KattyWilly

Via David Weinberger’s site JoHo the Blog!  I found this interesting article on the personal site of Hanan Cohen.

“Come back with me to 1999, in the height of the dot.com boom, when we thought that everything on the internet was possible, when optimism reigned.

On this year, in order to demonstrate the strength of his software, Frontier, Dave Winer created a website called MailToTheFuture.com.”

Going back to my post of the other day where I talked about our trip to Prague, before we left I used Dave’s MailToTheFuture tool to set up an email for my buddies back at work.  I timed it such that Cindy and I would be in Prague drinking a cold Pilsner and my email gloating about that fact would be sent to my coworkers back in the office.  They really seemed to enjoy it 🙂  Dave comes up with some of the coolest weird stuff.

“We think that we will live forever. We think that the files we have stored on machines powered by electricity will also live forever. Our files have no other purpose than to be online. We think that if our files are not available to the web, they are dead.

In a way, thinking about the death of our files is like thinking about our own death. “

I think it is true not only of people on the net but also of people in everyday life.  I see it on my drive to and from work each day.  People drive as if they will live forever.  During the days and weeks immediately following Cindy’s death I was frequently struck at how strange it was that everyone around me could go on living life as if they would live forever now that I knew that life is just a fleeting thing that can go away in an instant.  I wanted to run up to people and shout at them “DON’T YOU REALIZE THAT YOU COULD BE GONE IN AN INSTANT!?!?!?!”.  I wanted to stop them in their cars and scream “HOW CAN YOU DRIVE LIKE THAT WHEN A SIMPLE MISTAKE COULD TAKE THE LIFE OF A WIFE AND MOTHER!?!?!?”

I always realized the fragile nature of the data on the Internet.  I started playing on the Web back when Mosaic was still way cool and Netscape was still brand new.  I created basic HTML using the text editor from the Cobol compiler we were using at the time.  I saw many a site appear one day only to be gone the next.  I knew that the free sites I set up around the web would disappear some day. 

Here’s a post I made back in those days that hasn’t disappeared yet.  It was about the birth of my first daughter as it related to a song that was being discussed.  Ironically I played that same song at my wife’s Gathering after she died.

However I didn’t really realize the fragile nature of life, and the effects that can have on people.  When the girls were babies I had a sense that they were fragile and could leave us at any moment.  Back then I would do that thing that all parents must do, you wake up in the middle of the night and wonder if they are ok.  You sit in bed and can’t get back to sleep.  Finally you have to get up and go in the nursery and make sure they are still breathing, that everything is ok.  But after we had our second child you realize that they don’t break that easily and that they are resilient and can fall down and get back up again.  It wasn’t until Cindy died that I truly understood the fragile nature of life, and the impact of losing that life.

So for me losing a website isn’t a big deal.  Losing scans of old photographs that might not be replaceable isn’t life altering.  Losing important thoughts and feelings translated into words on a screen won’t change the existence of those thoughts and feelings in my mind or the minds of those who may have read them.

And speaking of digital cameras, I really like some the new retro styled cameras that are coming out.  The first ‘real’ camera I bought was the Minolta SRT-201.  I have several old Minoltas now, including an old Hi-Matic rangefinder.  I wish Minolta would come out with a digital body that would accept all those old Rokkor lenses I’ve got.  I think it would be fun to take pictures like we did in the old days but in digital format.

We head off to the beach for vacation this weekend. We have always enjoyed spending time at the beach. I don’t get to spend much time at the beach, which is something Chelsey is helping me change. I’m looking forward to some beautiful sunsets, relaxing in the sun, and maybe a beverage or two 🙂

For me vacation officially starts after work today, even though I
will be packing, shopping, and laundering so we can be ready to go
tomorrow.

I like to take pictures.  I my younger days I had a darkroom and did my own developing and printing.  My friend Rob and I would take the train into the city where we would wander the streets to take pictures, then come home and develop our film to see what we got.  I have fond memories of those darkrooms, with the smell of photo chemicals, anxiously hanging up our freshly developed film to dry.

Taking pictures is so much easier these days.  No more film, no more smelly chemicals.  But lots more images, and wonderful new ways to present them.

I’ve found a few photo blogs that I enjoy.  bighappfunhouse is the home for “Accidental art. Found Photographs”.  It reminds me of that old radio station that played all sets of music that had themes.  Each post is a collection of old photographs that share some common theme.  Great stuff.

The photography site that humbles and inspires me is Graham Jeffery’s Sensitive Light.  I look at his photographs and am so amazed at the quality of his images that I want to give up trying to ever reach that level of skill.  At the same time I am inspired to go out and try to capture some of the emotion that he is able to present in his images.

JEALOUS GUY
(John Lennon)

“I was dreaming of the past
And my heart was beating fast
I began to lose control
I began to lose control

I didn’t mean to hurt you
I’m sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn’t want to hurt you”

In addition to the beautiful cards that the girls gave me, I got this
“card”
from another group of friends this Fathers Day.  One of the
things we do, over there, is help each other through the
holidays.

Reading Halley’s weblog this morning reminded me of a time way back
when growing up in the Chicago area. We used to have some really
good radio stations on of which played music in sets with a
theme. I’m pretty sure it was WJKL in Elgin which is now a Contemporary Christian station.
Back then it was a rock station. I think it was the station that
didn’t run any pre-recorded commercials, they were all read by the
DJ’s. Anyway they used to play nice long 5 or 6 song sets of
music where each song in the set had some sort of connection to the
others. As each set began it was fun to try and figure out what the
theme was, and once you guessed the theme, to then try and guess
what the next song might be.

Halley sure has a theme going this morning, and it was fun to listen to
all the different tunes. I tried my hand too at something to turn on my radio.

It looks like Halley is having some feel good time. I have to wonder about who she may be posting all this love. She seems so wound up I’m wondering if she’s trying to tell people to just get over it.

It’s hard for me to listen to all those love songs and not think about my first great love. As I opened my Fathers Day cards and gift I realized I will always see her face when I look at my daughters. And I also realize that that the love I have for Cindy is different now, no less, but different. I also realize that as time goes on I am changing too.

“Keep a watch on the shoreline
There’s a boat that’s lost out there
It is tossed out there
Trying to pilot in alone
And in the hold is every single hope
I’ve ever had
I’ll stay here on the beach until
you reach me and come home”

Keep A Watch On The Shoreline
Phoebe Snow

I love Phoebe Snow’s voice.  It has such emotion.

Deb is new to this area and wonders where to meet 40 somethings in this area.  I’m not so new to this area, but new to the concept of wishing to meet people for “friendship and potential relationship” and wonder the same thing.  A friend has informed me that the place to meet people is Kinkos but I’m not so sure that is the best “age-compatible social environment” in the area  🙂