Hello, I hope the long weekend is treating you well. It's interesting that as we head into Labour Day, the long-running dispute between government and labour here in British Columbia is about to heat up again. There's a lot of back-and-forth from both sides of this, of course, which is why I'm looking forward to a series CBC Radio in British Columbia is going to be running all this week called "Disintegration: Are B.C. Classrooms Making the Grade?" I'm not involved with it, but it promises to take a look at what it's actually like inside B.C. classrooms, whether you're a child with special needs or a newcomer to the country who needs extra help, what do esoteric conversations about class composition actually come down to in practice? It airs all week on CBC Daybreak North in Prince George, and other local morning programs elsewhere. Listen to a preview here.
After an incredibly hot summer (for Prince George, anyways) it seems as if we've transitioned fully into fall. I like it. If you get the full experience of one season I don't get nostalgic for the last. When it's 32 degrees you don't exactly feel like staying inside and working on projects you have on the go, or even heading out for a hike, so the cooldown over the last few days here feels like a set of new opportunities, so long as I actually make use of the time.
Finally, I have a friend moving to the Netherlands and since I knew very little about the country, I started reading about it on Wikipedia? Did you know they had the world's first modern capitalist economy, complete with stock market and inflated prices? In 1667 "tulip mania" reached its peak, with some bulbs selling for ten times the average annual wage. Crazy.
Writing:
I expanded on one of my "what I'm thinking about" messages from the last newsletter and turned it into a blog post with my own thoughts. I may do that more. Here's "Against Editors."
Also:
- No one pays attention to radio: Every movie gets a review, but radio rarely does
- Community Vision: How a proposed neighbourhood in Blackburn could shape the future of the city
- Super Municipal Election Race 2014 The desire to sell used video games after 8pm may be the best thing to happen to local democracy
- Stop Posting, Start Blogging: Your writing is valuable and interesting. Stop throwing it away.
What I'm Thinking About:
In relation to "Stop Posting, Start Blogging", I've been thinking quite a bit about how social networks use us. I'm not alone. Peter Molnar wrote about the lack of history in these networks:
Glenn Greenwald wrote about how big internet companies now have a de facto veto over what we can and cannot learn and discuss:"There are no long-running talks and debates — the posts and replies are full of “More…” buttons and they disappear from a wall without trace, without reason, without notification. You never look back at the past events, to see some of the photos taken there — hell, there are no more photos of the event itself, just “Look, I was here” pictures everywhere! You never look back at a former topic, because it’s impossible to find it in the maze of the user interface."
And about why we may want to fight for the right for even distasteful things to be shared:"In the digital age, we are nearing the point where an idea banished by Twitter, Facebook and Google all but vanishes from public discourse entirely, and that is only going to become more true as those companies grow even further. Whatever else is true, the implications of having those companies make lists of permitted and prohibited ideas are far more significant than when ordinary private companies do the same thing."
And Matt Honan decided to "like" everything he saw on Facebook to see what happened:"That’s why free speech defenders such as the ACLU so often represent and defend racists andothers with heinous views in free speech cases: because that’s where free speech erosions become legitimized in the first instance when endorsed or acquiesced to."The question posed by Twitter’s announcement is not whether you think it’s a good idea for people to see the Foley video. Instead, the relevant question is whether you want Twitter, Facebook and Google executives exercising vast power over what can be seen and read."
It strikes me that the more you use Facebook the way they want you to use it, the worse it becomes."Just as my News Feed had drifted further and further right, so too did it drift further and further left. Rachel Maddow, Raw Story, Mother Jones, Daily Kos and all sort of other leftie stuff was interspersed with items that are so far to the right I’m nearly afraid to like them for fear of ending up on some sort of watch list.
"It reminded me of what can go wrong in society, and why we now often talk at each other instead of to each other. We set up our political and social filter bubbles and they reinforce themselves—the things we read and watch have become hyper-niche and cater to our specific interests. We go down rabbit holes of special interests until we’re lost in the queen’s garden, cursing everyone above ground."
You should also read:
- Why don't authors compete? Coke would never put a positive review of Pepsi out there, so why do authors endorse each other all the time?
- Buzzfeed as a Paris cafe
- Don't leave a voicemail
- Cellphones make people faky as #%@*
- Last Call: The end of the printed newspaper
- How a password changed my life forever
- Why bikes make smart people say dumb things
- Face it, black people: Michael Brown let you down
- The fine art of bullshit, killed by Google
- Jimmy the Crow is my favourite actor
Two pieces that are what I love about radio. The first is an interview my colleague Audrey McKinnon did with a bano-playing, train-hopping busker named 'Crow'. The second is the first thirty seconds of a piece called "Cry Me A River" by the production duo the Kitchen Sisters. The rest is great, too, but those thirty seconds are gold. Openings are key.
Around town:
If you get this soon enough, it is Potato Festival at Huble Homestead. I apologize for not alerting you sooner.
I went to the new mini-golf course at the Strike Zone. I mean, I'm not going every day, but I would go again.
While on a wander, I came across the pit house built by UNBC students in traditional Dakelh First Nations style. The grand opening is Saturday, September 6. Worth a visit.
Tweets-without-context:
There is no world in which an interview with the Trivago guy is "must-watch." Stand down, internet. #
RT @joshreports: The new gov't buzzword is "Robust." Everything is a "robust review" and a "robust recovery." It's getting worse than "prudent"#
RT @weinmanj: The reason Garfield hates Mondays is that he's you. He doesn't have a job, but he feels as you do, lives as you do. It's very profound. #
"Can my husband and I combine our Save-On points?" - the ultimate commitment being made in front of me at the grocery store. #
My Jams:
"Just One of the Guys" - Jenny Lewis
"Almost Like the Blues" - Leonard Cohen
"Anaconda" - Nicki Minaj (don't judge)
I'm also ashamed that I failed to alert you to a new album by my friends in cera last time around. But I'm telling you now! It's good AND free, so you really can't go wrong. Download it now!
My 'Grams:
glow-in-the-dark dog toy
glow-in-the-dark golf pencils
welcome
train ride
fancy
ferrets
Vine of the week:
best night
Bonus: mornings with Snickers, Pogo rides the train, digfest
Phew. Big one. As always, feel free to give me a shout back, I read (and appreciate!) all your emails. Happy September!
