Monday, January 15, 2007

ancient design, complex percieved as chaos

Jan, quality never goes completely out of style. E.g. this toy is an example of how an ancient toy, Jacob's ladder, still is interesting. I remember playing with one when I was a child. Would you put an oscillating chaotic pendulum on your desk? I think it is not chaotic, but looks unpredictable because the movement follows more complex rules. The same goes for a lot of things we perceive as chaos, because we fail to understand the complex rules that organize behaviour. That is why a lot of people are afraid of people who behave in an unpredictable way. The same is true for culture, living with a handicap...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I enjoy playing with the Jacob's Ladder we gave our daughter when she was little. It's one of the toys I best remember from my own childhood. The strange movements, the wooden clacking sounds -- mesmerizing.

Jan Aelberts said...

Never heard of this. I'm a big fan of rubik's cube, so I might also enjoy this. Will try and get me one.

JA

*new* item at Chez Odile is the metachat where Creatives and Thinkers meet.

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