The Village Green

We are the Village Green Preservation Society
God save Donald Duck, Vaudeville and Variety
We are the Desperate Dan Appreciation Society
God save strawberry jam and all the different varieties
Preserving the old ways from being abused
Protecting the new ways for me and for you
What more can we do
We are the Draught Beer Preservation Society
God save Mrs. Mopp and good Old Mother Riley
We are the Custard Pie Appreciation Consortium
God save the George Cross and all those who were awarded them
We are the Sherlock Holmes English Speaking Vernacular
Help save Fu Manchu, Moriarty and Dracula
We are the Office Block Persecution Affinity
God save little shops, china cups and virginity
We are the Skyscraper Condemnation Affiliate
God save tudor houses, antique tables and billiards
Preserving the old ways from being abused
Protecting the new ways for me and for you
What more can we do
God save the Village Green.

(Apropros of nothing, l felt compelled to post these lyrics--The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks.)

clouded

Researching interesting uses of word clouds for a project and came upon Wordle. Here's a super simple word cloud I made on the topic of nanotechnology.

Am I super late to the game on this site? Probably. But no matter. It's still cool.

The Privilege of the Grave

Recently caught up on a bunch of old New Yorker issues and can't stop thinking about this Mark Twain essay, first written in 1905.

In both professional and personal situations, I'm often amazed by the discomfort some people display in speaking their minds. I've seen accomplished, seemingly confident adults go to extreme lengths (hedging, lying, avoiding conversation altogether) to remain safe and popular in a group setting. It's uninspiring behavior.

Twain's essay remains politically relevant, and it resonates with me on a personal level, as well. Free speech isn't just a privilege of the grave.

(BTW--you'll need a New Yorker digital account to read the full text of the essay.)

Museu Efemero

I'm preparing a talk on nomadic, pop-up, and ephemeral museum exhibits. The focus will be on how these experiences impact visitor engagement with and understanding of museums. I'm planning to feature several innovative exhibits from U.S. museums, but this project in Lisbon, despite its corporate origins, is also fascinating (and the promo voiceover is hilarious). Also see the official site for the Museu Efemero.

Not about Education 2.0

Twice I've tried to create this blog, and each time my total output was one posting. I'm passionate about Education 2.0--just gave a talk on the subject at the Art Institute of Chicago--but feel I might do better on this blog if I just write about things that inspire me in general. Maybe those things will be related to Education 2.0, and maybe not. Since nobody is reading this thing, I don't think I'll be disappointing anyone.