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.