Two networks

When I was a little boy there were only two networks: NBC and CBS. Sixty years later we still have two networks. One is the interconnected digital network of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, e-mail, text messages, Web sites, books, magazines, recorded music, film, radio, television, smart phones and the Internet in general.

The other network is the interconnected personal network of mindful speech and active listening between two individuals augmented by the universal connection we all feel in silent mindfulness meditation when we know we are all truly one. It is not digital (except in the sense of holding hands).

I do not presume to know how either network works. I sure don't know what the rules are for participating in either network. Noticing the different characteristics of the two networks is interesting. It's all Indra’s Net.

    * * *

Last night I heard a wonderful performance by Alicia Mathewson, a singer, educator and healer. She sings beautifully--and very spiritually.







www.aliciamathewson.com

Mindfulness of the Mass Media

OK, I know this is crazy, but today I jumped over to my fourth book: Mindfulness and the Mass Media. I just got a hankering to write down some of the many mass media ideas that have been dancing around in my head. It seems that we are on the threshold of a whole new media world, and it is very exciting.

So what’s the next mass medium? Most books will simply say, “The Internet,” but the Internet is turning out to be more like the printing press: a platform from which many new media are arriving. Dividing them up and categorizing them is problematic because they are changing and evolving so quickly. Areas to look at include e-mail, Web sites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Google, Wiki sites, intra-nets, targeted multi-media campaigns, and many more. Then there are cell phones and smart phones, which use both telephone networks and the Internet and do so in new and different ways.

How do these new media (and the old ones) affect us? How do we affect them? What is the most useful way to use them effectively for the happiness of ourselves and others? How can we avoid harm that can be caused by misuse of the mass media?

...and in the evening by friend Steve came over. We had a cup of tea and then went for a great motorcycle ride down to Nobska Light and on to Woods Hole where we had dinner at the Fishmonger's Café. The ride home in the evening was damp and misty but still fun. I love Nobska Light and have three pictures of it hanging in my room. Here is an aerial view.

 

Revised again

Enough people told me they prefer the original version that I am reverting:

 

This is a new poem.

It will explain everything.

We are one

it will say.

Impermanence

it will say.

Compassion

it will say.

In a lake,

a waterfall,

an ocean.

-- James W. Kershner, May 2013

The New Marketplace

• My friend Emily Chaffee of Emphatic Space | e m p a t h i c s p a c e |  https://www.facebook.com/empathicspace  has successfully raised money for her further education by asking over social media.
• Neil Gaiman gave a commencement address in which he talked about the new marketplace where traditional publishing modes are no longer appropriate.
• Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield became an international sensation with his YouTube video without using the traditional media.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/video/2013/may/13/hadfield-david-bowie-space-oddity-video

All these signs point to a changing media landscape in which traditional ink-on-dead-treed publishing seems to be irrelevant. It's time to learn about what is happening next, including self-publishing and a multimedia platform.

Revised poem

Today I took yesterday's poem to my friends at the Mashpee Poetry Group, aka the Steeple Street Poets, and they made some suggestions I really like. It almost makes it a new poem.

This is a new poem.
It will explain everything.
We are one
it will say.
Impermanence
it will say.
Compassion
it will say.
a lake,
a waterfall,
an ocean
it will say.

James W. Kershner May 2013

New poem

This is a new poem

It will explain everything.

We are one

it will say.

Impermanence

it will say.

Compassion

it will say.

In a lake,

a waterfall,

the ocean.

-- James W. Kershner, May 2013

Digital platform

This morning I am feeling like I have moved to the new digital platform idea. It starts with one primary home page, which I do not yet have. It could be on Wordpress or somewhere else. this main page should link to the other pages in my platform, including:

• home page
• blog (here)
• facebook
• twitter
• book pages
• poetry pages
• YouTube videos
• Cape Sangha page
• Mashpee Poetry Group page
• public speaking page (of some sort) - workshops and classes?
• e-mail platform (MailChimp?)

Where does the money come from? My current theory is to put everything out there in social media and just see what happens. I believe something good will come out of it.

I just got a facebook note from Carrie Newcomer, my favorite folksinger. It links me to her main page, where she provides links to facebook and twitter. She also has an ongoing conversation going with her fans. this is the new way. www.carrienewcomer.com

I just had a great talk with my dear friend Dan, who is also excited about my new point of view. He wasn't to learn more about the Amazon publishing platform, as I do.

This afternoon I went for a five-mile run, which gave me the opportunity to think clearly. I am definitely heading toward Amazon's CreateSpace to publish I Just Want to Be Happy. I am more interested in getting the book out there than in getting the right agent and publisher. Why not? After my run I sat down and read information on CreateSpace's Web site and also three independent reviews of it. I think it is excellent. I can also add Kindle e-book editions. This feels like a breakthrough!