Time Travel
Ever since a young age Time Travel has held a fascination to me. I blame an overdosage of Science Fiction at an early age. Was it Star Trek’s “City on the Edge of Forever“, Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court“, or Micheal Crichton’s “Timeline”? I blame all.
Benefits of an Interest in Time Travel
A healthy fascination does come in quite handy for history classes. Nothing makes a lecture more alive than imagining what it would be like to live through the social upheaval. Sometimes thinking about how you think the crisis could have been adverted, but then realizing that in a small way your own personal history was impacted by those very same events. How would things had been different if Russia had won the Cold War? What if Hitler had decided to stay an author? What if Beethoven had decided he wouldn’t compose since he was deaf?
Modern Day Time Travel
Before I go much further, I have to note that I don’t think we have the technology to time travel and doubt we ever will. This doesn’t mean though that we can’t do a little bit of “time traveling.” My first exposure to this was learning about World War II in a class. At the same time I was helping house sit for a elderly family-friend’s home. When they returned they inquired what I was learning about in school. I told them World War II. I was surprised to find that the husband had fought in World War II. I started talking about what I had learned and he started telling me “how it really happened.” Seeing him talk about the war brought it alive for me.
Later I volunteered in a nursing home and I got the same experience. People who had seen what I only read in history books. Sure, you may say that they had a bias on the events, but I would submit that the authors of the history books do as well.
The Last Newspaper
Newspapers have always had a romantic interest with me. In high school, I was a bit of a news junkie and would read it everyday. I told myself that once I was on my own, I would get a newspaper. So I did. I subscribed to the Sunday paper over a year ago. Ever since then I’ve been awoken by the newspaper delivery person throwing it at my door at ~4am – 5am every Sunday morning. I understand how much easier it is to deliver if one doesn’t need to climb the stairs to my 2nd story apartment. The first time it happened I thought that something had crashed into the apartment building. I called in complaint three times to the Seattle Times to no avail. I told them to feel free to leave it at the bottom of the stairs. Last Sunday, early in the morning I was awakened for the last time. I called the newspaper and had it cancelled. Although I will not regret being able to sleep in on Sunday mornings, I feel I will miss the newspaper.
What is so special about the Newspaper?
After much soul-searching, I think I know why I like the newspaper so much. It was part of my family daily ritual. My Dad used to read it every day. My mom was a champion coupon clipper. My extended family members would periodically appear therein. I grew up in a wood stove home and the paper kept it warm. The paper was intrinsically part of home/family life.
I think another part of it was that the Newspaper was part of the community of my youth. I grew up in the small town of Yakima. It may not look like much but the Yakima Herald indeed was a “daily part of your life”. Not only did it provide the news of the day, but it also kept you up to date on who was getting married, who had died, and all the other news of the area. More often than not, people I knew wrote in for the “Letters to the Editor.” Friends worked at the paper. The paper helped support my High School sports teams and took on fellow students to write a weekly articles. The Yakima Herald is part of the community that is Yakima. Subscribing to the newspaper, wasn’t only for the paper, but also helping support something that gave back to the community by chronicling it, providing jobs, and giving back itself.
My New “Paper”
Truth be told, I hadn’t been actually reading the Sunday paper. My main reasons for keeping it was for the nostalgia detailed above. I’ve turned to the Web as my news outlet. For news I have Reuters and Google News. For weddings and other gossip I have Facebook or Twitter. I can read my friend blogs whether they be WordPress or LiveJournal through aggregators like my personal fav Google Reader. Instead of supporting my physical community, I’m helping support my digital community by blogging and by contributing to sites like Yelp. The Web is becoming my portal to the not only digital, but physical community. As long as the Web doesn’t become my only portal to the outside world, I think this shift is fine.
George Orwell’s 1984
I have a confession to make. I had never read 1984. I felt it was something I needed to read, if I wanted to continue participate in culture. Although it was definitely a response to the social conditions in July of 1950, I think it has much to speak about the importance of privacy and ultimately what it means to be human.
One of the first things that Orwell shocks us with is that Winston Smith is being watched. This is not completely foreign with our society and its love of reality tv. You find through the book that not only is everyday relationships with people effected by this constant surveillance, but also family relationships, love interests, and ultimately thought itself is controlled by the ever watching “Big Brother.” This loss of privacy seems to had been given away both consciously and sub-consciously by the prevailing masses.
The Party attempts (and I feel suceeds) in controlling the memories of its people. People cling to memory and experience as what defines their reality. If memory can be made untrust-worthy, then reality is changed. This reminds me of the replicants in Blade Runner clinging to their photographs. Memory is part of what makes us human. Learning and growning, and not stagnating as beings or as a society.
I enjoyed 1984. If you haven’t read it I recommend that you do and apologize for giving so much away.
9-11 Remembered
I’ve not forgotten. September 11, 2001 changed our country. I remember taking history in Junior High and High School, asking my parent about some of the events that has shaped our nations history. The moon walk. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!“ These and others were huge and shaped generations to come. What would be written in history books of the future that I had lived through? 9-11 changed that and more.
What is in a Name?
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;Romeo and Juliet, William Shakesphere
I’ve always been vain about my name. The response and what I think it says about me are things that I have always appreciated having been gifted my name from my parents.
Ubiquity
Everyone and their mother has probably heard about Ubiquity by now. All I have to say is, it is about time. I’m so glad people are thinking this through; the Web is by definition connected. The Web isn’t simply a rag tag collection of sites anymore it is an active community sharing information and I love it when designers start to get that.
I just ran across “The Ultimate List of Ubiquity Verbs.” I can’t wait to see what is next.
Beginnings
After some years of not blogging I’ve decided to start back up again. It is interesting doing it for so long and then stopping. When you blog you get in the habit of forming life experiences into blog posts complete with drama a sass.
I’ve made public a good portion of my old blog on LiveJournal and I’m looking forward to a fresh start.
