Tech, connectedness and what does it all mean...

Fascinating and creepy exerpt from Dave Eggers' new novel, "The Circle", in this weekend's NYTimes Magazine:
We Like You So Much And Want To Know You Better



http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/magazine/dave-eggers-fiction.html

I've preordered the book and can't wait to read the full story of Mae Holland and her gradually life-encompassing employment at The Circle, a fictional world-dominating tech company.   I read this through a lens of hesitation about fully embracing the socially networked, radically transparent online model that our society seems to be moving toward. 
It is really interesting to think about what technology and the internet are making possible and how they influence our ability to process our own experiences, interests and inner lives.  If something happens, and it's not recorded or documented via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram, does it have significance?  Meaning?  Do we need to connect our experiences to others via online platforms in order to fully feel them? 

What reaction does the exerpt bring about for you?   Would love to hear your thoughts...

It's Vocab Time!

Inspired by my word of the day email from Dictionary.com, I'm posting a daily word for us all to learn and (hopefully) integrate into our conversations. 

Here goes-- and it's a doozy:

loblolly \LOB-lol-ee\, noun:
1. South Midland and Southern U.S. a mire; mudhole.
2. a thick gruel.

Seeing progress: the long game

© UNICEF/NYHQ2011-1795/Pirozzi

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/opinion/sunday/kristof-a-way-of-life-is-ending-thank-goodness.html?smid=pl-share

An uplifting reminder from Nicholas Kristof that the world's work on extreme poverty IS working. 
I find it's all too easy to feel overwhelmed by the scope and scale of the issues facing children in the developing world, and it's important to reflect for a moment on the fact that our daily work, in all its profound and mundane glory, is helping to end extreme poverty. 

What motivates you in your work?  In what ways do you recharge or reflect?