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P3D Re: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste


  • From: Dave Williams <davidrw@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • Subject: P3D Re: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste
  • Date: Sat, 25 Sep 1999 06:24:22 -0600

Bruce Springsteen wrote:


> >The only way to accomplish
> >this is to program or automate the processes until they are more or less
> >independent of human judgement - let the well-designed machine do the
> >thinking so the human behind the camera  or in the lab can be dumb.

George Themelis wrote:
 
> If you think about it, most of our actions are reflexes, automated,
> without much thought... like when we drive (I know you don't but
> anyway) we can think stereo photography and still manage to put the
> right pressure to the gas & break pedals, turn the wheel the right
> amount, etc., without thinking.
> 
> The more I think about it... automation is not that bad...
> 
> George


When I first started using computers, it was 1971 in the Air Force.  I
worked in the Reenlistment and Separations office of Personnel.  If I
needed a list of retirees for a certain month, I had to write out by
hand several pages of code that spelled out what I wanted and where I
wanted it on the report page, etc, then carefully key that mess into the
computer perfectly, then wait a week for the report that was printed in
some other building, or wait a week for a note that said I missed a
period in the transaction, etc, etc.

Bruce, if it wasn't for that "dumbing down" automation, you'd be hard
put to write your email about it.  When I worked as a staff photographer
I wouldn't think of shooting a conference or news event with manual
cameras, too many important shots missed.  Granted, few if any of those
press shots were Ansel Adams style masterpieces...

Now, after a week of printing automated prints taken by automated
photographers with automated cameras, a weekend of using my Realist, or
a view camera is like therapy!

Dave Williams