Friday, October 06, 2017

Why MEdia Dragons Endure


“Art is not a plaything, but a necessity,”
Rebecca West wrote in her stunning 1941 reflection on how art transforms mere existence into meaningful being, “and its essence, form, is not a decorative adjustment, but a cup into which life can be poured and lifted to the lips and be tasted.”


Memories of Aras in blue

Cobble stones are soothing on one's eyes

 Informal Inquiries: St. Francis of Assisi hears a voice....

Provence ... 

French farms and Malchkeon brave journey in the air

If I have learned anything in life it is that MEdia Dragons like Shakespeare was on to something when he had Hamlet say that "there are more things in heaven and earth … than are dreamt of in your philosophy."




How Deep Is Your Love? Lapham’s Quarterly. Brings to mind the Visconti film about Ludwig– see it if you ever get the chance on a proper movie screen

 Single mother creates out of this world portraits of her children and herself - DIY Photography
Do literary scholars align with the powerful against the powerless? Imagine what A People’s History of Literary Studies would look like... Powerlessness 


Research: Brainstorming Is Better If You Tell An Embarrassing Story

"Candor led to greater creativity. Thus, we propose a new rule for brainstorming sessions: Tell a self-deprecating story before you start. As uncomfortable as this may seem, especially among colleagues you would typically want to impress, the result will be a broader range of creative ideas, which will surely impress them even more." … [Read More]
 
Why blogs endure: A study of recent college graduates and motivations for blog readership, Alison J. Head, Michele Van Hoeck, Kirsten Hostetler. First Monday, Volume 22, Number 10 – 2 October 2017.



“This paper reports the results from a mixed methods study of recent college graduates who were asked if and why they used blogs as sources for continued learning purposes. Findings are based on 1,651 online survey responses and 63 follow-up telephone interviews with young graduates from 10 U.S. colleges and universities. Despite the media’s declarations about the impending demise of the blogosphere, almost two-thirds of the respondents (62 percent) had read blogs to fulfill their learning needs during the past 12 months. 
Blogs were an affordable source of information to these readers, especially for acquiring additional knowledge and closing skill gaps in their personal lives after college. Results from a logistic regression analysis indicated respondents were more likely to have read blogs during the past 12 months if they needed step-by-step instructions for hobbies, do-it-yourself household repairs, or money management and creating a personal budget. Respondents who used blogs were also more likely to also use complementary sources, such as educational videos on YouTube, to meet their learning needs. The concept of shared utility is introduced as a basis for explaining reasons for use of the blog format, and conclusions are drawn about why blogs, an early Web form, are still useful to millennials as sources of continued learning.”

The Silicon Valley Suicides





Why are so many kids with bright prospects killing themselves in Palo Alto?
The air shrieks, and life stops. First, from far away, comes a high whine like angry insects swarming, and then a trampling, like a herd moving through. The kids on their bikes who pass by the Caltrain crossing are eager to get home from school, but they know the drill. Brake. Wait for the train to pass.

Who was Elie Wiesel? He personified what it was to visit hell and come back. He did the work of grief for us, and we were grateful. But there were two Wiesels... But there were two Secret Wiesels

Facebook’s Fake Numbers: Parsing Facebook’s “Reach” Inflation

Facebook tells Big Lies about its users. Why aren’t advertisers making a Big Stink?

Adweek: “Facebook’s issues with reporting ad reaches larger than the actual population base appear to be even more prevalent, according to a new report from the Video Advertising Bureau. Early last month, Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser pointed out discrepancies between Facebook’s ad reach and U.S. Census Bureau data, including:


    • Facebook claims that it can reach 41 million U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 24, while U.S. Census data pegs the total population of that age group at 31 million.
    • The social network also claimed that it can reach 60 million U.S. adults 25 through 34, while the U.S. Census total for that demographic is 35 million…”
    We experience art in collaboration with computers. Our cultural horizon is shaped by news feeds, inboxes, and search results. What will become of critical judgment

      An unusual corporate presentation (Japan, SoftBank).  How do you interpret their message overall?  I wish to know



    Endeavoring to benefit society and
    the economy and maximize enterprise value by fostering the sharing of
    wisdom and knowledge
    gained through the IT revolution     
    Coldplay’s – Up and Up is the ultimate video composite inspirationThe dark art of Matt BarnesPhotographer creates surreal moody art with only stock photosHow I shot the Photoshoper’s wet dream: A PSD room where you can control 34 different lights

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