all about?  Blackness?   Superfolds?  
No demands?
 
One would hope that a little Leibniz sneaks its way into this discussion,  
if that's not asking for too much.
 
Mark Stahlman
Brooklyn NY


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