declaration of the independence of cyberspace

a declaration of the independence of cyberspace.

distance is no longer relevant

distance is no longer relevant. bandwidth is relevant.

guitar lessons

i'm having fun teaching guitar lessons to youth and adults -- in person and via videoconference. i'm also creating some quicktime files to help people learn guitar at no-cost. (thanks, roger mcguinn, for the idea.) the river flows. it flows to the sea. it flows thru the web into people's minds, too.

all i wanted was to be free. and that's the way, it turned out to be.

hp and fender guitars

way cool.

moving the world ahead with tiny pushes

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but my chief duty is to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble.  The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."   HELEN KELLER

the value of social fabric

the value of social fabric is inestimable. economists couldn't put a value on it, even if they tried.

article - "pursuing email freedom?"

mike langberg is one of the best computer reporters on the planet. this article is typical of how much useful info and insights he packs into an article.

you can't wait for inspiration

"You can't wait for inspiration.  You have to go after it with a
 club." - Jack London

fair trade

"As global forces move us to a more dangerous place, we can feel very helpless. Fair trade is an antidote because we can each, individually and easily, contribute to global understanding [and support] of other cultures." - Rose Benz Ericson, Rochester, New York.

checking first

universal rule - you can almost never make a mistake by first sending an email asking, "do you think it would be a good idea to..." too many people bypass that step, leading to unnecessary hardship and misunderstanding.

it's not just polite to check first. it's essential.

martha stewart's tasteful tips for sprucing up your prison cell

Does your prison cell seem drab and dull sometimes? There are so many easy
ways of making it seem fresh and alive again. For starters, why not add a pot pouri basket to give your prison cell that fresh spring smell? A vase of fresh flowers in the corner will make your cell inviting for visitors. Why not drape artwork across the cell? One easy and fun project is to color the cardboard rolls inside toilet paper and hang them up with a string across your cell. There, isn't that more festive?

Do you know the way that orange prison jumpsuits don't seem to do anything for you? Why not add orange bracelets or an orange handbag? With hardly any effort, you can make yourself the talk of the prison.

mayor's commission on literacy technology conference

the annual mayor's commission on literacy technology conference in philadelphia is usually very interesting and engaging. i wish i could attend this year on may 13.

the arts

The arts cannot survive without the community, and the community cannot survive without the arts.

we can have a democratic society or

"We can have a democratic society or we can have great concentrated wealth in the hands of a few. We cannot have both." Louis Brandeis (Supreme Court Justice, 1916-39.) (via alden lancaster)

money doesn't talk

"Money doesn't talk, it swears." -- Bob Dylan

music is about

"music is about exploring the creative logic of the brain." libby larsen.

teaching guitar to children

in the summer of 2003 i ran a summer program for elementary school children. we did computer stuff, field trips, outdoor activities, judo and music. here's a video clip of me teaching guitar. can you believe the 5th-grader in this video had never played guitar before? she wants to be a pediatrician. do you think she has the concentration powers to do so?

video clip in quicktime format. (15 megabytes. quicktime 6 required, a free download from apple computer)


video clip in windows media 9 format.

a sign of a great place

“A sign of a great place is triangulation. This is the process by which some external stimulus provides a linkage between people and prompts strangers to talk to each other as if they were not.” - William Whyte

the secret of education

"The secret of education is respecting the pupil. " —Ralph Waldo Emerson

one must learn by doing the thing

" One must learn by doing the thing. For though you think you know
it, you have no certainty until you try." Sophocles