9/12 – The Day After
Posted on 12 September 2016 | No responses
Just ran a few numbers to put things in perspective:
There were around 9000 casualties (dead and wounded) from the attacks on 09/11/2001.
There have been around 60,000 (American) service men and women killed or injured as a result of the “War on Terror”. That does not count any Iraqi, Pakistani, or Afghan civilians. Nor does that count the number of Americans who suffer PTSD or committed suicide as a result of serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Never forget: freedom isn’t free but at what price, America?
Developing
Posted on 21 July 2016 | No responses
America needs less Facebook. Fewer selfies.
We need more Kodak. Family albums.
I’m proud to call Rochester home.
There is light in all men. Few let it be exposed.
Many prints fade but hold a story. Every negative a point of view.
Brotherhood of Man
Posted on 20 July 2016 | No responses
We’ve lost humanity. Our sense of community. Our touch.
I’d rather be a turtle in captivity. Eating kale. Lettuce. Strawberries.
Than wondering which way the winds may shift.
Flip me on my back, I’m helpless, but for friends…
Alone, upon my back, taking selfies, no one dares to care.
Happy New Year 2015
Posted on 5 January 2015 | No responses
Thank you everyone for returning to Anthurian. So far my viewership is up 2,500% from the previous week with a high of 78 (!) views. Oh, I can smell the IPO and book deal now.
I guess I can’t go back now though; the haggis is in the fire.
Why I Am Leaving Facebook
Posted on 31 December 2014 | No responses
I originally posted this to Facebook on November 29, 2014 but re-posting here as a way to re-start Anthurian.com. I do not know what this site will turn into or how often I post but the bigger experiment is how long I can away from social media, Facebook especially. Here’s to 2015 and new starts…
After nearly a decade of sharing my life on Facebook, on January 1, 2015 I plan to step away. I will not close my account but it is time to make a change and leave the conversation. An early adopter, I came to Facebook using my gatech.edu account and was astounded at the connections I could make; amazed by the friendships rekindled. Far and wide, around the world, we’ve met, re-met, and kept in touch through the powers of the Internet.
All the while turning ourselves into data points. Commodifying human interaction and turning our relationships into single drops of water among the massive sea of Big Data. Spending our time with Likes and Pokes and forgetting that it’s the face-to-face and true companionship that makes friends, ties bonds strongly, and creates shared memories.
Instead, Facebook has turned into a world that splits and sequesters us into ever more polarized demographics. Like our country, we gravitate towards the feedback loop that seems most comfortable. Exchanging memes and eCards like a burning pestilence, political thought, religious views, and family events intermingle in Zuckerberg’s hot zone waiting to bleed out – both good and bad — until we go through de-friending purges and isolate ourselves further and further.
I am Generation X. We grew-up and made our lives with the Internet. We were the Dotcom Boom and its bust. We are the ones who’ve brought preceeding and successive generations together on the Web. But, thousands of years from now, each bit and byte will be worthless without context. Facebook provides no context. Facebook is not life. Despite the countless hours spent updating my timeline and sharing life’s events, it is still a simulacra.
I hope that this sparks me to return to writing on Anthurian.com. I am not a Luddite. I understand the advance of technology but ask all my friends to please stay in touch with me via other means.
