The designer and systems thinker Bob treats as one of the channels feeding McLuhan — a candidate source of the key term "extensions," and the origin of the image of the satellite as an extension of the terrestrial environment. Fuller recurs as a supplier of McLuhan's vocabulary rather than a figure in his own right. New to it — start with dialogue 13 for the satellite-as-extension.
Across the dialogues
Enters as a candidate source for McLuhan's "extensions" — alongside Emerson and Edward Hall, "extensions of our faculties"
Bob floats Fuller (with Emerson and Edward Hall) as a source of McLuhan's key term "extensions" — the reach of the faculties McLuhan built his media theory on.
"extensions of our faculties"
Cited on satellite surveillance — Fuller's 1970s remark to McLuhan that satellite cameras could already read license plates
Bob relays a mid-1970s Fuller remark to McLuhan — government satellite photographs already sharp enough to pick out a single car — as the origin of what he calls "solar government" and secret satellite surveillance.
"they're going to be able to see the license plates on your car."
Supplies the satellite-as-extension — the satellite as extension of the terrestrial environment, Bob's "encapsulated anti-environment"
Bob credits Fuller for the image that sparked his own cold-fusion-era insight — the satellite as the merger of first and second nature, a survivable capsule one carries into hostile space.
"the satellite was an extension of our terrestrial environment."
Connections
Bob names Fuller (with Emerson and Edward Hall) as a candidate source of McLuhan's "extensions," and the satellite-as-extension image.