Page 24 RAIN Oct./Nov. 1983 BETWEEN THE CUTTING EDGE AND THE FLAKY FRINGE: An Unorthodox Index to RAIN compiled by Steve Johnson and a Vector Graphic computer Between the cutting edge and the flaky fringe, RAIN has attempted to ride herd on the evolution of cultural ideas; ideas generated by—well, what should we call it—the counterculture, the aquarian conspiracy, the solar age. It has been called many things. RAIN has attempted to inform its readers of new technologies, public policies, bright ideas, and shining examples of individuals and groups attempting to bring about—however cliched it has sometimes seemed—an equitable society. Economically, it's been a fairly thankless job, and we've watched our ideas—or, as often, the ideas of others we've promoted—turned into maudlin fads. There has been fundamental progress, and then again there have been times when we, and others, have sunk into mere trendiness, enamored with the luxury of being on the cutting edge—perhaps as a substitute for economic benefits. The only way to keep good ideas alive, somehmes, has been to change the ground rules. As ideas have been mainstreamed, co-opted, or perverted, we've reluctantly, or with glee, changed our language to protect the innovators. Often, the ideas have been sincerely tried and tested—then, after living out their usefulness, have died, replaced in good phoenix tradition by new and better notions. In agriculture, for example, we've watched the ideas about farming evolve into what is simultaneously a more complex and more simple outlook: from organic fanning to ecological or biological agriculture (come on folks, make up your minds); from technical solutions to what appears to be almost no solution at all (as in the case of the One-Straw Revolution espoused by Fukuoka). A complementary growth of ideas can be observed in architecture, from the booming rage for domes in the late sixties, through technotwit solar energy solutions in the seventies, to passive solar and simple conservation ideas in the eighties. This unorthodox RAIN index is our way of illustrating some of the wisdom and folly of the social movements, technical solutions, and cultural ideas we've monitored over the years. In looking through nine years of RAIN we were astounded by what we found. Did we really tell our readers (in 1975) that Mt. St. Helens might soon explode? Did we really take some of the early solar greenhouse design experiments seriously? We were amazed at the eccentric, generalist, and whimsical nature of the RAIN staff, and at ideas that evolved from backyard pot scheming sessions into New Age industries. This index was created with the aid of electronic computer technology. Perhaps in a few years, with further computer refinements, it will evolve into a useful tool—a way to monitor change that will provide us with a realistic history, preventing us from reinventing the wheel (or sun). But, then again, who knows? For now, the index entries (including the dates used) are approximations and should be taken with a grain of salt—sea salt (RAIN, Vol. II, No. 3), of course.—SJ Acclimatization (1976) Adhocracies (1974) Agro-Ecosystems (1977) Appropriate Technology (1975) Appropriate Technology Expositions (1979) Autonomous Houses (1974) Barefoot Doctors (1977) Bed and Breakfast (1976) Bigfoot(1974) Biodegradable Coffins (1976) Blazing Showers (1976) Brain Revolution (1974) Burnout (1976) Canned Food as Investment Portfolio (1975) Captain Compost (1977) Carrying Capacity (1975) Catch-44 (1976) Catfish Farming (1975) Chemical Cuisine (1978) Chromatographic Vitamin Analysis (1975) City Trees (1976) Community Canning Centers (1976) Community Gardens (1976) Community Sustaining Funds (1976) Community Technology (1975) Companion Planting (1975) Computer Conferencing (1974) Conference Directories (1976) Convivial Tools (1975) Cost of Growth (1976) Cost of Raising Children (1977) Credit Unions (1976) Death and Dying (1977) Depression Prediction (1974) Dishwater Tea (1977) Dispute Resolution (1983) District Heating (1976) Earth-Sheltered Housing (1979) Earthworm Farming (1977) Eco-Decentralist Design (1982) Economics and Herbicides (1979) Edible Cities (1979) Einsteinian Culture (1975) Elimination of Television (1978) Energy Cooperatives (1981) Energy Produced by All Cows Burping (1975) Energy Slaves (1976) Firch Piles (1977) Floral Clocks (1975) Flushless Toilets (1976) Folding Bikes (1975) Food Grown in Rocks (1975) Forest Farming (1978) Foxfire Education Projects (1976) French-Intensive Gardening (1975) Full-Spectrum Lighting (1977) Garbage and Energy Production (1979) Gasoline, Prediction $8.00/Gallon (1977) Gentle Architecture (1982) Greenlining (1976) Helio Strategy (1978) Hopalong Cassidy (1976) Hospice Movement (1979) Household Economy (1977) Human Economy (1982) Industrial Waste Exchanges (1976) Information Networks (1974) Integrated Pest Management (1976) Intermediate Technology (1974) International Migration Patterns (1981) Jobs and Energy (1977) Kissing Goats (1982) Kitsch (1981)
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