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September 28, 2005
Fearing the Wrath of Federal Funders?
In today's afternoon session, moderator Howard Anderson is trying to provoke a group of panelists representing universities and the private sector with questions about America's engineering and innovation crisis. He asked them to comment on the idea that major govt agencies like the nsf, which were once independent and nonpartisan in their funding priorities, have now become partisan and beholden to ideology. No one would comment. Members of the audience mumbled. The silence of the panelists was deafening. There is a palpable fear of criticizing the govt's funding priorities in science and technology since universities and the private sector so often rely on govt funding largesse. It was a telling, somewhat disturbing moment... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 03:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Social Computing Roundtable
Notes from the social computing roundtable at the MIT Tech Review conference.
Panelists:
Joshua Schecter, del.icio.us
Mark Cordover, it.com
Dennis Crowley, dodgeball.com
Chris Heathcote, Nokia
Crowley: Moving social software to the offline world. We spent a summer playing with Friendster while developing it. the difference is that online profiles allow users to connect in person using mobile phones. let's people in a 10 block radius link up. Users can create crush lists- people you find cute.
MIT media lab rep: using tone of voice to judge emotion, interest. One tool will help people negotiate better, another detects depression.
Cordover: The wisdom of crowds. group intelligence algorithms. talked about the intro of paper currency in the 18th century. real estate values jumped around the base of operation. a crazy, frenzied atmosphere. "men it has been well said, think in herds and go mad in herds, but they recover their senses one by one." Charles Mackay. if you put group diversity together with individuality you can get group wisdom. just give them wireless ICTs. they allow for the aggregation of diverse thinking. it.com now has a search database to discern who the players are around a particular meme, the players in an IT space.
del.icio.us: a system for socially sharing info. now focused on url sharing. users find they like, tag them- about one per second. each user builds their own taxonomy for categorizing info they care about. group patterns rise out of individual behavior.
Heathcote: we make phones, so why are we here? there are more phones than tvs, credit cards or cars. phones connect people. social structures have gone from family and friends to communities of shared interest. (a culture of likemindedness, methinks -ac) phone manufactures must work to innovate social networking technologies. place will be the next big thing in social computing.
Posted by acarvin at 01:43 PM | TrackBack
Tom DeLay Indicted
Meanwhile, breaking news from the world of politics, courtesy of CNN: " House Majority Leader Tom DeLay indicted on one count of criminal conspiracy by Texas grand jury, according to Travis County clerk's office."
Posted by acarvin at 12:54 PM | TrackBack
Congress Abandons WikiConstitution
A priceless news spoof from the Onion. -andy
WASHINGTON, DCÂCongress scrapped the open-source, open-edit, online version of the Constitution Monday, only two months after it went live. "The idea seemed to dovetail perfectly with our tradition of democratic participation," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said. "But when so-called 'contributors' began loading it down with profanity, pornography, ASCII art, and mandatory-assault-rifle-ownership amendments, we thought it might be best to cancel the project." Congress intends to restore the Constitution to its pre-Wiki format as soon as an unadulterated copy of the document can be found.
Posted by acarvin at 12:41 PM | TrackBack
Busted
So here I am at the Cambridgeside Galleria getting the bad news from techs at the Apple Store. The person who kicked my laptop managed to bust its DC inboard, meaning that it can't be recharged without replacing the inboard. They said they need a week to fix it. I plan to get a second opinion.
In the meantime, I'm without a working laptop. I'll do my best to blog and podcast from my phone until my fingers cramp up. Keep your fingers crossed. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 12:30 PM | TrackBack
Stuck at the Apple Store
While everyone else is back at the conference, I get to spend my lunch break at the Cambridgeside Apple Store, hoping they can fix my laptop's power port in time for the 1:45pm breakout sessions. Feel the drama in this podcast from the store. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 11:57 AM | TrackBack
Nolan Bushnell and Dean Kamen
Here's a podcast of presentations by Nolan Bushnell and Dean Kamen. It's in Windows Media Format rather than an MP3 because I'm running out of power and probably won't have enough to convert it before my computer shuts down. I'll post an MP3 version later.
Nolan Bushnell is near and dear to my heart because he created two of the most important icons of my childhood: Atari computers and Chuck E. Cheese pizzeria arcades. It certainly was great seeing him speak in person. He has an uncanny resemblance to Francis Ford Coppola - at least that's how it seemed from me 50 feet back in the auditorium. Dean Kamen, meanwhile, is best known to the general public for inventing the Segway, but he's also one of the most prolific inventors of medical technologies alive today. He spent his time talking about inventing affordable, simple water purification systems for the developing world.
Quote of the morning: "In this country, we produce more students with university degrees in sports management than we do in engineering." - Dean Kamen
Nolan and Dean weren't the only speakers in the panel, but I'm facing a race against time now that my AC power cord is busted and I've got less than an hour of power left. So I cut the podcast short so I could upload it before my power dies. I'm also gonna have to skip lunch and run over to the local Apple Store and beg, plead, bribe, blackmail, flirt and debate my way to some lightning service to get my laptop fixed prior to the 1:30pm breakout sessions featuring the creators of Flickr, del.icio.us and other uber-cool technologies... -ac
Posted by acarvin at 11:03 AM | TrackBack
Morning Conference Break
A brief mobile phone podcast from the MIT Technology Review conference, prior to someone killing my laptop's AC power supply. 54 minutes of power left and counting. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 10:59 AM | TrackBack
People Should Wear Slippers At Conferences
People should wear slippers at conferences. Why do I say that? Because otherwise they trample your laptop, even if placed in safe, hidden spots, and break your AC adapter in such a way that the male plug of the adapter snaps off and jams into your laptop's power input.
So to whomever kicked my laptop. Thanks bunches. I've got about 90 minutes of power left before I'll have to skip the lunch here and get over to the local Apple store and pray they can fix it asap. Otherwise, my blogging from the conference will be cut way short. Ugh. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 10:39 AM | TrackBack
Creating the $100 Laptop
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Nicholas Negroponte talks about the $100 laptop |
"It is the most important project I've ever done in my life... The reception it's received has been incredible," he said. "The idea is simple - it's to look at education. This is an education project, not just a laptop project. If you take any world problem - peace, the environment, poverty - the solution to that problem certainly includes education. And if you have a solution that doesn't include education, than it's not a real solution at all."
"In emerging nations, the issue is not connectivity," Negroponte continued. "It was the issue; it's not a solved problem, but there are many people and many systems working on it... It's happening; it doesn't need me, MIT or the Media Lab. But for education, the roadblock is the laptop."
Negroponte told the story of building schools in Cambodia. He gave students laptops to bring home, but they came back the next day, the laptops unused. Their parents would not let them use them because they were worried they'd break it. The students went back home with a note saying they didn't have to worry about the cost of the laptops; the parents loved them because they were the brightest lights they had in the home. In the first three years, only one laptop out of 50 broke (though all the AC adapters died). "Why is that? It's because of ownership. The kids polished them, made bags for them; they certainly wouldn't get broken."
Later, MIT's Seymour Papert helped persuade the state of Maine to give laptops to all middle school students. This raised the possibility of expanding the program internationally, particularly to the developing world.
"Since communications isn't the problem, can we make that laptop now cost $100?" Negroponte said that it was important to make this a nonprofit initiative, so all monies made could go into helping lower the cost of the laptop, rather than satisfying shareholders.
"Scale is important, but not for the obvious reasons. It's important because of mindset, attitude and share." When he's talked with companies about getting involved, "you're immediately dismissed, until you say you need 200 million units."
"Impossible at MIT is a code word for 'do it.'"
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Image of Negroponte's $100 laptop |
A lot of the cost of the laptop goes to supporting the operating system, he explained. "You try to download a PDF, and you're waiting and waiting; it's gotten so slow and unreliable... SO we've started over, going skinny linux, skinny open source... It lowers costs and gives you a faster experience."
"Design is important. A lot of people think low-end products need to look cheap and be cheap." He showed a picture of it, describing how it would work with a wind-up crank for power, and would seal hermetically when closed to prevent damage. The swivel for raising the display would also be a handle, which the AC cord will also serve as the shoulder strap.
At the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis, they'll launch "tethered prototypes" - working demo units. The beta units, expected to come out in one year, will number from five to 15 million units, expected to be deployed in five countries and the commonwealth of Massachusetts. By year two, they hope to reach 150 million units.
He mentioned Wikipedia as an example of a major source of content for the initiative, and asked how many people in the audience use it - about 50%. "It's by far the best encyclopedia on the planet," he said. "It's so fresh, so current, if you go look up yourself, you're probably in it."
"It's the Wikipedia equivalent (of hardware)," he said, describing the spirit of the laptop initiative.
Posted by acarvin at 09:10 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Live from the MIT Tech Review Conference
For the next two days I'll be blogging and podcasting from the MIT Technology Review Emerging Technology Conference. It looks like it will be quite an event; among the speakers are inventor Dean Kamen, former Sun chief scientist Bill Joy, Ray Kurzweil and other technology luminaries. Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab is speaking right now about his $100 laptop initiative; I'll post more about that soon. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 08:46 AM | TrackBack
September 27, 2005
Are Educators Hostile to Wikipedia?
Last July, I posted a blog entry about strategies teachers could use to incorporate Wikipedia into classroom practice. The post received a lot of commentary in the blogosphere, some positive, some negative, but all quite interesting.
I then received an email from Jimmy Wales, the creator of Wikipedia, who noted one particular sentence I used in my essay:
On Wikipedia in particular, we talked about the hostility that many educators have towards the website, particularly their concerns that it can't be considered a reliable source.
Jimbo took issue with my use of the word hostility when describing how many educators felt about Wikipedia. In his experience, Jimbo felt that the majority of educators had quite the opposite feeling, being supportive of Wikipedia.
I found this surprising. From a purely anecdotal perspective, particularly among k-12 librarians, I'd heard a lot of complaints about Wikipedia being unreliable and inappropriate for students. At conferences I'd felt sometimes I was the only person in the room supportive of Wikipedia as a teaching tool. Perhaps one of us was just hearing from a vocal minority. Or perhaps one of us just had it wrong.
Jimbo and I then went through the archive of my WWWEDU list to see if we could find any instances of educators painting Wikipedia in a negative light, and at that particular time, we couldn't. So it was basically Jimbo's gut feeling versus my gut feeling, with no quotes to back it up decisively one way or another.
So I suggested to Jimbo that we make our conversation public and see what educators actually have to say about Wikipedia. For example, is Wikipedia something you'd want your students using in the classroom? Do you consider it an appropriate teaching tool? If so, how? If not, why not?
If you're a teacher and a blogger, we'd like to encourage you to respond by posting something on your blog. If you do, please tag the post with wikipedia in the classroom so it's easier for all of us to follow the discussion, no matter where the blog entries are being posted. If you're not a blogger, email me your comments and I'll compile them for posting on my blog.
Personally, I hope Jimbo's right, since I see lots of potential uses for Wikipedia in the classroom. It's just that my gut is still telling me something else. Either way, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 03:37 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack
Scotch Broth
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Walking the causeway from Fingal's Cave on the isle of Staffa |
So here I am heaving over the starboard side getting bitch-slapped by the sea spray coming off those eight-foot waves.
The ship's mate lays a hand on my shoulder. "Eets only teen mur minutes oov theez waves," he says. "Whin we git ta Iona, the sea flattens oot."
He's too young for his wind chapped face, but he's a handsome enough Scot. I'm not really looking at him though. I'm trying to make sure the vomit doesn’t get into my pigtails.
"Yu'v git the best seat in the hoose here." He points to the horizon, "Jist keep yur head up."
I nod and lie that I'm all right. In actuality I feel like my head is being flung around inside a centrifuge – at a rate awkwardly out of step with the motion of the boat. As soon as the ship’s mate walks back into the cabin I drop my head over the rail again. A wave clocks my left cheek; that's going to sting later.
We've been up against this storm for about 15 minutes now. I'd go inside out of the rain but there's nowhere to puke in there. We just came from the Scottish island of Staffa - a tortured rock of basalt carved and sculpted by the same current that is now pounding me. The island looks like a colossal church organ with broken pipes coming out of black cliffs.
I'm trying to decide if it was worth it - getting tossed around in this bath toy and soaked by the rain and waves. Staffa is a haunting sea-battered rock, especially in a rainstorm. Fingal's Cave, the cavernous centerpiece of the island accessible only by a slippery cliffside path, inspired Mendelssohn to write his Hebrides Overture. Unfortunately, the main thing it inspired in me was a desire to call for a rescue helicopter. In retrospect, maybe it'll be worth it.
Susanne before and after Staffa
I feel my teeth beginning to itch, like they're being corroded by a mixture of stomach acid and salt water. I'm sporting a yellow slicker that the ship's mate lent me. I look like the Gorton's Fisherman - except he was never this green. The slicker's hood scrunches above my eyebrows, encouraging the cold rain to gush down my face and channel down my chest. A poor design for a raincoat, I think, but then it is keeping me from vomiting on my clothes.
As the sea cracks me across my cheek again, I try to convince myself that it's always worth it in retrospect. All the same, I'm wondering if maybe I'm not as hardy as I used to be. Then I stop myself - to throw up again first of all - but also because I know this storm would have kicked my ass 10 years ago.
The waves wash my face clean, and as I pull my head up again, I see land. We're pulling into the island of Iona. Thank God. -Susanne
Posted by acarvin at 03:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Farmers Mercats n Open Doors
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Edinburgh's Calton Hill |
Eftir our usual granola n scoon breakfast combo at the High Street Starbucks, Susanne n Ah paid a visit tae the Tron Kirk. The church is now home tae an archeology exhibit, as the floor ay the church wis dug up tae unearth the remnants ay one ay the oldest streets in Edinburgh's Auld Toun. A wood platform followed the perimeter ay the exhibit; along wi information aboot archeology, the platform displayed biographies ay various notorious residents ay the surroundin area.
We didnae hae specific plans fir the day, apart fae takin a train tae Glasgow late in the afternoon so we wid be close tae the airport fir our flight the next mornin. We hud contemplated a trip tae Roslyn Chapel oan the outskirts ay toun, but decided we'd want tae make the moost oot ay the limited time we hud left in Edinburgh.
Eftir shoppin fir a while oan the Royal Mile, we walked back doon tae Princes Street. The sun wis strong n bright today; Ah found myself havin tae carry mah jacket rather than wear it. Neither ay us hud ever walked the lower perimeter ay Edinburgh Castle fae Princes Street Gardens tae Grassmarket, so we decided tae gie it a go.
We walked along Princes Street until reachin the Scott Monument, then entered the gardens, heidin downhill tae the bottom ay the valley. It's amazin how peaceful n quiet the gardens are, despite the fact yu'r in the middle ay one ay the biggest cities in the UK. Susanne n Ah strolled along the gardens, walkin past small groups ay tourists, families n a handful ay homeless people. To our left, Castle Hill loomed large, wi Edinburgh Castle at its summit. We walked parallel tae the hill, towards the small cemetery not far fae Lothian Road. Eventually we reached rocky base ay castle n started tae follow it anti-clockwise. The path went higher n higher, until we were well above the valley floor.
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Edinburgh Castle. Click the image tae see a Quicktime VR panorama. |
Not far tae the west, we spotted a row ay tents full ay people buyin n sellin things. Apparently it wis some type ay weekend mercat, so we decided tae investigate. Indeed, it wis the Edinburgh farmers mercat, a pleasant affair ay merchants sellin a range ay organic goods, fae venison n ostrich tae cheeses n haggis. Ah sampled a few small pieces ay cheese n crackers, listenin tae several street musicians entertainin the crowd. Susanne spotted a lute player dressed as a jester; she shot some video ay um while Ah listened tae one merchant talk aboot his family's brewery.
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Video clip ay a lute player at the Edinburgh Farmers Mercat |
Beyond the mercat, we found a stairway thit led doon tae western end ay Grassmarket. The neighborhood is maist famous fir two things: its view ay Edinburgh Castle n its prominent role as a leadin place fir executions durin medieval times. This has made the place popular fir ghost n goblin tours, wi visitors stoppin at pubs wi names like The Last Drop (as in, droppin wi a noose roond yir neck). The weather wis simply glorious; sun poured doon oan us fae the south, causin the castle tae glow in the distance.
We hiked east through Grassmarket, investigatin various places fir lunch. We eventually settled oan The White Stag. One ay the auldest pubs in the city, the White Stag once hud poet Robert Burns as a guest. It wis also a base ay operations fir a notorious pair ay murderers, Burke n Hare, whae wid befriend thir victims, murder them, then sell thir warm bodies tae the University ay Edinburgh's medical college fir dissection. Back in the early 1800s, the medical college wis allotted only a small number ay executed criminals fir dissection purposes, so it became common fir people known as resurrectionists tae dig up fresh graves n sell the bodies in the name ay science. Burke n Hare started thir enterprise as grave-robbin resurrectionists, but eventually decided tae skip the diggin part, instead throttlin unsuspectin victims before sellin them tae a well-known surgeon named Dr. Knox. In the end they were caught; Hare turned King's evidence, Burke wis hung (n donated tae the medical college fir dissection, ironically), while Dr. Knox left the city in disgrace. Some day Susanne n Ah will git roond tae writin a screenplay aboot the incident.
Despite its notorious history, the White Stag is a charmin place. Ah hud an excellent curried chicken sandwich fir lunch while Susanne hud a soothin bowl ay tomato soup. It wis probably the healthiest pub meal ay our entire trip.
Lookin at a map ay Grassmarket, Ah realized we were a short walk tae Greyfriars Kirk n the university campus. Since the weather wis so nice n we didnae hae anythin else oan our schedule, Ah suggested we return thit wey fir a wee while. The church wis open, so we poked our heids inside tae see its beautiful pipe organ. An elderly gadge walked his scotty through the cemetery.
We said hello tae Greyfriars Bobby one mair time before returnin tae Bristo Square n the university. The square wis buzzin wi activity. Dozens ay young boys practiced thir skateboardin moves in the square's courtyard, while older visitors were comin n goin roond MacEwan Hall. Today wis Edinburgh Open Doors Day; throughout the city, buildins thit are usually closed tae the public were open fir free, includin MacEwan Hall n other university buildins we'd nivir visited durin our stey here.
Enterin the hall, we were blown away by what we found. The interior wis as grand as any church we hud ever visited. The walls were decorated by an extraordinary collection ay frescoes n marble, wi a semi-circle ceilin high above us. The buildin, created in the late 1800s, remains the place ay university graduations - somethin thit we, as study-abroad students, nivir hud the chance tae experience.
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Splendid interior ay MacEwan Hall |
Ah picked up a pamphlet listin aw the university buildins participatin in the Open Door events. Among the buildins involved were the medical school's historic anatomy theatre, n Reid Music Hall. Havin jist visited the White Stag fir lunch, Ah couldn't think ay a mair appropriate place tae go than the anatomy theatre, which probably played host tae the bodies ay some ay the very people murdered by Burke n Hare. It wis such a notorious story, how could we say no tae thit?
The anatomy theatre, located oan the second floor ay the medical college, wis quite intimate. The room extended upwards fir two floors, wi a circle ay seats risin aw the wey tae the top. A student sat near whair the anatomists wid present thir research. We were tempted tae pepper her wi Burke n Hare questions but she probably hud heard enough ay those today.
Next door, we found Reid Hall. The hall itself hud nice acoustics, which we discovered as someone played the house pipe organ. There wis also a small musical instruments museum adjacent tae the hall. Several rooms were packed fae floor tae ceilin wi instruments ay aw shapes n sizes; basic workin models ay instruments were available fir people tae play fir thissels. Numerous bairds ran roond the museum, gettin thir hands oan every instrument available tae them. Ah wonder how much time the curator spends sanitizin the instruments.
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Susanne at the Auld College |
With a bit mair shoppin completed along the Royal Mile, we decided tae visit Princes Street Gardens one last time. We reached the gardens by wey ay Lady Stairs Close, one ay Susanne's favorite closes in the Auld Toun. Heidin downhill, we passed the writers museum; outside, quotes fae famous Scots were engraved intae the pavement. Fae the bottom ay the close, we soon reached the National Art Museum, located in the middle ay the gardens. We strolled through the gardens, pausin momentarily tae use mah mobile phone tae dial 999 n report a sudden garbage can fire thit appeared ready tae consume a tree n a park bench if it hudn't been fir a man workin at an espresso kiosk dumpin several buckets ay water oan the fire.
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Flappers havin tea ay the Balmoral Hotel |
Our tea n scoons consumed, we hud wee else tae do except collect our rucksacks fae the hotel n heid tae Waverly station fir our train tae Glasgow. One last time, we hiked up the Mound n up Lady Stairs Close, takin our time tae admire each ay the writers quotes engraved in the pathway. "There are no stars as lovely as Edinburgh street-lamps," read one quote fae Robert Louis Stevenson.
Our enormous rucksacks burdenin us again, we left the hotel n walked doon Cockburn Street tae Waverly Station, pausin long enough tae take photos ay the Malt Shovel Pub. Soon enough, we were oan the five o'clock train tae Glasgow. Aheid ay us we'd find quaint accommodations near the Glasgow School ay Art, n a pleasant evenin at the Merchant City street festival. But aw we could do thit night is think aboot the views ay the castle, the tea rooms, the crags, our friends at Abbotsford n our strolls along Princes Street gardens. More than a dozen years hud passed between our visits tae Edinburgh. Never again wid we let such a dry spell pass.
Posted by acarvin at 02:35 PM | TrackBack
A Long, Gud Walk Fir Auld Lang Syne
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Edinburgh's Walter Scott Monument, as seen through one ay the many closes oan the Royal Mile |
Fridae, 23 September. Eftir another breakfast at Starbucks - a granola bar fir Susanne, a scoon fir masel - we decided tae spend the day takin a series ay walks roond the city, includin a visit tae the University ay Edinburgh. The weather hud taken a turn fir the worse; the grey skies opened up tae a strong, unpleasant drizzle. But we cudnae be bothered. Rain or shine, we wid make the maist ootay our time in Edinburgh.
Our first stop wis the Greyfriars Bobby, a famous statue ay a Scottish terrier outside Greyfriars Kirk. The Bobby is perhaps the best known dog in Scottish history. Eftir his master died, the loyal dog spent mair than a dozen years guardin his graveside. The locals made sure the Bobby wis healthy n well-fed, but the dog nivir left his master's grave. Fir us, the statue wis an important memory fae mah time back at the University ay Edinburgh. Ah spent many a lunch in a pub across the street fae the Bobby.
The Bobby statue wis jist whair we expected it. The pub, however, wis naewhair tae be found. In its place, we discovered a grand new museum - the Museum ay Scottish History. Ah wis happy fir the birth ay a new museum, but its placement thair some time in the last dozen or so years wis mair than a bit disorientin fir us.
The Greyfriar Kirk itself still wisnae open, so we continued past the Bedlam Theatre - an auld church wi funky red doors - tae Bristo Square, the heart ay the university campus. Adjacent tae a sunken stoon plaza stood MacEwan Hall, an enormous domed 19th century buildin used fir graduation ceremonies. Beyond it Ah could see Reid Hall n other auld university buildins thit hae been roond fir ages. But some things were quite new, includin a student union n a large mosque. It wis odd; Ah hud a recollection ay the place, but the memories didnae surge back tae us the wey Ah hud expected. Ah wis a wee disappointed. Perhaps it wis because we approached the square fae an angle Ah didnae usually use. Ah eywis came tae the square fae Pollock Halls, not High Street. Thin again, maybe ye jist forget a loat in 14 years.
Just past campus, we walked along the Meadows, a series ay grassie bluffs thit Ah best remember as the place whair Ah took part in settin the Guinness World Record fir the world's largest ceilidh. (A ceilidh, pronounced Kaylee, is basically a Scottish dance party, but thit's oversimplifyin it a bit.) It wis one ay mah first days in Edinburgh, n thousands ay students danced in unison as gadges fae the Guinness Book confirmed the record-settin status upon the event. Today, tho, the Meadows were quiet, windy n damp. Just another autumn day in Auld Reekie.
Susanne n Ah walked a few blocks east tae Nicolson Street, which we followed south until veerin west tae Pollock Halls, mah former residence. The dense city streets thinned oot as we approached the halls, which are located in an area jist beloo the western slope ay Arthur's Seat. Walkin past the local swimmin pool towards Pollock, Ah distinctly remembered mah daily walk back fae campus. But arrivin at the dormitory, Ah wis once again thrown fir a loop. Aw the buildins looked brand new - modern constructions rather than the reddish-grey concrete Ah remembered.
We entered the complex n started tae explore it. Soon, Ah spotted Leonard Hall, the grand auld 19th buildin thit wis the heart n soul ay Pollock Halls. At least it wis still standin. Beyond it, though, we found the auld drab dormitory buildins. It seems thit some were torn doon n replaced by new structures, while others remained intact. Ah couldn't find mah buildin, Brewster Hall, oan the campus map. Apparently it wis a victim ay progress.
Since we were so close tae Arthur's Seat, Ah suggested tae Susanne thit we climb the Salisbury Crags, cliff-like outcrops juttin oot fae the hillside like the remnants ay a giant's lower jawboon. The climb tae the crags wis quite easy - jist a matter ay followin a slopin roadway then cuttin over a meadow. Susanne n Ah hud ruled oot climbin Arthur's Seat itssel. We hud both done the climb when we lived here, n once wis enough. Besides, the recent rains hud left the rocks quite slick, n Ah didnae fancy slidin doon 800 feet tae a nasty death. Short, stumpy cliffs wid suffice jist fine.
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Salisbury Crags n Arthur's Seat, wi the new Scottish Parliament beloo |
We hiked the road until reachin the meadow. By now, the rain hud completely stopped, n thair were signs ay clearin in the distance. Arthur's Seat stood directly in front ay us, glorious n imposin. The crags, meanwhile, were an easy, short hike tae our left.
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Edinburgh Castle, as seen fae the Salisbury Crags |
We followed the path along the crags fir aboot a kilometer, walkin clockwise roond Arthur's Seat. Eventually, the path jutted doonward until droppin us in front ay the new Scottish parliament n Holyrood palace. Ah suggested we stop fir some tea, but Susanne hud gautten a wee bit damp fae the rain, despite her industrial strength oilskin coat. So we walked agin up the Royal Mile tae the hotel. Susanne changed clothes while Ah hud a cup ay hot chocolate at Chocolate Soop.
Figurin we should git lunch in the near future, we walked doon South Bridge towards Cowgate. Edinburgh is an unusual city in thit it is built oan two levels: the ground level, n bridge level. Much ay the southern side ay Castle Hill n the Royal Mile is actually a series ay bridges thit are so dense wi buildins ye dinnae realize ye'r walkin oan raised platforms. Meanwhile, if ye follow some ay the hidden closes, ye can weave doon tae the ground level fir whole other environment ay buildins completely lost fae the world ay the bridge dwellers.
Just south ay High Street, thair's a close thit leads doon tae a ground level area called Cowgate, home tae an auld pub, Bannerman's. Susanne n Ah hud each spent copious amounts ay time at Bannerman's durin our student days, so we decided tae walk doon n see if it wis worth gettin lunch thair. It took us a wee while tae find, but once we goat thair we recognized it immediately, set in a dark corner beloo one ay the arches ay South Bridge. Inside, though, we found an empty pub jist opened fir business, reekin ay cleanin fluids. It didnae make a gud place tae eat, so eftir a few moments ay reminiscin, we hiked back up tae the bridge n High Street. We then strolled doon Cockburn Street tae the Malt Shovel, a lovely auld pub, whair we ordered some lunch while listenin tae Johnny Cash singin aboot how we can hae it all - his empire ay dirt - whilst he will let us doon, he can make us hurt.
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Mary King's Close, sealed undergroond fae nigh 300 years |
Leadin the tour wis a 17th century merchant, as it were - an actor in period costume whae stayed in character fir the full hour ay the tour. He warned everyone thit the tour is not gud fir people wi walkin problems or claustrophobie. Susanne came very close tae bowin ootay the tour, but the crowd wis very supportive n promised tae look eftir her in case she hud any problems.
We followed the guide doon a long stairwell until we reached the upper end ay the close. It wis quite surreal - Ah felt like we were standin in another close in the middle ay the night because it wis so dark, but the darkness wis purely because we were underground. The buildins oan both sides ay the close were at least three stories high, n ample laundry wis strung between them. The effect wis quite strikin.
Fir the next hour, we wandered fae buildin tae buildin, learnin aboot the dark side ay 17th century life in Edinburgh. In one room, we found a life-size diorama ay a murder scene in which a woman n her mother hud killed her husband over a dowry thit wisnae paid tae um. In another room, a gravedigger's family hud fallen sick tae the bubonic plague. Mary King's Close wis infamous fir havin one ay the highest rates ay plague in aw Edinburgh. Legend has it thit the close wis sealed off permanently wi aw its residents left tae die; our guide insisted this wis false, sayin, thit people were merely quarantined n neighbors wid leave food n water fir them outside thir doors.
One ay the last rooms we visited wis full ay dolls. Apparently a psychic hud visited the close n detected the presence ay a long-dead girl whose ghost wis searchin fir her lost doll. Since then, numerous visitors hae brought dolls tae appease the spirit. The effect ay aw the dolls piled against a wall wis quite disturbin.
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Edinburgh's Princes Street, as seen fae Calton Hill |
Hikin downhill, the two ay us were hungry n dehydrated. Ah suggested swingin by Burger King fir a quick drink, likesay, but Susanne hud a classier idea. She suggested we go somewhere fir afternoon tea. The Balmoral Hotel wis jist up the road oan Princes Street, so we stopped by tae see if they offered tea. Inside, we found a charmin gallerie full ay guests enjoyin multi-level platters ay tea cakes as a harpist performed oan a balconie. Perfect, kent? Rather than git the full-blown high tea, though, we ordered a plate ay scoons, some tea n coffee, along wi two large glesses ay water tae quench our parched thirst. Ah'm eywis a sucker fir an afternoon tea experience, n this filled the bill in a maist gratifyin wey.
By now it wis late in the afternoon. Ah'd made 7:30pm reservations fir dinner at the Apartment, a trendy restaurant southwest ay the university. Havin walked mair miles today than we cared tae calculate, we leisurely walked back tae the Royal Mile by wey ay Cockburn Street, visitin various shops along the wey, before goin tae Hunter Square fir drinks at the Advocate. Ah'd come here once or twice back in the day, ken; it didnae seem tae hae changed. Ah drank a sherry while Susanne hud a fruit juice cocktail while people talked in hushed overtones as anon'mous jazz played in the background.
Roond 7:15, we caught a Joe Baxi tae the Apartment. The drive took us through Grassmarket, which offered us a glorious nighttime view ay Edinburgh Castle as seen fae the south. The restaurant itself looked much like an upscale apartment, wi minimalist modern art décor. The food wis actually a wee disappointin, ken? The chicken skewers we ordered as an appetizer hud a pasty taste; meanwhile, Susanne's scallops were smaller than a child's thumbnail n might salmon wis burnt n oily. The two savin graces ay the experience were the excellent Spanish wine n the cheese course we hud fir dessert; the combination ay gouda n grapes wis extraordinary.
Rather than call it a night, Ah suggested we stop at Deacon Brodie's before goin tae bed. We didnae linger long, though. As Ah sipped mah beer, Ah realized thit the oily salmon n the cheese course hud made the thought ay alcohool seem thoroughly irrational. So despite mah urge tae stretch oot the evenin a wee longer, reason goat the best ay us as we returned tae the hotel, our drinks barely touched. It jist wisnae in the cards, likesay?
Posted by acarvin at 10:09 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 26, 2005
Return tae Auld Reekie
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Telephone Boxes Oan the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's Auld Toun |
"Ye're steyin at the Ibis Hotel n ye needed tae take a taxi?" Joe Baxi sais. "They're gaunnae kick ye oot ay the union fir thit one."
"Ken, ken," Ah reply, glad tae huv the 20-kilogram rucksack oaf ma back. "If we dinnae huv tae carry these bags we wid huv walked."
"Ye damn well shid huv," the baxi laughs. "Ye wid huv gaun tae the hotel faster if ye hud walked."
Susanne n Ah hud jist arrived at Edinburgh's Waverly Station a few minutes earlier. As soon as the cab left the station, a taerrent ay memories rushed intae ur heads. Takin the bridge up tae the Royal Mile, Ah cud see Calton Hill n the Nelson Monument far tae ur left. At 10 o'clock, Arthur's Seat n the Salisbury Crags jutted fae the landscape. Tae ur right, Edinburgh Castle stood at the top ay Castle Hill, beyond Waverly n Princes Street Gardens.
"Ah almost feel like Ah nivir left," Ah sais tae Susanne, a huge smile formin aun ma face.
Susanne n Ah both studied at the University ay Edinburgh fir a semester - 1991 fir us, 1992 fir her. This wis the first time we hud returned since then, n the first time we'd been hir thigether. Fir the next few days we'd git a chance tae relive some auld memories n hopefully make some new ones.
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Street Sign Oan the Royal Mile |
Since we hud three days tae explore Edinburgh, we decided tae start wi some ay the mair obvious choices: particularly, the major sites along the Royal Mile. The Mile is the Auld Toun's main street, bustlin since the Middle Ages n possibly used fir thousands ay years, given thit it runs along a strategic ridge between two deep valleys -- Grassmarket tae the south n Princes Street Gardens tae the north. We ambled west up the street, recognizin some sites (the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, the Wee Auld Whiskey Shoppe) n discoverin new ones (the afairmentioned Starbucks, Garfunkels Restaurant). Ah wis maist pleased tae see Deacon Brodies - a pub named eftir the inspiration tae the story "Dr. Jeckyll n Mr. Hyde" - an auld haunt ay mine thit Ah hudnae thoot aboot in many a year.
Ah cudnae help but grin each time we passed a "Close" - a narrow passagewey leadin up the side ay the ridge fae each ay the two valleys. Each close hud its ain set ay memories, its ain character - Advocates Close, Jollies Close, Fleshmarket Close. Thir wis even a new one - a very auld one, actually - named Mary King's Close. Thit close wis completely buried when the tain hall wis built in the 1700s; a few years ago, they'd opened it up, catacombs-style, tae visitin tourists. We'd huv tae add thit one tae ur tae-do list.
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The entrance tae Edinburgh Castle |
We bought ur tickets n went inside the castle's high gate, greeted by statues ay Robert the Bruce n William Wallace. Jist beyond the entrance, we were soon enticed tae visit the first ay many souvenir shops, whair Susanne looked fir McGregor tartans (her mother's surname, Walker, is part ay Clan McGregor) while Ah sampled some Columba Cream liqueur. Similar tae Bailey's Irish Cream, Columba Cream is flavored wi single malt whiskey n a wee dash ay honey - hud a nice kick tae it. Fae thir we followed the outer path ay the castle anti-clockwise, affordin us a beautiful view ay Edinburgh's New Toun. "New Toun" is a rather deceivin name fir those ay us fae a truly "new" country like the USA. Founded in the early 1700s tae combat the urban squalor ay the medieval Auld Toun, the New Toun wis a masterpiece ay Georgian architecture. It's best experienced close-up, but the view gied us an awesome perspective ay the scope ay the New Toun, fae Lothian Road tae the west, doon Princes Street, past the rocketship-like Walter Scott Monument, tae Calton Hill n its many monuments oaf tae the east.
Susanne n Ah explored the upper ramparts ay the castle, wanderin alongside the throng ay tourists n a scatterin ay soldiers (Edinburgh Castle is one ay the auldest functionin forts in the world). Near the top ay the castle, we spied the small, dignified graveyard ay soldier's dogs, no far fae the intimate St. Margaret's Chapel.
Windin doon towards the main courtyard ay the castle, we paid a visit tae the collection ay royal Scottish artifacts. This exhibition hud been added since ur previous visits; it housed the Scottish crown jewels, as well as the Stoon ay Destiny, which wis used by the Scots fir hundreds ay years as the coronation platform before it wis stolen by the English 700 years ago, only tae be returned in the late 1990s. The exhibit wis quite well done; rather than forcin people tae standin in a borin queue fir 45 minutes, it allowed ye tae weave through a series ay rooms, each depictin various aspects ay Scottish royal history, in particular the history ay the crown jewels n the Stoon ay Destiny. The precious objects were kept in a dark, but dignified vault, protected by thick sheets ay undoubtedly shatter-proof gless.
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Tartans fir sale by the yard |
Back aun the Mile, we stopped fir lunch at Deacon Brodie's. Susanne hud vegetarian haggis while Ah enjoyed a Cajun chicken salad. Somehae the lunch ended up bein much mair expensive than we'd expected; we'd huv tae be mair mindful ay fixed-price lunches or we'd soon go skint in this toun.
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Ootay Coortyard ay Holyrood Palace |
The palace tour included an audio guide, wi a recorded introduction by Prince Charles. Susanne n Ah both remarked how the inclusion ay the Prince ay Wales put a decidedly English feel tae the place, even though the palace is very much a Scottish royal institution. Since Queen Elizabeth visits every year, the palace is kept in impeccable condition, fae its grand dinin room tae its mair intimate privy chambers. One grand hallwey featured fictionalized portraits ay Scottish royalty, both real n legendary, datin back mair than 1500 years. The paintins hud been slashed by sabers in the aftermath ay the Jacobite rebellion, but recently they were restored tae the point thit maist ay em looked unscathed.
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The ruins ay Holyrood Abbey |
Leavin the palace, we started tae heid back up the Royal Mile, passin the brand new Scottish Parliament tae ur left. A dazzlin display ay modern architecture, the parliament fit surprisinly well intae the auld backdrop ay buildins surroundin it. Too bad it cost the Scottish people 10 times mair than they expected tae pay fir it.
A few blocks west, across fae the 17th century tollbooth clock tower, we visited The Tea Room, a charmin little café wi a fine selection ay teas fae roond the world. Susanne n Ah both ordered a wee slice ay gingerbread, along wi some peppermint tea n decaf coffee. Across fae us, a group ay Scots spoke in the thickest Glesca accent Ah'd ever heard, until Ah realized they were speakin Dutch tae each other.
Eventually back near the hotel along High Street, the central stretch ay the Royal Mile, we took a right n followed the North Bridge doon tae Princes Street. Ah'm eywis amazed at how busy the street can be, nae matter what time ay day. As both the principle shoppin street ay Edinburgh n the entrance tae Waverly train station, Princes Street is awash wi humanity. Susanne n Ah walked the northern side ay the street, stoppin at mair than ur fair share ay shops, comparin prices aun tartans n whiskey while samplin mair malts, shortbreads n even butter tablets (think sugar cubes thit melt in yer mouth like fudge). Ye cud also buy a wide selection ay packaged sausages, puddins, n haggis, thit maist famous ay Scots dishes. Nae wonder thit Scots huv some ay the highest rates ay heart disease in the knain universe. At least they die happy.
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The Walter Scott Monument |
Headin south towards Princes Street, Susanne pointed oot Rose Street. At first the name didnae mean anythin tae us, then Susanne reminded us ay the Rose Street pub crawl. The street wis lined wi pubs, n students used tae try tae go tae each pub, huv a pint n move aun, gettin through the night without dyin ay alcohol poisonin. Ah nivir attempted the feat masel, but Ah did recall a few long evenings at a few ay the pubs.
Ah suggested we walk tae the far eastern end ay Rose Street tae Abbotsford, an Edwardian pub named eftir Walter Scott's summer retreat. It wis a classic pub, wi an ornate square bar in the middle surrounded by rows ay tables. Thir weren't any free tables, so Susanne leaned against a wall while Ah ordered her a pint ay cider n an IPA fir masel.
A few minutes later, a pair ay young Scots in thir early 20s offered us a seat aun a bench across fae em. We didnae talk wi em at first, as they were engaged in a deep conversation aboot the history ay immigration n Albert Einstein's move tae America. Eventually, Susanne broke the ice n struck up a chat. The two ay em, Billy (pronounced Belly) n Stephen, were younger than we realized, only 20 years auld, but Stephen in particular seemed wise beyond his years. They were both mates fae Musselburgh, likesay, jist outside ay Edinburgh. They'd traveled a bit in Europe, but no tae the US, so we talked a loat aboot different parts ay the US as well as American politics. (Bush, they made clear to us, wis both a "wanker" n a "doss radge," along wi a few other colorful Scots terms thit Ah shall no include hir in mah blog.)
Billy, we learned, wis also a Red Sox fan. "Ye really fae Boston, ken?" he sais. "The Red Sox are ma team! Ah watch em aun Sky whenever Ah can. Johnny Damon, ken? Ortiz! They're ma mates, likesay?"
At one point they spotted one ay thir mate's girlfriends at the pub wi another man.
"Thit's Davey's burd, ken?" Billy sais.
"Ah dinnae care," Stephen replies.
"Davey will," Billy laughs. Aye, nae doubt aboot thit.
Eftir three or four rounds ay Tennants fir masel and ciders n ginger ale fir Susanne, the group ay us stumbled ootay the pub ontae Rose Street eftir 9pm; we hud been thir at the pub, ken, nae less than three hours. Billy n Stephen went in one direction, ready fir a quick meal at McDonalds, while Susanne n Ah somehow made it back tae the Royal Mile, whair we hud some curry before callin it a night.
Posted by acarvin at 01:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 21, 2005
Mark Prensky's Keynote: Engage Me or Enrage Me
A 45-minute podcast of the majority of Mark Prensky's keynote at the Scottish Learning Festival. My recorder's battery ran low at the end, so I missed the last couple of minutes. Apologies also for the sound quality - it took a lot of compression to get it down to 12 megs. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 11:53 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Online Communities: From BBSes to Blogs and Beyond
I just finished my speaking engagement here in Glasgow; it was a standing-room-only group of Scottish educators involved in technology. I put together a 50-minute presentation to allow for 10 minutes of questions, but discovered that the session actually ran only 45 minutes, with 15 minutes for people to get to Mark Prensky's keynote. Because of that, I had to skip over some of my final slides. No harm, no foul, I suppose. The audience was very enthusiastic as I talked about the history of online communities and recent developments in participatory media, including blogging, podcasting, videoblogging and tagging. There were a few humorous snafus getting my Powerpoint to work. Fortunately, the problem this time wasn't that I was using a PC rather than my trustworthy Mac - it was because they were using a version of OpenOffice with a Gaelic operating system! Fortunately, a Gaelic speaker came to my rescue and helped me figure out which menu options to select.
Here's a podcast of my presentation (approx. 10 megs); meanwhile, this is the Powerpoint presentation.
Posted by acarvin at 09:28 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Gaelic Girls Choir
A choir of Scottish girls just performed a traditional Gaelic song during the afternoon keynote. The auditorium holds thousands of people, and there's barely a free seat in the house. Mark Prensky will be the afternoon speaker. In the meantime, here's a short podcast of the choir.
Posted by acarvin at 09:25 AM | TrackBack
Robin Blake's Media Literacy Presentation
Podcast of Robin Blake's presentation on media literacy at the Scottish Learning Festival. Please pardon the audio quality; it's a 45-minute presentation, so I had to compress the file to shrink it down to less than 10 megabytes. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 09:22 AM | TrackBack
The Confluence of Media Literacy and Multicultural Literacy
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Robin Blake of OFCOM, the UK telecom regulatory agency, talking about media literacy at the Scottish Learning Festival. |
Meanwhile, I just spent some time on the expo floor, which is jammed with several hundred exhibitors showing off their wares to countless educators. I particularly enjoyed observing a group of students recording a radio broadcast; they've spent the last few weeks learning the basics of radio broadcasting, and this morning was their first live recording session. I recorded interviews with a couple of the trainers - the students were preoccupied with the broadcast - and hope to edit them into a podcast later.
I'm still having problems with the Internet access here. If my computer sits idle for a few minutes, the wifi service logs me out and requires me to restart my computer to log in again. It's not just a matter of restarting the browser - it actually gives me an error message saying I need to reboot. What a pain.
Anyway, Robin is now giving the audience a media literacy quiz. His first question asked which of Britain's public service TV networks was most likely to begin their newscast with a story on crime. Only one person got the answer right - Channel Five, apparently. But what I found most interesting abou the question is that it demonstrates that media literacy and cultural literacy go hand-in-hand. I consider myself to be rather media literate, but I stood no chance against questions like that, simply because I lack the cultural context to know the difference between each UK broadcast network's programming style.
The reverse would be true if audience members here came to a presentation of mine in the US if I'd asked which of the US news channels has the reputation of being the most pro-Bush (Fox News). The most basic elements of media literacy boil down to whether or not a person has the ability to be a discerning consumer of content, recognizing truthfulness, bias, context, etc, as well as the ability to be a producer of content that reflects their personal needs. This requires technical skills, cognitive skills, self-reflection skills. But without multicultural literacy, all the media literacy skills in the world won't change anything if you're completely tone deaf as far as media is concerned when you're out of your cultural element.
The fact that I'm in Scotland right now makes it no surprise that I failed Robin's media literacy test miserably. But it really makes me think about the challenges each country faces in terms of its own cultural minorities. So much of the US media, both offline and online, assumes that you're a part of the "mainstream." And so much of what you see on TV and the Internet is developed for - and by - a white, middle class audience. Mainstream media continues to neglect people of color, immigrant populations, low-literate populations, etc. Even if you're able to work with disadvantaged groups and teach them basic media literacy skills, if you can't bridge cultural gaps, true media literacy will still be lacking. And the FCC's counter-productive media consolidation moves in recent years has just made it worse, limiting the diversity of minority voices in the public sphere, futhering the media/cultural diversity gap.
So the next time someone tells you that media literacy is a technical education challenge, think again. Without addressing multicultural literacy as well, you're liable to leave countless people in the dust, just because of their cultural background. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 07:11 AM | TrackBack
Mobcast Demo from Glasgow
A quick demo of mobile phone podcasting for my presentation later today at the Scottish Learning Festival. I recorded it over my phone by calling a phone number in the US hosted by Audlink.com. The website saves my message as an mp3 and uploads it to my website. Nice and easy, isn't it? -andy
Posted by acarvin at 06:27 AM | TrackBack
Morning at the Scottish Learning Festival
Podcasting from the terrace balcony at the Scottish Learning Festival, where there are long lines to get tickets for seminars and wi-fi access costs a jaw-dropping 20 pounds (USD$36) a day. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 06:15 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 20, 2005
Andy's Scottish Learning Festival Powerpoint
On September 21 I'm deliver a presentation at the Scottish Learning Festival entitled "Online Communities: From BBSes to Blogs and Beyond." Hopefully I'll be able to record a podcast of it; in the meantime, here's my powerpoint presentation. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 01:18 PM | TrackBack
Piper at the Gates of Dusk
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Video of a man practicing his bagpipes as the sun sets over the harbor in Oban, Scotland. Not the best piper I've ever heard (video of that coming later) but it was still quite a nice moment. |
Posted by acarvin at 12:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Scottish Dancer
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Video of a Scottish girl demonstrating a traditional dance in Oban, Scotland. |
Posted by acarvin at 11:54 AM | TrackBack
Oban Overview
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Video of Oban harbor in western Scotland, as seen from McCaig's Tower. I accidentally recorded a moment or two of blackness at the start of the video, so consider yourself warned. |
Posted by acarvin at 11:50 AM | TrackBack
Fun With Deer
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Video of Susanne and me hanging out with a pair of deer at the Oban Rare Breeds Farm Park on a very rainy day. |
Posted by acarvin at 11:45 AM | TrackBack
The Wrath of Staffa: A Wet Day in the Hebrides
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Video our hellish, hellish boat trip in eight-foot seas to visit Fingal's Cave on the Scottish isle of Staffa. A beautiful site indeed, but we're still questioning our sanity over the incident. Amazing that Felix Mendelssohn survived to compose the Hebrides Symphony after visiting it. |
Posted by acarvin at 11:38 AM | TrackBack
September 16, 2005
What Am I Doing in Dublin?
An unexpected podcast from Dublin, en route to Glasgow and Oban. Excursion courtesy of Hurricane Ophelia. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 05:44 AM | TrackBack
September 15, 2005
Casualties of Ophelia
Stranded at Boston's Logan airport. Can't catch connection to Philly because of Hurricane Ophelia. Trying to get a flight change, maybe to Toronto or Dublin or London. Ugh. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 05:49 PM | TrackBack
September 14, 2005
Laptopless in Scotland
Despite all the travel I did this summer, I never got to take a proper vacation. So tomorrow, Susanne and I are going to Scotland for 10 days. Technically, you could argue this isn't a proper vacation either - I'm giving a speech at the Scottish Learning Festival next week. But that's just one day out of 10: the rest we plan to divide between wandering the southwestern Scottish coast around Oban and Mull, and visiting our oulde haunts in Edinburgh. Susanne and I both spent part of our junior years of college at the University of Edinburgh, but not at the same time. So this will be the first occasion we'll be in the city together. It should be a lot of fun.
But the biggest news I have to report is that I am leaving my laptop behind. First time in more than half a dozen overseas trips this year I'll be laptopless, as it were. Since my mini digital recorder doubles as a USB key, I'll use that to carry around the powerpoint of my speech; as for email, I'll visit cybercafes when I can or use my phone if absolutely necessary. Not exactly leaving the Internet behind, but at least I can travel with one bag.
I may blog while I'm traveling. I may not. Haven't decided yet. Perhaps it's time to have a trip that's just ours and not the world's. I'll just follow my instincts once I get there. So if you don't see much on my blog, please don't assume I'm dead or kidnapped. I may just be having fun instead. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 04:53 PM | TrackBack
September 12, 2005
Introducing the Katrina Thanks Blog
At the suggestion of Regina Warren and other members of omidyar.net, I've set up a new blog called Katrina Thanks. The purpose of the blog is to serve as an open space for members of the public to thank donors, volunteers and relief workers for lending a helping hand in the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina. Similar to the Katrina Aftermath blog, the Katrina Thanks blog accepts text, photos and voicemail from anyone who'd like to send a message of thanks. This way, anyone can post a thank-you to whomever they'd like to acknowledge, whether it's a person for donating money, a church or civic organization that organized volunteers, or even a country that sent aid and personnel to the United States.
Instructions:
Email: send a message to katrinathanks.email @ blogger.com. The subject line will serve as the blog entry's title, while the email message itself with be the blog's text. If you include hyperlinks, please send the email in HTML; otherwise the link will not be processed properly. Attachments will not be accepted.
Photos: If you're a Flickr.com user, simply upload a photo and tag it katrinathanks. If you don't use Flickr, feel free to email a photo to turn80church @ photos.flickr.com. If you want to include a title and text with the photo, please give your email a subject line and put the text in the body of the email. One photo per person, please. Photos are displayed automatically in the right-hand column of the blog.
Voicemail: The blog will convert voicemail into podcasts automatically.
Dial 1-415-856-0205 (long distance charges apply)
Enter login 828-828-8888
Enter PIN code 2005, plus the pound key
Record your message
Press the # key to save your message, then the 1 key to post it
Because the site exists specifically as a tool for expressing gratitude to people and entities that have made a positive difference in Katrina relief efforts, please refrain from posting partisan jabs or other attacks; there are plenty of other websites for these political debates. Similarly, spam will not be tolerated.
Please feel free to share this information with friends and colleagues. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 01:55 PM | TrackBack
September 11, 2005
Seeking Solace from Springsteen
It's been two weeks now since Katrina struck, and a day hasn't gone by where I haven't spent time working on the Katrina Aftermath blog, helping people find loved ones online or doing some activity related to the storm. Yesterday Susanne and I participated in the MSPCA Walk for Animals on Boston Common. It was scheduled well before Katrina, but a lot of people probably participated because of it. And today I was supposed to go to Camp Edwards to help work out a strategy for volunteers at their new computer lab, but they've asked outsiders not to come in today so the evacuees can have a day of rest. More power to them; we'll do a conference call later today instead.
Throughout all of this, I managed to take a few minutes' break at the start of the weekend and buy a couple of Bruce Springsteen tickets for his October 30 show here in Boston. Nice to have something to look forward to around then.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 11:20 AM | TrackBack
September 09, 2005
Projecting Katrina's Damage on the Midwest and Northeast
The flood maps on CondoBuzz.com did a good job at showing what the New Orleans flooding would look like in other cities. But what if Katrina's damage zone had happened in the midwest or northeast? I decided to find out.
There are various estimates as to how many square miles have been devastated by Katrina; I've seen 90,000 square miles quoted in various wire reports, so I decided to start with that. Of course, 90,000 square miles equals 300 miles square. So I downloaded a couple of online maps along with their map legend, which happened to be based on a range of 150 miles. That made it easy for me to go into Photoshop and draw a square, 300 miles on each side. It's a rough approximation, but it'll give you an idea of what it would look like if Katrina-sized devastation took place in the midwest and northeast.
First, the midwest:
Essentially, a Katrina-sized swath of damage would stretch from Chicago to Detroit. It would cover Toledo, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati, as well as Lexington and Louisville. Nearly all of Indiana would be in the disaster zone.
Now, let's compare it to the northeast corridor. It's not a pretty picture.
Here, we find cities like Boston, New York, Newark and Philadelphia in the disaster zone. Damage would stretch all the way to the Canadian border, cover half of Vermont and New Hampshire, and affect all of Massachusetts (except some lucky folks in Cape Cod), Connecticut and Rhode Island.
If you've never been there, the Gulf Coast may be hard to picture in terms of sheer size. But plotting the swath of destruction on other parts of the US makes it clear how horrific the situation is. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 05:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Windsor-Cornish Bridge
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Video clip driving through the Windsor-Cornish Bridge from New Hampshire to Vermont this Labor Day weekend. |
Posted by acarvin at 11:42 AM | TrackBack
September 08, 2005
No RSS=Kiss of Death?
"If you don't have an RSS feed, you're already dead to me."
- Mal Watlington, during drinks last night with Brian Russell of AudioActivism.org, Susan Kaup and the crew from Podcast.com
Posted by acarvin at 03:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 06, 2005
Chaucer Update
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Chaucer: Adopted! |
I've got good news to report. Chaucer was adopted Sunday. He's now with a loving home in the Boston area. I was so relieved to hear he's now got a family to call his own. Meanwhile, St. Meow's has other cats in need of good homes; if you're thinking about adopting a cat, please visit their website or attend one of their adoption events held at the PetCo in Cambridgeside. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 03:21 PM | TrackBack
A Proud Member of Technology Review's TR35
Technology Review has just published their annual TR35 list, awarded to 35 high-tech innovators under the age of 35. I'm honored and quite humbled to say that they've selected me as one of the 35. Among the other winners are Bram Cohen, developer of Bit Torrent software; Stewart Butterfield of Flickr.com; and MIT's Regina Barzilay, who's teaching computers how to read and write. In my case, I was given the award because of my work with the Digital Divide Network and promoting the concept of mobcasting - groups of people collectively using mobile phones to post podcasts.
I'd like to thank all of you who nominated me for the award; from what I understand, nominations were submitted by members of DDN, WWWEDU and LM_NET. In particular, I'd like to thank Andrea Taylor, Rebecca MacKinnon, Patsy-Wang Iverson, Brendan Greeley and Taran Rampersad for sending in additional support for my nomination. I'm grateful and honored by their support.
Posted by acarvin at 11:28 AM | TrackBack
September 05, 2005
CNN, Katrina and the Rhetoric of the War Zone
Has anyone else noticed how CNN has mobilized its best war correspondents - Christiane Amanpour, Nic Robertson and Jeff Koinange, most notably - to cover Katrina? I've watched reports from Amanpour and Robertson, and heard some of Koinange's reportage; for all intents and purposes, they're covering it as if they're embedded in a war zone. Robertson patrols a neighborhood, describing harrowing accounts of Hurricane victims fighting for survival; Ananpour wears a khaki vest that feels as if it's one fashion step away from a flak jacket.
News anchors like Paula Zahn have described reporters trailing national guard troops as "embedded" - a term that previously was reserved for reporters caught in the thick of it in Afghanistan and Iraq. Meanwhile, we hear of police going out "on patrol," with lead members "on point." First responders go out on "recon" missions, not just search and rescue. Citizens and law enforcement have been killed by "friendly fire." And perhaps most ubiquitous, survivors of the storm now exist as "refugees."
The rhetoric of Katrina is that of a war zone, not a natural diaster. We may not want to frame it using the language of war, but we lack the language to frame a disaster of this magnitude otherswise. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 10:22 PM | TrackBack
September 02, 2005
Instructions for photographing and documenting hurricane victims
(please circulate widely)
Hi everyone,
For those of you willing to volunteer and photograph evacuees or collect photos of the missing from bulletin boards and websites, here are some instructions.
If you have a Flickr.com account, upload photos and tag them either as:
katrinamissing for missing persons;
katrinafound for found persons that were previously missing; or
katrinaokay for all evacuees you encounter so their status can be recorded
No matter their status, please include a second tag: katrinapeople. That
way we can have a running list of all people encountered.
If you are using a cameraphone to take pictures of people at a shelter,
or if you don't have a flickr account, you can use these email addresses
to upload them. Each email address is set up to include the appropriate
tags automatically.
For Katrina Missing People:
table60said@photos.flickr.com
For Katrina Found People (people previously reported missing):
shall93effort@photos.flickr.com
For Katrina Okay People (ie, people who want to let others know they're
okay, includes evacuee you can find in person):
wait84little@photos.flickr.com
Collecting Photos and Data
When taking photos, please try to get a head and shoulder in the best
lighting available so people can make out their features in the photograph.
When collecting information from them, please try to get this minimal
amount for all three categories:
Full name, including first, middle, last
Gender
Age
Permanent address
Current location
Contact information (shelter phone/email/fax, etc)
Full names and descriptions of people they are looking for
Meanwhile, when collecting information about missing people from
bulletin boards, the Web or from personal requests from their
friends/family, try to collect additional information:
Gender
Age
Height
Weight
Physical Description
Where were they last scene and when?
What were they wearing?
Contact information of anyone looking for them
Note: If you find children that are separated from parents/guardians, include as much physical descriptive information as you can, as if they were missing.
How to access photos
The public will be able to access the photos on Flickr.com, and hopefully, other databases.
Found People: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/katrinafound/
Missing People: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/katrinamissing/
Okay People: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/katrinaokay/
For those of you who use RSS, each one of these has a corresponding RSS feed:
Lastly, I've set up javascripts that you can insert on any webpage to display the images as they're posted to Flickr.
Found People Javascript:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://app.feeddigest.com/digest3/DJQBXVAAO6.js"><noscript><a href="http://app.feeddigest.com/digest3/DJQBXVAAO6.html">Click for "Flickr: Katrina Found".</a> By <a href="http://www.feeddigest.com/">Feed Digest</a></noscript></script>
Missing People Javascript:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://app.feeddigest.com/digest3/1SWRBL5DN2.js"><noscript><a href="http://app.feeddigest.com/digest3/1SWRBL5DN2.html">Click for "Flickr: Katrina Missing".</a> By <a href="http://www.feeddigest.com/">Feed Digest</a></noscript></script>
Okay People Javascript:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://app.feeddigest.com/digest3/BXOZZEMJOY.js"><noscript><a href="http://app.feeddigest.com/digest3/BXOZZEMJOY.html">Click for "Flickr: Katrina Okay People".</a> By <a href="http://www.feeddigest.com/">Feed Digest</a></noscript></script>
I'll set up pages on Katrina Aftermath to display all of these photo feeds.
Hopefully this is enough to get volunteers started. So if you have any type of access to an evacuee shelter and a digital camera, please help out.
Special thanks to Lars Torres and Katrin Verclas for helping to get this organized. -andy
Tag: international blogging for disaster relief day
Posted by acarvin at 05:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Urgent Call to Photograph Katrina Victims and Upload Them to Flickr.com
Hi everyone,
Many people have been asking me how they can use their Internet skills to help out with hurricane victims. I've been asking bloggers to blog. Now I'd like to ask photographers to photograph -- and help reunite victims with their families.
I'd like to ask anyone of you who are able to go to an evacuation shelter to go there ASAP and start photographing people with a digital camera. Collect their name, physical description, names of people they are trying to reach, their location and contact information. Similarly, if you're able to get access to a bulletin board of photos of the missing, photograph them individually and collect whatever data is available. We should also do the same for online photo collections of the missing that are scattered around the Internet.
Once you have all of this, upload it to Flickr.com. Flickr is a free photo sharing tool with very powerful aggregating tools. If you're not a member, go to the site and you'll have your account set up in just a few moments.
When you upload photos, you can give them "tags" - keywords associated with that photo. Tags are very, very powerful tools for pooling photos together. I've been using them on Katrina Aftermath to display photos tagged with words like hurricane and neworleans.
Photos should be tagged one of three ways:
katrinamissing: persons who are missing
katrinafound: persons who were once missing but are now found
katrinaokay: persons who are safe in shelters and are trying to reach friends and family.
When you post your photos, please include the tag in the title, such as
KatrinaMissing: John Smith
or
KatrinaOkay: Jane Smith
That way, their status and name will appear in the RSS feed's title tag. Then include all data you have about the person in the description of the photo. Don't skimp on information - include everything you can.
Once people start posting photos, we'll be able to find them here:
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/katrinamissing/
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/katrinafound/
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/katrinaokay/
There are also RSS feeds located on each of these pages. We can then use these RSS feeds to aggregate the collections and distribute them to Red Cross field offices, the Astrodome (there will be an Internet lab there soon), etc. I will start aggregating them on Katrina Aftermath and will share the javascript so others can do the same once it's up and running.
So let's get out our cameras and step up to the plate. Let's help in whatever way we can. -andy
Tag: international blogging for disaster relief day
Posted by acarvin at 11:15 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Today: Blog for International Disaster Relief!
International Blogging for Disaster Relief Day is up and running; bloggers have started to post disaster relief-related resources all over the Internet.
I'm aggregating participating blogs in this news digest. An rss feed is also available. You can also follow it through Technorati by visiting this search page or this tag collection.
How to participate:
If you have a blog, post some constructive information about disaster relief. If you're in the US, you'll probably want to focus on Hurricane Katrina; if you're elsewhere, feel free to focus on disaster relief and emergency services relevent to your community or region. When you post your blog entry (or entries!), be sure to include this code:
<a href="http://technorati.com/tag/international+blogging+for+disaster+relief+day"
rel="tag">international blogging for disaster relief day</a>
Please join us today! -andy
Tag: international blogging for disaster relief day
Posted by acarvin at 09:41 AM | TrackBack
September 01, 2005
Rocketboom's Extraordinary Take on Katrina
I just finished watching the video blog Rocketboom and their take on Katrina. I'm practically speechless.
Rocketboom is produced daily by Amanda Congdon and Andrew Baron. Normally it is a newscast made up of quirky short stories. Today it is quite different, all dedicated to a story of one woman's plight in New Orleans. It is not a true story - it is a performance done by Amanda. But that doesn't mitigate how extraordinary it is.
If there's anyone who questions the role video bloggers can play in making a difference in this godforsaken mess, please watch this video. It captures the helplessness and anguish of its victims better than pretty much anything I've seen on the news this week. It makes me proud to be a video blogger. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 11:24 PM | TrackBack
Red Cross missing persons database - eight names and counting
I managed to track down the Red Cross database for listing missing persons. It's the same system that was used during the tsunami, but they've adapted it for Katrina. It's based with the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), not the American Red Cross.
For all intents and purposes, no one is using it.
When I looked at it, there were literally eight names in the database. Compare that to the thousands of names being collected - and distributed via RSS - through sites like NOLA.com and neworleans.craigslist.org.
So many people were expecting the Red Cross to step up to the plate for missing persons. For the moment, they haven't - and time is short.
Thoroughly disappointed.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at 10:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
New: Katrina News Digests
I've just set up three Katrina-related news feeds. Each one is aggregating content from news wire services, newspapers, blogs and other online communities. I've broken down the feeds into three major categories: Missing and Found Persons, News and Blogs. Here are the links, along with their RSS feeds, in case you wish to use them in an RSS reader; they're also listed in the "related links" section of my Katrina Aftermath blog. -andy
Katrina Missing/Found Persons Digest
Posted by acarvin at 03:53 PM | TrackBack
Bringing Internet Access to Astrodome Refugees
Some good news from Will Reed of Technology For All in Houston:
Technology For All(TFA) is working with its community and corporate
partners to set up a Community Technology Center (CTC) at Houston's
Astrodome, which will soon be home for 25,000 evacuees from the New
Orleans Superdome. We are pleased to have the opportunity to help in
this way and have made an initial commitment to install a 40 station
CTC. We expect we will need to expand that, but want to move quickly
with what we can do and then assess the additional need.
TFA also anticipates working with public leaders and officials to assist in the
deployment of a Wireless Mesh Network in the Astrodome. Those details
are under discussion. Pam Gardner (Pam.Gardner [at] techforall.org
713.454.6415) on our staff is coordinating volunteer efforts to set up
the CTC and then provide programming assistance. TFA will need
additional computers (Pentium 4 or faster), software, volunteers, $'s
and organizational capacity to pull this off. Thanks in advance for your
assistance. As more details are worked out we will pass them along.
William S. ReedTFA's work at the Astrodome will mean thousands of Katrina refugees will be plugged in to the rest of the world again. This is wonderful news. If anyone can help them out with donations, as explained by Will, please contact them as soon as possible.
President/CEO
TECHNOLOGY FOR ALL(r)/Technology For All-Houston
2220 Broadway | Houston, TX 77012
Tel: 713.454.6400 | Direct: 713.454.6411 | Fax: 713.454.6454
website: http://www.techforall.org
http://texasctcs.blogspot.com/
"We Empower Communities"
Posted by acarvin at 02:34 PM | TrackBack
Sept 2, 2005: International Blogging for Disaster Relief Day
Late last night, tossing and turning in bed, images of Hurricane Katrina coverage echoed in my mind. I started thinking about how the online community has responded to the hurricane. Many people are truly doing yeoman's work, working around the clock to help cover the hurricane and disseminate resources. The coverage on Wikipedia has been extraordinary, as has been the case on Nola.com. Craigslist and NowPublic have certainly stepped up to the plate; even the amazing team from the TsunamiHelp blog, halfway around the world, have done their part by creating a KatrinaHelp wiki. Their generosity humbles me.
And yet as I think about all the work that's been done, I'm somewhat surprised that we haven't seen the Katrina equivalent of TsunamiHelp rise to the top. For those of you who may not remember, bloggers from around the world formed an alliance to publish an international blog and clearinghouse of tsunami-related information. Far and away, it was the best resource out there as the horror of the tsunami unfolded. (Full disclosure - I was a contributing blogger on the site, but I joined rather late. All the credit goes to them.)
Why haven't we see a Katrina-related blog of TsunamiHelp-like proportions? You would think that the US, the birthplace of blogging, would have been able to catalyze a who's who of bloggers to coordinate information sharing, just as TsunamiHelp did. Instead, we've seen a scattering of blogs pop up here and there, doing their best to share information. But it's distributed and dispersed, with no coordination between them.
Meanwhile, I've also noticed that many blogs have gone on with their daily lives as if Katrina never happened. Sure, they may have mentioned it once or twice, but have they posted any Katrina resources? Have they linked to the Red Cross? Have they encouraged people to donate blood? Some, yes. Most, no. Anti-Bush blogs continue to bash Bush, while pro-Bush blogs continue to praise him. Travel blogs continue to talk about travel. Tech blogs talk tech, pet blogs talk pets. Can't we all just take a break and focus on helping disaster victims for just a moment?
We now live in an age of tagging, RSS and distributed computing. Perhaps we don't need to have all of these great bloggers posting to one site, or have bloggers focused full-time on the disaster. All we really need is to get as many people as possible using the blogging tools available of them, posting whatever Katrina-related information they're comfortable with, then use tags and RSS feeds to bring it all together.
Therefore, I'd like to unilaterally declare tomorrow, Friday September 2, as International Blogging for Disaster Relief Day.
If you have a blog, here's what you can do. Sometime tomorrow, take a break from whatever it is you usually blog about, and post something constructive related to disaster relief. You can keep it topical to your blog: for example, if you usually blog about pets, blog about Noah's Wish or another entity working to rescue and reunite hurricane-affected pets with their families. Or, you can just dedicate blog space to listing websites where people can donate money (maybe even challenge people to match your donation), or share a story of a hurricane survivor. This goes for photo bloggers, podcasters and video bloggers as well - there's no reason why this should be text-only.
For those of you outside of the US, you could post about a disaster relevant to your community. Post lists of supplies needed for victims of yesterday's stampede in Baghdad. Post an update on how your family is recovering from the tsunami. Post multi-lingual resources for African families in Paris displaced by the recent apartment fires. Blog about whatever you choose, as long as it supports some kind of disaster assistance in a constructive way.
One thing I'd discourage you from doing, though, is making this political. There will be plenty of time for recriminations about who's to blame, if anyone, for Katrina, and the political ramifications. No doubt this will be a major topic of conversation in the blogosphere, but it can wait. People need help now.
When you've posted to your blog, be sure to include a link to this Technorati tag: International Blogging for Disaster Relief Day. That way, when people follow that link, they'll be able to find a collection of all relevant postings published throughout the blogosphere. There will also be an RSS feed on that page, which can be used to aggregate all of the postings and display them on a single webpage. I plan to aggregate them on my Katrina Aftermath blog; you can do the same. (Later, I'll post a javascript to make it easy for anyone to do this - more soon.) One collection of disaster relief resources, countless bloggers. That's the power of the blogosphere.
So please join me tomorrow and participate in International Blogging for Disaster Relief Day. Take a break from whatever it is you normally blog about - even if it's just for one post - and give back to the Net. -andy
Posted by acarvin at 09:11 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack