Mistaken Identity: Episodes 278-289

March 11, 2010

Ireland Other Me’s tutorial group with Dylan, Rachel, Niall and Darragh continues, for their undergrad Literature in Context class at University College Dublin.

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An Other Me is moving, and www.mynewplace.com is helping her. Well. It would be, if she hadn’t signed up my address instead of hers.

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An Other Me joined Twitter at @Sarah_Morga. But she won’t have confirmed her account, because she asked that the confirmation email be sent… to me.

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England Other Me seems to enjoy Prezzo restaurants.

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Atlanta Other Me has just gotten engaged. And there are three reasons why I know this. First, she might be holding her researsal dinner at Ecco. I will note that the Group Dining Sales Manager was very classy in his response, even inviting me there, and judging from the pictures he sent, it’s a lovely place.

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She’s also contacted the Wedding Guild (is that like the Lollipop Guild?) at Our Lady of the Assumption to plan the wedding.

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Finally, she’s also participating in some focus groups on hair care, hair styles and hair accessories – perhaps for wedding-day hairdos?

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On my birthday, I got this:

From: Stephanie
Subject: Bookplates

Hi Sarah-
Do you have any signed bookplates available that you can send out to my mailing address? I’d love to receive some from you!
-Steph

I’d be flattered, but I’m pretty sure she wants this Other Me.

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From: Maryann
Subject: nanny/housekeeper

Good afternoon,
My name is Lene I saw your posting on Jens list for your nanny and I was curious if she was still looking for work on Tues and Thursday’s? I have a 20 month old girl and I am going back to work p/t and I need someone on Tues for sitting and could give her Thursday to help clean. Please let me know and what her rates are. We live in Lake Balboa.
Best,
Lene

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While my family has a Maureen, Denis, Margaret and Kevin, this still isn’t meant for me. But Michael has welcomed me to the family anyway.

From: Maureen
Subject: addresses and emails
To: Margaret, Martha, Chris, Kathryn, Neil, Beth, Michael, Mary, Annie, Kevin, Caleb, Sarah

Hi everyone,
Uncle Denis asked me to give everyone a head’s up about Aunt Denise’s 60th birthday this summer. It is in August – her actual birthday is 5th – so it should be in that week. He asked me for everyone’s emails/addresses to send out invites. Anyway, here is my email list. I am not sure if I have everyone’s most recent address. Fill me in with changes, updates, etc…And, if I am missing someone’s husband, wife, fiance…….let me know.
Thanks Guys. Have a good one.
Maureen

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Finish Me Anonymously

March 8, 2010

When I grow up I want to be

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I Go Online, Therefore I AM?

March 8, 2010

In yet another TED talk I’ve been hoarding, Harvard Law professor Jonathan Zittrain talks about how digital media exist only because of the inherent goodness of humanity. Isn’t that a lovely thought? And he backs it up. He points out that the only reason the Internet’s structure worked was because the creators weren’t doing it to make money. And he explains from there how the whole world collaborates to make the Internet possible.

Then, YouTuber Nalts made a similar point. He’s reverse-psychology-ing his kids by paying them to play video games, explaining, “we’re motivated through money for algorithmic left-brain tasks to a certain point, but after that money can have the opposite effect… on heuristic tasks, right-brain ones, ones that we find intrinsic value to, we’re actually counter-motivated by contingent remuneration.” So he’s agreeing that things done for the love of it work very differently.

And to complete this trifecta of weirdness, the Internet argument reminded me of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, which a book based on a series of radio shows, in which, essentially, he argues that if you look around the world as a sensible person, Christianity just makes sense.  So he’s agreeing that everyday life provides proof of the divine.

Is it absurd to use a lawyer, a consultant, and a dead writer to back up an argument that the existence of modern technology is proof of a higher power? Yep. But I might do it anyway.

I’m not sure I’ve convinced even myself just yet, but the more I think about the extent to which we depend on each other, the extent to which online technology relies utterly on that, and the extent to which that dependence comes from a trust in our inherent goodness… there’s something there.

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