My Story
I have had a hard time constructing a story about myself on this site. Unlike in the physical world of geographical and temporal boundaries, the networked space of the Internet dissolves divisions, and I lose some control in defining who I am in the different spheres of my life. Anybody, whether a family member, colleague, new acquaintance, or childhood friend can search for me on the Internet and find this site. "Who I am" will be less shaped by me, and more determined by the network, what others say and write about me. This site is an experiment for me in these tools which are changing our relations to our identities. I have a feeling that a good part of this experiment will be in learning a new way to let go and accept any and all unexpected collisions.
Now that I've said that, I'm going to give up a story about myself, release it to the world, and see what happens. Here goes.
The Space Which Reveals Our Networked Existence
In the spring of 2006, I began exploring the world of "Web 2.0". A good friend introduced me to The Wealth of Networks and Code 2.0, both books which drastically changed my understanding of how our social worlds, and our freedoms in them, are shaped by Internet technologies. (As you can see if you search blogs about them, these are two highly recommended reads.) My understanding of the networked space of the Internet changed drastically from a place to purchase or consume what was already produced to a space where individuals can take a very active hand in creating our culture. I have become very attracted by the possibilities these tools offer our political, social and cultural life.
I could talk for a long time about what I have learned, both from reading and from participating as a citizen journalist in sites like NewAssignment.net, but I will leave all of that to my blogs.
A Short Chronology
Like everyone, my values and interests were shaped and started in my childhood. I grew up in a family of five children moving across the Northern US. (In fact, there we all are above, with our latest addition, Kris.) I lived on Native American reservations as a kid, the Blackfeet and Ojibwe, and spent the second decade of my life in Vermont's excellent public school system.
In 1999, I headed off to Harvard to get an A.B. in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Climate change, specifically atmospheric chemistry and the chemical changes' effects on botany, interested me greatly. However, during those years, I saw our society as deaf to the calls of scientists, both those who visited Congress and those in governmental agencies. Why was nothing shifting in society when the scientific community was adamant about the changing climate? And how could a shift be made? Those questions still dig at me and have shaped what I have done since college. How do we produce change in our society?
In the four years I have been out of college, I have lived in China -- in order to understand the language and culture of the country that just beat out the US as the world's biggest emitter of CO2; I have worked in several grassroots campaigns; I have entered the world of business; and I have learned a lot along the way. I have fewer answers and more questions, but I have a great network around me that challenges and unsettles me, keeps me honest and open, and drives me to be.
