tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post8423168615201157096..comments2023-11-05T07:27:43.837-05:00Comments on Narrative and Technology: Efficiency varies from crew to crew. (Blog #6 [Graded], Group 2, Question 2)Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16302919444091859459noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post-23232021694712336432007-10-04T17:25:00.000-04:002007-10-04T17:25:00.000-04:00Your bit about how we tend to "soldier" behind the...Your bit about how we tend to "soldier" behind the wheel of a car is particularly true. God knows that I have mastered the art of texting on my cell phone, smoking a cigarette, and driving a manual transmission all at once. What's interesting to note, though, is that none of these things are inherently illegal. It's not against the law to be an inattentive driver -- it's just not a real good decision. Following up on this trend, though, it is illegal in some states (like New Jersey) to use a cellphone while driving. This doesn't stop people from doing it, however, whether they just use their handset or use a more stealth feature, such as a bluetooth headset or one of those fancy in-car phone rigs. This is something of a conundrum as far as Taylor is concerned, because we're slacking off in terms of driving, we're soldiering behind the wheel, but at the same time, we're being efficient in as much as we're using time that would otherwise be used for nothing but sitting in traffic or driving the same stretch of road we do every day, where we really aren't doing anything else and utilizing it for communications. One could even perform business from their phone whilst driving. I wonder what Taylor would think about this?A. Beneventhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09836671178367763093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8692381608294018617.post-9033402368257518932007-10-03T07:31:00.000-04:002007-10-03T07:31:00.000-04:00One thing I like about this post it that you're ad...One thing I like about this post it that you're addresses (in a slightly roundabout way) one of the central but nearly unspoken things in Taylor: power. I think your discussion helps explain the fact that many people find Taylor to be a kind of proto-fascist (remember that one of Mussollini's great selling points, for which Churchill admired him, is that he made the trains run on time...)...<BR/><BR/>To me, here's how the rides break down, as you describe them:<BR/><BR/>Skycoaster - inefficient, because nobody is consistently in control, yet it requires tightly regulated, fast Tayloresque motion to run efficiently.<BR/><BR/>Phantom - efficient, because the machinery is efficient and management is rather Tayloresque - everybody's movements are regulated at all times.<BR/><BR/>Race - inefficient, because the machinery is so unreliable that good management can't do anything with it.<BR/><BR/>You could have done more with Taylor himself here. As fun as this post is, and as clearly as it relates to Taylor, you're not relating this back to what Taylor actually says. How does Taylor (implicitly or explicitly) manage to keep and hold real power, the sort that can make things run efficiently...<BR/><BR/>As a side note, amusement parks in general and Kennywood in particular were created by Trolley companies to efficiently use both the slack time on the trolley lines and surplus electrical power at the times of day when there was little demand otherwise... Details available on request.Adam Johnshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11588769281227456640noreply@blogger.com