Jabès creates a field of tension between the words “page”, “word”, “white”, “writing”, “sand”. What would be an aquivalent for these words in the domain of computing? May we translate

“page” with task?

„word“ with number?

„white“ with equal?

„writing“ with counting?

„sand“ with nature?

Every number is something special. Each integer has its own character. So numbers can be thought as persons. So the computer, which is called a number-cruncher can be thought as a person-cruncher. The cruncher processes data, for example news. Every news can be represented as a number, which can be crunched. So the world of news can be crunched, so the world can be crunched.

The computer seems to be powerful, powerful like the book or powerful like god. Is the computer powerful like a word? A word like the word „god” is powerful. It is an expression of god. Without words god would not exist.

Can we ask a number? We can ask a computer to calculate numbers. The calculation gives an answer to a question. Numbers by themselves do not give answers. But we can understand numbers as questions, as question marks, as marks that embody questions. The human mind asks. He invents signs such as god and numbers in order to give his questions a body, an appearance. Without questions the computer could not give any answer. But we can understand the computer as something, that moves marks, as something that moves expressions of questions. So we may become able to subvert the power of computing machines. We may enable ourselves to understand numbers as powerful questions.

“The rapports, that the answer has with the question, are in the first line rapports of power and therefore political”. (Jabès)

Bestimmte Pilzarten können radioaktive Strahlung als Nahrungsquelle nutzen. Dabei wandeln sie die Strahlung mit Hilfe des Pigments Melanin in Energie um, die sie wachsen lässt.

French “trou” means hole, prison in a ship, nest, backwater, gap. Is the computer something like this? Is a computer a prison in a ship, in spaceship earth?
Is the computer something closed, something that does not stand in communication with others?

The door, the roof, the wall were a gap. We have only this gap in order to err, to love, to die. (Jabès)

Given the fact, that everybody uses numbers and computers. Given the fact, that everybody uses numbers and computers to express himself. How it is then possible to speak the language of the other?

To speak the language of the other, but in an interrogative manner. (Jabès)

How is a translation of this words into the context of computing  thinkable?

Is there any hint, that numbers and computers change, when they are used by different persons? Is there any difference between my numbers and the numbers of the other? Between my computer and the computer of the other? His computer may be faster or slower than mine.

To be subverse in this condition implies to respect the difference of speed and performance and organisation of the computer of the other.

Arvanda is one of the many names for Anna Livia Plurabelle. Anna Livia is one character and Anna Livia is more than one character. She is Arvanda, Eve, Isis, Iseult. She is the great mother, and the great caring character in Joyce Finnegans Wake. She takes care of the water. She is a symbol for multiple chances of using one liter of water and saving more water.

She would please Peter Brabeck.* Maybe Arvanda – Anna Livia Plurabelle becomes a goddess of water saving.

But do we want this?

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“I am like a deaf mute saving up for a tone film apparatus. To be really wortkarg one must know every word”.
This quote from Beckett is relevant in the context of water saving.*
In order to reduce our daily consumption of water, we have to train our imagination. So we may transform Becketts words:
To reduce really the daily consumption of water one must know every possible way to use one liter.

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