[-empyre-] the prototyping perspective - wrapping up

[Gabriel Menotti]

Dear empyreans:

After these 'bonus' days of the Easter holiday, it's time to wrap up
the discussion about prototypes and give way to April's topic. I hope
that the debate has been fruitful in suggesting an alternative
parameter to think through the present concurrence of modes of
production, taking in account their material demands and the different
ways they are informed by digital technologies and computation.

For me, it was interesting to see how the prototype theme feedback
into the free software issue (or rather the contrary: how the free
software issue got into the discussion of prototyping). Even though
the fact is not really surprising, given the crossovers between both
domains, it seems that we have always to mind Marloes very sensate
disclaimer about misleading metaphors and, let's say, truly working
epistemologies. But, once again, maybe this contamination is the hint
of a favorable iteration, exposing what has to be depurated to open up
a deeper analysis of different models of technical development, their
imbrications, and the (technical or political) discourses that
organize and drive them. A possible future theme for empyre?

A great thanks to everyone that engaged into the discussion, and
especially to our guests for their generous contributions and
insights.

Best!
Menotti