a thaumaturgical compendium

I’m looking forward to the Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference coming up this May in DC.

This is an initial tender of interest, but would anyone like to collaborate on a panel on blogging, wikis, and their relationship to laws that have traditionally been the purview of “the press”: libel, shield laws, etc.? Any “blawg” types out there who are doing work in this area? Email me, or leave a comment and if there is some critical mass, we can put something forward!

The “other” ABC is reporting on a study showing that taking up the Didgeridoo leads to better sleep, and less snoring. The clinical test was performed after instructors noted that students “spontaneously” reported better sleep. After 4 months, didgeridoo learners who practiced 20 minutes a day had better sleep, and less daytime sleepiness.

It’s an interesting result. The article suggests it is the result of learning to “circle breath” but I suspect it has as much to do with the meditative nature of playing any instrument, but especially one that requires attention to the breath.

In an earlier post, I wrote about how difficult it was to get students to think about issues of privacy. There is very little space between the “I see no immediate damage, so there are more salient concerns” and “there is nothing I can do about this, no matter how bad it is.” Actually, this is a bit tractable when some of the more invasive issues come up. Still, though, most students (especially born-and-bred Americans) seem unconcerned with government intrusions into their privacy. Indeed, while there has been a little controversy over Katie Couric’s framing of the warrantless domestic surveillance issue (“legal analysts and constitutional scholars versus Americans, who say civil liberties are important, but we don’t want another September 11”), I suspect she has captured the average American’s implicit trust of government police forces.

The other issue that has always been difficult to talk about is the nature of intellectual property. It’s not just difficult for students, it’s difficult for everyone. But the problem with trying to talk about this in a classroom is again one of framing. Students are most ready to see the “problem” as one of enforcement. Inevitably, one or more students will suggest that “stealing is stealing,” which, to me at least, is an indicator that they have completely missed a large chunk of the problem. Indeed, this is the rhetorical tactic of those who wish to define online sharing of copyrighted works to be stealing, no matter the circumstances. But a particular view of property is so much a part of the ideology of America (and I suspect most other places, though my most direct experience is with America), that it is naturalized: property is real and it is a (god-given) right. Stealing is stealing.

For this reason, I’m interested to see what the outcome is of Eliot Spitzer’s inquiry into music pricing (Spitzer Subpoenas Music Cos. on Pricing). The view that the creators and distributors should have blanket control over their product seems to me to be unshakable, but not necessarily in accord with the law. In some ways, the music industry is a bellwether for other industries. Music has always been about taste-making, but it is hard to think of a commercial product these days that isn’t about creating and maintaining a widespread desire where one did not before exist.

It seemed very cool for a while to have no car. Why have a car when you are two blocks from a subway station that will take you anywhere in the city? Now we are asking how long this can go on? A recent article in the Times suggests that if it lasts until the end of the week, it could continue on indefinitely. Already, it is taking its toll on the city, and has put a serious dent in a lot of retail businesses, restaurants, and hotels in the city.

Jamie has been walking the three miles to work. I accompanied her part of the way today, and took some photos. It was late in the morning, so things had died down, but it is strange to see so many people walking into work. Looks like Europe or something. It’s not really a bad walk, but it is chilly out there, and New Yorkers are used to cold only in short bursts.

The emergency plan set in place a “no drive zone” downtown for cars with less than 4 passengers, in the hope of stopping the city from gridlocking. Commerce tends to work around regulation in interesting ways. The southbound lanes of Broadway were blocked at 96th street, starting yesterday, and the police permitted only high occupancy vehicles. Unfortunately, by 5 am, Broadway was clogged with cars and trucks that had not gotten the memo. As a result, there was an impromptu market established, with drivers yelling to the sidewalk trying to solicit people to become part of their carpool before they hit the roadblock. The walkers this morning were often carrying signs indicating where they were going, a small efficiency in the system that was counterbalanced by efforts to stop this practice.

I was surprised to see a Mercedes SUV clear the blockade and drop off most of its passengers at 95th street, followed by a BMW doing the same thing. Apparently, the two cars somehow recruited people to ride with them through the blockade so that they would have use of their cars. This would be despicable, except that south of 96th the roads were nearly empty. Cars that made it through had a pretty much open road in front of them.

The blockade doesn’t work. If they were serious about the problem, they would have opened the city only to trucks, emergency vehicles, and cabs that could only operate within the cordoned off area. Right now, taxis are having the same problem as other vehicles, unable to assemble the right collection of people going to the same location that allows them to make it through the blockade. If it were a less porous barrier, systems could operate relatively autonomously within the city center and outside of it, with points of offloading and loading around (for example) 96th street.

And while we are at it, we need dirigibles to Long Island. How long will it take to redeploy the dirigible moorings on the Empire State Building?

Upper West Side, yo.

Where’s the movie playin’
Upper west side dude!
Well let’s hit up Yahoo Maps to find the dopest route.
I prefer Map Quest.
That’s a good one too.
Google Maps is the best!
True that. Double true.

But, if they were more careful, they’d know that the theater at 68th & Broadway (our regular) isn’t playing the Chronicles of Narnia. It’s the 86th & Broadway Loews, the one with the outside box office. Word up on the Magnolia cupcakes, though.

I did an interview with Steven Hyden for an article in the Appleton Post-Crescent, which I assume you all read regularly. Here is the (edited) Q&A:

Steve: Blogs have become an increasingly popular way for people to meet people. In your opinion, how important will this development be in the long run? Will this technology have a major impact on how people relate to one another on a daily basis, or will it be a relatively minor phenomenon?

Alex: It’s important to distinguish blogs (a particular type of website) from the phenomenon of blogging. The culture that has developed around blogging will have a long-reaching impact on how we communicate as a society.

I’m not sure how long we will use the term “blog.” Increasingly, the things that make blogs “bloggy” are seeping out into other parts of the web. Moreover, other technologies, from wikis to social networking sites (like Facebook) are part of this general trend toward social computing that some have been calling “Web 2.0.”

Steve: Will social blogging ever replace existing forms of communication in social settings, even face to face contact?

Alex: Oh, it already does replace these in certain circumstances. Will it even completely displace them? Almost certainly not. I still use a fountain pen when it’s appropriate, email when it’s appropriate, the telephone when it’s appropriate, and my blog when it fits the bill. Blogs are just one more communication tool we have at our disposal.

That said, for some avid bloggers, the blog becomes a very central part of their communication apparatus. They meet people face-to-face, communicate over email, or read the newspaper, in order to support their blogging, in some sense.

Steve: What accounts for the popularity of blogs as an avenue for social activity?

Alex: I think people like the idea of being able to express themselves creatively, and to do this socially, with very little in the way of risk or cost. If people had to pay a fee to start blogging, I don’t know that it would have taken off like it has.

But the more complete answer is probably more complicated. Although we call them all “blogs” there are as many different kinds of blogs as there are different kinds of bloggers, and each has his or her own reason for starting and maintaining a blog. Some might do it as a way to keep their friends or family up-to-date with what is going on in their lives (and because blogs do not imply that a response must be made, they can do this without feeling like they are being pushy). Others have strong opinions, and find that rather than unleashing these on their close friends, they find a ready audience in the blogosphere. For some, it is simply a convenient way of keeping track of a project. In other words, perhaps the popularity of blogging comes of its flexibility.

Steve: What in particular that makes social blogging different from other Internet networks such as online personals, chat rooms or message boards?

Alex: In fact, blogging shares a lot with other forms of online communication, but I guess what you are asking is what makes blogging special or unique.

If I were pinned down to one thing, I would say that blogging exists at the boundary between conversation and publication. Sometimes, weblogs feel a bit like a newsgroup or discussion board. This is particularly true of pages on sites like livejournal, MySpace, or Xanga. Other blogs are virtually indistinguishable from online magazines. And in many cases, they feel a bit like both. So, I think that makes blogs unique.

But again, I also think that the culture of blogging—valuing conversation, freely sharing content, and radical transparency—is a big part of the force behind the popularity of blogging. The ability of the blog to fulfill such a wide range of communication tasks makes it the perfect carrier for these new values.

Steve: Anything else you think is worthwhile regarding social blogging?

Alex: I am curious about the term you have used: “social blogging.” Is any blogging not social? Is there anti-social blogging?

There are really two extremes of bloggers. On one end is what I sometimes call “mumblers”; blogs that do not have any readers. (Or perhaps they do not have any readers YET.) On the other extreme are blogs like Boing Boing, which have millions of readers each week. But the vast majority of blogs are read by a handful of friends and fans who are interested in the person or her topic. In some ways, this is the life-blood of blogging. I’ve referred to this as “social circle blogging,” and I suspect that’s what you are going for here.

Just ran across this. According to 43 People, for me,
2005 was 81% worth living. It doesn’t say anything about 2006, so I’m not sure how well I’ll do. It claims I “consumed 0 products,” but I’m not sure (aside from being untrue) whether this is counts for or against my worthwhile existence.