tony judt

A line struck as the history of modern europe unfurls



"We are consumers of goods and illusions"
We are voters of dreams and delusions
We are the masters of the universe
We are the slaves of our desires so diverse

We are the wheels that keep the economy humming
We are the strings stretched taunt that keep the guitar strumming
We are consumers of goods and illusions
We are voters of dreams and delusions


We are that which we dare
We are that which we care
We are consumers of goods and illusions
We are voters of dreams and delusions

a whole new meaning

How has IT changed the meaning of the word?

You know you're not from the 20th century when you find out:

I think that there's been a leak has nothing to do with that soggy patch at the front of the pants.

Have you zipped it or you unzip it has nothing to do with that contraption that unites the right side to the left side of the pants .

sh$%! it has crashed has nothing to do with the car or the stock market.

interface has nothing to do with how your mom looks before she puts on her foundation and after she has applied her make up.

the worm that has infested the Apple will make you reach out for the thrashbin to throw away those rotten applets or forget about it by getting a new tablet.



Can the disabled and visually challenged drive one day


A possibility if electric cars are equipped with special sensors that are voice activated and GPS on the dash board.The driver keys in his position and the destination.Lampposts could be equipped with sensors that pick up signals emitted by the electric vehicle and traffic lights have CCTV and sensors that tell the driver if he's on the right track by giving signals that can be transformed into voices.

Billboards should be huge interactive screens that enable a person to talk with the GPS sensor on the dashboard that enables one to find out where they are if they're lost.

In future billboards can be changed without the need to construct big boards that mar the scenic beauty of the landscape,function as mobile maps that tells you the nearst hotel,hospital and facilities

megacities

Is building megacities a sustainable way of life?

It concentrates resources in a very densely populated area ,sucking away water and other resources from the rural areas thus widening the gap between urban rural disparity in development and income.

Water is used for tourism projects that invariable includes swimming pools,water theme parks and landscaping of golf courses whilst water should be used for farming of fish or food production.

Electricity is pumped into lighting of high rise buildings day and night,air conditioning ,lighting of highways etc whereas in the rural areas there is less usage of electricity.


Natural resources are finite so how can we reduce use of it?

As the economics of overconsumption comes about,what will be the end result?

The mass media draws up the illusions that drives consumption that in the long term is detrimental to sustainable growth.