:: Happy holidays ::
As you've probably noticed, I've not been blogging much. I anticipate this to be a temporary hiatus, while I recover from a rather hectic four months of school and work and personal life stuff. I'll be back next week or in the new year, depending on what strikes my fancy.
And no, I've not yet got my marks back....hopefully that will happen in early January.
In the interim, during my little break, I urge all my fellow netizens to take some offline time with family, friends, and yourself to rest, rejuvenate, reconnect and smile. That's what the holidays are all about, after all.
peace, out.
Monday, December 23, 2002
Monday, December 16, 2002
:: Hypocrisy, Quebec-style ::
I'm a relatively new Quebecer, new enough that the thought of being called such still startles me slightly. As a result, I have an outsider view of life in this province, and am still interested in noticing its peculiarities and peccadilloes.
Here's a few recent examples that I've noticed or observed in the last week...
From today's Montreal Gazette, the only large English daily newspaper in the province, there is this story about the provincial lottery corporation's expansion into other areas of gambling on the Internet and CD-Rom and their attempts to find new clients outside the province. I find this a bit rich considering that the provincial legislation around gambling in this province is so byzantine that most other areas of Canada don't even bother to learn them and just exclude Quebecers from joining in their prize-winning games...such as this one or this one or this one too.
Overheard while listening to French language radio station Kool FM, one of the few rock-format radio stations in Quebec....the morning hosts were discussing the proposed hiking of provincial income tax in this province, (despite the fact that we already pay the highest provincial tax in the country). One of their listeners calls in to complain that his taxes are too high already and that they shouldn't be raised because they are already all going to pay for the flashy cars of Albertans, the fancy restaurants for Ontarians, the lazy farmers of the Prairies and the stupid fisherman in the Maritimes etc while he and other hardworking Quebecers work their fingers to the bone for nothing. Said listener was obviously a separatist raised on the illogical and harmful arguments of the PQ, or else he would have noticed that provincial tax does, in fact, stay in the province, and in Quebec's case, goes to pay for unnecessary duplicate "Ministere de this" and "Bureau de la...that", effectively completely duplicating bureacratic work that in every other province is handled happily only at the federal level. 'Course Quebec is in a perpetual power battle with the federal government and the duplication is tantamount to the one-upmanship we all did in Kindergarten and grade school when some kid in our class got a a new toy that we wanted...we had to get the same toy only better and throw it in their face.
And then there are the recent antics of the province's premier, warning Montrealers that the city is becoming "too bilingual" and that we have to be careful or he and his government will "take action" against us to preserve the French heritage. This article sums this stupidity up best. Why is it stupid? The results of the recent Canadian census shows that French use is up on the island of Montreal.
Ahhh...life in la belle province....
I'm a relatively new Quebecer, new enough that the thought of being called such still startles me slightly. As a result, I have an outsider view of life in this province, and am still interested in noticing its peculiarities and peccadilloes.
Here's a few recent examples that I've noticed or observed in the last week...
From today's Montreal Gazette, the only large English daily newspaper in the province, there is this story about the provincial lottery corporation's expansion into other areas of gambling on the Internet and CD-Rom and their attempts to find new clients outside the province. I find this a bit rich considering that the provincial legislation around gambling in this province is so byzantine that most other areas of Canada don't even bother to learn them and just exclude Quebecers from joining in their prize-winning games...such as this one or this one or this one too.
Overheard while listening to French language radio station Kool FM, one of the few rock-format radio stations in Quebec....the morning hosts were discussing the proposed hiking of provincial income tax in this province, (despite the fact that we already pay the highest provincial tax in the country). One of their listeners calls in to complain that his taxes are too high already and that they shouldn't be raised because they are already all going to pay for the flashy cars of Albertans, the fancy restaurants for Ontarians, the lazy farmers of the Prairies and the stupid fisherman in the Maritimes etc while he and other hardworking Quebecers work their fingers to the bone for nothing. Said listener was obviously a separatist raised on the illogical and harmful arguments of the PQ, or else he would have noticed that provincial tax does, in fact, stay in the province, and in Quebec's case, goes to pay for unnecessary duplicate "Ministere de this" and "Bureau de la...that", effectively completely duplicating bureacratic work that in every other province is handled happily only at the federal level. 'Course Quebec is in a perpetual power battle with the federal government and the duplication is tantamount to the one-upmanship we all did in Kindergarten and grade school when some kid in our class got a a new toy that we wanted...we had to get the same toy only better and throw it in their face.
And then there are the recent antics of the province's premier, warning Montrealers that the city is becoming "too bilingual" and that we have to be careful or he and his government will "take action" against us to preserve the French heritage. This article sums this stupidity up best. Why is it stupid? The results of the recent Canadian census shows that French use is up on the island of Montreal.
Ahhh...life in la belle province....
:: Dumb and dumber ::
This blogpostin The Bitter Shack of Resentment highlights the depths of blind stupidity being displayed in DC these days.
How can anyone believe that there is such a thing, in this day and age, as too many trees and living things?
This blogpostin The Bitter Shack of Resentment highlights the depths of blind stupidity being displayed in DC these days.
How can anyone believe that there is such a thing, in this day and age, as too many trees and living things?
Thursday, December 05, 2002
:: What's next? ::
I handed in the analysis paper that was part II of the project for which I created this blog. So that's it...it's over. The project is done, for better or worse, and all that is left is for the professor to grade it.
Now I look at my blogspace, my own little piece of the I-Space, and I wonder...what next?
I'm certainly going to continue blogging. However, I think I might move this space off onto a server not owned by Blogger, so that I can add other pages, group archived posts thematically, create an area for essays so that I don't have to clutter my blog up with my 2500 plus word musings. I bought a few domains recently that I'd like to start using. I'm also going to learn more about basic JavaScript and CSS.
The one thing I will do right away is alter the frequency. From herein, I will blog when the desire hits. Some days, that might be a few times a day, and there will also be dry spells, based on what's happening in my offline life. Since I live in a project-based world, either at work or at school, if I'm working overtime on a deadline, chances are I won't have much thought of any worth left over to share in this space. Consider yourself notified.
As for me, I'm going to enjoy a rare evening away from the computer, school work, project webs, etc. etc. etc. Pizza, my comfy couch and my hubby are just what I need to relax and unwind for a bit before the Christmas season springs itself full tilt upon me.
Offline I go.
Peace, out.
I handed in the analysis paper that was part II of the project for which I created this blog. So that's it...it's over. The project is done, for better or worse, and all that is left is for the professor to grade it.
Now I look at my blogspace, my own little piece of the I-Space, and I wonder...what next?
I'm certainly going to continue blogging. However, I think I might move this space off onto a server not owned by Blogger, so that I can add other pages, group archived posts thematically, create an area for essays so that I don't have to clutter my blog up with my 2500 plus word musings. I bought a few domains recently that I'd like to start using. I'm also going to learn more about basic JavaScript and CSS.
The one thing I will do right away is alter the frequency. From herein, I will blog when the desire hits. Some days, that might be a few times a day, and there will also be dry spells, based on what's happening in my offline life. Since I live in a project-based world, either at work or at school, if I'm working overtime on a deadline, chances are I won't have much thought of any worth left over to share in this space. Consider yourself notified.
As for me, I'm going to enjoy a rare evening away from the computer, school work, project webs, etc. etc. etc. Pizza, my comfy couch and my hubby are just what I need to relax and unwind for a bit before the Christmas season springs itself full tilt upon me.
Offline I go.
Peace, out.
Tuesday, December 03, 2002
:: Cool web app ::
While working on research papers, analytical essays and various other printed stuff, I frequently need to refer to a dictionary or thesaurus to verify my understanding of a concept or to provide a clear definition of something if I'm befuddled.
I've always looked to the web for this, usually through Dictionary.com. Until now.
I've found a very cool thesaurus online that provides information in a way that isn't just textual. It actually visually represents the links between words. It's called the Visual Thesaurus.
Check it out.
[ Link found via Darwin Magazine Online ]
While working on research papers, analytical essays and various other printed stuff, I frequently need to refer to a dictionary or thesaurus to verify my understanding of a concept or to provide a clear definition of something if I'm befuddled.
I've always looked to the web for this, usually through Dictionary.com. Until now.
I've found a very cool thesaurus online that provides information in a way that isn't just textual. It actually visually represents the links between words. It's called the Visual Thesaurus.
Check it out.
[ Link found via Darwin Magazine Online ]
:: Struggle continues ::
Is there nothing that can remain independent, uninvolved in the corporate economy? Must everything community-oriented and done for personal meaning and personal pleasure be co-opted into the never-ending hungry search for eyeballs and dollars?
I had hoped that blogging would be able to stay below the radar of the corporate forces of domination online, but this article in the Globe and Mail makes me doubt the chances of this.
[ Link found via Mikel.org ]
Is there nothing that can remain independent, uninvolved in the corporate economy? Must everything community-oriented and done for personal meaning and personal pleasure be co-opted into the never-ending hungry search for eyeballs and dollars?
I had hoped that blogging would be able to stay below the radar of the corporate forces of domination online, but this article in the Globe and Mail makes me doubt the chances of this.
[ Link found via Mikel.org ]
:: Critiquing advertising fantasy ::
To add weight to my theory that bloggers are fascinated with advertising in one way or another, check out this excellent post on Jane Galt's blog about jewellery advertising. I especially like the following comments:
To add weight to my theory that bloggers are fascinated with advertising in one way or another, check out this excellent post on Jane Galt's blog about jewellery advertising. I especially like the following comments:
Well said. And so true.
In the case of the diamond commercials... it creates the fantasy of a man who loves you so much that he will sacrifice outrageous sums of money merely to buy you an object of absolutely no intrinsic utility whatsoever, and of which he himself takes no enjoyment outside of yours...
..Those commercials are drawn from a 50's world, when he brought home the bacon, and he got to decide how it was spent, so more diamond for you ment less golf clubs and sports car for him.
Monday, December 02, 2002
:: Open Representations (Part III) ::
Closing textual meaning
In Part I of this topic, I discussed how blogging emphasizes textual representations and de-emphasizes imagery.
In Part II of this topic, I explored how this emphasis extends right into the tools used to manage a blog, and the process of writing and publishing the blog itself.
For this, the third post for this topic series, I want to look at the issue of representation as it relates to Stuart Hall's theories in a different light, by taking them outside of the tensions between image and text, and instead exploring them as it relates to textual representations only.
While preparing my oral presentation last week, I mentioned to my colleague Mikel the topic and title of my presentation. He looked at me a bit oddly, and then carefully explained to me that I should be careful in my choice of terms. He proceeded on to tell me that there is a bit of a schism in the blogging community over the use of the term "blogosphere" to describe the entire collected medium, methods and messages that are derived from individual blogs. Apparently, certain "old world" bloggers are not comfortable with the way that term represents the totality of the blogging experience and expression.
This set me to thinking about how quick I often am to use a seemingly fitting phrase, or to coin a new one if one doesn't already exist. The title of my blog stands as an example of my tendency. While I recognize that this stems from basic human nature, in which we notice patterns, group them together into categories, then label the cateogry, I wonder if the final step of this process doesn't actually limit us somehow.
Certainly, this string of behaviour, this process of concept labelling, is something I have always been very comfortable with and I have never given it much thought. I probably just shrugged it off as a personal quirk or "talent" and assumed it was good or at the very least harmless behavoiur.
Now, though, the representation concepts of Stuart Hall, coupled with Mikel's comment and my subsequent thinking have created a bit of a paradigm shift for me. I now wonder if my knee-jerk response to understanding my world might not also close down portions of the world to me? Could it be that, in my lazy easy labelling of concepts and patterns I notice, I inadvertently close my eyes to other representations of those phenomena? Could it be that I am just as guilty of "framing" the concepts in ways that shut out, preclude or otherwise ignore other representations of them?
Language, of course, is charged with fluid meaning. A concept expressed with one word or phrase will not only sound different when expressed with a different one, it will feel different, at a level that is part emotional, part intellectual and part instinctive. The old axiom that Polynesians have no word for snow, Canadians two or three and Arctic people 60 or 70 may well be particularly illuminating in this realm, in that my labelling of something based on my reality may well preclude my ability to understand the reality of someone else.
This all sounds a bit esoteric, but in fact is quite relevant to the goals I had in mind when I began this project. To bring the debate back down to earth and place it in the context of what started it for me, is my easy labelling of the collected methods, processes, styles, voices and activities that make up the blogging community closing out various other possible representations, understandings, meanings or realities? Is my word-framing of that community as "the blogosphere" too trite, too artificial and too facile to fully represent the whole that is the community? Am I guilty of silencing that portion of the blogging community who disagree with my chosen label, simply because I've unwittingly but forcefully included them in the community I've been calling " the blogosphere"?
My answer? Possibly, yes.
The take-away learning from this, as it relates to Stuart Hall's theories, seems to be that representation of a concept in either graphical or textual/linguistic format is capable of producing representations that silence certain groups or individuals through the creation of the very representation itself.
Closing textual meaning
In Part I of this topic, I discussed how blogging emphasizes textual representations and de-emphasizes imagery.
In Part II of this topic, I explored how this emphasis extends right into the tools used to manage a blog, and the process of writing and publishing the blog itself.
For this, the third post for this topic series, I want to look at the issue of representation as it relates to Stuart Hall's theories in a different light, by taking them outside of the tensions between image and text, and instead exploring them as it relates to textual representations only.
While preparing my oral presentation last week, I mentioned to my colleague Mikel the topic and title of my presentation. He looked at me a bit oddly, and then carefully explained to me that I should be careful in my choice of terms. He proceeded on to tell me that there is a bit of a schism in the blogging community over the use of the term "blogosphere" to describe the entire collected medium, methods and messages that are derived from individual blogs. Apparently, certain "old world" bloggers are not comfortable with the way that term represents the totality of the blogging experience and expression.
This set me to thinking about how quick I often am to use a seemingly fitting phrase, or to coin a new one if one doesn't already exist. The title of my blog stands as an example of my tendency. While I recognize that this stems from basic human nature, in which we notice patterns, group them together into categories, then label the cateogry, I wonder if the final step of this process doesn't actually limit us somehow.
Certainly, this string of behaviour, this process of concept labelling, is something I have always been very comfortable with and I have never given it much thought. I probably just shrugged it off as a personal quirk or "talent" and assumed it was good or at the very least harmless behavoiur.
Now, though, the representation concepts of Stuart Hall, coupled with Mikel's comment and my subsequent thinking have created a bit of a paradigm shift for me. I now wonder if my knee-jerk response to understanding my world might not also close down portions of the world to me? Could it be that, in my lazy easy labelling of concepts and patterns I notice, I inadvertently close my eyes to other representations of those phenomena? Could it be that I am just as guilty of "framing" the concepts in ways that shut out, preclude or otherwise ignore other representations of them?
Language, of course, is charged with fluid meaning. A concept expressed with one word or phrase will not only sound different when expressed with a different one, it will feel different, at a level that is part emotional, part intellectual and part instinctive. The old axiom that Polynesians have no word for snow, Canadians two or three and Arctic people 60 or 70 may well be particularly illuminating in this realm, in that my labelling of something based on my reality may well preclude my ability to understand the reality of someone else.
This all sounds a bit esoteric, but in fact is quite relevant to the goals I had in mind when I began this project. To bring the debate back down to earth and place it in the context of what started it for me, is my easy labelling of the collected methods, processes, styles, voices and activities that make up the blogging community closing out various other possible representations, understandings, meanings or realities? Is my word-framing of that community as "the blogosphere" too trite, too artificial and too facile to fully represent the whole that is the community? Am I guilty of silencing that portion of the blogging community who disagree with my chosen label, simply because I've unwittingly but forcefully included them in the community I've been calling " the blogosphere"?
My answer? Possibly, yes.
The take-away learning from this, as it relates to Stuart Hall's theories, seems to be that representation of a concept in either graphical or textual/linguistic format is capable of producing representations that silence certain groups or individuals through the creation of the very representation itself.
Sunday, December 01, 2002
:: Owning up to ignorance ::
Earlier this week, I posted an entry about a group's website called The Banner Art Collective. I'll let you read the original post yourself to see what I said.
Now, upon reading further into Naomi Klein's amazing book, "No Logo", I have encountered the term "subvertisement" again, in the context of being a form of culture jamming. That twigged on me, because I remember speaking rather derisively of the term in my earlier post.
It would seem now, upon further investigation and reflection, that I committed a rather grave blogging crime. I failed to thoroughly research something before voicing an opinion on it.
Now, of course, I realize that my original post was probably seriously mis-guided. A new visit today to the Collective's website reveals a banner prominently portrayed at the top of the main page, which promotes last Friday's "Buy Nothing Day". Based on all of this new information together, it now dawns on me that the Collective may, in fact, be a culture jam organization, working against the corporate forces of domination, a cause for which I have great respect and admiration.
So here I am, owning up to my own arrogant ignorance. Publicly.
This post, then, is a form of penance.
I now urge you to take another look at the Collective's site. If you want to see the "Buy Nothing Day" banner that I referred to above and it's no longer on the main page by the time you read this, click on the link to their collection and scroll down to find the banner called "buy-sell(f) nothing" by artist Zebra3.
I also encourage you to find out more about Klein's book. In fact, now that "Buy Nothing Day" has ended, I urge you to surf over to your bookseller of choice and buy the book.
Perhaps these will open your eyes and mind, as they have mine.
Earlier this week, I posted an entry about a group's website called The Banner Art Collective. I'll let you read the original post yourself to see what I said.
Now, upon reading further into Naomi Klein's amazing book, "No Logo", I have encountered the term "subvertisement" again, in the context of being a form of culture jamming. That twigged on me, because I remember speaking rather derisively of the term in my earlier post.
It would seem now, upon further investigation and reflection, that I committed a rather grave blogging crime. I failed to thoroughly research something before voicing an opinion on it.
Now, of course, I realize that my original post was probably seriously mis-guided. A new visit today to the Collective's website reveals a banner prominently portrayed at the top of the main page, which promotes last Friday's "Buy Nothing Day". Based on all of this new information together, it now dawns on me that the Collective may, in fact, be a culture jam organization, working against the corporate forces of domination, a cause for which I have great respect and admiration.
So here I am, owning up to my own arrogant ignorance. Publicly.
This post, then, is a form of penance.
I now urge you to take another look at the Collective's site. If you want to see the "Buy Nothing Day" banner that I referred to above and it's no longer on the main page by the time you read this, click on the link to their collection and scroll down to find the banner called "buy-sell(f) nothing" by artist Zebra3.
I also encourage you to find out more about Klein's book. In fact, now that "Buy Nothing Day" has ended, I urge you to surf over to your bookseller of choice and buy the book.
Perhaps these will open your eyes and mind, as they have mine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
