In a New York Times Magazine interview with Jessica Gross, high-wire artist Philippe Petit, the Marcel Marceau of mid-air, explains his dual feelings toward technology:

“Question:

You seem to have an ambivalent relationship with your computer. In the book, you call it your ‘necessary evil tool.’

Philippe Petit:

I hate all electronic things that are supposed to help the human being. You don’t smell, you don’t hear, you don’t touch anymore. All our senses are being controlled. At the same time, I am a total imbecile because to have a little iPhone that can take pictures, that can find the nearest hospital, that can tell you the weather in Jakarta — it’s probably fabulous. I’m supposed to be a man of balance, but my state of mind in those things is very unbalanced. I love or I hate.”

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“We observed a type of dancer because you couldn’t call him a walker”: