Two comments on Interesting 09
by asi
1. Interesting 09 was awesome as usual. Almost unmanageable stream of good stuff. Now, if you were there, close your eyes and try to quickly recall 8 talks that left a mark. Possible but not easy, right?. Now try to recall 8 great things you’ve stumbled up through Twitter yesterday that left a mark. My experience of interesting was very similar to my experience of Twitter – being among friends (close, remote, strong / weak ties), consuming an overload of random, disposable, bite-size information – from the very personal to the scientific, through the political, culinary, historic, crafty and EVERYTHING in between.
2. Among few others that left a mark on my tired brain (Prozac generating yogurt won this year for me) was Jessica’s meta meta data data talk. As meta-data tools become more prevalent and the live web fast becoming a reality I was trying to explain to myself what is it that makes this obsessive recording of one self’s life so appealing? I’m looking at Jessica’s daytum page it feels like cognitive Rubin vase – both truly fascinating and absolutely tedious. I’m starting to develop a theory of social publishing and meta-data recording as the next step in our cultural evolution in dealing with our mortality. Without strongly held religious beliefs, dealing with how temporary we are, trying to accept the smallness of our place in this world, can obsessive meta-data recording is the perfect coping tool for those obsessing about how everything we’re looking at is impermanent?
Thinking of what you say about the blury bunch of stuffness that makes twitter and blogs etc so compelling….I reckon the experience of being exposed to mates and interestingness in little chunky bits is, for the creative brain a bit like being in the shower, bath, bus or bog – in that it’s the place where you have good ideas – through ruminating gently on stuff. No massive ideas that demand answers – just a gentle rocking of brain food that every now and agin pops out a sizzling idea.
Very well said Tom