The Source

Last night enjoyed a film documenting the source of the beatnik generation. The focus was of course upon Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs. All created influential literature challenging the mainstream way of being. Considering what was going on in the world around its not surprising a counter-culture would develop. America was so white washed and battered from years of war and depression. Capitalistic conformity offered a nice heat lamp to the cold and insecure world they had been existing in for sometime. As the second world war ended and the U.S. was coming to fully appreciate the military industrial complex, a subset of youth took up the opportunity to consider difference in their vanilla surroundings. Their writings are profound, edgy and full of wanderlust. No doubt much of it influenced by their sphere expanding adventures with chemicals and "grass." Thankfully youth are in a middling stage of life granting them the opportunity to consider alternatives and not have the full pressure of survival on your back. These guys just wanted to be themselves and experience life as they so desired rather than having to bend and mold to a factory manufactured life ordered out of the Sears Roebuck catalog. Kerouac and the others were not afraid to have not, and balked at picket fences. They preferred instability and did not judge their worth on traditional successes. The Beatnik generation were catalyst for change in society; doing the prep work for the hippie generation to follow. While segments of society pushing for change exist always; at times they are more pronounced than others. We can identify other sources of change in the years after the Beats through understanding influential artist and authors of the time. Ha here's an idea maybe its more about the drug of choice for the time...for the 80's cocaine was energizing a generation of stock traders and money makers. The 90's crack rock led to violence and sickened an ethnic segment of the population. The 2000's are being marked for its variety of drug choices including ones made of chemicals to be found in every day items. This generation is marked by its diversity, an inability to focus, and an abundance of information. When Howl and Naked Lunch were written the flow of information was more singular and predefined. Nowadays the provocative flow of information spews from multi-faceted networks continuously and without discretion. Counter-cultures thrive in this environment and whitewashing is so taboo that RGB-washing could not be used to describe the political correctness justified prominence of ethnicity in all areas of society. The Source now comes from a multitude of information formats and distribution mechanisms. Still I am romanticized by the idea that I could be apart of such a group willing to do without traditional milestones of American Life and live as the moment allows according to your own worldly ideals of right and wrong.

Sounds of the Library

Swishing of the wind as the students walk by.
Keyboards clicking, space bars gliding across the page with quick thuds.
Wooden chairs knocking against the desks.
Spurts of audio streaming from headphones set to loud.
Electric pencil sharpener roaring on and off again.
Clanking and rumbling of the photocopier, drilling shrills of the electronic hole punch.
Students lamenting about their day, backpacks plopping against the floor.
Office phones alerting tones, cellphones disturbing moans.
Squealing from book cart wheels, metal rattling as heels are dragging.
Book covers crackling while being pushed and pulled on the shelves.
Beeping from scanners devouring the data.
Thanks you from patrons as they collect their newly borrowed items.
These are the sounds of the library.

Transition in light of Moore's Law

I'm not sure if people always felt they were living in transition or not but coming at the tail end of Generation X, transition in technology marks my upbringing. My first experience with computers was at home. My father seriously felt the effects of Moore's Law while studying engineering physics in the late 70's. Upon completion of his master's he took a job with Boeing doing validation testing of the computer systems in 757s and 767 s. Next it was an oil company where he did a myriad of things with computers including developing a geo-science workstation that changed he way geologists and geophysicists mapped the data. Later on it was purchasing and implementing software, and administering network systems. Bottom line he's been around computers since they were huge room sized monsters that ate punch cards. Nowadays he's still my go to guy if I have a question about software or hardware.

Because of my father's vocation I always had access to computers and can remember playing math games and using the word processor back before Microsoft. I also remember the two foot square "laptop" that weighed more than a small refrigerator.

Since first grade I was using computers in school. At that time we went to a lab and played on the black and green screens spelling and typing games. Always in school I opted for the keyboarding class when there was an option which I am now very glad I did.

In 1994 when AOL hit the mailboxes I was 12 years old exploring the new land of chat rooms. I was smart and didn't peruse the predator areas but still experienced the creation of screen names and incessant conversation to persons unknown. As a teenager my Internet usage was less consistent and mainly resulted from begrudged adolescent angst in which I sought out distant boardinghouses. Around high school graduation time college websites increased in importance and soon everyone was accepting applications online. Computers dominated the process of my academic career as course management sites became commonplace and library research and word processing relied upon the personal computer. Again in college I opted for computer classes to fulfill my math and science credits.

Now we wait for the wave of web 2.0 to crest. Everyday I discover new endeavors to open up the way we interact and exchange information. Buddhist concepts of everything being connected are reflected in moments of globalized galvanization. The possibility of "linked data" strengthens notions of connectivity as information availability ceases to be an issue.

Previously the duration between the introduction of a new life changing technology such as the wheel to the printing press was extensive. Transition was slow and clunky. In a era of Moore's Law transition is now characterized by rapid introductions of a more powerful faster version and implementations that seemingly take place overnight are not uncommon.

As a person growing up at the end of generation X, I have an interesting opportunity to see the old guard be overwhelmed by advancing technology. As a result I am encouraged to seek out new technology and will be charged with its implementation in the near future. This makes for interesting workdays as we demonstrate aspects of virtual reference and online environments like "Second Life" to librarians on the verge of retirement who took their comps exams on typewriters. I feel fortunate to be a part of this transition but I am well aware that the generation coming after me will prove even more advanced in their computing skills.