Category: Blogs | Social Networks | New Media
-
#Insurrection and #Celebrity | Is #AlainDeBotton a Philosopher? | People are People Too
There have been some heated exchanges on Pete Rollins’ blog and Mark Van Steenwyk’s ‘Jesus Manifesto‘ site, sparked off by Mark’s critique of Pete’s forthcoming ‘Insurrection’ pub tour. To summarise: Mark – who has now fully apologised – made some too-hasty remarks about Pete’s financials, and then had some pretty nasty responses shot at him for…
-
Can Social Networks Finally Make #Socialism Work?
Very interesting conversation last night between Steven Johnson – author of brilliant books such as The Ghost Map, Emergence (for which I owe him a huge debt) and The Invention of Air – and Brian Eno – who defies description or categorization. They covered a lot of ground over the evening, but perhaps the best…
-
Delete | Volatile Data Please
“In the digital age, everything we say, do and write is preserved forever, including antics most would rather forget” Fascinating piece in today’s Independent on the problem of the net never forgetting. So much of what we do is trackable online now, and as more RF devices are linked in to gadgets, vehicles – our…
-
“Skips Won’t Be Able to Skip No More” | Systems Have No Use for Souls | Web-shock
Just finished Pynchon’s new novel, Inherent Vice. I’d highly recommend it – one of his more approachable books, though retaining the bawdiness, comedy and inevitable excursions into song that have become part of his trademark style. One subtly done, yet highly effective strand of the narrative is that of Fritz, who is hooked into ARPAnet,…
-
The Internet’s ‘Conscientious Objectors’ | Digital Poverty
Interesting article here about those who simply refuse to engage in any online activity. Will they suffer ‘digital poverty’? “There is growing anxiety that those who choose to remain offline will pay a price. One woman living in sheltered housing had noticed all the discounts being given to those paying electronically. She speaks of a…
-
The Art of Being on Holiday | Spent | Mentally Munching Nothingness
“I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of it’s own unfolding.“ These words of the late John O’Donohue have been on my mind recently, perhaps because of an awareness of my distance from this life-place he describes. If my life were a water-course, it sometimes feels like a concrete…