About
So anyone that knows me knows I’m a technohaolic. I love technology and what it can do for us. Just look at this blog. Blogging allows me to comment to the entire world about whatever I choose. Even ten years ago this wasn’t easily possible. Ten years ago the term ‘blog’ didn’t exist - that didn’t happen until 1999 when Peter Merholz shortened the term Weblog to Blog. Blogging itself started in 1994 but didn’t take off until Pyra Labs launched Blogger in the middle of 1999. Blogger was the first free blogging service and after Google’s purchase of Pyra Labs, Blogger is arguably the largest free blogging site on the Internet.
Blogs are just one way new technologies have effected the web. Wikis, podcasting, video sharing services and social networking have also allowed people to reshape what the web is - and along with blogs (collectively considered Web 2.0 technologies) they have impacted politics, redefined journalism and generally allowed anyone a voice in today’s world.
Technology is not just about the web. Technology touches us everyday - cellphone technologies, emerging television technologies, emerging radio technologies, security advancements, technological improvements to our transportation systems…Technology is pervasive and touches every aspect of our lives. Don’t agree with me? Think about the last time you went out to a sit down dinner. There’s a good chance your server entered your meal on a touch panel using specially designed software for the food industry. I’m betting you may have overheard someone talking on their cellphone (or worse, they were two-waying). You may have even used a credit or debit card that has various security features to enhance security and to help prevent identity theft. And that’s just dinner. Don’t forget about the encrypted chip in your car key that allowed you to unlocked and started your car before and after your meal, the traffic sensors that controlled the lights at each intersection on your way to and from dinner, and the specially selected music played while you ate dinner (don’t think for a second Muzak doesn’t know a thing or three about enhancing your dining pleasure with music).
As for me, I’m married to the most wonderful friend God could have sent me. We have two dogs and a mortgage. As much as I love technology I try to keep it to a minimum in my own life. Although the technology I do prescribe to does exactly what I want and expect it to - I generally do not trust any single company to tell me what is best for me - which is why I’ll probably never own a Mac. I tweak the heck out of WindowsXP, I’ve hacked my cellphone to do a bit more than maybe my cell provider intended and when I do get a HDTV it will be the exact television I want - not the television that will provide the best margin for whichever retailer I happen to grace for the purchase.
You’ll find bits and pieces throughout this site that will indicate that I’m a follower of Christ. I don’t hid that, nor do I wear it as a badge. I am who I am, and although I generally consider myself a economic conservative and a social moderate I do not allow those ideologies to interfere with my Christian beliefs. Rather, I believe for the most part Christ was also a economic conservative and a social moderate. If you feel differently, I always enjoy a good debate (just ask my wife) so feel free to contact me with your thoughts on the subject - I’d love to hear them.
One thing I plan to do with this site beyond blogging about the good, bad and ugly of technology is display some of the media projects I’ve worked on. I’ve been working with audio in various forms (live, studio, system installations) for something like 20 or more years. And while audio is my first love I’ve found many creative avenues in working with video. When I first started at Michigan State University my desire was to learn as much as I could about the audio production field - but I soon discovered I also enjoyed editing and working with video. I also discovered I enjoyed telecommunication policy issues. In retrospect, my varied studies at MSU let to a jack-of-all trades type of degree and in today’s fields of media, that’s not a good thing. Unless that degree is turned into a masters degree in Digital Media Arts and Technology - which is what I started to pursue in 2006. I took this year off because the department had proposed a course of study for commuter students - that turned out to be lip service and I’m still not convinced that they intend to embrace the commuter student’s needs into the 2008-09 academic year or beyond. But in the one year I was apart of the masters program I learned quite a bit about designing for media as well as media research. Both allowed me to utilize that jack-of-all trades degree - I could approach a project in ways other students couldn’t. Most students approached a project from one direction, I could visualize multiple avenues towards a finished project. I do hope to be able to finish my masters degree - God willing it will happen.
Thanks for visiting - I hope this blog becomes a place to discuss technologies and how they impact our lives and our world. If you have an idea for me to blog about, I’ve already shown you were the contact page is - feel free to use it.
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