Doug-
    I read your email and referenced articles with interest. At the risk
of repeating myself, I am sending you two abstracts of presentations
about the Public Seismic Network (PSN) that we made in the last few
years at the American Geophysical Union
 Fall Meetings in San Francisco and
that address a vision of the PSN within the context of Internet/Gaia --
which constitutes the mind/body duality of the current state of
consciousness.
-Edward
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
[1998 December American Geophysical Union Meeting, San Francisco]

Public Seismic Network (PSN): A Model for Science, Technology and
Community in the Coming Age

Edward Cranswick

The Public Seismic Network (PSN) is a model for using technology to
connect human awareness to, rather than shield it from, the environment.
The PSN is a rapidly growing international group of amateur
seismologists, concentrated in California, who record earthquakes with
their own digital seismographs and exchange waveform time series and
communicate with each other via the Internet. At present, the PSN
consists of about 50 seismograph stations, about 250 subscribers to its
email list server, and about 10 websites (e.g., http://psn.quake.net/).
The World Wide Web is rapidly engulfing many aspects of human life in
technological societies and beginning to constitute a virtual reality
where many of us spend more and more of our time. At the same time, the
physical reality of Earth is being environmentally and ecologically
degraded at an ever-increasing rate.  A critical issue is whether the
Web will be used to enhance or to obscure our vision of Earth. Most of
the Web traffic contains very little sense data, i.e., empirical
information, about the Earth. Other than the Internet and other
artificial electromagnetic media, seismic waves propagate more rapidly
and, therefore, convey information about the state of the planet faster
than any other means. Ground motions are disturbances of our rest
position on the Earth’s surface and convey the message that change in
life is ubiquitous and inevitable. Most of the energy of
earthquake-produced ground motions is in the frequency band, several
seconds to several Hertz, to which the human brain is most sensitive. If
we cannot respond to earthquakes, it will be even more difficult to
respond to other phenomena, such as global warming, with much longer
time constants. The distribution of low-cost broadband seismometers in
conjunction with Web access would allow people worldwide, i.e., the next
human generation of Earth, to directly perceive and to share the
concrete perception with each other that we all share the same ground.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
[1997 December American Geophysical Union Meeting, San Francisco]

Public Seismic Network (PSN): a Model for Preparing People
  to use Real-time Information About Natural Hazards

Edward Cranswick and Benjamin Gardner (U.S. Geological Survey,
  MS 966, Box 25046, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, USA;
  303-273-8609; cranswick@.........
Public Seismic Network (http://psn.quake.net/, psn-l@..............

When an earthquake occurs, unlike any other natural hazard, every
individual in the population at risk is aware within seconds that a
dangerous event has happened.  Without the aid of any technology, the
consciousness of everyone affected is almost instantaneously focused on
the same subject.  Instead of soliciting that information, authorities
broadcast the redundant message that an earthquake has occurred.  A
program of monitoring natural hazards for the public requires public
participation to effectively mitigate those hazards.  The Public Seismic
Network (PSN), rather than relegating them to the role of sitting ducks
waiting to be devastated by the unexpected, enables people to become
aware that earthquakes are part of normal, on-going Earth processes. The
PSN is a rapidly growing international group of amateur seismologists,
concentrated in California, who record earthquakes with their own
digital seismographs and exchange waveform time series and communicate
with each other via the Internet.  At present, the PSN consists of about
50 seismograph stations, about 250 subscribers to its email list server,
and about 10 websites.  In urban areas of high seismic risk, a
grassroots organization like the PSN -- equipped with low-cost,
mass-produced, standardized strong-motion seismographs -- could vastly
increase the spatial density of sampling ground motions.  This
organization would form a constituency of well-informed residents who
not only know how to respond to catastrophic earthquakes but also
support hazard mitigation programs in the community.  Rather than just
building faster ambulances to mitigate the impact of heart attacks, it
is more effective to modify the public habits of exercise and diet.  The
PSN is a model for using technology to connect human awareness to,
rather than shield it from, the environment.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Doug Sutherland wrote:

> Some time ago Larry's very cool seismic system was added
> to my "sensorium" network. Just wanted to mention that
> Larry and PSN are mentioned in this article:
>
> http://java.sun.com/features/2000/06/jeniuses.html
>
> Also, I had KRON TV at my home on monday and was filmed
> on my couch. Larry's SDR was running on a monitor in the
> background. Short clips were shown last week on KRON
> but most of the footage will be used in a future show
> called Next Step.
>
> Finally, I made it onto the CBS evening news with Dan
> Rather, talking about my "jacketized computer". I hope
> to one day figure out how to stream data from Larry's
> SDR system to my jacket sleeve display, so I can watch
> them squiggly lines while walking the streets of SF :)
>
> http://cbsnews.cbs.com/now/story/0,1597,203652-412,00.shtml
> http://java.sun.com/features/2000/06/jacket.html
>
> Keep up the good work Larry.
>
> Regards,
> Doug
> __________________________________________________________
>
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--
Edward Cranswick                Tel: 303-273-8609
US Geological Survey, MS 966    Fax: 303-273-8600
PO Box 25046, Federal Center    cranswick@........
Denver, CO 80225-0046  USA      E.M. Forster said, "Only connect".


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