Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Confluence and Influence

20090909 typecast
Underwood Touchmaster c. 1960, aka "Norma Jean"

15 comments:

Mike Speegle said...

I also find myself wondering around this time of year how different our lives, and indeed the world, would have been if the towers never fell.

Ready for the ultimate buzzkill? 9-11-2001 was the very day I got back from my honeymoon.

In other news, I am extremely jealous of that Underwood.

mpclemens said...

This was going to be a Facebook-and-social-media typecast, and somehow 9-11 snuck in there. I was going to try to make some observation about how all of our intersecting lives effected some slight gravitational pull on one another, the measure of influence being related to the directions those lives were taking...

Obviously Norma Jean had different ideas. But she appreciates and accepts your jealously nonetheless.

deek said...

Interesting times, although from a personal level, not much impact from 9-11. Merely a bystander here in the midwest receiving whatever stories the media threw at me.

Facebook and social media, is quite interesting to me. And it is very, well, fun for me to see where the lives of all these people I shared so much time with, have traveled.

While I am not connected to facebook much (I check it occaisionally and when I get a text message informing me of a friend request), I am always intrigued by the random people I come across.

Just a couple weeks ago, I got "friended" by a neighbor kid I was good friends with for about a year or so in 3rd or 4th grade. He moved to Texas and never or heard from him again...but he found me...always a pleasure to play a little catchup with long-lost friends.

Mike Speegle said...

Oh, sorry to go off-topic. Evidently I have a Facebook page, although I'm still not entirely sure how it happened. Truth be told? I don't really understand it. Nor Twitter.

deek said...

"Truth be told? I don't really understand it. Nor Twitter."

Yeah...Facebook is decent for being "socially available" for old friends, classmates or family you don't talk to often. Granted, some people use it in place of everyday communication...not my cup of tea.

Twitter...there have been some useful reasons to use it, but all have been overshadowed by "celebrities". Pop culture loves to follow celebrities and Twitter makes it possible. For the common folk, not much reason to follow people's random doings and thoughts.

mpclemens said...

I don't know if there is an "on topic" for this post, so please don't sweat it. I finally signed up for Facebook because I kept getting friend invites to my email address for someone else, which annoyed me greatly. I figured I'd better stake out the space.

Mr. Speegle, I think I found you...

Strikethru said...

MPC, can you e-mail me? I don't have your e-mail address and I have a question about using your photos in Silent Type.

Olivander said...

I, too, was goaded into joining Facebook. But I've grown to embrace it. It's a good place to dump all the mental blather not fit for a blog. It's like my blog chum pail.

Oh, goodie! A whole new way to stalk Speegle! Those Vegas lights are always interfering with the NSA satellites anyway.

Word ver: asinki: ma boat spring a leak and asinki.

Strikethru said...

Speegle spurned my friend request. Weep!

Yeah, the Faceweb is weird. Fortunately or not, though, I already encountered my personal school days heartbreaker prior to the Facebook age, and so FB had no truly upending surprises to offer.

Sigh.

mpclemens said...

Strikethru, I actually have mailed you in the past, but I think it dies. :-( The short version is: you may freely use any of the pics I post on flickr, as long as you give attribution. So please, take whatever you like, and let me know if you need a larger size (flickr resizes on the freebie accounts.)

Mike Speegle said...

Strikethru: What?! I did? I am full of sadness and chagrin. When? Where? Did I know your real actual name at the time? In any case, please accept this fruit basket with my apologies. Unless of course you tried the wrong Speegle...

Olivander: O-ho! I try to wave at the satellites here and there when I know they are passing overhead. And sometimes, I even put on pants beforehand. Sometimes.

Strikethru said...

How about

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpclemens/2963916703/in/set-72157604041183944/

and

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpclemens/3232179513/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpclemens/2924667055/

I think I'll use one, not all three, but I am not sure which one.

Of course, you will be credited. How do you want your name to be worded exactly?

mpclemens said...

All fine, go right ahead. I think just name is enough ("photo of pencil sharpener on page xxx by yyy"). It's not like I have a team of attack attorneys on standby.

Strikethru said...

If you can send me big-ass versions of those three photos, that would be great.

Olivander said...

I like your blog so much that I gave you an award! You can pick it up over at Collapsing World.