Snuffalupagus and Social Media

So. I see you're trying a new format tonight. 

Yep.

Why?

Well, I get these ideas, see? But when I start to write them down, they just sound flat. And then I lose interest in writing them, because if I'm not really jazzed about writing them, who's going to be interested in reading them? So I thought that having an imaginary friend to bounce these ideas off of would liven things up a bit. You know, make things more interesting. Plus, 70s pop-culture references play well these days. Disney just bought the marketing rights to the Muppets, you know.

Interesting. 

Yes. Is that your response, or are you seeking clarification?

Not sure.

Plus, I always wondered if I could actually write dialogue. It seemed like hard work in my mind.

Many things do.

Smartass.

Also, sometimes, like in live conversations, I need those helper words to keep the flow going. There are people who pay money to learn how to do this. I'm trying to teach myself, to save money.

So I'm not getting paid, then. 

No, you're a figment

Says you. So what were you going to call this post? 

Originally, something along the lines of "What Jacques Ellul can teach us about social marketing." But then I balked, because I thought I'd never get any traffic because I doubt Jacques Ellul is a popular search term.

You're probably right. Google analytics could tell you. 

No doubt.

So, title, aside, what was your point? 

Well, I've been seeing and reading a lot of research lately about web behavior and user behavior and how these to interact and influence each other. I really think that if you want to understand how to succeed with any particular medium, you need to understand the building blocks of that medium - how it's composed. Basic McLuhan stuff. The medium never stopped being the message.

Go on...

See, "electronic communications" in McLuhan's day referred to TV and Radio. These were analog technologies. They were biological at their root. What we're dealing with now, with what I'll call "digital communications," is something else entirely.

How so?

Look at the technology that's driving it all - it's binary. Code. Trillions of transistors saying "yes" and "no" but never anything in between. I think you can make the argument that this kind of dynamic reflects the kinds of attitudes we see now in our media  and public discourse - increasing polarization; an inability to "come together," if you will. That's where the Jacques Ellul thing comes in - that the character of the technology determines how it will be transmitted and received.It seems that every question facing the public now very quickly degenerates into polar opposites shouting at each other. It's either/or, not "and."

No "and"

Right. No "and." Another working title for this entry was going to be "Whither 'And'" or "Where does 'and' live?." But c'mon, I'd like people to read this.

I'm reading it. 

You don't have a choice.

But, look at the studies that have come out about the younger folks - they're online and connected every waking hour. And they have no problem connecting on bigger issues and mobilizing large numbers of people.

True. But you also see a lot of instant, unthinking judgements as well. I'm not saying that in this new way of thinking you can't have meaningful dialogue or accomplish things. But I think you need to understand that you'll need to come at it in a different way. And looking for the middle ground - the compromise - may not be the right way anymore. Electronic communications are instant and unthinking. It's biological, too, but more like an amoeba responding to a poke.

That's what I feel we've lost as our culture has moved from analog to digitial culture. Analog is hard work. It has a tangible, physical element that doesn't exist in our world anymore. It implies compromise. The end result may be the same in the digital realm, but you learn differently. You respect the end product more, I believe, when you've rolled up your sleeves and gotten your hands dirty or marked up tape with a china marker.

Now you sound like an old fogey.

I know. But I do see encouraging signs. So many user interfaces now blend the efficiency of the digital with the elegance of analog controls. there's probably still a long way to go.

Question: Weren't we talking about social media? 

Yes, yes we were. But my mind tends to wander. Well, not wander. It takes a lot of tangents. The stops along the way are related. There is a thread, but not everyone sees it.

Ok. I hope i get better at this. 

You will. See, work stuff bleeds into home stuff. And it's natural for me to think about how I'm doing my work and how my brain works while I'm working. There's the work, and the meta work. And now you get to read about it all.

Oh, lucky me.

Altered Reality...

Blows. At least as deployed in the December 2009 issue of Esquire. Pictures below reveal this blog author in various stages of frustration trying to make the G-D thing work. If you're up for similar frustration, or more talented than I at turning things, check it out here.

I need a shower

So I gave up a thrashing on the soccer field for a thrashing of another kind - an hour-long discussion by photographer Edward Burtynsky. Tony Fouhse blogs about the show and the work more effectively here. Burtynsky's large-scale photos of large-scale industrial installations - dams, mines, manufacturing plants and such are beautiful and terrifying and beautiful - a  body of work he describes as a "long visual lament" of the effect of our human activity on the planet. To wit, in China:

• The government plans an urban-rural population split of 70/30 percent. This means a wave of humanity as large as the combined populations of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
• At any one time, there are as many chickens as there are humans on the planet.
• The largest factories can feed 7,000 people in 20 minutes.

At the heart of Burtynsky's work is the dilemma - a polite understatement, given the implications of the sites he's been shooting - we all face. Our existence on this planet inevitably involves using its resources. Yet our quest for comfort - and other countries' pursuit of our own comfortable lifestyle - may render it uninhabitable. 

Farm Fotos

Interesting Stuff from a holiday stop in Madoc

Disclaimer Time

Every now and then, I'd like to restate that this is a personal blog and that the views contained herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

[Not] Silent Night: Clay's Christmas Music Preferences

There are some I know who relish the chance to bathe in Yuletide tunes 24/7 come 1 December, but I am not one of them.

Sometimes I feel bad that I'm not more excited about Christmas Music. Perhaps it's because, having been accused of harboring tendencies toward music snobbery, I can't get past the fact that most Christmas Music - or, more specifically, most treatments of Christmas music - are really really bad. The Onion's AV Club had this debate a while back, which made me feel much better about my reluctance to turn up the volume every time a new version of Jingle Bells or Rudolph comes over the radio. They also provide a list of some not-so-treacly TV specials and music here.

So, in an effort to clear the air and dispel any notions that I am The Grinch reincarnate, I provide, in no particular order, my favorite Christmas music and criteria for music that could become my favorite Christmas music in the future.

Clay's Christmas Faves:

1. Feasts and Spirits: Finest Kind with John Huston. All kinds of amazing. Lesser-known carols sung in close harmony, interspersed with a reading of the Dickens classic. Their annual concert at the Black Sheep is now an essential part of my holiday season. Their version of Please to see the King cuts through the treacle like nothing else can.
   
   
2. The Mystery of Christmas, by The Elora Festival Singers. Neatly combines traditional carols with lesser known songs and The Huron Carol, one of the first from the New World. Equally reverent as hushed and spooky.
   
   
3. A Charlie Brown Christmas, Vince Guaraldi Trio. Not entirely surprising, except perhaps for my preference for the more melancholy "Christmastime is Here." Guaraldi died at age 47 in between sets at a gig, which also adds something.
   
   
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Again, not a surprise. But a great story well-told. I've always found the title odd, as he really doesn't steal christmas. But Max looks like my dog Findley, so it balances out. The less said about the Jim Carrey version - one of Ron Howard's many cinematic sins for which he's yet to atone - the better.
   
   
5. The Ventures' Christmas Album: A revelation courtesy of Derek S., you haven't heard Frosty the Snowman until you've heard it mashed up with Tequila. I manage to sneak this one into the CD player when the gifts are being opened.
   

Clay's Christmas Music Criteria:

1. In no circumstances must it involve Kenny G, Michael Bolton or any combination thereof.
   
   
2. It must have a discernable melody. No time of the year says "singalong time" better than Christmas, and, conveniently, most Holiday Favorites are the most tuneful I know. Yet, perhaps in an attempt to be different, many contemporary "interpretations" feature tempos so slow that you'll be breaking out the New Year's champagne before they're over.
   
   
3. It must be simply adorned. A corollary to point 2, most modern interpretations fill in the spaces where the melody used to be with strings, backup vocals, bells and other fussiness. The power of the Christmas story is in its simplicity. Why all the gilt?
   
   
4. If possible, I'd prefer it not be Silent Night. I just don't like the tune.
   
   
5. See number 1.

Olympic Elaine

Most of you in my immediate orbit have probably already seen this, but I'm posting it here for posterity and for the world. Last Saturday, my friend Elaine carried the Olympic torch through a stretch of Gatineau, located across the river from Ottawa. Quite the posse turned out to cheer her on, touch the torch and be part of the moment.

Here's a shot of her starting the run. The rest are on Flickr. Enjoy!

The Delaney Turner Collection, Item #45

Tobacco Tins, Provenance & Era Unknown

Two more entries in the "Smoking Paraphenalia" category, most likely purchased at the same time as Item 7, or else purchased at an antiques place on Highway 55 near Niagara-on-the-Lake. Though no longer available, the Hickory blend produced a "pleasant" room note and was "somewhat recommended" by Tobacco Reviews. Walnut, apparently still available though not in such a cool container, creates a "pleasant to tolerable" room note and is "recommended" over its budget bretheren in the red tin. Having never smoked either and in it purely for the aesthetics, the owner will have to take their word for it.

The Delaney Turner Collection, Item #7

Bishop's Move Tobacco Tin, Circa 1910

Were the owner still 20 and into getting high, this would no doubt make a perfect stash. Cheerfully blasphemous and, according to the vendor, at least 100 years old, this tin was purchased during a trip to London's Portobello Road Market. Though it was at the time the only one of its kind the owner had ever seen, he has since discovered many other examples available on eBay for about 15 bucks. Though his friend attempted to discourage the visit because, sigh, "only tourists go to Portobello Road," the owner enjoyed himself immensely and found a stroll down the street a perfect way to fight off jet lag. During the visit he also saw American actor Aaron Eckhart shooting pictures of people on the street, evidently taking advantage of some down time while shooting The Dark Knight. Later, the owner saw some of Eckhart's photos in magazine, but not of the people he was shooting that day.

The Delaney Turner Collection, Item #97

Prince Albert (in a) Can, Provenance and Circa Unknown

Acquired (most likely) during a trip to Portobello Road Market in London, this rusted yet still recognizable tobacco can is a further example of the owner's infatuation with smoking stuff. Having discovered it and, subsequently understanding the punchline to a very tired joke, the owner had no choice but to pick it up. Though this particular brand of tobacco is named after Queen Victoria's long-time paramour, it was actually a product of the RJ Reynolds company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Writing on the side reads "For Pipe and Cigarette Smokers."