The Culture of Diagram is about visual thinking. Exploring a terrain where words meet pictures and formulas meet figures; the book foregrounds diagrams as tools for blurring those boundaries to focus on the production of knowledge as process. It outlines a history of convergence among diverse streams of data in real-time: from eighteenth-century print media and the diagrammatic procedures in the pages of Diderots Encyclopedia to the paintings of Jacques-Louis David and mathematical devices that reveal the unseen worlds of quantum physics. Central to the story is the process of correlation; which invites observers to participate by eliciting leaps of imagination to fill gaps in data; equations; or sensations. This book traces practices that ran against the grain of both Lockes clear and distinct ideas and Newtons causalitymdash;practices greatly expanded by the calculus; probabilities; and protocols of data sampling.Todays digital technologies are rooted in the ability of high-speed computers to correct errors when returning binary data to the human sensorium. High-tech diagrams echo the visual structures of the Encyclopedia; arraying packets of dissimilar data across digital spaces instead of white paper. The culture of diagram broke with the certainties of eighteenth-century science to expand the range of human experience. Speaking across disciplines and discourses; Bender and Marrinan situate our modernity in a new and revealing light.
#1224121 in eBooks 2010-04-28 2010-05-18File Name: B003JH868Y
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Advanced Genius ArgumentBy Jeff KinchIll admit to buying this book primarily due to the Chuck Klosterman foreword but it quickly stood out on its own merit. In describing it to a friend I explained the experience of reading it was like having one of those late night inane arguments with a group of friends about nothing and everything. Your passions are fueled up higher than they should be. you find yourself arguing both sides of a point. you take ardent stands on topics you dont think youve every thought about prior and youre left exhausted and invigorated. Only in this case. instead of you and a group of friends (and beers) its just you and the written words.This has become an heirloom of sorts among a cadre of my brightest friends - passed around accompanied by admonitions to finish it quickly so the "live" debates can begin.At times you will be infuriated. at times grateful for having your long-mocked opinions validated. and at times confused - but at all times happy that you decided to buy this book. Bravo.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Thought Provoking and FunnyBy Sunn KramHartleys oddball theory is a refreshing. albeit abstract. new perspective on the way we look at pop artists and their work over time. While the subjects he puts in the Advanced Genius category are certainly subjectively chosen (as he will admit). the principles and guidelines that are used to define them as such are strangely poignant. We typically see artists careers as having an arc where a peak of productivity and inspiration is reached only to be inevitably followed by creative decline. This notion as all-encompassing is clearly and convincingly challenged here. The author unfolds the idea with natural flow and a strong sense of humor while setting the stage for future exploration of the topic.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. What a (funny) stoner ideaBy Avid ReaderThis book was quite entertaining. The entire principle is interesting and I find myself thinking about it every now and then. While reading the book I found myself wanting to go for a beer with the author and argue some points that he got wrong. Guess that shows its engaging.
