Poetry in Technology

Let's continue to be innovative in the way we present our art.

A couple of hours ago, I was digging around some of the poetry I wrote for an undergraduate class. There was one file that stuck out - David and I are not so different. Is it my best work? No. It was a result of one blistering hour at Panera - free-form, loosely structured, and stream-of-conscious writing at it's best.

But I remember wishing that the line-breaks would be more prominent. I wanted a breath between words, or some way to tell my reader "sit on these awhile". I was never satisfied with the result.

Tonight, I tried something different. I took the same poem and tossed it in PowerPoint. I translated stanzas into different slides. I tore out subtle pauses and made them visually evident. I tried not to mess with the typography and design too much, but you'll see that there were a couple of times where I just couldn't help myself. The point of this exercise is less a visual experience and more an experiment of pacing.

So sit back and enjoy.
(Note: Please use full-screen mode. I think it is much more immersive)

David and I are not so different

View SlideShare presentation

How did it work for you?
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The colors of techINcolor.

This entry should have many names: "Why I blog" or "What I believe, worry about, hope, and fear" are just a couple. Just know this: It will change. I'm always reforming, always changing, always adding, deleting, undoing, and redoing my beliefs. So if you like this version, you should save it somewhere else. I can't promise it will be the same tomorrow, or even an hour from now. But it is probably my most important entry. It is what echoes in my mind when I think, leaks out my mouth when I speak, and bleeds through my fingertips when I write.

photo by ishrona

My colors:

• I believe, above all, that the internet is "not just about information. It is about linking people; linking people in ways we've never seen linked before."
• I am frustrated by the perception that technology cheapens relationships, instead of enhancing them. I am frustrated by services that give truth to that.
• I worry that technology deepens the plight of the poor; making those who don't have it even more helpless, while those that do, more connected and therefore, more powerful.
• I believe that technology is a powerful equalizer for those that do have it. Anyone can network with anyone. Anyone can have a voice. Anyone can be heard.
  
• I struggle with the tension between providing contextual relationships and preserving privacy.
• I wonder how we can be authentic, vulnerable, and still safe. I believe that if we take the term "community" seriously, then we need to be more vulnerable. But we cannot be careless.
• I believe that design needs to risk innovation over intuition and familiarity. We can do better than the mouse. We can do better than the keyboard.
• I believe that social media can change the world for the better.
• I also believe we need to discover new, innovative ways to turn conversation into action. Ideals are cheap if they are not based in reality. We need concrete plans to provide a foundation for our optimism.
• I believe that we have not yet begun to harness the ingenuity of the general public. I believe that no action should go wasted. I believe that every action can be redirected towards meaningful problems, either through human computation, volunteer computing, or other clever methods.
• I believe that technology will sculpt the world's moral and ethical future.
  
• I worry that the perceived inaccessibility of science will leave the vocal majority on the sidelines, as a small contingency of men in white lab coats dictate that future.
• I worry that we don't understand how much we are affected by technology, and how much more we will continue to be affected by it. I worry that our leaders who do not actively participate in science and technology will be confronted by deep problems in which they have no basis of understanding.
• I believe that we need to seriously consider the ramifications of our technology before the problems present themselves. I worry that if we don't, the consequences of our carelessness will be terrible.
• I am optimistic, but wary.
• I do not have many answers.
• I do think we can do better.

If you have your own thoughts, additions, disagreements, etc. I'd love to hear them. Leave them in the comments, email me, twitter me, or smoke signal me. Although these are my own thoughts, I think that in some ways, they belong to everyone.
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