Happy Blog Birthday Number 9 plus Bonus Historical Event

This is post number 2, 281 of yer Cup of Joe, which first published August 3rd 2005. Stats show 6 people saw that initial posting. Since then, readers on every continent have visited here, either by accident or design. Millions have visited since 2005 and I thank all of you for that.

Constant readers here are used to the constantly shifting focus of my posts (I think they are used to it). I have always had an eye on political and cultural topics, however as both the Internet and myself have made our digital way, I've become slower to post and less eager to add my thoughts to the chaotic rantings and such one finds easily available. I've taken time off to ignore the digital world so that I could pay more attention to the actual physical plane, but the gravitational pull of all that is online is too strong to resist.

Perhaps, over the years I have angered some readers, amused some, challenged or depressed some, brought some measure of joys or sorrows. All of what one finds on this blog were at least items I considered worthwhile to share. Or at least odd notations on the events and experiences available on our wee planet.

I don't expect that to change. It might, but here on these pages I know I can present and provide my views and ponderings without meeting anyone else's measure of merit.

I am fond of the fact that I am alive and aging, but I know the Future belongs mostly to the young, who have no allegiances to Time or Age.

So. Here is a 13-year-old girl named Mo'Ne Davis, who can hurl a baseball at 70 mph (check out her blazing skills here) and her team, the Taney Dragons are heading to the Little League World Series this Friday as they face the Nashville team, the South Nashville LL at 3 pm eastern time, to be aired on ESPN. Her achievements will make a far greater impact on history than just about anything I do. Not many folks keep records, stats or stage playoff challenges for blog writers. I'm ok with that. If you are reading this, you too have just learned about Mo'ne and that was the point of my mention.

Oh, and keep reading, faithful followers. I'll keep writing.

Hell Is Other Selfies

The photo is from backstage during the production of "A Wrinkle In Time" I directed this summer. There's me and the weird evil alien brain known as IT.

IT was made of imagination and papier-mâché and the skills of the cast and crew. Seeing what had been imagined now made real is somewhat strange. And given the topic of this post, an appropriate selfie.

Writer Nicholas Carr ponders online writing and living via his page Rough Type has for the last few years offered various thesis statements written in "tweetform", and the title of this post "Hell is other selfies" sits at the number 23 position of Carr's list. Here are some others he offers:

15. Abundance of information breeds delusions of knowledge among the unwary.

19. Instagram shows us what a world without art looks like.

39. When we turn on a GPS system, we become cargo.

40. Google searches us.

Much of what one encounters on the Internet began as first a thought and emerges and remains as digital info in a variety of forms. What do these manifestations mean? I don't know. Will the world evolve as they tweet and type, becoming perhaps "selfie-actualized"?

Here's what I do know - this blog started 9 years ago this month. Thanks for reading!