CoME Episode 12: Blog to the future...

Let me describe a series of events that happened to me recently. It begins with an email to my friend and co-CSA PodCast host, Maqz. I had received an email from him with some podcast ideas and responded that we should talk. I Skyped him that evening (VOIP: Wiki says “Voice over Internet Protocol is a general term for a family of transmission technologies for delivery of voice communications over IP networks such as the Internet or other packet-switched networks) and we discussed some issues. Eventually we decided I would write to another podcast participant with some ideas. The next morning I did so with Maqz getting a copy and then the three of us exchanged several ideas leading to some podcast changes.

Maybe 20 years ago this would not have happened at all, 10 years ago, some might have happened, the emails but I don’t think that Skype was as available so the initial phone call would have been over a land line. This whole process got me thinking about how we communicate with each other now-a-days (I used now-a-days because it sounds so old fashion; old fashion sounds old fashion too…)

Over the last 8 years or so we, and by we I mean me, have been introduced to all new manners of communication - cell phones, email, Skype, twitter and Facebook among others. All of those have become vital ways we stay in touch with each other. When I went to college back in 19ow4yt (sorry typo…) I would call home about twice a month, got or received letters about once a week. (see slash and burn/CoME #8 about mail I tossed away recently) and felt this was keeping in touch. When MillieJupiter was in college 5 years ago we got regular emails and cell phone calls to keep in touch. Now with CollegeBoy, we get 1-2 cell calls a day, regular emails, his blog posting, email attachments of the different things he is doing in class, a YouTube video of his rowing crew or making an opening statement in a law communication class he is in. I like this more modern way more.

Back a few years ago, when I was teaching computer classes to senior citizens in an adult education class, one regular type of discussions we had was about the value of emails. I used to ask them how great it would be if they could get a note every morning on their computer with an attached picture of their grandkid. Invariably this type of discussion would lead to comments about how poorly we write and how we miss letters and the like for these modern conveniences. In some ways back then I agreed with some of these thoughts, because there was no letters to be kept, bound up in a box, to look back on.

In an email from my brother-in-law, Manhattan Man, he made this profound observation about the podcast we do: “I am frankly proud of you guys, and your persistence. I think that both the podcast and the chronicles (and blogs) are a legacy. I hate to be morbid (No, I don't) but this is such "live" data, it is going to be both spooky and special to be able to hear you guys in fifty years. That's something Ms Jupiter and CollegeBoy and Don and Linda's kids will have. And I think that's cool.”

Now Clairz, CollegeBoy and Manhattan Man have made insightful comments about the memories we hold and keep and I want to pass that on. The message - blog if you can, it will be a thing that someone can read and have memories of you.

I feel lucky to have these people and all the other cast of characters in my life. It makes the thought of moving forward and moving on more palatable and more exciting. Thank you guys!