Internet Archive Love

Earlier this month my organization had our annual board meeting at the Internet Archive in San Francisco.  We have  a relationship with them through their Open Library project, though I've been a fan of them for years because of their awesome Wayback Machine.   Since one of the Internet Archive's goals is to archive every page of every website, you can check out what sites like Yahoo looked like back in the day.  Remember Lycos?  Here's a nifty screenshot from 1999.  Remember Beanie Babies?  And how everything used to be curated by subject? 

So anyway, you can have hours and hours of fun on the Wayback Machine, and I highly recommend it for fun on a rainy day.  It's also useful.  I had a geocities website on Colonial America that I started right after college in 1998.  I got lazy and stopped updating it, and eventually geocities deleted it since it hadn't been updated in ages.  I thought all my essays and links and everything were gone, until I found it on the Wayback Machine and was able to save a copy.  So cool.

The Internet Archive also does all kinds of crazy stuff in addition to the web archive.  They digitize and archive home movies.  They record TV from countries all over the world to have an archive.  They digitize and lend out digital copies of books, the Open Library.  They are, in a word, awesome.

And they do it all from a church in San Francisco.  And we got a personal tour from their founder, Brewster Kahle.  The main offices are in the basement; the Sunday School room.  They have people scanning books in a separate scanning facility.  They have DVR's recording TV from all around the world.  

But the coolest part of the Internet Archive is the sanctuary.  It's huge and could easily hold a couple hundred people.  Every Friday they have a free lunch where anybody can just go in and learn about what they do.   And when you work with the Internet Archive for three years, they make a statue of you, that sits in one of the outer two rows of pews.  It's incredibly freaky, but so awesome, too.

   

Spot the real humans... there are two of them in this picture.

If you live in San Francisco, you should totally go to the Internet Archive some random Friday to meet them and see the awesomeness that they create.

Cutting out information junk food

Last week I heard a story on NPR about a new book, The Information Diet, that was about how we all are suffering from information-obesity.  The parallel was drawn that the same thing that happened to food in the past century is happening to information.  Food used to be scarce, lots of people were growing it themselves, and calories were expensive.  Now we have "food scientists" who have figured out how to make things called twinkies and ho-ho's that have "best if used by" dates up to 2 years from now.

And calories have become cheap.  But with that, calories have become figuratively cheap.  They're crap.  The same thing is happening to information.  We have tons of it.  Everywhere.  We're swimming in it.  Actually, sometimes we feel like we're drowning in it.  There are books published about how to deal with it, thus giving us more information to take in.  It's freaking everywhere.  But it's largely junk.  The difference between Fox News and the Huffington Post really isn't that great.  It's just junk that's made up to confirm the beliefs that the readers already have.

I spend my time wondering how to keep up with everything I'm interested in.  How do I keep up with all the blogs, the tweets, the podcasts, the tv shows (speaking of which, I just discovered Portlandia...where the hell have I been, right?), not to mention the books and new albums (and old albums).  There just isn't enough time in the day to keep up with it all, as well as answer work emails and hold down a job.

Oh, but there is.  On an average day, I probably spend at least an hour putzing around on the Huffington Post.  A few stories here in the morning, a video or two mid-morning, getting lost in a web of links at lunch... it adds up.  Plus, I watch The Daily Show religiously.  But seriously, what am I getting out of it?  Is that the stuff I really care about?  Yeah, it's fun to laugh at Republicans, and watch people doing stupid things on youtube, but seriously, is it making me smarter?  Is it adding value to my life?  When I'm done, do I think, "man, that was a good way to spend a few minutes of my life that I'll never get back"?

No.  I do not.

And so, I am on the information diet. I am giving up the sugar-equivalent of information, and sticking to the stuff I really care about.  Like the Madeleine Brand show.  I love her.  And Planet Money.  And the St. Matthew Passion.  You know, the important stuff in life.

I'm thinking that it's going to make a huge difference in my quest to achieve more mindfulness in life.  Because anything that sucks that much time away from you can't be mindfulness-approved.

Who needs camping when you've got Google Plus?

My husband and I are such web geeks.  I first caught wind of the whole Google Plus thing a few weeks ago and have been yammering for an invite all over facebook.  Finally a friend of hubby's offered them up, and he was all nonchalant like it was no big deal.  Once I explained it to him, he became increasingly excited.  So we spent the weekend checking our gmail to see whether our invitations had arrived yet.  We need to get out more.

He randomly checked his email while we were eating dinner tonight, and bam! the invitations had arrived.  Sweet!  So we promptly turned off the tv, turned away from our food, grabbed our laptops, and got to profile-making.  So if any of you are on google plus, please add me.  We'll spark each other.  It beats the old facebook "poke," no?

And below is a picture of our camping spot over the weekend.  Some things I had forgotten about camping (since it's been 20 years since I've gone):

1.  bugs.  I don't like them.

2.  tents are hot.

3.  People are loud over the holiday weekend.

So, that being said, we're going to go camping again when it's cooler and less crowded.  Still, King's Canyon is beautiful - John Muir said it was the second most beautiful place in the world after Yosemite, and while I'm not sure I would say it's more beautiful than the train ride from London to Cambridge, for example, it's still pretty gorgeous.

Channeling my Inner Amish Girl and Random Web Searches

Ahh, home...

I grew up in Amish Country, and even though I'm not Amish, it has shaped my views of how necessary modern conveniences are.  When our wall heater broke several years ago, my Southern California Surfer Dude husband freaked out.  Me, I was happy to burn stuff in the fireplace, wear extra sweaters, and cuddle on the couch with blankets.  Obviously it's preferable to have the heating work, and we got a new heater, and all was well with the world.  But, you know, for a week or so, it wasn't that bad.  I mean, the Amish do it, right?

So today I got to channel my inner Amish girl when our hot water heater broke.  Hubby is convinced he can install a new one, which we shall be purchasing at Home Depot tomorrow, but in the meantime, we are without hot running water.  Now notice the "hot" before the "running water."  We still have running water, just not hot running water.  Which, you know, is more than the Amish have.

I decided that I wanted to take a bath.  There's a limit to how much Amish I'm willing to take on, and I'm not hip with smelling, however faintly, of eau-de-Amos-Stoltzfus.  But I wasn't worried.  We have a gas stove.  And running water.  And big pots.  I mean, think about how people took baths a hundred years ago.  They had to heat water over fire.  That took a heck of a lot longer than what I had to do.  I simply filled up 2 stock pots, a tea kettle, and a sauce pan.  Ten times.  After approximately two and a half hours, I had a lovely tub full of hot water.  I added bubblebath, and voila, perfect relaxation time.

I washed the dishes in the same fashion, though not, obviously, in the bathtub.

Hubby was freaking out this morning, as men sometimes do, probably finding some logical relationship between the hot water heater breaking and his masculinity.  But I'm all right with being Amish for a few more days.

One more thing.  Sometimes I play Mad Libs with search engines and put in really random silly words and see what comes up.  So today, I searched in google images for the following:  Dog, Fart, Fast, Smell.  And this is what comes up first.  I swear to God.  I could not make this up.

To be fair to my Jonas honey's, I should say that it was on a website that also had the words, "how to stop your dog from farting."  But still.  It's pretty freaking funny, if you ask me.

It's the Internet's Fault

I know there's such a thing as pregnancy brain, but I think this is something different.  I have been reading (actually, listening to - I love me my audible subscription) The Shallows by Nicholas Carr.  I'm not all the way through with it yet, but frankly, what I've listened to so far is frightening enough.  Now I'm  not a luddite.  I embrace the internet more than your average person.  Heck, I had my first internet relationship in 1994 (he would send me .gif's of roses, which took three hours to download).  I met my husband on Craigslist (yep, seriously).  I learned html in 1998 and started a website which was the number one result on Yahoo for several years (at least, when you searched for Colonial America, that is).  I started blogging in 2002.  I'm not afraid of the internet.  Let me make that abundantly clear.  I'm not afraid of the internet.

Here's what I am afraid of.  I'm afraid of ADD.  I'm afraid that nobody's concentrating on anything anymore.  I'm afraid of this because I share a freeway with these people. 

For example, in The Shallows Carr gives evidence of university students at major Ivy League colleges not having to read entire books any longer.  What's worse is that they're English majors!  Apparently nobody under 25 is reading books any longer.  People are skimming, living life around the edges, never wading in beyond their knees.  Going in, googling, glancing at results, grabbing quotes, and leaving; moving on to the next assignment. 

To me, this means something more than just the idea that there are worlds of literary characters that these kids will never become friends with (Anne of Green Gables was my best friend throughout junior high).  It means that we're losing the ability to think deeply, to get our brains into that place of deep thought and concentration and creativity, being able to examine problems and issues from all angles and really dig into something deep.  This is rewarding on its own because you have a clearer picture of the issue, but it's also necessary for optimal physical health.  Look at all the people doing yoga and meditation.  Deep thought stimulates your brain in ways that floating around on the surface doesn't.

So now there's a movement called Slow Reading (this article from the Guardian introduces it).  Like the slow food movement before us (pretty self-explanatory - you need to take the time to really enjoy and digest what you're eating, as opposed to chowing down in your car while sitting on the freeway), the Slow Readers want us to connect to the words again, to really drink things in, to take the time to fully understand the message of the author, our interpretation of it, and any opinions about it that we might have.

Tracy Seeley, a slow-reading blogger, is quoted in the Guardian article, saying that slow reading should not, "just be the province of the intellectuals. Careful and slow reading, and deep attention, is a challenge for all of us." 

There are so many pulls for our attention at any given moment.  I find it ironic that things like yoga and meditation and chanting, etc., are all becoming so popular - like the Eat Pray Love phenomenon - we're all desperate to figure out a way to take time out and slow down, and yet we keep clicking, keep twittering, keep 4squaring, keep doing every new thing that comes around.  Me, I'm not into the 4square thing (I was, and then I got pranked at 7-11, so now I'm over it).  I rarely tweet.  In fact, I'm going to sit at my meditation altar in a second, and have 10 minutes of silence.

But maybe I should read this Wired article first - The Web is Dead.  Long live the Internet.  Perhaps the pendulum is moving back to the middle?

more pet peeves (and an eMusic rant)

Feeling like a curmudgeon today. Looked up what "curmudgeon" means, and saw that it means "a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas."

Yep, that's me.

Like today I get an email from emusic. I love emusic, I really do. I love their cheap downloads and extensive classical catalog, and great independent artists. Since they got some major labels, I've stopped loving them with such a passion, but I'm still down with the emusic love.

But I get this email today and it just makes me think of all the stupid people in the world. See if you can catch the stupid:

We're officially at the year's halfway mark, which means it's time to take stock of the Best Records of the Year...So Far

I mean, seriously, did no one proof that email? How many people read that and didn't think, "uh, gee, there are 12 months in the calendar. And five have gone past. Half of twelve is six..."

Listen, eMusic. July 1 is the halfway mark. Not June 1. Ok? Yeah, it's petty and it's not a big deal, but seriously. If I can't trust you to count, how can I trust you to catalog all my favorite music? And I have a bone to pick with you about that, too. I've written to your customer service asking for you guys to invest a couple grand to hire a music librarian because seriously, there's no consistency in your classical stuff. This takes a music librarian because of the authority control - I know, that's a big word for you so let me break it down:

Classical music is tough because of a few things. First, many people search by composer (in pop music, you don't often search for songwriter). Second, there are literally hundreds of recordings of the same pieces. Also, a lot of musicians are cataloged by last name, then first. You don't often see Boy, Fall Out. It's always just Fall Out Boy. So a simple search for a Paul O'Dette as an artist brings back the following results:

Drew Minter & Paul O'Dette

Paul O'Dette - lute,

orpharion and cittern

David Douglass, Paul O'Dette, Andrew Lawrence-King

The King's Noyse with Paul O'Dette

Paul O’Dette

Ellen Hargis, Paul O'Dette, Andrew Lawrence-King & Hille Perl

Paul O'Dette & Andrew Lawrence-King

And then how's this for fun? There are two John Taverner's in classical music. One contemporary. One from like four hundred years ago. You have albums that are 400 years old under the compositions of the modern one. Sort that out, PLEASE!

Finally, search for William Byrd as a composer. Look what comes up:

William Byrd

WILLIAM BYRD (1543-1623)

William Byrd, arr. Peter le Huray & Thurston Dart

William Byrd?, Consort Lessons

William Byrd- Pieces From The "Fitzwilliam Virginal Book"

William Byrd, arr. Edmund Fellowes &

William Byrd & arr. Fellowes

Joen Dowland/William Byrd

Byrd, William

Nope, that's not frustrating at all. PLEASE EMUSIC!!! You just got all those major labels. You raised prices. PLEASE SORT THIS STUFF OUT. Hire a classical music librarian. I can help you find one. Heck, I can even do a lot of this stuff. I'll do it for cheap. Seriously.

I love emusic, but I just can't stand the stupid today.

Random Stuff of the Day

I gave in to the rampant consumer in me and bought a Droid on Saturday. I'm having a ridiculously good time downloading and playing with apps. Somewhere in the back of my mind there's this niggling feeling that I need to do my podcast. But seriously. Augmented Reality!!! New and Shiny!!!!

While not downloading useless apps today, I got caught up with some web stuff I didn't get a chance to read last week.

Here is a random sample of my web history folder:

A New Yorker column on Uncommon Complaints about the ipad.

The Digital Edition of the Metro, the UK paper that they give away at all the underground stations. Look, I know it's a bit trashy, but I love the e-edition because it feels like I'm really there. Looking at the ads. Flipping through on my commute from Muswell Hill. And besides, the Guardian charges an arm and a leg for their digital edition. I now get my Guardian news from their android app...she says, ever so smugly.

The BBC History Magazine blogs page. Everything you ever wanted to know about the sex life of ancient greeks.

And finally, an interesting article from the London Times on the long-term implications of the icelandic volcano.

In between reading interesting stuff, we've still been redoing the living room. Hardwood floors are down and just need the baseboard. That will come later this week or next. The current job - painting. After the painting, we can get the furniture put back semi-properly. I'm sensing another trip to Ikea in my not-so-distant-future.

The Pirate Party

To be filed in the People who Do Cool Things file:
The Pirate Party in Sweden might have enough votes to win a seat in the European Parliament. They want to essentially rewrite copyright law so that music, movies, and all media is freely shared online. They were formed after the government shut down a file-sharing site called Pirate Bay. A bunch of geeky IT guys are at the core of the party. Go Geeky Pirates!

hobbies

I have been having fun making lenses on squidoo. I need more hobbies or something. Check out this one I made on bare minerals. I heart bare minerals.