NRCGSH@RITVAX.CUNY.EDU (Norman Coombs) (02/19/88)
I have been reading the aesthetics of computers discussion with interest. I am totally blind and view it all a bit differently. I do have a STRONG aesthetic response to printed magazines but because of their smell. My father was in printing, and a fresh magazine reminds me of the odor of Dad coming home after a day's work. But this is not really what you are talking about! Aesthetics is meaningless without some means of access to the object. For me, the computer and synthesizer has greatly increased accessibility. With easy access comes a kind of joy and appreciation akin to aesthetics. For some of you, whether it is reality or personal custom, spreading out the printed page increases your 'feeling' of access. Certainly, it may increase your awareness of the object as a totality rather than a screenful of data. For me, the search capability of a computer to find something quickly like I never could before is 'beautiful'! This brings me to the second point that aesthetics can often be connected to power. Certainly, part of the beauty of a jet is its power. The same can be said of Niagara Falls, and the Grand Canyon. For all of us, but perhaps more for those in my situation, the power of manipulating data easily oneself rather than working through an intermediary is not only personally fulfilling but also a thing of joy and beauty. All this is to say that aesthetics is very subjective and varies greatly with one's perspective. Norman Coombs Professor of History Rochester Institute of Technology