A multitude of metaphors and symbols constantly shield each of us from the blinding intensity of the complex, ineffable, unpleasant, ugly, or boring reality that would otherwise overwhelm us within minutes of waking up every morning. Millennia ago these metaphors often took the form of myth; while we all know now that there are no gods living up on Mount Olympus, our secular symbolism isn’t any more rigorous. What is "the cloud” if not an equally broad departure from anything that actually underlies it, one that elegantly covers over a bunch of dull faceless buildings, server stacks, and underground cables, all owned and operated by companies with terrestrial names like “NTT Communications.” Just as the Greeks must have known there weren’t really any deities living up on the mountain, or didn’t care enough to go up on top and check, many of us will never need to learn that Apple doesn’t release our personal data as vapor into the atmosphere, because it will usually be there when we need it.
#40: Crypto Inferno
#40: Crypto Inferno
#40: Crypto Inferno
A multitude of metaphors and symbols constantly shield each of us from the blinding intensity of the complex, ineffable, unpleasant, ugly, or boring reality that would otherwise overwhelm us within minutes of waking up every morning. Millennia ago these metaphors often took the form of myth; while we all know now that there are no gods living up on Mount Olympus, our secular symbolism isn’t any more rigorous. What is "the cloud” if not an equally broad departure from anything that actually underlies it, one that elegantly covers over a bunch of dull faceless buildings, server stacks, and underground cables, all owned and operated by companies with terrestrial names like “NTT Communications.” Just as the Greeks must have known there weren’t really any deities living up on the mountain, or didn’t care enough to go up on top and check, many of us will never need to learn that Apple doesn’t release our personal data as vapor into the atmosphere, because it will usually be there when we need it.