DeLong & Rationing

[Carl Remick]

>New York Times / Week In Review
>June 18, 2000
>RECKONINGS / By PAUL KRUGMAN
>Turn of the Century
>
>The new PBS mini-series "1900 House," which started last week, follows a
>modern British family that has agreed to spend three months living in a
>London townhouse that has been carefully de-modernized -- electric wiring
>stripped out and gas lighting put back into service, plumbing degraded back
>to Victorian standards and so on. I was worried about the concept: would it
>turn out to be exploitation TV with a highbrow veneer, sort of "Survivor"
>meets "Upstairs, Downstairs"? But the first episode, about the preparation
>of the house and the selection of the family, was terrific, prompting some
>serious thoughts about the nature and measurement of economic progress.

Fortunately, I've managed to avoid seeing any of "Survivor" so far, but I 
did catch the first episode of "1900 House" last week.  It looks like it's 
going to be a fascinating series -- being, among other things, an extended 
look at how difficult it is to internalize the thinking of another era.  I 
was reminded of my favorite time-travel story, "Time and Again" (set in 19th 
century NY City), where the protagonist was able to travel back in time 
without high-tech wizardry simply -- but, again, definitely no mean feat -- 
by adopting a 19th century mindset.

Carl

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