Don't Feed Me

Spoiler alert: I read the first 150, then Evelyn-Wooded to the end. And there are some things I hope I never see. So, skip the next paragraph if you don’t want details.

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As someone who’s been to an actual farm, the graphic images of the futuristic ‘farm’ were especially off-putting. I give credit to Anderson, though, for creating a universe so realistic that it sickens. And in fact that may be his point – the farm, the lesions, the graphic nature of Violet’s debilitating illness– all depictions of a sickened and sickening society.
Also, Titus’ reaction to Violet’s wish list and descent is predictable behavior even now for a teen unused to coping with reality, hooked on fun and consumerism. Anderson gets all of this right – the self-centeredness, probably driven into hyperdrive by the consumer culture – and then makes us believe in Titus’ transition, his growth in the novel due to his innate ‘otherness’ and because of what he eventually learns during his disconnect from the feed and his interaction with Violet. Nicely done.


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I think we’re seeing quite a bit of what Anderson describes here. Sure, we’re a long way from visiting the moon and finding it boring, but we’re being sold to, daily, with or without the feed. From politics to pop-tarts, we’re bombarded with sales pitches and monitored for consumer behavior. Often, we’re pushed and prodded and shaped into wanting the things and people that make up consumer culture. We’re branded: Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts? Coke or Pepsi? What we buy becomes who we are – and if we’re not buying it, or buying into it, we become disconnected – ‘out of touch’ – from society. Jacking us into the feed – like Johnny Mnemonic – is a perfect way for advertisers and corporations to achieve direct sales perfection. But it comes at a cost.

This is not desirable, even now, to me. While I tend to enjoy reading and seeing dystopian visions of the future, the point of these stories is to scare us out of the complacency that would allow such futures. The fact that everyone from Philip K. Dick to Anderson to William Gibson to Jack Womack is pointing that our future is one that is corporate-owned should give people more than food for thought.

By the way: this book, with its language and young protagonist, reminded me of Womack’s brilliant Random Acts of Senseless Violence. Sure, I have to laugh because he turns my native Long Island into a toxic disaster area, home to mutants – but his descriptions of what happens when a family loses its economic footing in New York, the subsequent disintegration of the American government, and the corporate takeover that follows is eerily relevant these days. Feed fits nicely into this bleak picture.

Riffs is Snarkilicious!

Riffs, at www.riffs.com, is a site for anyone who enjoys rating, tagging, and commenting on a cross-section of (mainly American) culture. It's basically a playground for opinionated snark lovers, so I enjoyed it a lot!

Riffs invites you to do a variety of things. At its most simple level, it provides a basic 'thumbs up/thumbs down' Siskel-and-Ebert-meets-"Gladiator" approach to rating thumbnails representing everthing from Hillary Clinton to Diet Coke to Textbooks to Japan, gauges your response, and provides a percentage tally of how many people think similarly. Cool enough. But then, it invites you to add your comment on the item, or respond and bookmark the comments of others. And it tracks other 'recommenders' with similar interests. So, while you were sitting there in all your snarky glory, rating, commenting, and responding, Riffs has neatly tracked where you fit in its current community, who else's opinions you might enjoy hearing, and what other items you might be interested in reading, hearing, trying, or buying.

Then add this neat feature - which could use some tweak, but is still cool: you can give Riffs access to your iTunes library. It will then compile a suggested list of music, in iTunes. At that point, you can head over to the iTunes store, hear the sample, and purchase it if you like. Riffs will update the list daily, based on changes to your library, if you prefer. You can also import your del.icio.us tags, and you can add websites to your Riffs page. All good innovations that integrate current social software with Riffs.

The only issue I have right now is depth. It seems like a new service, so there aren't as many thumbnails, opinions, and users as you would like - but that will change as the word spreads. And, I would definitely continue to use Riffs for music updates, community recommendations, new products, and commentary. The other night I found a new gadget on Riffs: an iPod shuffle case that doubles as a keychain/bottle opener. Yes, trendykewl, but it also provoked some thought. Drinking-- car keys-- iPod? Hmm. My Riffs comment:"iPod responsibly."

Bloglines v. Google Reader

Bloglines: I had some initial issues with bloglines. While it is ultimately easier on the eye and offers more options for presentation of information, it is in no way made easier for beginners.

Case in point, I spied a blog by Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential, "A Cook's Tour") among the sparkly new fun available on initial signup. However, when I went to add the feed, it would not take. And when I plugged his name keyword into the add/search function in an attempt to find what it lost, bloglines gave me information I did not need, or claimed that it was showing ' 1 of 1' - but displayed a blank page. I had to go outside bloglines to find and add this information.

I've adjusted, though, and made bloglines work.

Google Reader: not really any startup problems on the bloglines level, but it's just an ugly and crowded interface after the clean spaciousness of bloglines. There are a multitude of options along the bottom of the posts, some of which could bear explanation. However, I love the idea that I can be in gmail, with 'teh google', and flex easily into Reader without having to 'open up a can of' tab. One-stop is certainly a plus, if we want to talk convenience. It's just not an easy read - yet.

One thing I will say: I think both of these options will significantly change the way I look at information. I definitely like the fact that blogs update in the reader, eliminating much of my need to travel directly to websites. Wow.

- Tara

Blogger vs. Wordpress - Part I

Blogger: a short, simple tabbed interface for posts vs. Wordpress: a long, detailed scrolling interface for posts.

Blogger: a few template choices vs. Wordpress: many graphically interesting & beautiful template choices, categorized by type.

Blogger: a fast, easy, user-friendly dashboard/startup for new bloggers vs. Wordpress: a confusing dashboard layout/startup best approached slowly by newbies.

Blogger: a small-print section on the post interface for labels, which I missed before Steve's video pointed it out vs. Wordpress: a primary focus on tagging and categories, as illustrated by their prominence on the posting interface.

Blogger: good for getting students new to technology started with blogging vs. Wordpress: something I would be interested in spending time learning as I blogged more. A challenge!

The Brown & Duguid Reading

I love technology. But when did a love of technology mean buying into the concept that technology is the answer for everything?

It's true, I have a weird, dark-humored affection for certain utopian tech concepts. The belief that technological progress means you may never have to leave your house for anything, ever: dude, what doesn't rock about that as a brave new world?! The idea that technology will then create outdoor landscapes for us to access indoors - meaning I can climb Everest in a virtual Nepal, complete with fake deoxygenation as I 'ascend', all while drinking coffee on my couch - priceless. (Welcome to WALL-E world, indeed. Bring on the floating Barcaloungers!)

But the problem with tech utopias like the Chiat/Day experiment is that they don't factor in human needs and wants, let alone human behavior. Wouldn't it have been smart for C/D to consult as many psychologists and social scientists as they did technicians when considering 'hot desking'? How ironic that this took place in an industry as bound up in assessing, monitoring, and pushing consumer tastes as advertising. Understanding the nature of office work, as well as the structural hierarchies of an office, would have been key to integrating any new approach to the way humans work. (Notice I say 'integrating'. This, as opposed to 'imposing', which is what Chiat/Day did.)

So what 'takeaway' messages can librarians find in Brown & Duguid? Survey and assess to find out where people fall on the spectrum of technology use. Don't force your users or staff into 'progress' they can't process. Let specific needs drive the adoption of technology to fit those needs; then offer ample training for patrons and staff. Consider the comfort of users from every possible angle. Above all, do not make technology into cod liver oil, each swallow sanctimoniously delivered with an 'it's good for you' message.

Why the Ann Arbor District Library rocks…

Maybe I’m biased, but when I took Brigid Burke’s Automated & Networked Systems class, I gained a hell of a lot of respect for John Blyberg* and the Ann Arbor District Library. Blyberg created the AADL OPAC using open source Drupal. You can read and see a bit more about what Blyberg and an AADL patron were able to do here:

http://blog.jonudell.net/2007/02/02/a-conversation-with-ed-vielmetti-and-john-blyberg-about-superpatrons-and-superlibrarians/

That kind of collaborative back-and-forth between patron and library is manifested in the library’s blogs. AADL has a series of blogs for services (http://www.aadl.org/services/blog) and the community (http://www.aadl.org/services/communityblog).

The AADL’s director also has a blog – http://www.aadl.org/directorsblog - where Josie is most definitely interacting with the community – check the diplomacy in this series of posts (http://www.aadl.org/node/11361#comment)!

I’m impressed. But here, check out The Shifted Librarian circa 2005: http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2005/07/14/the_perfect_library_blog_example.html
AADL deserves props for making their library interactive and intuitive.


*Blyberg rocks, especially if you are interested in open-source ILS – yet another part of library 2.0. http://www.blyberg.net/2008/08/16/sopac-20-what-to-expect/

Not homework, but related

Stunned utterly to find that part of the reading involves Chiat/Day, the ad agency that came up with the Apple macintosh ad I've posted on my student page.

Can I tell you how much I love that ad? I didn't even watch the Super Bowl that year - I was in my freshman year of college, and as a young punk rock enthusiast in DC, football was not quite my scene - but for a film maven & Ridley Scott junkie, that is the ad. I'd read Orwell, but hadn't truly understood him. Like reading Joyce two years later; academically useful, not exactly intuitive.

Like Chiat/Day: what were they thinking? Why did they think that people would surrender their personal space? Why didn't they intuit that the organizational hierarchies would remain in place? Didn't they understand their own dynamics? People will reorganize themselves into what seems most familiar to them. You can't impose a technology or a mindset upon a people without rebellion, or destruction.

Tara's Space

Ah, the first post! Think of this as the test pilot. Don't, however, think of me as Laika - that dog won't hunt. I'm pretty sure there are some assignments to complete; let me go do those and report back...