Kubrick & The Age of Information

There's something about Kubrick, his films I mean, they've all got that "weird and wonderful" element with a dash of maverick camera techniques and strange story lines.

I stayed up Sunday night to watch Space Odyssey and I have to admit I was a little mesmerised by it. The classical music, spacial and clever filming. The story itself is a little bleak in many aspects and massively open to translation but its forgivable.

That said however, something I really appreciate is this website which in a really nice way captures and explains the underlying themes of the movie: http://www.kubrick2001.com/

This movie cleverly depicts the rise and fall of mankind. I don't necessarily believe in it but there are some elements which you can appreciate:

In 1968 (the year this film was made), the focus was on technology, logic, science, precision etc. that which writer Daniel Pink calls "left-brain thinking" which gave us the Information Age where "if you were good at math and science, become a doctor. If you were better at English and history, become a lawyer. If blood grossed you out and your verbal skills needed work, you'd become an accountant."

Now they say, comes the Conceptual Age - thus ruled by artistry, empathy, and emotion. Quite a leap from the Information Age but equally dependent on the fact that those previous developed machines, computers, automation etc. to do the left brain thinking for us (if not better) leaving those "creative types" in their element. Creating ideas. Philosophising possibilities. Doing things that a computer can only facilitate and not do.

Its an interesting time... As Pink says: Last century, machines proved they could replace human muscle. This century, technologies are proving they can outperform human left brains - they can execute sequential, reductive, computational work better, faster, and more accurately than even those with the highest IQs. (Just ask chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov who as the world champion has played and lost to chess programs).

I chose not to pursue a Law career after spending 5 years studying the subject. In hindsight I think I was a good public speaker who enjoyed a good argument which in fact was probably more reliant on my ability to empathise and be creative with the facts as opposed to regurgitating rules around them.

Anyway, Mr Kubrick RIP.