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Guest Talk with Kazys Varnelis | The City as Communications System

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Guest Talk with Kazys Varnelis | The City as Communications System
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Kazys Varnelis traces the architectural and infrastructural history of communication networks, arguing that cities are themselves communication systems whose physical form has been shaped by protocols ranging from post offices and telegraph hubs to Cold War-era microwave relay systems like AT&T's long lines. He contrasts Paul Baran's theoretical 'distributed' network model with the 'decentralized' hub-and-spoke reality of actual infrastructure (exemplified by buildings like 33 Thomas Street and One Wilshire), concluding that protocols are not just abstract rule-sets but physically and legally embedded in urban space, and that cities and protocols co-shape each other in a cybernetic feedback loop.

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city-as-communication-system-ron-ablerdistributed-vs-decentralized-vs-centralized-networks-paul-baranguest-talkslong-lines-microwave-network-and-cold-war-infrastructure-protocolsmemoryphysicallegal-protocols-embedded-in-urban-infrastructure-building-codes-right-of-way-telecom-regulationprotocol-watchingprotocolsthe-data-centers-historical-lineage-from-post-offices-and-telegraph-buildings

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