AxisPortals came of age during the moon frenzy. She read Tom Corbett books, drank bright orange Tang, begged her mother to purchase SpaceFood Sticks (the chocolate version was just barely edible, but the taste wasn’t really the point–it was the idea of the thing that mattered), and could, like most children of that era, do a perfect imitation of a NASA launch countdown. ”Lift-off” soon became part of the everyday vocabulary of childhood.
Even the family cookie jar bore witness to the urgency and romance of the space race.
Over the weekend, the fifteen year old that AxisPortals knows best observed, in passing, that he found Facebook rather dull. Oh, he said, it had been fun for a little while, but with everyone (and their parents and grandparents) there–and with the endless invitations, applications, and updates–the initial appeal for him had faded considerably. On the whole, he noted, MySpace, despite its current lack of cool, had been a whole lot more fun. At least it could be readily tinkered with, and it wasn’t quite so parent heavy. Somewhere in there, he sighed over the boredom of it all.
AxisPortals wonders what, if anything, in the technological realm today fills us with wonder and excitement? What makes us want to dance in the moonlight all over again?
Countless gurus inform us of how we can and should use technology to improve our personal and professional lives, but it’s just as important to tend to what captures our imaginations, what fires us up, what gets us moony and starry-eyed, what makes us want to reach for something more.
AxisPortals Aphorism: In the rush toward technology, don’t miss out on the romantic rush of dancing by light of the moon, or the sweet challenge of reaching for it.
Often, AxisPortals’ web meanderings lead to interesting, educational, and edifying places. The leogeo site is definitely one of those places. Some of the many things to love about it:
It is an incredibly beautiful site. Indeed, it’s a whole gallery of lovely and intriguing things. Need to persuade someone that there is such a thing as digital art? Lead that person here.
It’s mesmerizing and involving. It’s quite impossible, for instance, to stop clicking on timebeat. Yes, it’s a clock, but such a clock! Plus, we aren’t generally invited to handle the clockworks, as it were, or to listen to their movement quite so fully, so there’s something very satisfying about it. It’s a bit haunting, that heart beating away our all too fleeting seconds, but the rhythm is meditative and profoundly relaxing as well.
It’s definitely not text driven. There is some text, of course, but it sure doesn’t limit itself to behaving in traditional ways. Plus, it never attempts to explain itself.
It’s a wonderful example of how deeply the ways of the web have influenced our literacy. Perhaps as little as ten years ago, quite a lot of folks wouldn’t have been able to make heads or tails of this space, but now almost all of us are comfortable enough with mouse and screen to know when and where to click. So, we can figure out the navigation, and we can interact with the art installations in the gallery with no textual prompting. Quite a far cry from the “click here” and “click me” days of hypertext, isn’t it?
It’s a wonderful reminder of one of the little truths of life that AxisPortals holds most dear: exploration leads to learning.
AxisPortals Aphorism (with thanks to leogeo):Most things really are “best viewed with curiosity”
Today, AxisPortals has spent some time growing familiar with and fond of a new tool/toy. (All of the best tools are also toys, and vice versa–just ask any iPhone owner!)
The Bamboo Tablet definitely counts as both an absorbing toy and truly useful tool. Anyone who has ever tried to draw or to retouch photos with a clunky and uncooperative mouse will immediately appreciate how nimble this digital pen and pad are by comparison. Plus, Bamboo makes it easy to capture handwriting in a variety of programs, so quick and personal handwritten comments, annotations, illustrations, and highlights can be incoporated into all sorts of documents, from slide shows to email posts.
AxisPortals will continue to explore the exciting possibilities. Meanwhile, here’s a quick taste of the kind of custom illustration that this powerful little tool (which doubles as a nifty little toy) turns into a breeze to make.
AxisPortals Aphorism: Children tend to learn with joyful abandon. Their classrooms tend to be filled with toys. Coincidence? AxisPortals thinks not.
Try not to be deadly serious about all things technological. Play, as noted earlier, is the best way to learn. Besides, play is fun, and people who are always up to their eyeballs in making smart technological decisions really need some healthy play to keep their lives in balance.
AxisPortals realizes that some folks just can’t stand not having a real goal or task, though, so here’s the “resolution schmesolution” assigment: make a Wordle.
A wordle can actually be a very good brainstorming and planning tool, as well, so this is play with a purpose. No guilt allowed. Besides, if you’re the competitive sort, you’ll not want to be the only one left in the whole wide world who hasn’t yet created at least one wordle.
Posted by axisportals 
Posted by axisportals 
Posted by axisportals 
