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December 12, 2004

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'Un Film D'anticipation Sur Le Monde Impitoyable De I'internet'

The French edition of ZDNet links to EPIC:

Dans le genre prévision risquée, justement, citons un film d’anticipation sur le monde impitoyable de l’internet. Imaginé par Robin Sloan et Matt Thompson, du Museum of Media History de Tampa (Floride), il décrit l’inexorable ascention du conglomérat “Googlezon” qui dominera le monde infotech en 2014. Google, aujourd’hui, est déjà ce qu’on sait, et encore plus (rachat de Dejanews en 2001, Blogger en 2003), mais en imaginant qu’il fera plus tard main basse sur la force de frappe d’Amazon.com et les décodeurs vidéo numériques de Tivo, ces spéculateurs de l’histoire nous emmènent bien loin (rendez-vous sur le site d’un des deux auteurs pour vous mettre au parfum - animation Flash). Au point de prévoir le concept ultime de la technologie “customisée” à l’échelle de l’individu: “EPIC”, pour “Evolving Personalized Information Construct”.

De quoi, pensent ces oracles, terminer en 2014 sur la mort de Microsoft et du New York Times. Encore la génération Michael Moore qui prend ses désirs pour des réalités!

Sweet!*

*Unless they’re talking smack about it and I just can’t understand

Robin-sig.gif
Posted December 12, 2004 at 12:32 | Comments (4) | Permasnark
File under: EPIC, Media Galaxy

Comments

Basically just summarizing it, although there's a little possible smack at the end. I don't know French well enough yet to discern the tone from the writing. Rough translation:

In the field of "risky predictions," we bring you a science fiction film about the merciless world of the Internet. Imagined by Robin Sloan and Matt Thompson, from the Museum of Media History in Tampa, Florida, it describes the inexorable ascension of the "Googlezon" conglomeration, which will dominate the world of information technology in 2014. Now, we know Google's pretty much already done that (having bought DejaNews in 2001 and Blogger in 2003), but in imagining that it will later help deter* Amazon.com and the digital video encoder Tivo, these speculators of history take us pretty far (go to the site of one of the authors to catch a whiff of this for yourself -- Flash movie). To the point of predicting the ultimate concept for this technology "customized" to the level of the individual user: EPIC (for "Evolving Personalized Information Construct").

All of which concludes, the oracles believe, in the death of Microsoft and the New York Times. Still the Michael Moore generation thinks its desires equal realities!

*This sentence doesn't make much literal sense to me, even though I get the gist. "Faire main basse sur" (literally "make the lower hand on") something is a colloquialism I'm not entirely sure of the meaning for, although I think it suggests helping someone illegally. "Force de frappe" means "deterrent." Obviously, though, in EPIC, Google doesn't "help deter" Amazon or Tivo from anything, and definitely not illegally. Any better Francophones in the house parse this one for me?

Posted by: Matt on December 12, 2004 at 01:29 PM

"Force de frappe" means "deterrent.

That is awesome. Watch out, or I'm going to unleash a can of force de frappe on you!

My version:

From the high-risk prediction department comes a science-fiction film about the merciless world of the Internet. This feature by Robin Sloan and Matt Thompson of the Museum of Media History in Tampa, Florida follows the inexorable ascencion of "Googlezon", the conglomerate that will dominate the IT world of 2014. Already, Google is a force to reckon with, espcially with the acquisition of Dejanews in 2001 and Blogger in 2003. The film, available of the author's site (Flash), where google acquires the firepower of Amazon.com and the video codecs of Tivo, brings us very far from our current world and into that of "EPIC", 'Evolving Personalized Information Construct, the ultimate personally-customized technology.

From that premise, the filmmakers conclude by the death of Microsoft and the New York Times, another example of the Michael Moore generation taking its desires for realities!

It lacks some stylistic cues -- the ending is kind of facetious in the original version, something you often see from French journalists.

Posted by: bof. on December 13, 2004 at 05:10 AM

Yup. the last paragraph should have '--' in place of the comma.

Posted by: bof. on December 13, 2004 at 05:11 AM
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