Door
Original reading here.
In reading on the apertures of door and window these last few weeks, I am reminded of a documentary that I saw recently about the advent of ice machines and, in turn, air conditioning. The birth of air conditioning in homes had a tremendous impact on American culture. One of the most significant changes was the frequency with which people left their doors and windows open at home. With air conditioning in homes, people closed their doors to keep the cold air in and, of course, because there was no longer a need for outside air. In the suburbs and rural areas this meant that people stopped talking to each other through windows and neighbors largely stopped sitting outside on each other’s porches. I would imagine that in cities, it led to people spending less time with one another on their stoops - perhaps it even led to fewer eyes on the street since windows had started to close.
This led me to think about permissioning, in general, in New York City. I remember when I was growing up, being perplexed by what I saw in movies - where someone would just stop by someone else’s house and ring the doorbell, or just walk in. For most people in New York there is this additional layer of security that we have - either with intercom systems or doormen, or sometimes both. Perhaps an early sign of the deferential permissioning of which Adam speaks (though highly visible and perceptible).
Today I sent in a passport renewal form to the Department of State.. I was informed on the application that my passport will contain an electronic chip that will be sensed at certain countries’ points of entry, and that my data will be collected and stored. I, as an American in this case, tend to be the authorized person and can pass through these doors - we are literally given the key to the countries.
posted by Amanda @ 5:25 PM,
