Alexander Galloway on Sun, 23 Apr 2006 03:50:11 +0200 (CEST) |
[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]
Re: <nettime> Network, Swarm, Microstructure |
On Apr 19, 2006, at 8:38 PM, Brian Holmes wrote: > quit saying a network is this, a network is that. there is a long, fruitful history of people doing just that. so perhaps this thread suffers not from a desire to define the term, but from a lack of specificity in our vocabulary. a brief, unorganized survey might help: centralized network--a single hub connected to multiple peripheral nodes; little to no interconnection between nodes. examples: web server, software security updates, the panopticon prison, sovereign (royal) fiat, LAN router, pyramidal hierarchy decentralized network--multiple hubs, each with their own sets of peripheral nodes; hubs are connected to other hubs. related concept: scale-free network (Barab=E1si) examples: Domain Name System (DNS), airline transportation routes, municipal governments distributed network--a flat mesh in which there is no distinction between hubs and peripheral nodes (Baran) related concept: rhizome (Deleuze and Guattari) related concept: random network, a network having a random distribution of links (Barab=E1si). examples: TCP/IP, peer-to-peer, national highway systems chain network--a linear input/output transfer system examples: smuggler trade routes, IP routing all-channel network--a star in which every node is connected to every other node examples: Ethernet, kin groups, collectives (note, this list only approaches the topological/structural qualities of networks. we would have to supplement the list greatly if we wish to address the topic of network actors [example: the nomad, the virus] and/or networked tactics of struggle [example: swarming, exploits, nonexistence].) we can and should say what networks are. otherwise networks sink into the landscape as inscrutable, natural forms. such is the trick of power. references: Albert-L=E1szl=F3 Barab=E1si, "Linked" (2002) Paul Baran, "On Distributed Communications" (1964) Gilles Deleuze and F=E9lix Guattari, "A Thousand Plateaus" (1980) # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net