Trending the Unacknowledged You

17 years later, I have read Douglas Coupland’s Life After God. Personally, I think it is forgivable considering I was 10 when it was published in 1994, and one should be above a specific age to truly benefit from the thoughts it provokes.

As far as age is concerned, it seemed remarkable how applicable the introspective vignette’s, contained within the novel still are to, particularly, those within the late-20-something to 45 age bracket. This is in spite of the momentous shifts in technology and social interaction that have occurred since its publication in the early 1990s. Of course, this is not to say that books published any more than two decades ago are irrelevant in terms of their wisdom, as that is wholly untrue, it is more correctly a re-assertion of the old “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Youth is youth, aimlessness is aimlessness, and trying to figure oneself out is ever a work in progress.

This is precisely where a very interesting thought from the book comes into play. In the chapter “Patty Hearst,” the narrating character outlines a fascinating method by which one may learn more about themselves, it is as follows:

“...Everyday each of us experiences a few little moments that have just a bit
more resonance than other moments –we hear a word that sticks in our mind –or maybe we have a small experience that pulls us out of ourselves, if only briefly... If we were to collect these moments in a notebook and save them over
a period of months we would see certain trends emerge from our collection –certain voices would emerge that have been trying to speak through us. We would realize that we have been having another life altogether...”

This passage stands out for two significant reasons. On the one hand, it suggests that we could employ traditional research techniques, particularly related to marketing and consumer behaviour, to more effectively learn more about ourselves. And secondly, it suggests, quite astutely, that there is a potentially significant dissonance between the self that we think we are and think we project, and the self that we actually are deep down, the one with all the patterns, passions and failings that may remain unacknowledged. This latter suggestion is also greatly tied to consumer behaviour research techniques, and how often our buying habits, as a result of strategies employed by marketers, more correctly reflect the self we wish to be, rather than the self we actually are.

This would be an intriguing experiment for one to attempt to learn more about themselves, the tracking of personal trends over time, indicating who we really are, and what we really think/care about, and recognizing the potentially big difference between the outerself that we think we are, and the innerself that we really do not know.

Expletive as in "Poop"

One of the viral commercials made for ShitHarperDid.ca

As far as digital and new media is concerned in the realm of Canada’s political theatre, the methods are fairly tried and true reflections of what would usually be seen in the physical arena. From political party juniors and hacks trolling social media platforms and blogs, to innumerably unfunny parodies of the old “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC,” commercial, pitting two partisan party personas against one another.

The Canadian federal election of spring 2011 has, unfortunately, brought little else in the way of defining, technological innovations in the world of political dialogue, promotion and information dissemination. Political party hackery has, as expected, run rampant and made many an eye-roll, recalling an old insight imparted by John Stewart, “...extremes run the world, because moderates have shit to do.”

However, one bright spot was the arrival of Shit Harper Did by TRUTHFOOL Communications. Though this initiative, in its parts, was not necessarily technologically innovative, in the integration of its parts into a broader socio-political communication strategy, it was both conceptually new and simply fun. This strategy quite effectively connected comedic, viral commercials with a simplified site as its hub. From there, a “shitty” fact about Stephen Harper was offered and links from this site directed users to news websites, such as the CBC, for further information on this fact. Shit Harper Did established itself as a humourously engaging, easily shareable, user-friendly, and informatively accountable, social and political vehicle.

What’s more, though it was quite obviously condemning of Stephen Harper and his Conservative government, it was otherwise un-partisan in its intent, as it was unaligned with any other Canadian political party. Shit Harper Did was more concerned with encouraging the large quantity of politically disinterested Canadians to vote, if for no other reason, than to prevent the election of a government that does the same “shit,” or, at least, the same “shit” to the same “shitty” degree.

It's All in the "Brown H"

Establishing, continuing, or changing one’s career path can be a challenging endeavour. In doing so, and especially in a world in which the ease of electronic communication gives backseat to face-to-face first impressions, our names are our introductory ambassadors, heralding our existence. What can make this career creation more difficult, is when one’s name proves a challenge in itself (particularly when it contains a non-existent, culturally specific letter).

Facing the challenge of unworldly articulation approaches for far too long, Arati (R-Thi) Sharma, project manager at Toronto digital experience creation firm Jet Cooper, decided to make an appropriately pre-emptive video detailing the proper pronunciation of her name. Having made the mistake once myself (sorry, A-Rat-tee), and then awkwardly tip-toeing around it saying it for at least a couple weeks (for A-Tari’s sake, not mine) the intent behind this video is both appreciated and justified. The video can be found on the Jet Cooper blog.

However, beyond the retellings of tragic first days in September, and even beyond the hilarious proclamation of the existence of a “Brown H,” (the alphabetic Big-foot of Indian names – has anyone really ever seen it?) the video highlights an oft championed, but rarely executed-so-well capability of our digital age; the individual ability to share our own stories and advance our own identity.

Cusp Will Return

Starting the week of April 25.

Si Bon

Post Facile Aujourd'hui.
Out of Quebec comes Beatrice Martin aka. Couer de Pirate.

When a Stwanger Tweets

There is no doubt that since its popular emergence in the 1990s, the internet has provided the world with the means to become, socially, much smaller. From the chat rooms of yore, to instant messaging services such as ICQ and MSN Messenger, to blogs and forums and, of course, now to the giant social media sites Facebook and Twitter, we are provided with a vast amount of opportunity to easily connect to each other.

However, we do not seem to do this to the extent that it is popularly believed. We commonly have Facebook and Twitter profiles that are packed with friends, or in the case of Twitter, followed by friends (though we may also follow famous people). Yet, by friends I specifically mean friends as people we know, have known and have developed relationships with, people who, more often than not, may share similar experiences, outlooks and lifestyles. Even when one’s “friends list” doesn’t necessarily reflect this, it will still be more than likely that the friends they most regularly interact with will. Either that, or their list will be semi-regularly purged of friends with whom they rarely communicate (a practice which I have never understood, I mean, it’s not like they’re actually taking up space or cluttering a physical area, but I digress).

What this seems to point to is an inherent contradiction in the social outreach capabilities of the internet. We don’t necessarily seek to make our world smaller through relating to others, rather, we seem to simply better organize our social world as it would otherwise exist. It is an opportunity afforded to us that we, more often than not, refuse to accept. After all, how often has it happened that you have rejected the friend request of someone whom you neither knew nor shared friends with (spam and porn aside)?

To this end, the question is raised as to whether or not we are stunting our own social development? By consistently adhering to only our immediate networks, we deprive ourselves of the richness and plurality of all the different people and social experiences that we could easily engage with. Even if we do not agree with the perspectives or lifestyles of an individual whom do not actually know, by simply relating to them in some way or another, we can chance the positive growth of our understanding of the world and all those around us.

Enter The Stwanger. After hearing an episode of CBC Radio’s technology program Spark, which was addressing this contradiction, a developer in Toronto created a Twitter based program that connects users to complete strangers. Based both on taking advantage of the internet’s communicative possibilities, as well as on the philosophy that expanding our networks and relationships to include those who we share little to nothing in common with makes us personally richer as global citizens, the Stwanger opens the door for us to, at least, peer into a world in which we would otherwise have no connection. Check out the “Huh?” section on the Stwanger’s website for a better explanation on how to use it, and how it can even be used as a game.

Nice Rack

The Paperback Bookshelf, by Studio Parade

If there is at least one thing that the old-fashioned, physical book has over the various types of e-readers, aside from a few millenniums of existence, it is the bookshelf. This thankless vanguard of intellectual support and storage has been keeping our bound volumes safe for as long as there has been a necessity to have a space to cram texts, parchments and/or papyrus.

Yet, beyond the functionality of the shelf, serving as a place to place our paperbacks, is its legacy as an element of interior design. Whether it’s for the infusion of an eclectic collection of colours in a common area or the development and gradual procurement of a stately library to ensure, and quite obviously assert, one’s intellectual acumen (whether feigned or for real), the bookshelf (presumably loaded with books) is an ancient and essential component of decor.

Of course, there are countless iterations of the bookshelf, from those costing $29.99 at your nearby Ikea, to improvised stacks of anything from milk crates to skateboards. However, the inspiration behind the Paperback Bookshelf, from Dutch-based design firm Studio Parade, is so absolutely simplistic, it borders on ingenious. This minimal shelf simply positions books on their sides and in small stacks. When said aloud, admittedly, it sounds ridiculous that such a thing had to be designed. Yet, when viewed, one has to appreciate the blunt wisdom inherent in the simple desire to see things from a different perspective.