Is This the “I Don’t Even Own a TV” of the 21st Century?
This is an image that has been going round. Starting at the top and going clockwise, the logos are RSS, Flickr, Facebook, Gmail, Tumbler (so I’m told…I’ve never seen this logo on Tumblr), Blogger, and Twitter. I’m surprised no instant messenger software made it into the “Circle of No Life”.
I’ll be the first to admit that I goof off so much on the computer that I had to start the Analog Thursday thing to counteract some of it. And I also admit that when I’m on the computer, I’m almost never curing AIDS or feeding the hungry or writing an opera.
What AM I doing during those times? Well, through RSS I read blogs about politics, science, comics, boardgames, and other things that interest me, as well as hear how my distant friends are doing and what they’re thinking about. Flickr is my source for interesting and inspiring Lego creations. On Facebook I’m playing Scrabble with a local friend and a remote friend from high school who I recently got back in touch with through Facebook. I get to see videos of friends’ kids and talk to people I haven’t seen in decades. Gmail is one of my main forms of communication with people, since I absolutely despise the telephone. It’s another place I do a lot of talking with friends. Tumblr allows me to get jiggy and party with various historical personages. I don’t use Blogger, but my various blogs are this one, the one where I post about Legos, and the one where I post about the music I grew up with. All three are things I consider creative efforts. And Twitter, while mostly just goofiness, also lets me keep an eye on current events.
So that’s the life I’m currently not having. Pray, Mr. Snarky-Assed Graphic Creator, what do you propose instead? What should I be doing, since I’m just wasting away here? Watching TV? Heading down to the bar? Partying it up? Going out to not just look at art but be seen looking at art? Reading important books? If the Circle of No Life is a gaping hole in my soul, what should I be filling it with?
Cause I know what you can fill yours with.
---Tags: internet_foolishness
I think we’re supposed to be climbing in the Rockies, fighting grizzly bears with nothing but a knife and and a feral grin. But if I can’t twitter about it after I’m done, what’s the point?
Comment by Michael — June 17, 2009 @ 2:31 pm
Pretty sure you should be photoshopping something. That’s what the creator was doing, right?
Comment by Matthew Glover — June 17, 2009 @ 3:13 pm
The Photoshop logo is absent. As is Apple’s.
Comment by Dave — June 17, 2009 @ 3:15 pm
“Going out to not just look at art but be seen looking at art?”
This made me laugh, because my wife hates going to art museums specifically because of the sorts of people she’ll have to endure. And though I occasionally enjoy wandering around big cold rooms looking at stuff, I’m inclined to agree.
Comment by Bill D. — June 17, 2009 @ 4:40 pm
What’s this “be seen looking at art” stuff and “the sorts of people” who must be endured at museums? While I’ve certainly had experiences like that attending friends’ poetry readings (_pace_ Missy), it’s not been my experience at museums, fortunately. In fact, the last museum Mr. Mancer and I visted was Mass MoCA in the Berkshires, and it was full of sweet, trim senior citizens on a sunny Saturday looking at the weirdest large-scale modern art. Lovely!
Comment by Mrs. Mancer — June 18, 2009 @ 7:33 am
“the sorts of people she’ll have to endure”
Wow… that’s messed up.
As far as the TV / Circle of No Life comparison, I’ll take the Circle of No Life. TV is programmed. With the internet at least you can choose your own adventure.
Fill the gaping hole in your soul? Creative efforts, as you mention… and boardgames.
MassMOCA is amazing.
Comment by pronoblem — June 20, 2009 @ 1:55 am