virtualDavis

Soul Delay by James Morrison, on Flickr

Did you ever get back from traveling and feel like you’re not quite at the top of your game? This is especially true with long distance jet travel. You step into a glistening time capsule in Istanbul, for example, and not too long after you step back out of the time capsule into the sunlight of Newark, New Jersey. You’re tired and addled. But there’s something more. Soul lag.

I’ve just been introduced to this quirky-but-compelling concept via Linda Hollier, and it reminds me a bit of a chat that Pico Iyer delivered at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan a few years back.

unlike other books or especially TV shows… that seem to move folks around the globe as if this was no big deal… Gibson actually discusses the problem of world travel, and encapsulates it in a single phrase: soul lag. It’s not that you’re tired, or that there’s some mysterious thing associated with jet travel known as “jet lag”… instead, he acknowledges that one feels, well, not quite all there when one gets to another place, as if your soul, unlike your body, cannot travel as fast as an airplane and therefore takes a little while to catch up with you… it’s like you’re existing about half an inch to the left of your actual body, and you can’t seem to reconnect with it… sometimes, in extreme circumstances, your soul never catches up. (second americano)

I’m especially keen on the visual image of my shadow self still trailing behind, trying to catch up, sort of like the visual traces in “old school” television.

Why do you do what you do? Because I want change.

Is it time to ask yourself why you’re doing what you do? Tony Deifell is suggesting it is. Not that you necessarily want to hear that. He didn’t. When a 12 year old crashed into his hermetic world with the question, “Why do you do what you do?” he paused long enough to struggle with the question. With an answer.

“I found myself at work way too late trying to figure out some way to explain to a 12 year old why I worked for a youth-media organization and why it was important for people to create their own images, video and music (keep in mind that this was in 1998 before all this user-generated content stuff). Meanwhile, I was trying to remember if it was, in fact, important and what else might I be doing instead. Why was I doing this? I came up with something that sounded convincing to me. But, I’m a bit embarrassed to say that it was harder to answer than I expected.” ~Tony Deifell

Now Deifell is asking you to stop and consider the question too. And your answer. Will you take the time? Why do you do what you do?

I took a stab at it, a “rough draft”, if you will:

“I wonder/dream/adventure because I’m curious. I create stories to share the wonder/dream/adventure w/you! #wdydwyd cc @wdydwyd @Deifell” ~ @virtualDavis

But I’m going to revisit it. Or keep visiting it. Maybe there are many answers? Or different answers at different times? It feels good to chew on this question. Healthy. In fact, I’m heading off to Turkey with my bride and two friends. I’m thinking of asking them all to consider the question. Maybe I’ll convince one or two of them to let me share their thoughts when we get home. I’ll keep you posted…

One of my favorite experiences living in Essex, New York is watching the sun rise out of Vermont’s Green Mountains, reflecting across the surface of Lake Champlain. This morning, the dense cloud bank on the eastern side of the lake created a dramatic effect, a narrow glimpse of color and light, refracted on the bumpy water then gone, snuffed out almost as quickly as it began. Once the sun rose into the clouds the light flattened and the mood changed. An interesting start to this post-Labor Day week…

Think this spinning, hooting fellow will keep the raccoons and squirrels out of our vegetable patch? The dealer claims it will! Here’s the pitch: “Realistic-looking electronic Great Horned Owl uses 4 motion sensors to detect nearby pests. When a pest is spotted, the owl moves its head in the direction of the pest and sends out a genuine Great Horned Owl call to scare away the pest. Safe, chemical-free pest control for your home and garden.” Call me a sucker; I’m going to give it a try. With a little luck and a regular change of batteries owl defense will yield better gardening. Any bets?

Related articles

• Owls used for natural pest control in San Rafael (sfgate.com)

Apple’s Education Leadership Summit at the International School of Prague was true inspiration… Marco Torres‘s morning keynote fired-up real questions… Here are just a few notable nuggets:

• “Is our schooling getting in the way of the students education?”
• “Why do we ask: “What type of learner are you?” and not “what type of producer are you?”
• “Your “out” may be different from your “in.”
• “What other fields do we build for our schools beyond the football field?”
• “Are we paying attention to what learning looks like outside of school?”
• “What motivates students to post tutorials on Youtube for free, instead of doing homework?
• “Resources and network are the ingredients of learning.”
• “Distance is defined by bandwidth.”
• “Plagiarism is not always negative, “imitation is proven path to mastery.”
• “Don’t rush the solution, stay in the question. Do we want 50 learners plus a teacher or 51 learners?”
• “Technology is changing the way the learners learn… is it changing the way the teachers teach?”
• “Have you asked students and administration to define school in two words? – “it sucks or it’s cool” versus ”Forefront of education or Life time learners.”
• “International was an option, global is mandatory.”

Read Claude Lord’s full post at ClaudeLord.org

Claude Lord (@cloudlord), formerly a colleague when I taught at the American School of Paris, is an inspiring thinker, gifted pedagogue and oh-so-far-out-of-the-box visionary. Although her review of the Education Leadership Summit 2010 is teacher-oriented, this list of questions is relevant to everyone who has ever considered the ingredients of learning. What makes a teacher, curriculum or school effective? Why do children’s innate curiosity and hunger for learning so often get stifled by teachers, curricula and schools?

Frankly, I can’t help but note how accurately these questions could be applied to the publishing industry as well! Try going through the list and swapping out “learner” for “reader”, “school” for “book” or “print publishing”, etc. So much of the myopia and recalcitrance among publishers is rooted in the same biases and fears that hamstring teachers, curricula and schools. Coincidence?

Steve Rubel’s observations after using the iPad as his “primary computer” for five days:

First, you would be surprised what a joy it is to have a device that: turns on instantly, requires no saving (!), is completely silent and has incredible battery life…

Second, there’s no doubt in my mind that the iPad marks a pivotal moment in the history of computing. People want computing to be simpler…

Finally, I notice that now when I use my phone it feels, well, tiny! I am using my smart phones less and using the iPad more…

via steverubel.com

Could you switch over to iPad as your primary (or only) computer?

Photograph courtesy of Getty Images via Wall Street Journal

Apple is still working to secure content for the iPad with just weeks to go before the tablet computer’s release, said people familiar with the matter, as the company tempers some of its initial ambitions for the much-hyped device.

The remains of what may be a French fort dating back to the 1730s has been found on the Vermont shore of Lake Champlain.

When engineers determined the old Lake Champlain Bridge was unsafe and needed to be replaced, it seemed like the regrettable end of a historic landmark. The project, though, has led to a major archaeological discovery.

Scientists have found what appears to be a nearly 300-year-old French fort. The fort’s discovery would be significant in its own right, but it would also represent the first physical evidence of a substantial French settlement known to have existed on the Vermont shore of Lake Champlain starting in the 1730s.

“It’s a hugely exciting find — one of the great and exciting finds of a lifetime really,” said Elsa Gilbertson, administrator for the Chimney Point State Historic Site, where the apparent fort was discovered.

“You would be hard pressed to find a more significant archaeological site in Vermont,” said John Crock, director of the University of Vermont’s Consulting Archaeology Program, which conducted the dig in cooperating with the Vermont Agency of Transportation and Division for Historic Preservation.

via ablogabouthistory.com

Exciting discovery just down the lake from us. One more reason to visit the Champlain Valley! Hat tip to @SaundraMitchell for tweeting the post.

I’m not particularly familiar with Lady Gaga, but it’s impossible to overlook her meteoric rise. Victor Niederhoffer’s post covers some interesting territory and merits a quick read if you’ve wondered about this young performer’s Midas touch. #7 stood out for me:

Lady Gaga “stands on the shoulders of giants. She has borrowed from all the most popular idols that preceded her including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Blondie, and Andy Warhol. To be successful you need the base of fans that your predecessors have accumulated.” (Victor Niederhoffer)