Laurence Mesirow
I am a writer who has been concerned about the effects of modern technology on human living environments and human behavior for many years.
The Dangerous Oasis of Consumer Technology
Up until now, there have been certain assumptions made in this column about how humans become robots. People experience sensory distortion living in modern technological environments. This sensory distortion is created by the vacuum...
Robots Who Are Masters Of Love
A new robot was introduced this holiday season with a different focus than that which we would normally associate with robots. This new robot has not been created primarily with what we normally would...
Returning To The Land With Robots
A topic that was discussed a while back in my column was why people living in rural communities exhibited the same pathological effects from modern technology as people living in modern urban environments. The...
Creating Friction-filled Problems To Feel Alive
We have all learned at one time or another that sometimes it is important to postpone gratification if we want to achieve the greatest rewards in life. But sometimes it goes further than that. ...
Spouting News From A Fake News Anchor
In a previous article, I discussed the use of virtual reality to recreate people, both dead and living, for different screen performances. It was pointed out that in the process of creating the representations...
Feeling Connected While Taking A Shower
As a result of the Internet of Things (IoT), human beings are becoming increasingly connected to the different devices that surround them in modern technological society. In the process of creating more connections between...
Becoming Entranced By A Hovering Saucer
The other day, I attended a social event that combined music, food and mostly intelligent conversation. And then there was my friend Tom, who was manipulating a controller in order to fly what looked...
The Technological Field That Surrounds Us
This column has focused a great deal on the problems created by new technological devices. And although some modern technological devices create excessive abrasive friction, like the noisy machines in factories and on construction...
Manipulating A Chunk Of Human Experience
Most of the experiences I have focused on in this column dealing with sensory distortion in modern technological society have been visual experiences. Yes, I have dealt with noise pollution from construction sites and...
Atoning When You Don’t Really Feel It
On Yom Kippur, Jews all over the world go through a process of atoning for their hurtful actions and sins. Just before Yom Kippur, I went to a talk on the holiday by Rabbi...