McLuhan response

Upon reading, one of the first things I noticed was Mr. McLuhan's acknowledgement of the computer as a growing part of technology, even so early in its lifespan. At this point, with computers being the size of rooms and only being capable of carrying moderately easy functions, it would be easy to believe that they would never become pieces of technology that were suitable for personal use.  He noticed its impacts at the time, and seemed to forsee the effects it would have on media and culture. I'm sure, however, he wouldn't have predicted how all-consuming it's become. Another point that he makes that I really likes was what he said about the concepts of nationalism and industrialism. He states that they are completely intertwined, and has good reason for saying so. He brings up the invention of print technology, and how it allowed news, and more importantly in this situation, propaganda, to travel more accurately than word of mouth, as well as more quickly than by written word and decree. I'm sure that before this, nations and individual areas were much more separate, and even if they were united, the actual knowledge of the goings-on of the rulers or governments weren't well-known. Expanding on this, he credits the printing press for the way western civilizations and governments developed. One last point he makes that I found interesting was the fact that he says electric media, anywhere from the telephone to the computer, are not an extension of our physical bodies, but instead an extension of our central nervous system. These devices go beyond our bodies, and affect how we think, and how we perceive with our senses.