Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

« I am NOT Spamacus || Back to Blog | WMD 404 »

May 16, 2003

An Evening at AKMA's

Last night I spoke to about a dozen people from Seabury-Western Seminary and the surrounding neighborhood in Evanston, hosted by the Rev. Prof. AKMA...which also means that I got to hang out with AKMA, Margaret and the 9-year-old peppy Pippa who announced at dinner: "My job is to entertain faculty." She does that mightily and deserves tenure and a promotion. I also met Si, whom many us already know from his blog; having two spatially disoriented, easily distracted people trying to meet each other in a crowded airport is like watching a bullfight between a blinfolded bull and a drunken matador. Thank goodness for cell phones. (And could I find a less apt simile for a pacifist, vegetarian, sober family?)

Anyway, I spoke for an hour about why the Web matters. The conversation after was great, and it was a pleasure talking with people who know technology but are rooted into something perhaps even more important. It was fascinating watching the seminarians applying this to their own realm of discourse.

Trevor Bechtel, AKMA's Disseminarian partner, brought it around to the sense in which one is or isn't embodied on the Web. He had been persuaded that the Web has to be a degraded form of socialilty because it lacks a characteristic some feminists have pointed to as essential: touch. But he's rethinking this idea not because he thinks touch is less important but because he is reconsidering the nature of touch. (I'm sure I'm getting this at least somewhat wrong, and possibly entirely wrong. But he'll correct me.) This led to a discussion of the nature of sign, symbol and the sacrament. For me, it was like listening to technoids talking tech over my head, an experience I enjoy for reasons I may never understand.

Lots more good discussion as well.

AKMA did the live blogging thang here. So did Tripp Hudgins, whose comments I find fascinating because of the way they appropriate what I was saying into Tripp's faithful context. (Note: Tripp's entry is broken into three headings; I did go on too long.)

Posted by D. Weinberger at May 16, 2003 12:12 PM

TrackBack

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference An Evening at AKMA's:

» Lift from AKMA’s Random Thoughts
Sometimes, some circumstances make you feel like you can levitate out of The Matrix of life’s arrant frustrating gloomy nonsense on the strength of other people’s kindness. David Weinberger is a prince, and gave an absolutely first-rate pre... [Read More]

Tracked on May 16, 2003 11:47 PM

» AKMA on Weinberger in AKMA-land from Movable Theoblogical
AKMA, in blogging the presentation Weinberger gave at Seabury-Western A global recommendation system has sprung up, making us interested in things we never knew we would be interested in. While there’s value to straining toward objectivity, the Web pro... [Read More]

Tracked on May 17, 2003 10:17 PM

» World [Class] Series from AKMA’s Random Thoughts
I have only one disappointment with this winter-spring series of technology lectures at Seabury: that more people couldn’t find time to come to more of the lectures. From beginning to end, the series offered nutritious food for thought. If the se... [Read More]

Tracked on May 18, 2003 06:48 PM

» Getting up to speed on wikis from respice - prospice
Wikis are now on the radar screens of many of us grappling with using technology effectively in knowledge work. [Read More]

Tracked on August 24, 2003 04:50 PM

» Why I Like It Broken from AKMA’s Random Thoughts
Even though Liz graciously let us off the hook for dancing the night away in a trendy club (it had been a long day for Pippa, and we discerned that her role as entertainer to the faculty might expire if we neglected her weariness), still I didn’t... [Read More]

Tracked on January 31, 2004 09:09 AM

» Getting up to speed on wikis from McGee's Musings
Wikis are now on the radar screens of many of us grappling with using technology effectively in knowledge work. [Read More]

Tracked on February 4, 2004 12:30 PM

» Designer Handbags from Coach Handbags
I blog too and it's like really difficult when people aren't serious. So, i've spent more time promoting our prada handbags and designer handbag site. Designer Handbags. Check it if you want if not, i'll s... [Read More]

Tracked on January 23, 2005 12:16 AM

» Coach Handbags from Prada Handbags
I blog too and it's like really difficult when people aren't serious. So, i've spent more time promoting our prada handbags and designer handbag site. Coach Handbags. Check it if you want if not, i'll see ... [Read More]

Tracked on January 23, 2005 12:26 AM

» Weinberger at Seabury from Knowledge Jolt with Jack
I had hoped my first blog entry would be generated Thursday evening, but I was slow in getting this weblog rolling. David Weinberger spoke about Why the Web Matters at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. The occaision was the last of AKMA's monthly s... [Read More]

Tracked on June 24, 2005 06:00 PM

» Weinberger at Seabury from Knowledge Jolt with Jack
I had hoped my first blog entry would be generated Thursday evening, but I was slow in getting this weblog rolling. David Weinberger spoke about Why the Web Matters at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. The occaision was the last of AKMA's monthly s... [Read More]

Tracked on June 24, 2005 06:05 PM

Comments

Please visit my homepage.

Posted by: Chris Smith | August 2, 2004 12:03 AM

Post a comment

Guidelines for Commenting

Basically, you can say what you want. (Click here for the fine print.)

If you haven't left a comment here before, your comment may be put into a queue for me to approve. Sorry for the delay. Blame the damn spammers.