Google’s BIG arrow points the way

“Google owns the planet.” That’s what I have been saying for the past few years. And I have been a huge fan because I love the simple, clean, white, (where are the ads hiding?) interface.

If Apple has taught us anything at all (and I do believe it has taught us much)…it is that competition is good (thanks Microsoft) and that a monopoly only minimizes quality. So- I have been rooting for other search engines, but have always found Google to be best.

I admit, I have been unable to keep my New Year’s Resolution for 2011 (stop bashing Facebook) because sometimes one must admit failure. So…I have REALLY been rooting for Google Circles. Facebook could use the competition.

The world(s)—((let’s make it plural since we live in both digital and physical and, while we are at it, let’s double the parentheses because two worlds require doubling everything))—is changing at the most rapid speed of all TIME. None of us can keep up. That’s obvious.

Today, Google surprised me with a big arrow, pointing to ME. Who could miss it? When your style is simplistic, change is noticeable.

My first thought was about marketing. The one who gets the money market is usually the winner. But something inside me resists the quick payoff mentality. My husband of many years (the love of my life) emphasizes economics as the underlying factor of most goals and the foundation of most achievements. As an educator, my focus is always on the next generation and how decisions will impact them.
Oh, the dilemmas we face every day. Are we “selling out” or are we “risking all” for the future? As I near reaching my goal of earning a PhD, a part of me dreams of sending my resume to Google (and I would strive to be the best employee ever) and a part of me wants to turn up the Pearl Jam song Indifference (really loud). I keep coming back to it… opposites.

I am irrelevant, therefore I matter

Lately, due to the push for educators to embrace 21st century learning and TECHNOLOGY (caps intended), I have felt my career as a librarian (what a quaint, out-dated and adorable word) has made me irrelevant.  I have become an example of my own philosophical “theory of opposites”- which I hope to write about one day, once I finish spending all my time learning and writing my dissertation. Just kidding- we are never done learning.

I am an example of my opposites as a truism because the moment I admit my irrelevance…I somehow seem to matter.  The more I learn…the more I realize I know nothing.

I opened a school library in 1990 and have watched the slow evolution, or should I say the sudden snap, as we close “the Gutenberg Parenthesis”.  The gigantic dictionary in my school library (it must weigh over 12 pounds) causes kindergartners to turn their heads, gasp, and ask “what is THAT?!”

That gargantuan, once respected, object is irrelevant and is only kept on a display stand as a relic.  The death of “the dictionary” is symbolic of the end of the high regard for the printed word as king of meaning.  One might agree with those who feel that the printed word was overrated all along.  The authors of books, for goodness sake, are people.  Each human being is both extremely important and ultimately expendable.  Any media format may hold important information, entertaining information, aesthetically pleasing information, or be full of nonsense- and there’s a place for that, too.

So…I join those who struggle to live on the other side of the Gutenberg Parenthesis, particularly because (as a librarian) my profession was based on the prior hierarchy.  My 20 year (plus) career has been wonderful and now I stand on sand that is slowly blowing away under my own feet.  I am in awe of that!  How lucky I am to witness it.  I saw it coming and I am already standing on firm digital ground.  But…I still secretly love the smell of books.

Thomas Pettitt on the Gutenberg Parenthesis from Nieman Journalism Lab on Vimeo.

 

 

Visting the World of Steampunk

Steampunk

Steampunk from http://www.flickr.com/photos/f7oor/564669765/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first time I encountered the term “steampunk” was in the virtual world of Second Life.  I rode a hot-air balloon and saw interesting and wacky contraptions!  Merging of the mechanical gagetry of the industrial revolution with the sleek high tech digital age provides some unique creative expression.  One of the librarian blogs I follow (see the Centered Librarian–  where do you find all the cool photos!?) shared this PBS Arts Special on the topic of steampunk.  Take a look:

 

The idea of an altervative historical genre is aesthetically appealing particularly in a time when architecture and design are often dictated by short-term goals.  Disposable, economical buildings are more prevalent than beautiful, expensive and artistically designed ones in our current culture.  Clothing, too, is made to appeal to the masses and styles are dictated by the media and celebrities.  Perhaps part of the appeal of steampunk is the return to an earlier time- when things were built to last.  Combine that appeal with the wildest inventions one can imagine and the mix is both comforting and disturbing.  An oxymoron is, in my opinion, a true expression of life’s essence.

In March of 2010, the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference had a steampunk theme.  Some of the presentation venues (virtually spaces where avatars gathered) had interesting mechanical gadgets with lots of metal gears and parts.  Participants, including myself and colleagues from the University of Washington, dressed in steampunk attire during sessions.  I filmed a few machinima shots during our session and at the main conference meeting space.

Although I am not personally a steampunk enthusiast, I am intrigued by all genres of transmedia. My brief trip into the realm of steampunk was an example of transliteracy because I experienced the genre across a variety of communication platforms.