Open Sky

Open Sky, by Virilio, from a media and communications stand point, discusses the speed at which we must process information presented to us. From my interpretation, it seems as if Virilio is saying that through a medium such as the Internet, information is flung at us so rapidly that why we think we are processing is actually just a portion of the overall message. Our minds when absorbing information at such a rapid speed try to focus on a sold object but by the nature of the beast our view is widening or branching out to catch other pieces of information also that weren't in focus mere seconds earlier.

Virilio likes to go back and forth between describing elaborate scenarios in life and applying his knowledge so it is entertaining to try and keep track of his train of thought. However, to help describe the analysis above, Virilio uses the example of skydiving. He states that as you fall closer to ther ground your eyes think they are adjusting to a certain object, however, as you continue to fall you find that object is actually widening to reveal a much bigger picture. His use of worldly occurrnces are often interplaced with his thoughts in Open Sky and Virilio uses many of these instances to put a more exciting and more stimulating spin on his argument.


Daily Questions to Ponder:
1) What is Virilio trying to accomplish through his long examples of life instances?
2) What makes Virilio's point of view appear valid?