Bolter’s connection between writing and technology struck me after just watching an interview on The 7.30 Report with astronaut Chris Hadfield. Chris Hadfield is the guy that went into space and made this amazing video of himself playing the guitar and singing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” in zero gravity (among doing a whole lot of other cool sciencey astronaut for the world too).

In the interview, he made a really interesting point about science and the arts, when asked if the beauty and wonder of the universe could ever really be described by science, by poetry or simply through faith. Sidestepping that potential landmine, he instead commented on the response the world had to his video. Science and technology can only go so far, but when it comes to connecting and uniting the world you have to have the arts, be it music or poetry or writing, to get anyone to really pay attention on a deeper level. As fascinating as space exploration may be on a scientific level, it took the artistic expression of the song to really connect people to the experience in an emotional and meaningful way.

Science and the arts are inextricably linked in this way, and the dichotomy is such that as advancements are made in one element, it drags its opposing element forward with it. Writing is technology, as well as it is the antithesis of technology, and yet one cannot exist without the other.