A Million Little Pieces

I know that the wordplay is probably getting old, but I just can't help it. Small Pieces Loosely Joined and A Million Little Pieces seem distinctly interrelated, at least in titles. Also, the typical cover shot on AMLP is of a hand covered in ice-cream sprinkles, and that serves as a striking image of the loose joining of small pieces. But I digress.

In reading the first chapter of SPLJ, a question struck me. It relates quite naturally to both books, so I'll keep heading down that path a little longer. It rotated around the quote, "The very basics of what it means to have a self-identity through time, an "inner" consistency, a core character from which all else springs--are in question on the Web," from chapter 1 of SPLJ.

Now, to me this is a chicken-or-the-egg sort of an issue. I think there is a lot more at work here than the internet revolution (large as it is). The ideas of core character and inner consistency, or even one self-identity through time are all up in the air, and this does not seem to relate solely to the web.

Take, for example, James Frey's book A Million Little Pieces. At the time this book reigned supreme on the bestseller lists, I was working for Barnes & Noble. I was also there to witness the book's fall, Oprah's humiliation, and enraged customers looking for their money back. All of this centered on a book marketed as biography, detailing the amazing pulling-myself-up-by-the- bootstraps story of James Frey's recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. The only problem was that this book was not biography. Frey certainly had been a substance abuser, but many of the "facts" he related were simply not true, or even close to the truth, as the truth came out. (What is truth?)

Frey's was an extremely embellished persona which perhaps developed out of lack of publisher support, out of Frey's black heart, or some unknown. But this persona was probably a lot closer to reality than the personae that many present on the web. But this time people got angry.

One defense Frey attempted was his plea for the "truthiness," of his book, rather than factual details. He was presenting his feelings, trying to capture the moments and emotions rather than the literal narrative of his life. Many accepted this as a valid explanation. Others would say that he had taken the concept too far.

But this brings up greater questions of our societal standards for truth and identity. Post modernism could certainly be a factor, as are the media, globalization, the web, and any other factors of "the now.” All of these deserve much more credit than I can give to them.

As humans in the twenty-first century, how do we reconcile our identities with the world around us? Is the idea of an inner consistency or core character outdated? What does it mean for a person to have one identity in class, another on Facebook, another at work, and yet another at home? Are we living in a technologically inspired state of schizophrenia, or is there an underlying unity to be found? Perhaps, as Aaron suggested, “What […] Web2 allows is that movement from ‘this is what people see me as’ to ‘this is what I've always really been,’” and we are just now beginning to grasp some of that complexity.

Yum

I have to admit, the first time I saw the url for del.icio.us, I was hoping it had something to do with food. But that's because I really like food, and it would be such a witty website. Like Epicurious... I love it! Who thinks of these names?

After my initial disappointment, I had a "rappelling moment." The first time I ever went rock climbing, my friend Logan took me up Ragged Mountain (no joke, what's with the Ragged stuff?) and set me up. But instead of having me start by climbing, he wanted me to rappel down first to learn the feel of the ropes and to trust my harness. So he instructed me to balance my arches on the edge of the cliff (standing back-to), and to lean out until I was perpendicular. I was NOT to hold onto the rope. At that moment, I knew that I was doing something really scary, entirely new, and I still wasn't sure if I'd like the end result.

That's how del.icio.us feels. I've set up my new account and dutifully bookmarked a few sites, but it is a whole new world and I'm really not sure what to do with it yet! I've got a funny feeling that I just might like it...

Mass Intelligence

This morning I got up, showered, dressed, made a cup of tea (green with Jasmine), ate breakfast, packed lunch, and headed out the door for school.

I hopped in the car, turned the key, and the engine turned over (and over), but wouldn't start. In my 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit (RIP, "Leila"), this meant I needed to pump the gas a little, but my like-new 1999 Toyota Corolla ("Zeke") has that newfangled fuel injection stuff, so that wasn't the problem (I don't think...). It was a damp morning. Maybe the distributer? But the cap wasn't cracked or loose. Maybe condensation in the fuel line? Spark plugs? Maybe anything...

It never started, so I hopped aboard my trusty bike (1995 Gary Fischer Nirvana, "Gary") and sped off to school. I arrived at school covered in sweat and mud (remember, it's a damp 45 degree February morning), thirty minutes late to class (I live on the other side of the city), but just in time for my first quiz. Score one for me.

Plus, it's free coffee Monday at McDonald's, so today really can't be that bad. I called the shop, and they're going to tow Zeke over and take a look at him. I'll bike by after school. But I'm wondering, if I could actually poll everyone (say, in all my classes), would they know what the problem was?

I know, it sounds far-fetched. But according to Surowiecki in "The Wisdom of Crowds," perhaps not that far-fetched.

If the stock market could figure out who is to blame for the Challenger explosion (that gives me goosebumps!), I think a group of college students might be able to guess Zeke's ailment. Yes, Meredith, I'd like to poll the audience. Any guesses, people?

In all seriousness, this information just amazes me. I love the fact that Google works on this principle. It's fascinating that tagging can function the same way. What would happen if the two technologies married, as Laura Gordon-Murnane suggests? Super-brilliant offspring with the knowledge of the masses only a click away, that's what.

February

Ok, so I know that the title doesn't have a lot to do with any of our readings. But here is my recognition that I'm a product of something bigger than just what I am reading, or studying for class. For example, today I am not only my mother's daughter, my boss's employee, my husband's wife, my dog's owner, and a woman from a small town in Maine who when she was fifteen years old worked on her Uncle's lobster boat and developed an interest in Marine Biology while retaining her first love of reading, etc. *thanks Aaron* I am also influenced by my more immediate environment.

It is Friday. I'm frustrated that my main accomplishment last night was playing in the snow with the dog. That means I need to catch up on reading, cleaning, cooking, and all of my other responsibilities today. But it's February, and I'm happy that the month is turning. I want to make Valentines and send them to my family. I want to celebrate that we are progressing out of the dark months of winter, and that each day has a little more light. I should be in a good mood, but I'm still cranky about not getting more things done last night, so I'm feeling critical.

Unfortunately this is all going to influence my writing a little more than it should. In my mind, I know that after re-reading the Edbauer piece I should be discussing rhetorical ecology (that intro was my half-hearted nod to it), so here goes...

The first time I read this piece, I noticed some errors, namely in the are of calling Cingular "Gingular," and other oddities. This time, they practically screamed at me. Isn't style an important part of any rhetoric? The pinnacle of my frustration came after reading the lines, "Upon seeing a picture of this homemade sign, my friend laughingly commented, 'Doesn't this person realize just how toetrc! this sign is?'"

What does that mean??? I even googled "toetrc," just in case the friend was speaking Klingon. She wasn't.

I still got the point. But I have to admit it was heavily compromised. I know that Edbauer could hardly have planned on my grumpy reading of her piece, but she (or whoever reproduced it for LION) might have known that such blatant errors are hardly professional. It is hard to trust an argument when it does not even seem to have been proofread.

So there it is. Be productive in your homes so you don't end up in a mood like mine. Happy February everyone.