I am so afraid of people's words.
They describe so distinctly everything:
And this they call dog and that they call house,
here the start and there the end.
I worry about their mockery with words,
they know everything, what will be, what was;
no mountain is still miraculous;
and their house and yard lead right up to God. I want to warn and object: Let the things be!
I enjoy listening to the sound they are making.
But you always touch: and they hush and stand still.
That's how you kill.
"That's the way it takes men; life's work over, rural ennui stretching ahead: a procession of days, Sunday to Sunday, all without shape. ... It's like perpetual November, a life in the dark."
- Hilary Mantel, "Bringing Up The Bodies"
This is a particularly eventful week in the fight against AIDS - the conversation about a cure has returned to the forefront. As doctors declare a child born HIV positive to be "functionally cured", that is able to live independent of treatment, I have heard more chatter about the possibility of ending the epidemic than I have since I was a child. For however long this will last, days or weeks I'm not sure, I'm just glad this talk has returned so that the complacency and acceptance I have witnessed over the years hopefully doesn't perpetuate, and the epidemic will see an end in my lifetime.
I also am glad to have been introduced to the public figure that is Dr. C. Everett Koop. While it was his passing on Feb 25th 2013 that made his name known to me, I will claim my ignorance of the most recognizable Surgeon General in the history of the U.S.. Living in a time where being a religious individual and a conservative is too often so backwards, it is nice to read about a man who was deeply religious, but at the same time understood the true meaning of human good and public service, and how this is the paramount concern. It is a little sad that I still find his story of standing up against ridiculous conservative stances to be so relevant, but in a year where such things as the legitimacy of rape has been questioned, I do. So today, I'm respecting the legacy of Dr. C. Everett Koop, a true public servant and an advocate for all.
(this video from the 80's is pretty telling as well)
As someone who is adopted, genealogy has never interested me. Frankly, I've just never really understood the strong heritage identifications most Americans seem to have (and flaunt). Which is why I will probably never end up using my MLIS to be an archivist. However, I do love history. I love old things - old people, old buildings, old shoes, etc. There's just a sense of strength about things that stand the test of time, and something remarkable about the stories they then carry them. Which is also why I will probably not remain living in America - I need ancient items around me.
But I digress - today I read the top 3 entries for the Ohio Historical Society's "Found it in the Archives" contest. The contest occurs every year, and always provides some interesting journeys of Ohioans who have woven together stories of past - all because of the preservation efforts of the OHS and its archives. It is a good example of why preservationists are important.
so while the intentions are good, new year's resolutions are lame. resolutions in general, however are not.
and if the turning of a clock, and the subsequent anticlimax that undoubtedly follows incites people to do better with themselves and their lives, then that is good in its own sense. however if one can't see the need for this kind of action or movement in any other time of the year, and one must sheepishly follow the standards of time and gimmick, standards that were created by humans of course, then this is what's "lame". and it's this, this lack of genuine and very personal motivation, that often leads these resolutions to remain unpacked suitcases sitting in the corner of the room. so today i'm finally giving the new year some attention. i will say my new year's wasn't the greatest, and it is almost never is, but it did cause for a lot of personal reflection. and i guess recently i have come up with some sort of resolution, a motto of the year if you will. i mean the standards of time are good for many things, such as goal settings, and there are goals that i have laid before myself this year. and therefore some year motivation, some motto is worthy of noting. it was a voice of simplicity that came through and i honestly feel will be continually referenced, and it came from mother teresa. i'm sure everybody, at least anybody with an internet connection and a social networking account or feed of some sort, has swam through the muddy sea of inspirational quotes and images. like anything in excess, they lose their "inspirational" value in this way, but i also find that none of them offer many solutions or answers on how. they just tell. tell you to feel inspired, to go somewhere, to stop crying, to see things this way. and yes so does this quote. but for me this was the one and only one that made sense, at least for me - me in this year. so let's be a bit trite 2013: i'm going to do it anyway.
I began subscribing to C-PET's updates a few semesters ago when I was taking my first IAKM course on Futures Research, taught by Michael Nelson. I always look forward to updates from Nigel Cameron, and now that I've had some time to catch up on most of my RSS and e-mails, I've had some time to catch up on some sage insights, which is something I thoroughly enjoy. So today I'm reading Nigel Cameron's commentary, learning more about the tragic loss of Aaron Swartz and his extreme but heroic fight for open access, and re-listening to Ray Kurzweil speak about his studies on the neocortex and how technology really is an extension of human intelligence.
And I think it's fitting to include a quote of Nigel Cameron's 2013 things to watch.
"It's a comment on our complacency that there is not enormous alarm across the political and social spectrum at the advances being made by artificial intelligence and robotics in the workplace"
i really threw myself into my classes this last semester - i vied that i would read every assignment in its entirety (twice if necessary), take my time, draw it all in and learn as much as possible. as soon as classes ended, it was holidays and then the yearly onset of SAD for me - which usually means a lot of wine, fiction, and sweatpants. so today, i'm finally chipping away at my inbox, catching up on news, organizing my desktop and feeling like i finally have some time.
so here's what rang true to me today:
"Digital literacy is less about how to turn on a computer and more about how to move between apps." -Will Manley, Digitized to Distraction
