Thorburn and Jenkins focus on the cycle of innovation that has led to our current new media in “Toward an Aesthetics of Transitions.” They have a positive outlook on what the innovation of new technology can do for old technology, which I really appreciate. No one likes to see their favorite technology go by the wayside and have to spend untold amount of money upgraded. The authors say that old technologies are important influences in the beginnings of creating new technologies, and innovators keep old design inherent in new developments to help ease transition into a new technology. This brought to my mind the Kindle and other e-readers which try to operate as closely to a paper book as possible. People won’t grasp on to new technologies that have no resemblance to things they currently use because of the unfamiliar factor. By keeping around aspects of the older technology, the public more readily adopts new technologies.
Personally, I like the idea that previous technologies are helping guide where we move in the future, and that their contributions are more than just ancient history. We couldn’t move forward without first understanding where we’ve been, and by keeping our mistakes at the forefront we can be better innovators. It’s like an innovation recycling program where instead of throwing out our old products, we are using them to make newer, better products.