reading response 2.8.22

these articles were a delight to read concurrently. i especially loved the extended metaphors in prof. schwulst's piece, comparing her website to a room, a shelf, a plant, and even a puddle. as she states, no analogy is perfect--which is why i think having many at once is so powerful. and even then, if an analogy was perfectly 1-to-1, would there even be a need to distinguish those two things? they are exactly the same, aren't they? but i'm getting off topic. conceptualizing the website as an enclave of information sheltered and bolstered by context is quite comforting; it makes the internet seem like a collection of tiny, warm places to spend the day or night. and the running theme of decentralization continues from last week, as it is eternally present in any conversation about the internet. i especially enjoyed the various articles' musings about how decentralization bolsters security--it reminds me of discussions in a different class i'm in, cos 495, which is about blockchain (which famously prides itself on its decentralized nature). i was also interested to learn from the history of the internet video that decentralization of the internet arose from military security concerns, which is additionally interesting considering the origins of the internet itself--merely a place for scientists to connect with one another and share information over long distances.

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