He walked out into the cold morning asking himself this heretical question: Can you start measuring a minute at any instant you wish?
William GaddisRead
I see the player piano as the grandfather of the computer, the ancestor of the entire nightmare we live in, the birth of the binary world where there is no option other than yes or no and where there is no refuge.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The player piano symbolizes the origin of modern computing, highlighting how technology can create limitations in our choices.
In this quote, William Gaddis reflects on the player piano as a precursor to computers, suggesting that just as the player piano automates music without the musician's input, modern technology has evolved to limit human agency through binary choices. Gaddis warns of a future where the simplistic dichotomy of 'yes' or 'no' eliminates the nuance of human experience, creating a nightmare of automation devoid of true freedom.
Themes
Player PianoComputerTechnologyChoicesBinaryFreedom
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of automation on society.
More from William Gaddis
All quotes →Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.
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Say a word, say a thousand to me on the telephone and I shall choose the wrong one to cling to as though you had said it after long deliberation when only I provoked it from you, I will cling to it from among a thousand, to be provoked and hurl it back with something I mean no more than you meant that, something for you to cling to and retreat clinging to.
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How real is any of the past, being every moment revalued to make the present possible.
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If you want to make a million you don't have to understand money, what you have to understand is people's fears about money
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