"I consume gas, therefore I am" kind of sums up the British notion of identity. The world is a vague and fleeting place, changing from day to day like a flowing river. The vast networks of gas pipes, electrical wires and water pipes, however, are firmly in place somewhere underground. They are the arteries of our modern society, weaving their way through the soil from which we harvest our food, and in which we bury our dead. The utility bill is thus our connection to the very fabric of society - our proto-identity as social beings.

Hence, it should come as no surprise that new connections in this network, or connections to completely different networks, can not be made by mere "individuals". How preposterous would it not be if a "person", i.e. the moisty fungus that grows around an utility bill, for instance tried to open a bank account? Where would that account go? Where would it be? Flowing freely in the imaginary world of light and air, fluttering unconnected to the networks of society, that's where.

posted by Cory Doctorow at 09:56:51 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments