Skip to main content

Wanting to Be a Spider in the Web

With the creation of the World Wide Web, a new dimension that is slowly merging with our reality has come into existence. Once upon a time, a person's imaginary existence was a private matter that few others may or may not have access to, depending on whether the creator chose to somehow publish this world. Now, those worlds can not only be shared, but the act of creating those worlds can be a shared act. Truthfully, it is the shared act of our time, the art of our century. Whether I want to or not, I am forced to know and interact in this world, but I want to be more than a pawn. The attempt to pull oneself away from this world can leave one out of the happenings of the truly physical world as it is now the central method of communication and exchange of everything, from the arts to basic necessities.


I need to be an active player in the land beyond the electronic realm, or at least be able to communicate about it, thereby bringing me a step closer to not being a pawn. I want the tools and the confidence to discuss the intricate networking and usefulness of the Internet without relying on a simplified translation that makes me feel less than capable of controlling my own direction. And I need to know the limitations of that usefulness to me personally. I would like to also lay the foundations to grow into a creator in the digital reality so that I may participate in its artistry, and the beauty of the interaction, but with the confidence to ensure my personal safety, at least to a degree that protects me from common threat.

As a writer, the World Wide Web takes on a particular challenge for me, but offers a plethora of benefits. Learning to write for the eye of the 21st century that reads on a backlit screen requires me to take several things not previously important into consideration. A writer's brand, no matter their medium seemingly requires a tweet here, a blog there. I have no hopes of being successful without having a voice on paper as well as on screen , and they are not allowed to be the same simply because the developed attention span and the fatigue of the eye are different for each. I know, personally, that these responsibilities can be delegated by an author, but I am distrustful and afraid of a disconnect to my audience if I trust these things to an outsider (outside my mind and created world, that is). And so, I wish to at least know how to safely, securely create my own tiny web inside the greater fabric of the Web without relying on the spiders to weave for me. I want to be a spider attempting to catch flies instead of a fly caught in the web hoping they won't eat me.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering the Old Ways (HTML)

Long before technology really had grasp on the world (because I feel myself to be oh-so-old), I recall spending an obscene amount of time ensuring that my MySpace was just so. HTML gave me and all the hormone-driven teenagers something to do with themselves when they should be writing up homework, but would much rather be stuck in the back of someone's car playing with the hem of their crush's shirt, their heart all aflutter- but alas! It's a school night. There was art to it that involved no small form of thievery. As anyone scrolled through MySpace looking for new exotic teenagers (not persons in general, because anyone over 25 felt creepy) and found themselves struck by that amazing new thing that Jessica (it was always Jessica who had so many advantages) had moving, dancing or otherwise tantalizing across their screen on her virtual home, anyone could rest easy if they only knew how to search through the code and pick out that unfamiliar thing. Copy and paste. It'
4 comments
Read more

The Mail Race: Electronica vs. The Snail

Methods of communication have evolved and expanded dramatically over time. Humanity has used the word of mouth (as in runners), delivery animals (as in pigeons), the Pony Express, the train system, the telegraph, smoke signals, Morse code, and many other methods besides to communicate with others over vast distances… or right down the street. Many of the communication vessels above are still used, although some in less practical ways, and simply for the sake of nostalgia. The primary means of communication now rest in e-mail, text messaging, the occasional though rare phone call, and somehow, for some reason, the postal service. Why is that? How is that? The postal service has always had some advantages over the new(er) and therefore exciting electronic mail. We cannot, at the moment, send a physical package via e-mail… yet. This is an advantage that I believe will be called into question once 3-D printers are normalized, something to occur very soon. There is also the added fee
3 comments
Read more

"It isn't just about being a programmer." - Shadrach White on Cloud Computing for Business

Shadrach White declares that "cloud computing is about democracy -- the democratization of technology." Before cloud computing was possible, every single person in tech had to understand not just how to write code, but had to have a solid understanding of hardcore computer processing. And then came the switch to the virtual computing environment, and suddenly everyone wanted in on the untapped computing power that was ever-present in the already established computer network. The hardware was there, it just required the right method of application and utilization. The next step in this democratization was to put this new resource into the hands of the consumer. The browser became the new operating system, and the world of tech based business opened up to the entrepreneur. Once again, the world wide web has opened up greater opportunities to the people without discrimination against race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation... or capital. Cloud computing significantl
2 comments
Read more