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METAFORIX MAIL Volume 1, Issue 25 January 16, 2001 If this
issue of Metaforix Mail contains a data nugget that you find especially
useful or thought-provoking, please let us know (e-mail:
editor@metaforix.com). And please forward this e-letter to a colleague
or friend who might appreciate it as well. Thanks. CONTENTS AT A GLANCE: ON MY MIND: Touchy-Feely
ON MY MIND [From the Editor] Paper As all my friends and associates know, I am never far from an Internet connection of one kind or another. An e-mail addict and newsletter junkie, I never cease to be amazed at the array of information I find and, even more exciting, the hospitality of the Web to my nonlinear cast of mind. I used to say that my mind worked in parentheses; now I know that it travels in hyperlinks.But information comes in many guises. And, as my friends and colleagues also know, I'm highly sensitive to texture and color, fragrance and sound and taste. A scarf with an unusual weave, a dress comprised of diverse fabrics, a persistent odor (attractive, irritating, or noxious), a deeply touching piece of music, a lyrical passage of poetry or prose (or a troublingly explicit one), a grating noise, or (especially) a piece of paper with visual and tactile appeal -- all elicit visceral, intense responses. Last week, a dear friend of many years' standing gave me an unusual gift: handmade, high-fiber- content stationery, adorned with pressed flowers. "I don't know if you'll have any use for this," she said, "but when I saw it, I knew it was for you. It had never occurred to me that an e-mail addict would lose the love of, or the need for, paper. Its texture, its odor, the experience of inscription with a fine-point rollerball pen, the image of the recipient opening my letter, the privilege of handling a beautifully wrought book, the excitement of leafing my way through the aisles of a bookstore or card shop: how could e-mail, e-books, or even the most elaborate multimedia diminish my appreciation -- my love, even -- for paper? My friend's remark has made me reflect on the enduring appeal of paper, the sense of irritation and dissatisfaction that invariably results from flimsy stock and undependable ballpoints. Are fine paper and extravagant "writing instruments" (to borrow a phrase from my favorite upscale catalog) the requisite giftwrap for the language that is so precious to me? Do they provide a tangible link to my childhood realization that words could transport and ultimately save me? Are they comfort food for the writer's body and mind? And how unusual is it to be hooked, as I am, on both the old and new technologies of preserving and sharing words? Let me know what you think.
Cordially, Lois C.
Ambash, Editor IN THE MEDIA Unmediated Media Both media -- as in the communications industry -- and mediate -- as in reporters who serve as intermediaries between an event and its audience -- are descended from the same Latin word, mediare, "to be in the middle." C-SPAN, a public service of the American cable television industry, provides unique coverage of politics and government by removing itself from the middle.C-SPAN is best known for its "live gavel-to-gavel" coverage of Congressional proceedings and other policy-related events, "without editing, commentary or analysis." While that approach sometimes leads to bizarre camera angles, it also means that a reporter's astute observation will never mask the testimony or speech you are trying to follow. The most newsworthy events on C-SPAN's schedule are also available on its web site, www.c-span.org, both live and archived for viewing on demand. If this week's calendar prevents you from keeping tabs on the confirmation hearings of President-Elect Bush's new Cabinet or prohibits you from watching the inauguration, not to worry. Visit the C-SPAN site to see and hear what you've missed.
Access previous issues of Metaforix Mail by date by visiting our archives. Or use the search box on any page of the Metaforix site (www.metaforix.com) to search by keywords. INFORMATICON Privacy
In the Digital Age "The truth is, fighting to protect privacy . . . is like trying to dig a hole in middle of a fast flowing river. The rich and powerful gain some amount of privacy only because they can afford to grid their personal lives with a kind of digital body armor. "Garfinkel says we need to rethink privacy in the 21st Century. 'It's not about the man who wants to watch pornography in complete anonymity over the Internet. It's about the woman who's afraid to use the Internet to organize her community against a proposed toxic dump - afraid because the dump's investors are sure to dig through her past if she becomes too much of a nuisance.'"
Cyberspeak
While most of the research on opinion leaders and early adopters has been done in traditional social environments, more recent work has begun to focus on the characteristics of e-fluentials, people who wield similarly great influence in cyberspace. Last summer, the Burson-Marsteller public relations firm released the results of research it had commissioned from Roper Starch Worldwide, the first study to identify individuals with "an exponential influence shaping and driving public opinion through the Internet." The term "e-fluentials," servicemarked by Burson-Marsteller, refers to the most influential 8% of Internet users, some 9 million people, each of whom has "an impact on the attitudes and behavior of approximately eight people." An example given by Burson-Marsteller CEO Christopher Komisarjevsky is the wild popularity and profitability achieved by the low-budget film "The Blair Witch Project." Its success is attributable almost entirely to Internet word-of-message. A number of e-fluential characteristics emerged from the study. E-fluentials are four times as likely as others to be consulted about business and technology, and four times as likely as the general population to be influential off-line, as well. E-fluentials have regular e-mail communication with twice as many correspondents as other Internet users and absorb more information from more sources than others online. They spend more time online, more frequently, than the general online population and are inclined not only to be early adapters, but also to influence the purchases of others. Sources consulted for this article include Jeffrey Graham, "Who Is Your E-Fluential?", 11/20/00; www.e-fluentials.com; and Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point. Burson-Marsteller has posted its survey online. To take the survey and discover whether you are an e-fluential, go to: www.e-fluentials.com
Computers and Artificial Intelligence in Film Most people who were moviegoers back in 1968 still have a hard time hearing "2001" without mentally appending "A Space Odyssey." The Stanley Kubrick film, based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke, is among the most enduring sci-fi classics, familiar even to those for whom science fiction is not the genre of choice.The Cybercinema site, sponsored by the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, provides an interactive look at how computers, artificial intelligence, and related themes have been portrayed in film over the past hundred years. The site contains overviews of each decade, filmographies, and links to trailers and other supplementary information. A video gallery offers selected stills and sound clips. To visit this site, go to: http://128.174.194.59/cybercinema/
Guest Columnists and Interviewees Wanted! Metaforix Mail seeks your opinions on how information technologies are (or are not) changing your world of work.Guest columns are welcome. Contributions are subject to editing for length and clarity. If your column is accepted for publication, it will be permanently posted on the Metaforix web site, along with a link to your e-mail address or URL. As a small token of appreciation, you will also receive a $10 gift certificate toward your next purchase at Amazon.com. Alternatively, you may wish to participate in a telephone interview, which will be written up for publication in a future issue of Metaforix Mail. to be considered, please send a brief note indicating your professional perspective and the topic you would like to address. To submit a column for consideration or to be considered for an interview, e-mail editor@metaforix.com. Please note that the links contained in Metaforix Mail are current as of the time of publication. Some of them may no longer be operative at the time you access past issues. To
Volume 1, Issue 24 January 9, 2001 |
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