Welcome. I’m Jacob Sam-La Rose, and here’s what you need to know: I’m a published poet; I devise and facilitate projects for schools and other institutions, emerging poets, teachers, literature professionals and other creatives; I’m a geek for web technology and productivity; and I’m pretty handy with a camera. I exist in a few different places online – this particular site serves as my lifestream, an overview of what I’ve been doing on the interwebs. The content you see here is aggregated from:
“A few months ago, the term cassette tape was taken out of the Oxford English Dictionary.(!!!) It may seem ironic, then, that the cassette has experienced a quiet comeback over the last few years, as independent labels issuing tape-only releases have begun popping up around the world. I can’t even tell you how many fond memories I have of the days when cassette tapes ruled my music life. Do you remember the days being angry at a radio announcers when they’d start talking before the song was over and screwed up your recording of a song? I do!” — Swiss Miss
My mind dropped out of the paragraph somewhere around the cassette being removed from the OED. WTH?
“SmartTags are small programmable tokens that give your Android phone a series of commands to keep you from performing repetitive tasks. For example, swiping your phone on a nightstand could switch your phone to silent, turn off mobile connections and set your alarm for the following morning.”
Isn’t this just a deep critique of the complexity of smartphones?
These tags might be interesting if they could launch programmes or routines, or trigger an “if this, then this” style set of cascading actions, but everything I’m seeing in the promo would be trumped by easily accessible phone “profiles”.
Having said that, the tech geek in me is still itching to see these come to market…
“If you don’t know what your passion is, then you’re in luck…because blogging will help you find one. There is a passion deep inside you, and when you sit down day after day and put words onscreen, you’ll start to understand what it is you like to write about, and want to keep learning about, and talk to readers and other bloggers about. The discovery process of blogging helps connect you to yourself.”
I also like this, because I feel like one of the things we just never learn is the process of introspection. I’m not entirely sure, but it seems to me that living is as much about determining the way we feel about the things happening around us as it is experiencing those things. That’s why, after things go wrong, we need to process things to get back to normal, but also why to really thrive, we need to take that time to think. And so, I like this: to uncover our passion means as much thinking about and understanding why we like the things we do, as doing them.
“Shaping your own cultural identity – and having it recognised by others – is central to human dignity and growth. If people can’t represent themselves culturally how can they do so politically? If people are only imagined and portrayed by others, how can they be full, free and equal members of society? And yet, in every society, people’s access to culture is very uneven. Those who identify with dominant cultures have no difficulty creating and promoting their values. Others, passively or actively denied cultural resources, platforms and legitimacy, remain on the margins.”
“People need to hear the things you think about, dream about, and worry about. They have to hear it in your voice which isn’t the same as anyone else’s voice.” Because this is how we learn to become more human, by learning to share our voices, no matter how those voices are expressed.””
“But as he grew older, he learned that a word was a powerful thing. An insult didn’t have to be shouted to bleed; a vow didn’t have to be whispered to make you believe. Hold a thought in your head, and that was enough to change the actions of anyone and anything that crossed your path.”
“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”
Ah, the Bene Gesserit litany against fear. I recently finished reading ‘The Winds of Dune’. I have fond memories of watching the movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s original Dune novel (which is where I remember the litany from, even until now), though ‘The Winds…’ was penned by his son, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
“SmartTags are small programmable tokens that give your Android phone a series of commands to keep you from performing repetitive tasks. For example, swiping your phone on a nightstand could switch your phone to silent, turn off mobile connections and set your alarm for the following morning.”
Isn’t this just a deep critique of the complexity of smartphones?
These tags might be interesting if they could launch programmes or routines, or trigger an “if this, then this” style set of cascading actions, but everything I’m seeing in the promo would be trumped by easily accessible phone “profiles”.
Having said that, the tech geek in me is still itching to see these come to market…
