To me, the interconnections of these fungi networks revealed something very clear about society in general: the infinite levels of social interaction that essentially link each individual point. Moreover, Stamets cleverly suggested that such networks espouse quickly when they are not in place. The product of these networks lies in the idea that individuals both influence and are influenced by others. But, most importantly, this information will always be essentially transport information rather than novel ideas, changed slightly by the closest individuals to that particular point.
Before I read this, I would be one of the people Paul Stamets dislikes because if someone had mentioned mushrooms to me, I would only picture portobello mushrooms, perhaps those mushrooms that make Mario grow, but that's it. It is crazy that mushrooms have so many redeeming qualities, such as creating strong antibiotics! If I were in the wilderness starving and I saw a mushroom, I would avoid it no matter what because I thought fungi would make you sick. But they could actually help fight off the flu or exterminate insects! This video was eye opening for me because I can't look at mushrooms the same way again. I think this speaks to the way that not everything is what it seems at first glance. Everything has good in it, and some things we think are bad are actually amazing.
Grace, Even though mushrooms have some redeeming qualities, I still would not suggest walking up to a random mushroom in the forest and eating it. I don't think Stamets meant that all mushrooms are safe for human consumption or that we should be deeply enamored with all fungus. I thought it was interesting that he pointed out that in darkness fungus thrives although everything else dies for lack of light from which to draw energy. Fungi thrive in darkness which I find to be a great contrast or perhaps compliment to the majority of the other blog posts such as the Pantheon, which primarily explore light. It seems that our culture has a preoccupation with light and a tendency to under value darkness. Perhaps that is why we have yet to embrace the potential of fungi to remediate some of our problems.
This was a very cool TED Talk although I didn't necessarily understand all the details of the fungi that he was talking about. While I wasn't one of the people who just thought of portobellos before I watched this video, I will say that I didn't grasp the variety or prevalence of fungi. The fact that the largest organism in history was a fungi and that it was only one cell thick is pretty amazing. I also think that it is really cool that Paul Stamets found ways to make better antibiotics, make very effective pesticides, and make ethanol more efficiently using fungi. He was even able to use them to clean up what we would consider to be an environmental mess. To me, it would be really cool if we could implement the ideas from this post and the previous one at the same time. I think this would really make the way we live more sustainable and would really help us take better care of Earth.
I like how Stamets pointed out the fact that the networks of fungi somewhat grow to help each other when they aren't necessarily at the point where they want to be. I think that this is how Stamets improved antibiotics and used other things with fungi. It's about the synergy of the fungi that they can be used to their strengths or their weaknesses, and that's why they can either destroy or build. This is how I see our class. We can either work together and build upon the work we've done in photography development or we can go against each other and destroy our potentials. Maybe I'm just be altruistic, but that's just my belief.
I thought that this talk made great connections that I never would have came to on my own. Abilities of the network of fungi is incredible- not only in its ability to cover such massive amounts of space but also in its excellent abilities of transport. I thought the comparison between the fungi network and the internet was very good- that constant connection and transferring of ideas and information is necessary for survival and stability.
To me, the interconnections of these fungi networks revealed something very clear about society in general: the infinite levels of social interaction that essentially link each individual point. Moreover, Stamets cleverly suggested that such networks espouse quickly when they are not in place. The product of these networks lies in the idea that individuals both influence and are influenced by others. But, most importantly, this information will always be essentially transport information rather than novel ideas, changed slightly by the closest individuals to that particular point.
ReplyDeleteBefore I read this, I would be one of the people Paul Stamets dislikes because if someone had mentioned mushrooms to me, I would only picture portobello mushrooms, perhaps those mushrooms that make Mario grow, but that's it. It is crazy that mushrooms have so many redeeming qualities, such as creating strong antibiotics! If I were in the wilderness starving and I saw a mushroom, I would avoid it no matter what because I thought fungi would make you sick. But they could actually help fight off the flu or exterminate insects! This video was eye opening for me because I can't look at mushrooms the same way again. I think this speaks to the way that not everything is what it seems at first glance. Everything has good in it, and some things we think are bad are actually amazing.
ReplyDeleteGrace,
DeleteEven though mushrooms have some redeeming qualities, I still would not suggest walking up to a random mushroom in the forest and eating it. I don't think Stamets meant that all mushrooms are safe for human consumption or that we should be deeply enamored with all fungus. I thought it was interesting that he pointed out that in darkness fungus thrives although everything else dies for lack of light from which to draw energy. Fungi thrive in darkness which I find to be a great contrast or perhaps compliment to the majority of the other blog posts such as the Pantheon, which primarily explore light. It seems that our culture has a preoccupation with light and a tendency to under value darkness. Perhaps that is why we have yet to embrace the potential of fungi to remediate some of our problems.
light/dark, yin/yang, happy/sad, good/bad
DeleteThis was a very cool TED Talk although I didn't necessarily understand all the details of the fungi that he was talking about. While I wasn't one of the people who just thought of portobellos before I watched this video, I will say that I didn't grasp the variety or prevalence of fungi. The fact that the largest organism in history was a fungi and that it was only one cell thick is pretty amazing. I also think that it is really cool that Paul Stamets found ways to make better antibiotics, make very effective pesticides, and make ethanol more efficiently using fungi. He was even able to use them to clean up what we would consider to be an environmental mess. To me, it would be really cool if we could implement the ideas from this post and the previous one at the same time. I think this would really make the way we live more sustainable and would really help us take better care of Earth.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI like how Stamets pointed out the fact that the networks of fungi somewhat grow to help each other when they aren't necessarily at the point where they want to be. I think that this is how Stamets improved antibiotics and used other things with fungi. It's about the synergy of the fungi that they can be used to their strengths or their weaknesses, and that's why they can either destroy or build. This is how I see our class. We can either work together and build upon the work we've done in photography development or we can go against each other and destroy our potentials. Maybe I'm just be altruistic, but that's just my belief.
I thought that this talk made great connections that I never would have came to on my own. Abilities of the network of fungi is incredible- not only in its ability to cover such massive amounts of space but also in its excellent abilities of transport. I thought the comparison between the fungi network and the internet was very good- that constant connection and transferring of ideas and information is necessary for survival and stability.
ReplyDelete