Miracle.

This is unbelievable. My Google Reader is (for the moment) empty. I think I make the reader burdensome to myself, as in a "have to" instead of "want to." Funny how technology does that--in making things easier, I impose work on myself. I'm not blaming technology; I'm blaming my relationship with technology. I'm not sure if anyone caught it, but Ivan Chew mentioned this in his talk on Thursday, February 14,
when answering Blake's question about logging off. Ivan said that at first, his blogging/reading skyrocketed. And then came the doubts. "Is anyone even reading this? Does this matter? What about real life?" And with these doubts, his production declined. He said that, at this point, he has leveled off to a degree he is comfortable with.



Ivan didn't say this explicitly, but I think he was getting at the idea of appropriate/useful technology/blog use in human life. How do we contribute in a way that is meaningful to others and for ourselves? Technology can be overwhelming and obsession-worthy. How do you harness that and turn it into something beneficial? The perfect example of mutually useful blogging was the visitor's blog and the librarian's reply (could be a movie title, no?)

Johanna wrote this blog, briefly discussing the tradition new year food "yu sheng." A librarian in Singapore read her blog, and wrote this reply. Most important, the crucial link and crux of the issue, is the librarian's comment on Johanna's post. This is a conversation, not self promotion. And if we utilize the tools available to us in a conversational manner, I think we can begin to discover the utility and humanity of this potentially overwhelming medium. To quote Ivan, "It's about creating awareness, not just starting blogs." So, Ivan, here's to lifelong learning, and to the push/pull of media creation in a digital age. Here's to a medium which adds instead of takes away, a medium full of value and meaning. Here's to a medium that enhances one's ability to serve. And finally, here's to blogging, with passion and authority.

One final screen shot. I tend to star things that I'm interested in, and would like to take a closer look at. But instead of an assignment, I think I'll think of the stars as opportunities.

That's a lot of potential conversations to be had.