Textiles as Tech, Science, Math, Culture... or Civilization
a16z Podcast24 Okt 2020

Textiles as Tech, Science, Math, Culture... or Civilization

"The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they're indistinguishable from it." That quote from computer scientist Mark Weiser is from a 1991 paper where he outlined the vision of ubiquitous computing; in it, he also referenced "seamlessness"... We just can't get away from textile metaphors: we catch airline "shuttles", we "weave" through traffic, we follow comment "threads” -- the metaphors are as ubiquitous and abundant and threaded throughout our lives as the textiles (and computing) all around us.

In fact, argues author and columnist Virginia Postrel, the story of textiles IS the story of technology and science (across all kinds of fields, from biology to chemistry); of commerce (as well as management, measurement, machines); but most of all, of civilization (vs. just culture) itself. That's what her new book, The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World is all about. But it's really a story and history of innovation, and of human ingenuity... which is also the theme of the a16z Podcast -- and of this special, inaugural book launch episode with the author in conversation with showrunner Sonal Chokshi.

The discussion both dives deep and lightly dips into a wide range of topics: fabrics, from the genetics of cotton to the supply chain of silk (including pre-Industrial Revolution factories, early payment and incentive alignment, "maestre" and notions of expertise); knowledge, from the storage and transmission of it to sharing tacit and explicit code (including manuals, notation, measures); and math as the science of patterns, origins of mathematics (including early education and getting paid for it). The touch on the NASA space program, knitting and AI, and the environmental impact of dyes. Throughout, they discuss the what and the why -- the warp and weft of this episode! -- of HOW innovation happens, from incremental improvements to sudden leaps, also taking a closer look at the demographics and images involved. And finally, they cover the evolution and meaning of kente cloth (as well as other patterns) in Ghana and beyond... Because the story of textiles -- and of technology -- is not just a story of one culture or time or place: it is a universally human story, woven from countless threads and wires.

links & other articles mentioned in this episode:

images: composite of knitting by © sarah-marie belcastro (courtesy Virginia Postrel) + magnetic core memory wires & beads, magnified 60x (photo from Virginia Postrel) -- combined by Sonal Chokshi for the a16z Podcast

Episoder(907)

a16z Podcast: Building Brands and Running Retail -- Ron Johnson and Tristan Walker Break It Down

a16z Podcast: Building Brands and Running Retail -- Ron Johnson and Tristan Walker Break It Down

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3 Sep 201427min

a16z Podcast: Three Kids, One App, One Love -- The Five-O Story

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28 Aug 201413min

a16z Podcast: Ben and Marc Explain (Practically) Everything – Part 2

a16z Podcast: Ben and Marc Explain (Practically) Everything – Part 2

The five-year anniversary segment with a16z founders Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen picks up with a discussion of Clayton Christensen's theories around disruption. Why Christensen's thinking is very much on the mark today, and how his theories help guide the firm in making decisions about what NOT to invest in. Ben offers one of the things he wished he had known as a young CEO, and Marc describes a trait that every great entrepreneur possesses. Part two of two.

26 Aug 201416min

a16z Podcast: Ben and Marc Explain (Practically) Everything – Part 1

a16z Podcast: Ben and Marc Explain (Practically) Everything – Part 1

Around the firm we use “software eats the world” as a guide for how technology will impact every industry and every person – from education to healthcare and government. As a16z marks its five-year anniversary, we turned to the fellow who came up with the thesis, Marc Andreessen, to explain how it’s rippling around the globe. And to break down all the implications for building companies and managing people we tapped a16z's cofounder Ben Horowitz. With both “a” and “z” in the room, this segment takes stock of the technology industry and startup ecosystem – from entrepreneurs to investors, and where it’s all headed next. Part one of two.

25 Aug 201427min

a16z Podcast: The Topic That's Lasted the Entire History of Computing -- Bundling and Unbundling

a16z Podcast: The Topic That's Lasted the Entire History of Computing -- Bundling and Unbundling

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15 Aug 201419min

a16z Podcast: The Consumerization of IT

a16z Podcast: The Consumerization of IT

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31 Jul 201422min

a16z Podcast: Mobile Invades the Data Center

a16z Podcast: Mobile Invades the Data Center

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31 Jul 201425min

a16z Podcast: An Open Source Business Model That Works

a16z Podcast: An Open Source Business Model That Works

Open source software has permeated practically every nook of the software world. The biggest companies and largest-scale systems all lean heavily on open source code. Yet, with the exception of Red Hat, no one has built a great business on top of open source software. That’s because what companies should be selling isn’t necessarily the software, or even support, says a16z’s Peter Levine, but a service that leverages open source. One example of such a service is DigitalOcean, which has built a cloud environment tailored to the needs of developers. DigitalOcean CEO and cofcounder Ben Uretsky joins Levine from his New York City HQ for a discussion about open source-as-a-service, how companies of all sizes should think about leveraging open source, and whether we’ll start to see a slew of specialized clouds geared toward different verticals.

31 Jul 201423min

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