The Existential Blues Archives - Vol. 1

Other Volumes:
the Existential Blues Archives - Volume 2
the Existential Blues Archives - Volume 3
Volume 4 of the Archives (kinda scary, huh?)

the existential blues

August 11, 1995, 12:30pm CDT

If a web page falls in the cyberspace, does it make a sound? Welcome to my little corner of cyberspace. The only question is "Where are we?"

Actually, that's not the only question. We might also ask:

At an Internet presentation in Birmingham, AL, a representative of MCI described cyberspace as that point where two voices meet along a telephone line.

Where am I? Well, I prepared this update to my personal page on an American Airlines flight somewhere over Amarillo, TX. On my way FROM Colorado Springs, Colorado going TO Dallas, Texas (sounds like cyberspace to me).

Now, where are you? Are you sitting beside me as I type? Or am I with you in your office, study, den, bedroom? Do we meet half way (in space and time) in some sort of electronic netherworld?

Are we alone?

Keep repeating: "I'd rather have this bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."

The Existential Blues

For me (and I'm sure many of you) music has the wonderful ability to transport us a different, and often specific, place and time. I listen to music a lot of the time, often on the radio, so a single song is often repeated over and over within a specific context. If I like the song then the process is enhanced because I will buy the album.

For example, "Green Tambourine" is forever associated with the time I lived in Kansas City, twenty two years ago. I was a young adult, a rebellious child of the sixties, just starting my career. I was married there and my first child was conceived there. We only lived there a few months. The winter's are frigid with snow that falls 'loudly,' filled with ice, not quietly like the snow in Colorado. We lost power in the apartment with temperatures down in the teens. We had to drive into Kansas to finally find a restaurant with electrical power for a hot meal. And on and on..... The memories flood back.

The boys were all born in Texas. We lived there for seventeen years. About the time we had to leave, we discovered The Indigo Girls and their album, "Nomads, Indians and Saints." We return to Texas when we can, and the boys, even though they're now mostly grown, still insist we play "Southland in the Springtime" when we cross the border. I'm glad the link continues. It's just one more reason....

"I'd rather have this bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy."

The Existential Blues

Image from TRON ©Walt Disney Productions

the existential blues

Indeed, I'd rather have this bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy.

EDITOR'S NOTE: At one time there was a wave file and a real audio file compilation of the above referenced music. These files were lost during the move from VIPER NET. We are attempting to recreate these files now and place them on line. At this time they are not available.
Link to a very large audio (.wav) file of the above compilation INDIGO. This file is 766 KB and takes about 10 minutes to load at 14.4 Kbps. (c) 1990 CBS Records, Inc.
We're working with Viper.net to convert this to the new experimental REAL AUDIO format. Try this link INDIGO.ra if you've downloaded a Real Audio player. You can link to Real Audio through the WIZARD, fkap Multimedia Review.

Some of us are frustrated writers and the net is a way to publish our work. I thought I would write an essay each week about life on (or IN) the net. Short, simple (O.K., not so simple, often obscure), fun!

But, I now maintain nine sets of pages and I get requests for more. An essay a week is nearly impossible.... and that's not even my point.

My point is that most of us "WEBMASTERS" make continuous changes to our pages. New art, new formats, new content, new links, new technology to improve our products. And who is keeping copies of this work??? Probably no one.

Alice M recently changed her background wallpaper to a luminescent yellow green. Her four year old daughter Leigh's art floats in seeming three dimensional space above the background. Other art provides decoration for links or breaks. Copy changes, as do links and art, a little at a time. The page evolves. Does Alice keep a copy of each change?

Poster Art is now wildly collected and highly prized. Once is was created and thrown away - distributed freely - its purpose was NOT art, but commerce or politics. Web Pages today are freely distributed. Some are stunningly beautiful, insightful, outrageous. But it's not likely much of it will remain around for future generations. And much of it IS contextual. Take away the links (and many of the graphics are links) and it looses its place in time...... . . .

The artist Christo purposely created art that could not be viewed all at one time. And much of his art is dismantled according to a timetable the artist dictated.

Take a moment to stop and admire the wealth of human creativity around you. It will NEVER be this same way again. I know that, like me, you'll be glad you have this bottle in front of you.....

the existential blues

"Wow!!" Jeremy responded, "You need to meet my father. In fact, read this!!"

Jeremy called up the existential blues archives and showed her the "Southland in the Springtime" article, which carries some similar thoughts. Now, I'm sure he elaborated the story for my benefit, but I appreciated the fact that he had discovered and read these essays and passed them on to a friend.
But as you can see below, someone else has stopped by (perhaps just a web browsing machine). But the entire effort (described in the letter below) from the ART TECHNOLOGY GROUP and the MIT MEDIA LAB seems to capture my thoughts on cyberspace perfectly. Visit their site after you read this letter:

Date: Thu, 5 Oct 95 23:26:43 -0400
From: Bits [bits@tenten-mail.1010.org]
Reply-To: bits@tenten-mail.1010.org
Subject: A Day in the Life of Cyberspace

Dear Wizard,

I saw your email address on a web page and thought you might be able to help us. We're looking for on-line pioneers to help us capture a global portrait of life in the new, digital renaissance.

On 10/10 the Media Lab is hosting "A Day in the Life of Cyberspace." We are trying to find people whose lives have been touched deeply by digital media and the Net:
- kids, teachers, families, newlyweds, pets on the Web;
- people in war-torn areas like Bosnia or Tibet who can stay in touch with humanity because of the Net;
- the youngest and oldest users
- people in every country on earth,
- astronauts in orbit (we will link to the space shuttle on 10/10 if the launch proceeds)
- ....
For instance, my Aunt Min is 80 and has her checkup every month by holding a telephone to her chest: the remote computer diagnoses her pacemaker! Or, during the riots in Tiananmen Square, real news reached the outside world first through e-mail networks. The Pope's mass on 10/8 will be "cybercast" into the Web.

If you can help contribute to this, by sending pictures, sounds, or words, or if you know someone who might, please browse http://www.1010.org.

You can also send mail to info@1010.org for an automatic help response (Tell it: "send description" for a longer explanation).

By the way, keep watching the web site for daily changes--with real surprises on the 10th!

Please help spread the word!

Thanks, ...Steve...

And, of course, keep the bottle in front of you..........

LINK TO:
The Existential Blues Archives, VOLUME 2
The Existential Blues Archives, VOLUME 3
The Existential Blues Archives, VOLUME 4

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