Monday, September 27, 2010
“When I hear somebody sigh, “Life is hard,” I am always tempted to ask, “Compared to what?” ~Sydney Harris http://bit.ly/8Z3qiK
“Those who create good fellowships among others will never be short of friends.” ~Napoleon Hill http://amplify.com/u/b8qf
The Privatization of Culture and the Illusion of Depth | in over your head
An MP3 used to be a concert. A Kindle used to be a bookstore.
Is this you? You listen to music personally on your MP3 player. You read books by yourself and watch your TV on your laptop or iPad. You eat alone at least 50% of the time, rarely go to concerts, and watch more movies at home than in theatres.
Do you recognize yourself in this profile? ;)
A side effect of the digitization and portability of cultural artifacts is that they have also been brought from the public to the private. A gramophone used to be expensive, and a community might have had only one, so they shared it. Now we all have iPods, so we have our own music collection. We can download our favourite songs privately, so we don’t have to talk to a record store clerk– or anyone, for that matter.
What was once necessarily public has become private. What used to belong to a community has become private property. This might be a normal process of commodification– food becomes affordable, so we have snack foods or protein shakes instead of feasts. Stuff get cheaper, more portable, and private.
Interestingly enough, this also leeches value out of the public domain and into the pockets of corporations. This may, or may not, be an accident. But that’s not the point. The privatization of culture is a fact, and we have to deal with it. Though it fuels a sense of personal power, if we’re not careful, it also feeds loneliness.
Collective activity is a pillar of connection inside a community, helping people laugh together and share good conversation. It fuels a sense of belonging and happiness. How much of it are you doing?
If this is a normal phase of cultural and technological evolution, then it might be unstoppable. But your personal choice will reflect your priorities and decide the kind of life you live. The more public, the better you are at conversation and the more you feel a sense of kinship with others. The more private, the less conformity, but at the expense of belonging. You are either a wolf or a sheep, but the choice often happens without your consent.
Creative Commons people and programmers tend to get this, and bloggers often do too– the more you give stuff away, the more you get back. But often we live this only in regards to the web, and miss out because of it. Dungeons and Dragons has become World of Warcraft– an impression of being public, but without the actual increase in satisfaction or happiness. It is a trompe-l’oeil that mimics depth.
My strategy to trade favourite books with people, to have weekly ‘dates,’ and to have people over for supper. These are not exciting things.
They are not about technology. They are about people.
But if you’re part of the social web, and all you get excited about is the New Twitter, you do not see the big picture, and you are mistaken about why it matters.
Take a step back and look again.
Is this you? You listen to music personally on your MP3 player. You read books by yourself and watch your TV on your laptop or iPad. You eat alone at least 50% of the time, rarely go to concerts, and watch more movies at home than in theatres.
Do you recognize yourself in this profile? ;)
A side effect of the digitization and portability of cultural artifacts is that they have also been brought from the public to the private. A gramophone used to be expensive, and a community might have had only one, so they shared it. Now we all have iPods, so we have our own music collection. We can download our favourite songs privately, so we don’t have to talk to a record store clerk– or anyone, for that matter.
What was once necessarily public has become private. What used to belong to a community has become private property. This might be a normal process of commodification– food becomes affordable, so we have snack foods or protein shakes instead of feasts. Stuff get cheaper, more portable, and private.
Interestingly enough, this also leeches value out of the public domain and into the pockets of corporations. This may, or may not, be an accident. But that’s not the point. The privatization of culture is a fact, and we have to deal with it. Though it fuels a sense of personal power, if we’re not careful, it also feeds loneliness.
Collective activity is a pillar of connection inside a community, helping people laugh together and share good conversation. It fuels a sense of belonging and happiness. How much of it are you doing?
If this is a normal phase of cultural and technological evolution, then it might be unstoppable. But your personal choice will reflect your priorities and decide the kind of life you live. The more public, the better you are at conversation and the more you feel a sense of kinship with others. The more private, the less conformity, but at the expense of belonging. You are either a wolf or a sheep, but the choice often happens without your consent.
Creative Commons people and programmers tend to get this, and bloggers often do too– the more you give stuff away, the more you get back. But often we live this only in regards to the web, and miss out because of it. Dungeons and Dragons has become World of Warcraft– an impression of being public, but without the actual increase in satisfaction or happiness. It is a trompe-l’oeil that mimics depth.
My strategy to trade favourite books with people, to have weekly ‘dates,’ and to have people over for supper. These are not exciting things.
They are not about technology. They are about people.
But if you’re part of the social web, and all you get excited about is the New Twitter, you do not see the big picture, and you are mistaken about why it matters.
Take a step back and look again.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/b9P6iY
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Myths of the Modern Age
There are thousands more myths, aren’t there? You could add some. Or you could set about deciding what is going to matter. And then, you could do. Something.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/91sedI
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ~Lao Tzu http://bit.ly/afrHZI
Crosby Stills & Nash - Suite - Judy Blue Eyes
For an old friend of mine!
Amplify’d from www.youtube.com
Crosby Stills & Nash - Suite - Judy Blue Eyes
See more at www.youtube.com
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/cpZ9p5
Jim Croce - I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song (1973)
What a beautiful love song!
Amplify’d from www.youtube.com
Jim Croce - I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song (1973)
See more at www.youtube.com
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/9EyQPP
Jim Croce - I Got a Name (1973)
Jim Croce - Time In A Bottle (1973)
On the important subject of curiousity: IF - Live curious. | National Geographic Channel
On the important subject of curiosity:
If you are, you breath. If you breath, you talk. If you talk, you ask. If you ask, you think. If you think, you search. If you search, you experience. If you experience, you learn. If you learn, you grow. If you grow, you wish. If you wish, you find. If you find, you doubt. If you doubt, you question. If you question, you understand. If you understand, you know. If you know, you want to know more… And if you want to know more, you are alive…
Amplify’d from www.youtube.com
If you are, you breath. If you breath, you talk. If you talk, you ask. If you ask, you think. If you think, you search. If you search, you experience. If you experience, you learn. If you learn, you grow. If you grow, you wish. If you wish, you find. If you find, you doubt. If you doubt, you question. If you question, you understand. If you understand, you know. If you know, you want to know more… And if you want to know more, you are alive…
National Geographic Channel - IF. Live curious.
See more at www.youtube.com
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/9pT6aY
Updated WordPress.com - Step-by-Step Tutorial on How to Blog by Chris Abraham | Abraham & Harrison
Thank you very Chris! I marvel at your ingenuity! Be blessed!
Amplify’d from www.youtube.com
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/cHV4Ai
flickspire - Change the World Movie
Bud Bilanich writes:
I truly believe that most of the time...less is more.
Sometimes, certain things viewed in certain ways have
the ability to make an impact on our life in a positive way.
Eleanor Roosevelt said it best,
"It is not fair to ask of others, what you are unwilling to do yourself"
This quote pretty much sums up what this great little
3 minute movie is all about...enjoy!
I wish I had learned this lesson when I was 20, not 40…
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/9ZJIr0
“Promise yourself to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.” ~The Optimist Creed http://bit.ly/dcxc68
“For true success, ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?” ~James Allen http://bit.ly/bPCgD0
Saturday, September 25, 2010
“Courage is the greatest of all the virtues. Because if you haven't courage, you may not have an opportunity to use any of the others.” ~Samuel Johnson http://bit.ly/awKnhT
Ask Better Questions
If you want better answers, ask better questions. I most recently heard that by listening to a Tony Robbins CD (1), but I’ve heard it before. The thing is, with all good advice, if you don’t hear it often, it falls under the waves. So, I’m here to repeat it.
“If you want better answers, ask better questions.”
Reference:
1. http://www.chrisbrogan.com/paring/
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/b52z
Tangible Goals
By writing goals onto paper, magic happens. They go from being abstract to being real. They go from being nice-to-have to being things-to-do.
At the beginning of 2010, I put down several goals, including some financial ones. They were a stretch, and not SMART goals, but close enough. As I started hitting them, I saw that I could do even bigger things, if I wanted to work on those goals for 2011. Combined with my ideas about asking better questions, I found that you can really get far if you write your goals down.
Other references:
1. http://www.chrisbrogan.com/keep-smart-goals-in-front-of-you-overnight-success/
2. http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ask-better-questions/
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/b52l
Silence as a Business Edge
I worked with silence yesterday. I didn’t look at my email until after 11. I didn’t check into Twitter until much later. I didn’t play the radio in the car. I didn’t turn on my amazing Sonos S5 player at my office when I got there in the afternoon. I just stayed silent.
See this Amp at http://bit.ly/abUgCD
BMW Will Integrate iPads | 10awesome.com
This is really cool!
BMWs will soon feature iPad docking bays on back seats, which swivel and rotate. Using ConnectedDrive, the car will act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing iPads and other devices to connect online. Bye bye to those displays...
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/b47o
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