A Tour of the Archive

Highlights from The Pathos of Things

David Hockney, Yves-Marie in the Rain, 1973.

The Pathos of Things was on holiday last week (or to be precise, I have been busy with freelance writing work), so I thought I’d take the opportunity to revisit some earlier material that readers might have missed.

Here is a selection of five posts from 2023 so far. (Just click on the titles to read).

1. Tech’s First War on Time and Space

   The railways were one of the first revolutionary technologies of the modern era. This essay explores the many profound ways they transformed human experience, and how they anticipated the network technologies of our own time.

2. The Beauty of Boundaries

   Urban life has become increasingly chaotic and anonymous. How can we sustain a healthy public life in these conditions? I argue that architecture is part of the answer.

3. The Anarchy of Raw Materials

   The global trade in natural resources underpins our way of life, yet most of us give it very little thought (until something goes wrong, that is). In this piece I look at the anarchic world of commodities traders, and especially their role in creating Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

4. How Apple Works

   A behind-the-scenes look at the world’s most valuable company, Apple, focusing on its dizzyingly complex manufacturing operations in China.

5. The Age of the Enclosed Self

   The individual is becoming a gated compound, as technology allows us to retreat into personal bubbles of non-stop media consumption. What are the implications for society?

The dog-days of summer are drawing to a close. Make the most of it everyone!