With 200,000 sign-ups daily, Facebook has become the social software phenomenon of 2007, according to New Scotsman newspaper. Facebook has been added to the 2008 edition of the Collins English Dictionary as both a trademarked noun (the site) and as a verb – ‘to facebook’ – meaning to search the Facebook profile of someone.
This underlines the way in which social software is fast becoming mainstream, as opposed to a youth culture fad. Businesses are rapidly developing Facebook profiles and developers are producing new applications for Facebook each day. And that is part of its success – its open architecture enables it to grow organically as people see new ways to use the medium to make new socail connections and build larger or more specialised relationship networks as appropriate.
Alongside Facebook, related words have also been added – like an extension to the current definition of ‘poke’ to take account of its specific usage on Facebook. According to Collins Dictionary, Facebook was recommended ten times more than any other word in the dictionary’s webiste for a new listing.
It just goes to show that the dynamic nature of English is undiminished – in fact, quite the reverse!
Posted by Jerry on December 16th, 2007 — Posted in DIY, Journal, Theory
Sharon has been blogging lately about the notion of slow craft and slow cloth – as aspects of the Slow Movement. The aims and aspirations are laudable, because there is so much emphasis these days on craft in the fast lane – make this thing in 15 minutes and watch it break the record for the fastest gift to go from wrapper to bin…
I guess my table is an example of slow craft – showing respect to the origins of the timber (the tree that burnt in our yard during the Canberra Bushfires), and producing something irrespective of the time taken to produce it, and with the greatest of care in the making. And sure, I use machines where my hand skill is not up to the task, leaving me the time to do the processes I can do well by hand.
Years ago I had a blacksmith’s forge in my back yard and made some nice fire tools and brackets for hanging baskets and stuff like that. I guess that too could be called slow craft – I knew the sources of all the materials, I even built the forge myself using an old metal desk and a vacuum cleaner working in reverse. Using coal and coke I could get welding temperature on that thing!
There is an environmental aspect to the slow craft philosophy. And here is where I wonder if I come unstuck? It’s great and very satisfying to make something yourself. And it’s great to take the time to develop a real skill, like playing your own music. But my forge? I was burning coal – very inefficiently which would have produced more greenhouse gases in in a hour than my car ever would in a week. Now imagine if everyone did that! At least big industry has SOME regulations about operating cleanly and safely – and they have the resources to develop catalytic converters to reduce the bad stuff. I certainly don’t – not for a home-scale forge. I was in Papua New Guinea some years ago and found that out in the villages you could rarely see the stars at night – because everyone had open cooking fires, and home forges – it was as polluted as any major city I’ve been in!
And my table? Yes I used ethically produced timber, but the machines I bought in order to do my own processing – imagine the resources used in China to make my jointer and the drill and the circular saw and the industrial processes for making the sandpaper I used and the electricity to run those inefficient home-level machines – I wonder if my table cost more than I realised, not just in the investment of money on tools, but in the environmental impact of producing these specialised machines for me to use rarely and on occasion just because I feel like making something with care myself with fresh tree timber or recycled pallets. Hmmm…
Now don’t get me wrong – this is not to denigrate the slow craft movement – and part of it is to make something once. With care. For life. And that is a great way to live. One of the reasons we bought just one car, and have driven the same car since 1984 is that the resources that go into producing a car can’t really be justified for the sake of change of style every couple of years. I guess my point is that we need to look carefully at the cost – including to the environment – of individual production versus well-resourced larger production. And to make reasoned informed choices.
I think Linn makes a good point – that there are some things we produce quickly to satisfy a need – like a quickly made blanket to keep out the cold, and there are other things that are produced quickly as a step in another process, so as long as it is fit for purpose it can be made quickly and without elegance – it does the job. Then there are those things we make because there is meaning in it – like my table, or my violin – and these are made with care and as much skill as can be brought to bear and taking as much time as it takes to do it right the first time. And these will last a lifetime. I guess the idea is to strike a balance based on the purpose and meaning that each object has, and to be aware of all of the resources that go into things – then make the decision as to whether or not to consume it, or to make it, or to keep it simple.
With my table I made a conscious decision that it would not be a Malaysian rainforest timber mass produced number, but balanced that with the knowledge that the power tools I have mean I can get sufficient accuracy to produce it myself.
The same goes for textiles: if you are quilting – sure assemble it with a sewing machine – especially if it frees you the time to hand-embroider the seam embellishments.
My jointer means I can recycle pallet timber that would otherwise have just been burnt. It also meant that I could produce a professional edge to make a seamless table top and allow me to make something beautiful in honour of the tree that saved our house. And I think that is what it’s all about. Doing it reflectively and with consideration.
I was bigly in need of a spill chocker when I was pinted in the generic disruption of this video! Thanks to Christy Dena for bringing this to my intention 🙂
Posted by Jerry on December 3rd, 2007 — Posted in Journal, Music
Adelaide was bright and warm when we landed at the airport, and Bruce our bass player was there to greet us and take us to our accommodation, then to the venue. I was disappointed to see my fiddle arrive, not at the ‘fragile items’ section, but on the baggage conveyor with all the suitcases – not a good look for Virgin Blue Airlines. At least the small crack should be easily repaired. To their credit they allowed me to take the fiddle as a carry-on bag for the return journey – this should be the norm for hand-held musical instruments.
The RSL hall in Norfolk Street off Marion Road was well appointed and served the Royal Artillery Reserve well – and it was time for their Christmas dinner dance. We used a local sound engineer and sound system so we could just bring the essentials, and spent about an hour on a sound check – this being the first time my new pickup was being used in earnest. I quickly dispensed with the pedal as the sound was great going straight into the mixing desk. I highly recommend “The Band” made by Headway – really good acoustic sound from the fiddle and without the breathy bowing sounds. And Rob the sound engineer was excellent at pulling the sound together in just the right way.
The crowd had a great time and there were presentations from their unit commander. And we sang “Only nineteen” and “Band played Waltzing Matilda” and the audience really got into the mood for the evening
After the dinner was cleared away the audience really got into the music and we took it from mood to mood, building to a fast tempo at the end
And that was just the beginning… After the show we unwound with a session back at the unit commander”s house where we were staying, and then Saturday saw us head out to see the city. It had changed a lot since I was last there.
The following night at the Sergeant’s Mess at Keswick Barracks it was like the first night had just been a rehearsal by comparison. A much bigger crowd turned up and as soon as the dinner servery was cleared away they were ready to dance – we called several dances – and sang songs and we finished up about 1.00AM – we had a great time and the audience loved every minute.
A couple of people had video cameras and we’re hopeful that soon we’ll be able to bring you some of the footage – so watch this space!
It all started with a pen. It rolled off the back of the desk and I didn’t hear it hit the floor. When I went exploring I encountered a tangled mess and enough dust to build a nest in.
I had read earlier of methods of decluttering cables – most of which seemed to involve specialised racks from IKEA. It was time to get creative. Howards Storage supplied a couple of wire baskets and Woolworths supplied the six-way socket and it fitted the baskets perfectly. I also had to get the DSL modem off the ground too. I decided that although rear installation would hide the cables effectively, there were times when you need to see which lights are flashing, so I decided on a front mount beneath the desk, but still off the floor.
And here is the result – four screws (supplied with the racks) mounted the whole lot in a neat fashion and the wires were each coiled out of the way. I used some velcro cable ties from Clints Discount Warehouse to keep the coils together. The whole lot took about 15 minutes and the result is an easy access for the vacuum cleaner and a neat arrangement of cables tucked well out of the way. Now to tackle the entertainment system!
Thanks to Sharon for the link to the declutterer 🙂
