‘Grapes of Math’ Redux
Ξ January 3rd, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ A Day at a Time, Technology |
PBS aired The Grapes of Math on December 19th. Although intended as a look at the increasingly sophisticated science of winemaking, the “dirty little secret” as the narrator says, this Wired Science segment did little to advance our understanding. Rather than provide an in-depth analysis of diverse technologies The Grapes of Math merely framed the discussion as one between manipulation of any kind vrs. non.
The subject is vast, opinions among winemakers, sharply divided, and, perhaps most importantly, consumer interest in the subject is on the upswing. And it is into the latter camp that the majority of the segment’s viewers most likely fell. Now, in California advertisement reigns supreme. Market trends are closely watched. Green has replaced horsepower in setting imaginations alight. And it is into this space The Grapes of Math most conveniently fits. As with the learning curve of any beginning student of a complex subject, the consumer can only grasp fundamentals, hence the appeal of dividing ‘manipulation’ into a simple dichotomy of pro and con. But whether this serves the consumer or merely encourages obscurant marketing practices is an open question.
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