Missed opportunity

I just passed the WWII Memorial as WWII Vets were escorted through. I stopped to let them pass but I should have stood at attention and saluted. They are as precious to me as the flag we have followed and the Constitution we defend and protect.

1's and 0's

This has been a very interesting and learning week for me summed up in the reading from the Magnificat for today by Father Simon Tugwell, O.P. in his Day by Day message "Where Our Heart Is." He begins with, "Our identity is 'I' and "Not-I'" which for me translated to "I" and "naught" or 1 and 0, in digital language. My work involves studying to understand the effect of the digital domain on people, what it means and why, how we use it, where it changes us or how we adapt to it. The digital domain gives visibility and manifestation to the domain of "thought." The effects of "thought" on the human race reduced to 1's and 0's yet expanded to affect every person on the Earth in some aspect. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin described this domain as the noosphere, or the "sphere of thought" in his book The Phenomenon of Man. The noosphere as analogous to the geosphere and the biosphere. (More on this later.)

Each person's true identity comes down to "mine" and "not mine." It is displayed in what we take as our own revealed in our actions precipitated by our words. Fr. Tugwell writes that "it is a part of man's dignity, according to Saint Thomas, that he is the source of his own actions, just as God is the source of his own actions. Our freedom is the created image of God's freedom." We are the source of our actions because we choose. Not choosing is also a choice. So, the essential source of our identity is "God" or "not God." We choose. It is written, "... I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life ..."

Fr. Tugwell writes, "In Thomistic language, we cannot apprehend the essence of our own souls. To have a pure heart is to have a heart that is known to be rooted in the mystery of God and which must therefore systematically elude our grasp." ... "To have a pure heart is to have a life which wells up in us from a source too deep for us to plumb. To have a pure heart is to have a heart that is not just created by God and then abandoned to us for us to make the most of it; it is to have a heart which is constantly being created and sustained by the newness of the life of God."

I say that the mystery of God is not too deep to plumb. Our lives consist in our choice of either the action of plumbing the depths or not. We have only to ask or ignore. It is written, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

I choose life. It is where my heart is, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" and therefore I guard my heart. It is written, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are (flow) the issues of life."

Collaboration models

I've had a few requests for this slide, so I thought I'd share it here. This particular version was developed by Staff Sgt. Joshua Salmons of the Defense Information School. Smart guy. Good friend.

Or maybe it will look like Pandora?

emediavitals.com/blog/16/remix-news-what-news-can-learn-lastfm-and-pandora
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thoughts on the economy of journalism

News organizations are struggling with an economic model. The Pew Research 2010 State of the News Media is out and, while I’m not through it yet, some thoughts come to mind.

People are no longer paying for content; but perhaps they will pay for a filter for verification, veracity, authenticity, and authority. The subscriber question is: Who is watching what I want to know about and how much am I willing to path them to filter it?

Could snopes.com be a model?

Communication

Communication is singular. It is all encompassing. It is everything. It is constant. It is continuous. It is pervasive. It is everlasting.

Hyper-connected Hermits

Sounds like the name for a blog if I've ever heard one. I suppose turning 50 in the digital age isn't such big deal, but it does give one a certain introspective perspective. As I prepare for upcoming conferences and classes I'm teaching on New/Social media, I came across this article in the March/April edition of AARP Magazine. For those under 50 you can read it here.

I speak and study about "digital natives" and "digital immigrants" and feel much like a "digital undocumented worker." I remember when "social networking" meant a visit to the bar down the street and a couple of adult beverages. I am acutely aware of changes that have taken place in the way we converse. Technology has opened up many powerful avenues for conversation we cannot ignore; but we should take the time to remember our "humanness," and find places to meet people, sit, and talk to keep from becoming what David Dudley describes as "a nation of hyperconnected hermits, thumbs furiously working our BlackBerrys, each of us a master of an ever-smaller personal universe." Quite a fitting description from what I observe.

Capturing thoughts

Thinking about the roles of CIOs, KMers, and the rest of us... What I see are people, managers and director primarily, who are working very hard to better their discipline within the organization. However focusing on the discipline promotes an attitude of exclusion and competition vice an attitude of inclusion and contribution. The former benefits the discipline, the latter benefits the organization.

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Capturing thoughts

Thinking about the roles of CIOs, KMers, and the rest of us... What I see are people, managers and directors primarily, who are working very hard to better their discipline within the organization. However focusing on the discipline promotes an attitude of exclusion and competition vice an attitude of inclusion and contribution. The former benefits the discipline, the latter benefits the organization.

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Christmas tree @ the National Harbor

This was part of the light show to music that was at the National Harbor over Christmas. It was a beautiful display.

This is also an experiment in mobile blogging on a beautiful Saturday morning.
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Getting around to learning how to mobile blog. Looks cool if I can figure it out.

So, what exactly needs to be reformed?

There is much cussing and discussing about "healthcare reform." But what really needs to be reformed? It is not the quality of our healthcare in the US, but the question is of access. However, our access to healthcare is uninhibited by emergency situations. The Hippocratic Oath, ethics, and generally our human nature will usually see to our needs in an emergency. The issue seems now to be access during normalcy. Access during normalcy is predicated on insuring good health.

So the question now seems to be in insurance of good health. The surety of your health begins with the individual, if the individual is of age, or with the parent/guardian if not. But of course we need advise and help from time to time, that is why we have physicians. Now the question appears to be who is best suited to help me insure my health and there is only one option being discussed: the federal government.

I ask this: who is best suited to help me during my normal daily life? A rich uncle thousands of miles away? or my next door neighbor? And who is best suited to help me in times of trouble, A rich uncle thousands of miles away? or my local community?

My personal physical protection works best when handled locally, shouldn't my health protection? And who locally is best suited for insuring such, a rich uncle thousands of miles away? Or my community church or help organization? Is not the original reason for the "separation of church and state" discussed by our founding fathers based on the fact the federal government had neither the capacity nor the responsibility for social welfare? And wasn't that the reason these organizations have tax exemption? And wouldn't it be better to be able to handle that locally?

So I suppose the issue is not healthcare, but insurance. And the question is to whom do you put your trust to insure you the healthcare that you need. Where is your insurance?

I'm just asking ...