I thoroughly enjoy many of the science fiction works of Isaac Asimov, an American science fiction writer and biochemistry professor. Reading the short story we did in class, apart from the fantastic science fiction writing, read as a sort of fable, intended to have a lesson behind it. In the story, we see a sociologist […]
This week’s work was quite illuminating in terms of discovering how recycling works on a practical level. However, it has many fatal flaws that prevent it from being as effective as we’d hope or assume it would be in our collective subconscious. There are plenty of examples that illustrate this point. The first is that
the importance of words and how to rethink (plastics)recycling Read More »
During the readings on disposability, I was surprised to notice a stark contrast between the article written in the plastics journal in the 1950/60s, and the ones more recently. “The future of plastics is in the trash” is indisputably a sentence we can look back on and only sense irony, but why was it said
Reflection on Disposability as human and scientific progress Read More »
Many times, while I attempt to conceptualize waste, I limit my understanding to throwing away the parts no longer useful to me anymore, whether it’s a food item that’s expired or the useless packaging it’s come in. However, I’ve come to continually realize that waste should be evaluated from more than one angle, as sometimes
Attempting to Conceptuialize ‘pre-emptive’ & ‘Reactive’ waste Read More »
I think that there is a fascinating discussion around the question of where waste is ‘supposed’ to be in relation to this week’s readings, particularly in relation to the social contract often formed by people and governments. The first thing I find fascinating is how long it took for people to not only become upset
Where waste is ‘supposed’ to be Read More »
This week’s analysis of two different waste working systems was very interesting in revealing common challenges the job entails, but also unveils stark contrasts between methods and opens up new possibilities for analyzing existing systems that may have seemed conceptually farfetched in prior times. For example, the mere concept of being able to haul waste
Waste Workers: The obvious and the hidden Read More »
A personal theory I have about why there is so much waste in the world has to do with human psychology. People love convenience and ease, and the fewer barriers to entry you can provide for people make your product more profitable. For example, the packaging and preservatives in food allow it to last longer
Individual Responsibility Read More »
The first rather existential and philosophical piece we read on the different ways food can be seen and for what purpose it serves was rather illuminating in highlighting important aspects of the way food presently works that I have never considered before. Something that has been on my mind is this concept of ‘removal’ from
discussing food in freemarket capitalism Read More »
The readings this week were illuminating in that I never really thought about how waste was utilized historically or how it may be utilized in the future. To call it waste in itself is not entirely true, although I believe that some inherent disgust exists around shit (negative feeling tones involved with smelling it), it
reflecting on shit and it’s usefulness Read More »
The dichotomy between this week’s two topics was a fascinating insight into the common habits and disorders related to people’s personal space, which fascinatingly enough, translate into important societal implications and have even highlighted some of the issues of socioeconomic class and gender that we are still feeling the effects of today. To focus my
modern implications of cleaning history Read More »