Virilio's Open Sky

In his book Open Sky, Paul Virilio makes several speculations about the information age and how the technology and media have shaped and shifted the nature of our society. Many of his claims are incredibly valid--the ways in which technology has altered our views of time, space, and reality are undeniable. However, I think his argument is incredibly difficult to follow, and part of this might be due to some of the clarity being lost in translation from the original French to English.

I found the most interesting part of his argument of telepresence. One of the most interesting effects of modern technology is the way that it alters and affects "real-time." Technology makes it possible for you to be "tele-present" almost anywhere in the world instantly.  This distorts the most basic reality--you don't have to physically be in a specific location to be present anymore. I think Virilio sees this as a danger to society, but I honestly think that it can be good for us in moderation. His view is pretty cynical and I don't believe it takes into account the positive things that can come form this type of technology.