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The epoch of the generalist has arrived

Posted by Justin Morrison on November 23, 2007 at 9:50pm

"Technical skills are less important than creative thinking," lectures Netochka in an e-mail. "The epoch of the generalist has arrived -- again. Any fool can program and most do. Software engineers are emotionally inept. In today's unstable + dynamic environment they do not stand a chance."

Attributed to Netochka Nezvanova

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Comments

Georg Hobmeier November 29, 2007 at 6:12pm

well, that comment ("they do not stand a chance") is just rubbish and one of her occasional insults. i can't say anything more thoughtful then that.
Julie N. Cruse November 29, 2007 at 5:43pm

I wish I'd been on the scene when netochka was so active. I think its brilliant as well. The above quote is more interesting coming from her. I've visited this page several times and sat in fascination at her statement - given what she is and does. I'm just stunned at how brilliant and creative her self-invention and "performances" are. I wonder how they "do not stand a chance." in what way?
Georg Hobmeier November 29, 2007 at 2:31pm

no nato no more:
NETWORK SOLUTIONS
m9ndfukc.org expired on 10/29/2007 and is pending renewal or deletion.
Georg Hobmeier November 29, 2007 at 2:06pm

ah...netochka, those were the days. funny, that so little people go the joke in all of this and took her artful hatred so serious. as for nato... rest in peace. i wanted to make a general remark about the generalist. as with all generalisation, it is of course full of generalness and claiming the arrival of an age is... well... maybe we should take a closer look at the people who constantly claim the arrival of something. excuse me for being so NLP at this point.
Josephine Dorado November 29, 2007 at 2:01am

but to bring it back to the quote: "...In today's unstable + dynamic environment they do not stand a chance." -- I think it's that aspect of instability that is so interesting and juicy for those of us generalists. Instability = dynamic environment = opportunity. In the face of change and shifting paradigms, generalists stretch their arms / are more resilient. R U RZLi3NT?
Josephine Dorado November 29, 2007 at 1:42am

The last time I saw Nato in action was when Kurt Ralske performed with some dancers at the Merce Cunningham studio...back in 2001 or so...I remember the distinct Nato "imprint" -- and the imprint of Netochka might far outlive Nato... ;-)
Justin Morrison November 24, 2007 at 7:00am

The quote is from this Salon (2002) article:
http://dir.salon.com/story/tech/feature/2002/03/01/netochka

Even better is the response:
http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-bold-0203/msg00...
Marlon Barrios Solano November 24, 2007 at 5:42am

hello Justin,
where did you get that quote from? I would like to see more of that email...
she is a riot...
So snob and...who is using Nato these days anyway...?
some Nato users in the network...?