Across the Digital Divide

Highways and Buy-ways

2004-07-08T23:10:00.000-04:00

"The young people as well as the adults have the message of the billboard thrust upon them by all the arts and devices that skill can produce. In the case of newspapers and magazines, there must be some seeking by the one who is to see and read the advertisement. The radio can be turned off, but not so the billboard or street car placard. These distinctions clearly place this kind of advertisement in a position to be classified so that regulations or prohibitions may be imposed upon all within the class." --- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, 1932

When we refer to the internet as a highway, the Information Highway, I suppose billboards would be the spam cluttering that highway. As I travel the length of Interstate 40, I encounter countless billboards and relish those stretches of highway without obtrusive signage as dearly as downloading e-mail with the barrage of spam.

Admittedly as I approach a town I find myself referring to billboards to locate a hotel with high speed internet and as I empty another tank of gas, I scout for competitive gas prices. (I have paid as little as $1.68 in Jackson, Tennessee and as much as $2.49 near the Grand Canyon.) It would be nice to only have to see the information when we need it.

I can imagine a future where our cars will transmit a signal that will cause electronic sigs along the highway to change to fit our buying habits or needs. Perhaps the signs won't clutter the highway at all. The ads might display on devices in our cars or air through the car's radio or GPS system. in their book, Street Graphics and the Law, Daniel Madelker and William Ewald write, "Imagine the change in the view of America if signs and billboards spoke to us separately instead of screaming at us en masse. If the overhead utility cables were buried out of sight. If public rights-of-way (and parking lots) were landscaped. Consider what it would be like if you could find and read street names and house numbers easily, if symbols and roadside radio signaled to drivers 'where to find what' -- instead of the all-too-common verbose signs we have now."

Perhaps you remember that scene in Steven Spielberg's movie, Minority Report, when Tom Cruise's character, John Anderton, walks through a mall of the future in which window displays offer personalized sales pitches to him and other passing shoppers.

Search engines like Google and Yahoo already offer ads based on our searches, and Google's new g-mail service will actually tailor ads based on the content of the e-mail. Send a g-mail message to a friend about a book on politics you just read, and it will automatically contain links to vendors who sell the book and other ads that the computers at Google think might appeal to the reader. You may have noticed that the banner ad at the top of this blog changes with the content of the most recent post thanks to a similar automated process with Blogger.

I have seen a few unusual billboards on Interstate 40. In Tennessee I saw several billboards advertising vasectomy reversal only to be followed a few miles later by anti-abortion billboards and signs advertising adoption agencies. A hotel billboard in New Mexico advertised "Martians Welcome."

I have seen a few billboards with URLs for the advertiser's website and several electronic informational signs over I-40 in Arizona that refered drivers to a URL for road conditions. We've all seen signs giving an am radio station to tune into for road and weather conditions, but a URL? Obviously Arizona highway officials must assume that many travelers are carrying laptops.

My focus on technology caused me to misread one sign a few days ago in Arizona. It read "DSL $1.85" in large, bold letters. I had seen truck stops advertising Wi-Fi wireless internet, but wondered how much time online a traveler could get for $1.85. A few miles later it dawned on me that DSL was not a reference to a broadband internet connection but to diesel fuel!

Have you seen any unusual billboards along the highway this summer? Are you fed up with spam? Post a comment.

Politics and Technology

2004-07-06T05:28:00.000-04:00

"There is a connection waiting to be made between the decline in democratic participation and the explosion in new ways of communicating. We need not accept the paradox that gives us more ways than ever to speak, and leaves the public with a wider feeling than ever before that their voices are not being heard. The new technologies can strengthen our democracy, by giving us greater opportunities than ever before for better transparency and a more responsive relationship between government and electors." ---The Honorable Robin Cook

As I have traveled across the country, everyone has been interested in talking about the upcoming presidential election. I think it is interesting to consider how technology, particularly the internet, will impact presidential politics.

The internet was often touted for giving Howard Dean an early lead in the Democratic primary. Through the medium of the internet, he was able to rally support from constituents that are users of technology. Some critics have said that Dean utilized the internet more for organization building and networking than for communicating his stand on key issues. Though his hopes at a presidential bid were dashed by that fateful repetitive sound byte, Dean did draw attention to the internet as a viable campaign tool.

John Kerry’s campaign apparently has taken note. His internet presence enabled him to set a record for funding raising in a single day on the internet, $3 million. His campaign has raised over $54 million this year on the internet. (see “Clicking Into the Kerry Coffers for a One-Day Online Record,” July 1st, The New York Times) Kerry boasts over a million subscribers to an electronic newsletter from his website and has said that those subscribers will be the first to know his choice for running mate.

Blogging (posting online journals) will make history this year, or at least help cover history in the making, as bloggers are credentialed to provide coverage of the Democratic convention later this month in Boston. (see Democratic Convention Credentials Bloggers , June 21st, The New York Times) Democratic convention spokeswoman, Lina Garcia, says that “the Democrats consider blogs important for engaging younger voters and expanding journalism to the citizenry.” One advantage that bloggers have over traditional journalists is they don’t have to deal with editors or deadlines and will have more freedom to post their opinions.

Video games are even having a small influence in presidential politics as online video games are being developed with political themes. These games have been described as “one part political message, one part 1990's new-media optimism and one part computer animation.” While the games cost less to produce than political ads they have a narrow target audience. “Advocates say the game format offers a powerful new political vehicle. Traditional forms of political communication like advertising treat voters as passive recipients of rhetoric, they say, while games entice the potential voter to interact with the message.” I believe this trend represents the generational divide that I have been investigating. Those under 40 expect technology to be interactive while those over 40 are more generally content to be passive users. (see “In These Games, the Points Are All Political” July 1st, The New York Times)

Organizations like Moveon.org have demonstrated the power of the internet. This anti-Bush group has used the internet for fundraising and powerful networking and has been able to produce large numbers of members at political rallies with short online notice. Through sites like Moveon.org, voters can also sign on-line petitions and express their opinions. I have received many e-mails for groups and individuals asking me to relay messages to state and national politicians, to voice my opinion via technology.

At the very least, technology has made it easier to participant in our government. Isn't that what a democracy is all about?

See more campaign coverage from The New York Times

Post Script
Read about electronic voting in a column by David Pogue (July 8th, The New York Times)

Read about blogging at the Democratic convention (July 26th, The New York Times)

See "This Land is Your Land", the hottest internet political satire. This online video has been accessed by millions in the last few weeks. The creators have been featured on CNN, NBC Evening News, The Tonight Show and many other major programs.

What impact do you think technology is having/will have on politics? Post a comment.

Westward Ho!

2004-07-05T02:51:00.001-04:00

A few sidetrips off of I-40 this weekend:

The Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo, Texas

The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona is part of historic Route 66. These units are for rent and are fully furnished and air-conditioned.

The Petrified Forest National Park

The Painted Desert within the Petrified Forest National Park

Sedona, Arizona

The Grand Canyon

See a video clip of the Grand Canyon. (You will need Quicktime to view this video. Download Quicktime free.)

RV Campers Stay Connected

2004-07-04T00:24:00.000-04:00

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." --- Thoreau, from Walden

It was July 4th, 1845 when Henry David Thoreau began to spend both night and day in his cabin by Walden Pond. This July 4th, I am staying in a cabin in Williams, Arizona not far from the Grand Canyon. I wonder what Thoreau's Walden might have been like had he made entries in an on-line journal, or blog. Today it is becoming more difficult to completely retreat from society, if not altogether impossible. I wonder, do we really need to retreat from society to live deliberately?

While all of us are becoming more mobile and utilizing technology to do so, it should come as no surprise that RV enthusiasts are utilizing many new technologies as they retreat from the restraints of a traditional home and take to the open road. I have met some on this trip who have shared their experiences

The Hrapoffs have just finished a year long jaunt around the United States. I caught up with them at the Lester Flatt Memorial Campground in Vilonia, Arkansas where they'll park until hitting the road again this fall. George, a retired diesel engineer, and Glenda, a retired mail administrator, have embraced learning in their retirement and are enjoying their high-tech toys. "I took a semester class a few years ago to learn how to use the computer," Glenda said.

George laughs as he recalls a time before he was comfortable using technology. He was working on the engine of a large ship and no one could get it started using the computer on-board. He disconnected the computer from the engine, attached a 9 volt battery and got it started. Today he proudly shows me his Global Positioning System (GPS) and laptop computer and talks about the technology that runs his new truck and his RV. "The day of the cresent wrench and screwdriver is over," he declares.

He and Glenda live a completely wireless life now. They dropped their telephone service on their land line phone a year before they purchased their RV. Now they pay all their bills on-line and use wireless computer access to to correspond with family and friends with e-mail. They have especially enjoyed receiving pictures of their grandchild born just ten days ago. Their cell phone plan has a family plan so those calls are free. They have satellite television through DirecTV, as well.

"Some campgrounds have internet access, but it's limited and the connection isn't good," Glenda says. They met a camper in Arizona that who had wireless access who sold them on the new technology. They researched their options and chose Cingular.

While George has a GPS system to navigate on their trips, he has come to depend more on Glenda and her laptop computer. With wireless access, she is not only navigating and plotting their course, she is researching their destination on-line while they are in route. "I'm standing in awe of it all," Glenda admits.

"I'm so happy with what I can do." She can't imagine what conveniences the future might hold for her and George but guesses that things "will just keep getting smaller." As comfortable as she has become with technology, she can understand why others, particularly those of her generation are reluctant. "Feeling secure is an issue that keeps some from embracing technology. We've all heard so much about identity fraud that some people are scared," she notes.

As for Glenda and George? "We'll never go back!"

Further down the interstate I met Sandy and Terry Hays, owners of the Sallisaw Campground near Fort Smith, Oklahoma. In the four years that they have owned the campground, they have seen a lot of changes in the technology campers arrive with and the services they expect to have available to them.

They recently installed wireless internet technology at the campground enabling the campers to access the internet from their campsite through Hotspotzz. Service plans can be purchased through KOA or Hotspotzz or reasonable pay-as-you-go rates are available.

Sandy expected younger couples to make the most use of the technology they have to offer, but has noticed an older generation becoming computer literate. "They often say they are new to it, but they're making the effort; that's fun to see," says Sandy. "It's now part of their existence," she adds.

Sandy admits that it is her husband, Terry, that has stayed abreast of technology in their household. "He is trying to stay progressive and anticipate what they'll [campers] need." Terry and Sandy can sometimes feel a bit isolated with the demands of running the campground. They credit the computer for keeping them informed and connected to "the outside world." "We installed a new Dell computer in the office and are beginning to take reservations on-line," Sandy says.

"We used to have a payphone, but the telephone company removed it because enough calls weren't being made on it," Sandy says. They installed a land line in the office, but it is rarely used for anything except dial-up connections for those who haven't switched to wireless service. They now see campers sitting at their campsites talking on cell phones and downloading e-mail on laptops and handheld devices.

Sandy misses those old days a little. "People were more social before. They wanted someone to talk to when they came in off the road. Now they just hurry in and hurry out."

As the sun begins to set tonight, and it becomes harder to see how to type, I am interrupted by a couple from Tennessee. "You're not working are you?" the gentleman asks. "Not really," I said.

"I left my laptop at home, this time," he told me. "It's just not capable of doing what I want to do. I use an XP desktop computer at home. What would you recommend in a laptop?" After a little small talk about technology, he and his wife were off to their RV.

They probably had to make a few calls on their cellphone.

Check out a blog I came across recently by the Hoy family. This family of six is documenting their life on the road in an RV.

Oklahoma City National Memorial

2004-07-02T14:17:00.000-04:00

"We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity." --- Memorial Mission Statement

On April 19th, 1995 the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed in an act of domestic terrorism at 9:02 am. The memorial that occupies that site today remembers the victims of that tragedy and serves as an educational center. It offers hope for the future through documenting the way in which relief agencies and citizens rallied in response to this tragedy.

The design for the memorial park was selected from 624 proposals submitted from all over the world. The walls at the eastern and western ends of the reflecting pool are called "The Gates of Time." On the eastern wall is engraved 9:01 the moment before the explosion, the last moment of an innocent feeling of domestic security. The opposite wall is engraved with 9:03, the moment that lives in our nation were changed forever.

Outside of the Holocaust Museum in Washington,D.C., I don't think I have been so moved by a museum memorial. The Memorial Center Museum is well done, tasteful and honors the memory of those lost in the bombing. The displays recreate the events of that day and the subsequent recovery and impact. Oral histories from survivors and family members of victims make the tragedy personal.

Interactive displays educate visitors about the nature and reach of terrorism in the world. The museum also houses The Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. The institute's mission is to conduct "research into the social and political causes and effects of terrorism, as well as the development of technologies to counter biological, nuclear and chemical weapons of mass destruction and cyber-terrorism."

The Gates of Time motif is repeated in the Field of Empty Chairs memorializing each of the 168 lives that were lost in the bombing. The glass base bears the name of a victim and is illuminated at night. The chairs are arranged in rows that represent which floor of the building the victims were at the moment of the explosion. The smaller chairs represent the 19 children whose lives were lost. The grassed area where the chairs are situated is the space the federal building once occupied.

The chain link fence that surrounded the original bomb site immediately became a makeshift shrine to the victims. That fence now lines the west side of the memorial. Visitors and family members continue to leave tokens of expression along the wall. It is a solemn reminder of the humanity of those lost.

A statue of a weeping Jesus stands across the street from the memorial with his back turned away from the tragedy.

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

2004-07-01T03:05:00.000-04:00

Long trips used to bore me. The car was a place I had to sit still, keep relatively quiet and keep from agitating my younger siblings. My brother and sister and I would pass the time with games that children have played for generations:

 the license plate game: (version 1) spot license plates from as many different states as possible. (version 2) make up silly phrases from the letters on license tags.

 the alphabet game: spot things from your side of the road that begin with each consecutive letter of the alphabet. First one to “z” wins.

 the car game: (version 1) like the alphabet game, the point was to spot models of cars that corresponded to letters of the alphabet (A-Audi, B-Bonneville, C-Camero, etc). (version 2) be the first to spot a car of a certain color.

 the quiet game: the point was to see who could remain quiet the longest. (I believe this was my parents’ favorite.)

These games helped pass the time on the way to the beach, kept my siblings from fighting and kept my father from “turning the car around.”

On this cross-country trip, I have passed families watching DVDs, kids listening to music with headphones and kids playing video games. Traveling alone, I decided that I might get in a little reading. I always lament the fact that I have been so busy that I have gotten behind in pleasure reading.

My friend, Cathy, an English teacher and avid reader, told me to look into the audio books available for rental at Cracker Barrel. “Cracker Barrel rents books?” I asked. I had no idea. Before leaving Wilmington I stopped at a Cracker Barrel. They boast 37 restaurants on Interstate 40 alone. (There are 480 Cracker Barrels in 41 states.)

Audio books at Cracker rent for $3 per week. You purchase the book at regular audio book price, listen to it on your trip and turn it in as you pass another Cracker Barrel. They refund what you paid for the book (minus the $3, of course). The selection is fair, a decent selection of mysteries, thrillers and sentimental favorites, some non-fiction. Cassette and CD formats are available.

So far I have listened to Deception Point by Dan Brown, who wrote last year’s bestseller, The Da Vinci Code, part of a Dean Koontz mystery and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom; I had enjoyed his Tuesdays with Morrie.

If the selection of books at Cracker Barrel doesn’t suit you, you might check out Audio Adventures, located in 71 convenience stores along I-40 alone (550 locations nationawide). A $5 membership enables you to rent audio books for a one week period at a price from $3.90 to $13.50 based on the length of the book. I found their selection to be similar to that at Cracker Barrel, maybe a little better. They claim to release 50 new titles each month, mostly unabridged.

Another online resource for audio books is the website, Audible.com. With various membership options available, you can choose books, newspapers and radio programs to download for listening. These downloaded files can be listened to on your computer, transfered to an MP3 player or i-Pod, or burned to a CD for listening in your car. This company has been around since 1995, surviving longer than many other online services that never quite took off. Find out more about this service by reading Beyond Music: Downloading Audio Books, a Webtalk Radio Show interview with Audible.com founder, Don Katz. This service offers the best selection of all the services I have mentioned. Because it is online, the selections are more timely and varied. This might be the reason you learn to use an MP3 player. No need to buy one; a complimentary model comes with your membership.

Yet, if you prefer a print book on the road, Country Inns & Suites has a book lending program to support literacy. Borrow a book from one of their 300 locations and read it while you travel. You may keep the book or turn it in at another Country Inn & Suites. If you turn it back in, they make a $7 donation to literacy.

Links
Cracker Barrel Audio Books
Audio Adventures
Audible.com
Country Inn & Suites Book It Program

What are you reading this summer? Post your book recommendations here.

Heard Any Good Books Lately?

2004-06-29T01:54:00.000-04:00

I’ve never been a fan of audio books. There’s something about the feel of a real book that appeals to me. I like being able to pace myself, reading faster if the plot intensifies or slower if I am reflecting upon a thought. Reading has always felt like an active pursuit; listening to a book is just too passive. I’ve probably only listened to only a few books in my entire life, usually when traveling.

An elderly friend of mine who suffered from macular degeneration started listening to books when her eyesight began to fail her and did so right up to her death a few years ago. "Gee" was one of the most well-read people I knew. Her daughter, Ann, kept her supplied with her favorite authors and the most recent bestsellers with orders placed through the state public library. Gee would sit in a rocking chair on the front porch of her white frame two-story home listening to books and crocheting.

I enjoyed talking to Gee about books and politics. She had the kind of insight and wisdom that came from a lifetime of experiences. I thought about her this week when Bill Clinton’s My Life was released. Gee always said she would have had time to write her own memoir if she hadn’t stayed so busy following President Clinton’s exploits during his two terms in office. While I would rather have read Gee’s memoir, I decided to listen to Clinton’s for Gee.

I was driving through Nashville and stopped at the Barne's and Noble to buy the CD version of My Life. I knew I'd never find the time to get through this 957 pager. I asked the manager at the Barne's and Noble how sales were going. She said simply, “As expected” and would devulge no more. A politically correct answer for a political memoir, I suppose.

As I left Nashville for Memphis, I put the first of six CDs in the player and settled in for the six and ½ hour tale. (The audio version is abridged. President Clinton reads it.) It was a little like picking up a long winded hitchhiker with a pretty good vocabulary and a little bit of paranoia. I had seen some of the clips of interviews from “60 Minutes,” “Larry King Live,” “Oprah” and “The Today Show” which spoiled a few of the revelations.

By the time I got to Little Rock I had relived the Clinton years and could join the ranks of dedicated “readers” who made his memoir the best selling of all time. I was a little disappointed. Much of the book simply recounted the major events of his life and presidency that I had either already known or had followed during his terms of office. I don’t believe the lack of substantive detail can be blamed on the abridgement either, since reviewers of the print edition were left wanting as well. (I must admit, I did enjoy hearing that Clinton was an overweight band geek as a kid.) I would like to have heard more reflection upon the events rather than a retelling of them.

Have you read (or heard) President Clinton's memoir? If so, post a comment.

Presidential Library, Little Rock, AR

2004-06-29T01:53:00.000-04:00

I went by the site of the Clinton Presidential Library today. It is slated to open November 18th. The contemporary high-tech design of the structure reflects the theme of Clinton's second term, "Building a Bridge to the 21st Century," as it floats above the bank of the Arkansas River.

There is already a lot of interest and curiousity in the Presidential Library according to the young woman at the information kiosk inside the River Front Shops complex. A video there shows an artist's rendering of the finished library and park complex. She also sells Clinton mugs, pencils, buttons and t-shirts and fields questions about the Library. For $25 she will sell you a commemorative hard hat. She said that tourists often stop by to express their opinions about the former President. Women sometimes profess their love and others, usually men, sarcastically ask if Monica’s infamous dress will be displayed in the Library.

The owner of the nearby Olive Branch Deli looks forward to the Library’s opening. “We hope it will bring people to Little Rock. We aren't a tourist destination. People pass through here. Maybe this will make them stay."

The library isn't the only building being constructed in this part of Little Rock. A new Marriot Hotel is under construction and many area shops are undergoing renovations. The Community Bakery hopes it will be good for business. "There's not much going around here now. I think it will help." It seems that business has started looking up ever since the President announced he had chosen this site.

The Andina Coffee Shop is so excited by the prospect that the President might be spending some time in the area that it has named coffee blends after the Clintons, who were in the shop while Clinton was still President. The owner remembered the Clintons' favorite coffee and named special blends after them. Bill's Decaf Blend is described as "Well-balanced, Refined and Familiar. Powerful but Gentle. Ideal for those who have little time." Hillary's blend is described as "Elegant, Bright and Strong. Ideal blend for Cafe au-Lait. Stands up well to milk."

Walking in Memphis

2004-06-28T01:33:00.000-04:00

The Pyramid in Memphis is a thirty-two story complex that houses a 21,000 seat arena, galleries, meeting rooms and educational classrooms. NBA fans might already know that this is the home of the Memphis Grizzlies. The pyramid currently houses a special exhibit,"Master of Florence," which I enjoyed. Works by da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and other masters who were supported by the powerful Medici family are on loan from Florence, Italy for this popular exhibition. These works of art were commissioned at the height of the Renaissance when artists were also architects, engineers and inventors.

The Lorraine Motel in Memphis was the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s asassination in 1968.

The Lorraine Motel has been turned into The National Civil Rights Museum. The museum chronicles the civil rights movement in America. It was a moving experience to review our nation's civil rights history as I have never known a segregated society. It was particularly moving to see an African American mother explaining the exhibits to her young daughters. Hopefully the events portrayed in the exhibit are as foreign to their experience as to mine.

A wreath hangs on the balcony where King was shot.

Now Showing: Fahrenheit 9/11

2004-06-27T00:43:00.000-04:00

"Nobody listens any more. . . . I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it'll make sense." --- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

This weekend I joined many across the nation who took in Michael Moore’s latest unabashedly political documentary, “Fahrenheit 9/11.” In fact, I saw it twice. It earned a reported $21.8 million dollar box office for the weekend, making it the weekend’s number one film. This is a first for a documentary. Like “The Passion of the Christ” released earlier this year, this film is destined to spark controversy and debate, even among those who refuse to see it.

Though the film’s primary focus is the aftermath of 9/11 and the war on terrorism, it puts those events into the context of the Bush presidential victory, which Moore has long disputed. It is as if we pick up our public conversation with Moore where we last left it, on stage at the Oscars. Moore begins “Fahrenheit 9/11” by reminding the audience about the controversy surrounding Bush’s election and the problems plaguing the early days of the Bush administration. Through these reminders Moore illustrates how the President’s approval rating has benefited from the tragedy on September 11th..

I am pleased that Moore chose not to show the images of the World Trade Center towers falling. Instead he focuses on the reactions of the people in the street who witnessed the event. The way in which they cry out to God at the tragedy is balanced with similar laments later in the film from Muslims after the United States bombs the home of an Iraqi civilian. It is that kind of juxtaposition of images that gives Moore’s documentary its power.

After first showing us the reaction of New Yorkers in the streets on 9/11, Moore shows us President Bush, who proceeds with a photo op in an elementary school even after hearing the news of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center. When he is told about the second crash he continues to sit for nearly seven minutes as the class reads My Pet Goat. I have heard that the footage was shot by the teacher whose classroom he was visiting. It is disturbing.

We generally give those who experience something shocking the benefit of a doubt, admitting that we don’t know how we would react. In this case though, we do know how we reacted. Where were you on September 11th, 2001? Most of us can say. Most of us were glued to the television awaiting news, hoping the loss might not be as terrible as it appeared it would be. I was also trying to get a call through to friends in New York to see if they were okay. Weren’t there calls our President should have been making? Wouldn’t he have been curious enough to adjourn to another classroom to turn on CNN?

Moore makes much of Vice-President Cheney’s association with Halliburton, the company poised to benefit greatly from contracts with the US government for work in Iraq. The Bush family’s long standing association with Saudi Arabia is also targeted. While the film is highly critical of the Bush administration, it is also highly critical of Democrats for not doing more to contest the President’s election victory and the Patriot Act. Moore is also critical of the mainstream media for not asking some of the questions he asks in his film.

While his tactics and tone are distasteful to some, I believe the questions he raises are important for us to consider. Most critics have noted that in “Fahrenheit 9/11” we see less of Moore and have less of his bitter sarcasm. Some fans of that tone may find this disappointing. We laugh less in this film, but for good reason. These are sobering issues.

Throughout I found myself asking, as I always do in a Moore documentary, "How did he ever get that footage?" "How did he get them to say that?" Don't people know who Michael Moore is by now? Some congressmen certainly did, given the way some cleverly dodged him on the streets of Washington when he was trying to drum up support for sending the chldren of congressmen to fight in the war in Iraq. And what about that karaoke segment when John Ashcroft sings "Let the Eagle Soar," a song he apparently wrote. When I saw the movie trailer online, I was certain that Moore had created that with digital technology. It illustrates again that truth is often stranger than fiction.

While much of the archival footage Moore uses is familiar to viewers, he manages to secure some other powerful images. We see abuse of Iraqi prisoners and realize that apparently the abuse was not limited to the confines of Abu Ghraib prison as we have been led to believe. One section I found particularly disturbing was US soldiers talking about the technology that allows them to listen to CDs while firing upon the enemy. Soldiers share their favorite music to kill by.

The issues of an unchecked government and censorship which Moore documents are the very themes of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 to which Moore’s film alludes. I enjoyed this science fiction allegory which I was growing up. In it Bradbury addresses the McCarthyism of the 1950’s and the power that editors exercise over the creativity of authors. This message is relevant today as Moore has struggled to find a distributor for his film and as groups have worked to remove commercials for the film from the media.

An indisputable strength of the documentary is the story of Lila Lipscomb who loses her son in Iraqi during the making of the documentary. This Flint, Michigan woman’s support of the President, the military and the war is established before her son is deployed and we see how her loss affects her perspective. She reads a letter she received after her son’s death in which he expresses hope that President Bush won’t be re-elected. These sequences are genuine and emotional. Documentary film holds this kind of potential because turns of events like this can’t be anticipated. Moore hopes that the opinions of others will be transformed through his film.

I liked the film and see it as an example of what is good about our country. It is imperative that dissenting opinions like Moore’s can be heard. Both audiences I saw the film with applauded at the end of the film. One elderly lady turned to me as I left the theatre and said, "I expected it to be more political." Everyone was engaged in so kind of animated conversation as they left.

This may not be our only opportunity to see a political documentary this summer. "The'R' Word," a documentary about conservatives in Hollywood, and a yet untitled documentary about John Kerry are scheduled for release later this year.

I hope others will celebrate our independence this July 4th by seeing this film and engaging in conversations of their own about the important issues it raises.

To learn more about this movie or any other, consult the Internet Movie Database, a comprehensive online resource for film. Check for show times of "Fahrenheit 9/11" in your area.

Post Script
Friends and Foes of 'Fahrenheit' Lobby Everyone
The New York Times
June 30, 2004

More on Moore's film, including Time magazine articles on the impact the film is having.

Have you seen “Fahrenheit 9/11”? Post your reaction to the film.

Cell Phone Etiquette

2004-06-26T23:53:00.000-04:00

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
-- Western Union internal memo, 1876

This morning at breakfast I noticed something that is all too commonplace. At the table to the right sat two friends, one was talking on his cell phone; at the table on my left, a mother and son; the mother was deep into a cell phone conversation. While cell phones are often lauded for keeping us in touch with family and friends, cell phones are also becoming responsible for distancing us from those who are physically in our presence.

The behavior has a rudeness about it when observed, especially when the conversation becomes loud when reception began to fail. (Note: When a call begins to break up, talking louder doesn’t help.) The gentleman at the table to my right not only raised his voice as the signal faded but got left his friend at the table while he wandered around the restaurant trying to improve his reception. The mother on my left continued to talk as her son was forced to delay placing his order. Why is it that the person on the cell phone trumps the one present?

An article in today’s New York Times addressed this cultural trend, "I Want to Be Alone. Please Call Me." (a free registration may be necessary to see article) It relates the story of a woman who refused to turn off her cell phone on a plane as required before take-off. She became physically defensive and was ultimately removed by force. She claimed it would have been rude to hang up on her caller.

The Times article refers to a theory called “actor-observer paradox.” We can see the rude behavior when others do it, but not when we behave rudely with our own cell phone. I’m sure I am as guilty as any of the other 280 million cell phone users in the US. James Gleick, the author of several books on technology, offers some excuse in the article. "We should recognize that we're on a technological roller coaster and things are changing fast and there are levels of rudeness that we are just discovering." He believes that our good manners will follow as we catch up with technology. He says, “It takes time for a culture to adapt.”

Another article in today’s Times dealt with another gray area in the ethics of cell phone use, "For Liars and Loafers, Cellphones Offer an Alibi." Because we are so well-connected, technologies are rising up to resist it. Cell phones are being developed with built-in sounds to simulate background noises of other environments, allowing the user to disguise his true location to a caller.

Another phenomenon the article describes is a cell phone based “alibi club” where members can be contacted to make excuses by cell phones to bosses, spouses, blind dates, etc. The group’s founder got the idea on a trip to Europe. That group has since disbanded because of some of the ethical issues involved.

Post Script (june 29, 2004)
Today's New York Times ran On the Road: Want to Be Unpopular? Start With a Cellphone, primarily experiences and opinions submitted since last week's articles on the cellphone. Thought you might want to check it out.

Do you have cell phone stories to share? Then put away that cellphone and tell us about it. Post a comment here.

You Can't Go Home Again

2004-06-24T23:45:00.000-04:00

“We are always acting on what has just finished happening. It happened at least 1/30th of a second ago. We think we're in the present, but we aren't. The present we know is only a movie of the past.” --- Thomas Wolfe

The historic Thomas Wolfe Memorial, The Old Kentucky Home boarding house in Asheville, NC, stands in the shadow of the modern twelve story Renaissance Hotel. The 218 rooms of the Renaissance are equipped with conveniences like high speed internet access and satellite TV. When Julia Wolfe sent young Tom to the train station to distribute business cards to drum up borders for The Old Kentucky Home, it wasn’t the newly installed electricity she advertised or the indoor plumbing; it was the “large lawns” and the “new furnishings.” Both structures represent a culture, an age, a mindset.

Steve Hill, Historic Site Manager of The Thomas Wolfe Memorial since 1977, recognizes the contrast. “I have a foot in both worlds here.” He doesn’t hesitate to admit, though, his own distaste for technology, particularly computers. “They have become a modern day excuse for people not to do what’s supposed to be done.” He sees technology as cold and impersonal, creating “a barrier that we can hide behind.” “ I think it’s why I majored in history,” says Hill. “I enjoy looking back more than looking forward.”

Hill appreciates the “old technologies,” the ones that Thomas Wolfe would have known when the Wolfe boarding house was in its prime. “I always wish I could have been around to see that technology in place, when things that were being built improved everybody’s existence. I can’t say that with the stuff that we have today; it’s impersonal.”

Hill also laments how quickly new technologies become outdated. “I am always amazed at how fast things develop, become mature and obsolete.” A technology purchase today is no longer current by the time we get it home. Hill finds that disconcerting. While new technologies were being developed at the turn of the century, “it wasn’t coming at you in such a barrage.”

Thomas Wolfe’s Asheville had its innovations. It was, in fact, the 2nd city in the nation to have an electric street car system. By just some twenty years after the end of the Civil War, the residents of Asheville had a water and sewer system. Electricity was available to them. "I always wish I could have been around to see that technology in place,” Hill says. “ It had a beauty along with it, not just the cold stare of a computer.” “These things were meant to be servants, but we are being commanded by these things.”

When the Wolfe home was tragically damaged by an arsonist in 1997, Hill turned to traditional local craftsmen and modern technology to chart an extensive restoration. “A lot of what we were able to accomplish with the restoration has come through technology.” The precision of high-tech tools and modern synthetic materials allowed restorers to save more of the original structure, blending the additions almost seamlessly. While the home is now guarded by infrared laser motion detectors, protected by a modern sprinkler system and climate-controlled by a computer-driven heating and cooling system, it remains hard to notice. The modern additions have been added unobtrusively with the bulk of the new technology relegated to the attic and basement. The restored house opened to the public again a few weeks ago in a special dedication ceremony.

Hill admits to the usefulness of technology, but abides by his reluctance to become too dependent on it. He recognizes that the younger members of his staff embrace technology in ways that he doesn’t. He anticipates a retirement when he can leave behind some of the technologies that are essential to his managerial position. “I’ll let others deal with technology. They enjoy it. There are people here who enjoy this technology more than I do, I’m going to let them deal with the technology part of it.” Hill would like to spend more dealing with the home’s history and with people. “I’m afraid we are moving away from what made us strong people able to develop all these things. We don’t rely on ourselves; we rely on things.”

“Technology is here,” Hill admits, “and we’ve got to contend with it. There’s no escaping it.” Like Wolfe who reminded us that we can’t go home again, Hill knows that as enticing as it might be, we can’t go back to that time in history before technology was such a large part of our lives.

Mrs. Sallie West, Morganton,NC

2004-06-23T23:54:00.000-04:00

“I figured if a third grader could use a computer, I could too,” said Sallie West, who after 92 years hasn’t lost her adventure for life. Mrs. West and her husband, Robert, are a delightful couple who have lived full lives, taking advantage of opportunities to travel and to learn.

“I figure, I’ve tried everything else. I might as well try that,” she said. “I couldn’t even imagine a computer when I was young. Why, I came from the horse and buggy days.” Recently she bought her first computer and began taking classes at the local community college. “I can’t understand why other people don’t try,” she says.

Sallie does more than try. Besides using the computer for word processing, e-mailing family and searching the internet, she has learned to trade stock online. “I’ve enjoyed it,” she says. “You can get on your PC and get stock reports. Before I buy one, I want to know what it looks like. So I get a report on it from somebody. If I think it looks pretty good. I go ahead and buy it. I’ve bought a stock and turned around and sold it the same day.” She laughs. “It’s kind of wild.”

“After I exercise, I sit down at the computer to work. I keep up with it. I see what my stock has done each day. It gives me something to do.” Something to do indeed. In April Mrs. West made about $35,000. “All my family was against it at first. They thought I was gonna lose my shirt, I think,” she laughs. “You can, you know.”

We talked about how things have changed since the Wests were married in 1935. “We’ve lived through a really wonderful period in history.” The Wests were traveling in Utah when they received news of the moon landing. They stopped the car and listened to the report on the radio. “I was staring at the moon,” Sallie said. “I never dreamed that anybody would make it to the moon. Imagine what you have ahead of you,” she says to me. “You will probably travel in space yourself, by the time you are my age.”

The Wests were interested in my cross-country trip, but they have had some exciting road trips of their own. In 1969 they quit their jobs, put their furniture in storage and drove the Alcan Highway in Alaska. They were on the road for 51 days putting over 9,000 miles on their RV. “We said if we were going to do it, we’d better go now. We’re not getting any younger.” That was 35 years ago!

When I grow up, I want to be like Sallie West.

See a video clip of Mrs. West's interview. (You will need Quicktime to view this video. Download Quicktime free.)

Do you know a senior citizen who has embraced technology? Post a comment here.

Hi-Fi Wi-Fi Still a Little Sci-Fi

2004-06-22T23:55:00.000-04:00

"Can you hear me now??" ---Verizon cell phone guy

We've all experienced it. We're making an important call in the car along some busy thoroughfare and for no apparent reason, we lose our reception. It happens so commonplace that the Verizon television ad immediately became part of the collective American vernacular. Given that frustration, I'm not sure why I expected anything more from a wireless broadband internet connection.

Before I set out for Barstow, California, I was determined to be equipped to receive a Wi-Fi signal on my laptop computer, even though Broadband internet access is readily available in most major hotel chains these days. My experiences of the past week or so amount to a crash course in Wi-Fi.

Technically known as an 802.11b network connection, Wi-Fi has been around for a while but is becoming more and more common as our desire to be mobile increases. While most laptop computers and handheld devices come equipped with wireless technology today, I would need a wireless card since I am taking a Gateway laptop running Windows 98 on this trip. I installed a Linksys Broadband B wireless card and accompanying router (your cable or DSL ethernet cord plugs into this). The installation was fairly straightforward and cost less than $100 at Wal-Mart. (Already a G model is available that provides an even faster connection.)

The card and router worked fine at home, but I wanted to test how it worked on the road. I searched an on-line directory of "hotspots" at to see where wireless internet connections are available. There were none in North Wilkesboro (surprise, surprise,) so I opted to try out my new technology in Winston-Salem. I had heard that Starbucks has made wireless internet access a priority for their nationwide chain, so I dropped in for a "venti skinny latte" and a little internet surfing. After several unsuccessful attempts to connect, a polite teenage barrista explained that internet access was by subscription through T-Mobile Wireless. The service was $9.99 per day or $39.99 per month. I suppose I should have expected nothing less from a place that successfully markets a $5 cup of coffee.

I tried another hotspot, this time in Boone, and this hotspot wasn't even lukewarm. The bagel shop was clearly listed in the Wi-Fi directory. After an obligatory bagel, I tried unsuccessfully to go online. Still thinking I was just not "getting it," I asked the waitress, a no nonsense kind of girl, for assistance. She replied,"Wi-Fi? What? We don't even have a fax machine in this place, let alone a computer." Foiled again.

Not one to throw in the towel too early, I decided to give it a final try. I used my cell phone to call a friend I knew would be close to her computer and guided her to the hotspot directory to find yet another test site in Boone. Across the street at Jimmy's Java my Wi-Fi nightmare came to an end. I easily logged onto the internet and sent a few e-mails, "just because I could." (I've seen that Clinton sound byte one too many times this week!)

I arrived in Wilmington, where my adventure was set to begin, fully confident that I possessed the power of Wi-Fi. My hopes were nearly dashed at Port City Java when I failed to get a strong enough signal to go online. I shifted, angled and contorted, but it just wouldn't connect. When I asked the cashier she said matter of factly, "Sometimes it just doesn't work." (Profound, I thought.) "I can turn it off and back on again," she proffered. "That's about all I know to do." I thanked her, finished my latte and headed for the car, my confidence a bit deflated. Before I put the computer away, I obsessively made one final attempt from the parking lot. Eureka! A strong signal! The internet! E-mail! And from the parking lot, no less.

So now when I have checked out of my hotel and still have a few pressing things to do on the internet, I may just cruise through a parking lot and pick up stray Wi-Fi signals. I read about this; it's called "chalk warring" or "war driving." Unencrypted signals from homes and businesses can often be "borrowed." It doesn't diminish their signal, but it's not altogether ethical either. Of course, I'm no hacker. I hardly know what to do with my own computer. What would I do on someone else's hard drive? I'm learning though. I hear a Pringle's can is capable of boosting the signal. I'll try that next time!

Post Script
Read Wi-Fi Expands Its Reach (July 27, 2004 The New York Times).

What are your experiences with Wi-Fi technology? Is your computer wireless? Post a comment and let me know.

Gingrich Pushing 'Wired' Hospitals

2004-06-22T23:45:00.000-04:00

Newt Gingrich Pushing 'Wired' Hospitals

Read this in today's New York Times. It is perhaps the first thing that Newt Gingrich has ever said that I have agreed with. He was speaking today at a conference dedicated to exploring ways to improve health care through technology. I believe Gingrich is correct in asserting that many deaths could be avoided if the health care system utilized technologies available to them. He says that 98,000 people die each year because of medical errors and proposes the development of a multi-billion dollar infrastructure to improve health care efficiency.

Last week when my father was in the hospital, I noticed something I had never seen as nurses made their rounds. The nurse first scanned a bar code on my father's hospital ID bracelet using a wireless scanner. The computer on her nurse's cart had a flat screen monitor that responded by opening my father's chart where she entered his temperature and blood pressure and from which she saw which medications he had been ordered. How many times have folks you have known told horror stories of medicines administered to the wrong patient or procedures performed on the wrong patient. I'm sure this system has lowered the rate of mistakes due to fatigue, apathy or the demands of a stressful workplace. Implementing the "paperless health-care system" that Gingrich proposes might restore some trust in our medical system.

Have you experienced a new technology in your health care recently? Post a comment and let me know.

The Generational Divide

2004-06-21T22:09:00.000-04:00

Last week my mother shared a comment my nephew Hunter had made when he had spent the night at my parents' house. He said, "Grandma, I wouldn't mind staying here so much if you had a computer." Hunter is five and was navigating his way through Nickelodeon's Nick, Jr. website since he was two or three years old and appeared to intuitively know how to manipulate a remote control. He leaves behind a lot of technology when he pays his grandparents a visit. It's no longer "over the river and through the woods" to the grandparents' house anymore. Youngsters often cross a generational digital divide in getting there.

I remember well feeling the same way when I spent much of my summer break at the grandmother's along the New River in Ashe County. You see, she only got one television station, channel 12 from Bristol, Tennessee. The TV was generally off and unplugged except when it was time for the national news and "The Newly Wed Game" (my grandmother was an addict when it came to the Newly Wed Game). Although I felt like was leaving behind a lot of modern conveniences, it doesn't seem so in retrospect. At that time we only got about three of the regular VHS channels, 5 (NBC), 3 (CBS) and 13 (PBS) with a rotary antennae on top of the house. Channel 8 (ABC) was intermittent. Where Hunter and his older brother, Houston (14), and sister, Molly (11), are skilled in a host of Playstation 2 games, I had a primitive Atari system and played Pac Man at a local arcade.

I suppose nothing points out the divide that exists between the worlds of grandchildren and their grandparents more than the gadgets surrounding them. When Houston (the 14 year old) visits my parents, he comes equipped with the laptop he got for Christmas and stays a bit frustrated with the slow dial-up connection from their house. He IMs his friends and probably feels pretty connected. He got a cell phone for his birthday, a cool one of course. I still carry the little black Motorola that came with my plan a few years ago. I'm sure if I had a child I'd want him to carry a phone, a virtual leash, of sorts.

It was a little refreshing to unplug my answering machine as I left for this trip, imagining that I was somehow slipping away unnoticed. There's nothing more frustrating than returning from a long trip with dozens of messages, hang-ups, tele-marketers, etc. I don't know why I should feel so liberated. I have packed more mobile technology than I can possible carry alone. Besides my basic cell phone (with a new Nationwide plan), I have my Gateway laptop (newly equipped with a wireless card), an Apple i-Book (for editing digital video), a Canon XL-1 digital video camera, a Kodak digital camera, a new Olympus digital audio recorder and "Naturally Speaking" voice-recognition software. I hope to use this time on the road to increase my technology skills as I learn to use these new high-tech toys.

Well,Port City Java in Wilmington is closing; it's time to go. I have been accessing free Wi-Fi here this evening. (More on my Wi-Fi experiences later.)

In the meantime, I'd love for you to post a comment about the differences in technology that exist between you and your grandparents.

Detour

2004-06-14T00:48:00.000-04:00

As I was getting ready to leave today, I received news that my father has been admitted to the hospital with chest pains. I will be postponing the trip a few days until test results come in.

Update:

After a brief "detour" I am happy to report that my father is doing well. He had a stint implanted in a blocked artery and is feeling much better. Thanks for your concern.

I am finally on the road. More to come...

Itinerary

2004-06-09T21:54:00.000-04:00

"We must get beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey." --John Hope Franklin

My trip will take me across the United States on Interstate 40 from Wilmington, North Carolina to Barstow, California. I will travel through North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California for a total of 2,555.10 miles.

If you've visited the cities along this route, I'd love to hear your recommendations for places and people to see. You can e-mail me privately from my profile or post a comment here.

Background

2004-06-06T01:56:00.000-04:00

"I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them." --- Isaac Asimov

Our lives are full of devices, machines, appliances, gadgets, contraptions, dohickeys, doodads, gizmos, thingamajigs, and whatchamacallits. Our fascination with the novel fuels inventions that quickly reach obsolescence. What are the implications? What are the limits? What is progress? Is there a price to pay?

There is an obvious difference in the way those over 40 and those under 40 respond to these new technologies. As a 40 year old I find myself fluctuating between the two groups as I get excited about the new tools available to employ at work and at home yet feel apprehensive that I might not be successful. I am interested in knowing what motivates people to embrace new technologies and what impedes others. I want to explore how technological advances represent progress for some and a cause for alarm for others.

This summer I will be driving across the country on an interstate highway built to connect the eastern and western parts of the United States in much the same way that the Information Highway connects us to the global village. While both have provided greater access and speed, they can be distant and impersonal. I plan to venture off the interstate highway and visit some of the people and places on roads "less traveled." I will collect these virtual oral histories using digital audio and video recorders and engage in learning new technologies myself (this blog among them).

In preparation for my trip I have revisited Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon and Working and Hard Times by Studs Turkel, the noted oral historian. A colleague on the Teacher Leader Network, Brenda Dyck of Canada, recently posted an article from the Milken Family Foundation that addresses the generational divide that I am investigating on my journey. I found it very interesting. I hold strongly that this generation of students will require different methods of instruction and teachers will be challenged to meet the demands of tech-savy students.

I invite you to read "The Net Generation and the School" by Don Tapscott.

I hope you will share your thoughts on the article by posting a comment here. I'd love to hear your personal experiences with technology too.