Tuesday, March 19, 2013

I Pin Therefore I Am

I can't help it, it's an addiction. An addiction rooted in a very difficult time in my life, some thirty years ago when I first lost my hearing. Faced with a world which was every week and every month and every year getting quieter and more insular, I reached out for a life-belt to cling on to. And I found the new media. Just at the time when it was becoming more and more difficult to communicate with other people by word of mouth, the very first steps were being taken to create communication systems based on technology, systems that depended on the written word rather than the spoken word. E-mail was the Seventh Cavalry riding over the ridge, Prestel was a prophet come to announce a new age; Teletext was a new beginning and when, eventually, the World Wide Web was launched, I was in there - sans ears, sans cares, sans everything - exploring its' every possibility.

Many years later technology and medical skills came together and restored enough "hearing" for me to bump along in most situations, to tentatively move again in auditory circles. But my fascination with, and love for,  those digital crazes that saved my sanity a decade or so earlier has remained. Thus, there is not a digital platform I haven't gladly danced on nor is there a communications bandwagon that I have not chased down the street in order to jump on. I text, I tweet, I blog, I Facebook, I Google+ ..... I communicate and therefore I am. 

It should come as no surprise, therefore, that I have - somewhat late in the day, I admit - come around to Pinterest. I have been experimenting with it for the last few days and I must confess I rather like it. Now I know that some people have concerns about it, about their images been shared by people they do not know and possibly without attribution, but show me a new media where there are not potential problems and I will show you boredom. It's central thread of communication is the image rather than the word, and I am an image kind of person. What is more, it looks good : the layout is pleasing and the adverts are so well concealed I have yet to find them. For those who have concerns about copyright, don't worry, I will only pin my own material or material which is either copyright free and where permission to pin is openly granted.

If anyone wants to pin any of the images on my blogs, please feel free to do so : there should be a little Pin It badge hiding away on the sidebar. If you already use Pinterest, please follow me and I will happily follow you back (again there should be a "Follow Me" badge on the sidebar). No doubt another digital bandwagon will come along soon and I will jump on that as well. For me, that is what makes life pinteresting.

13 comments:

  1. Sounds pinteresting, but I don't understand it properly - I suffer from technological "SlowBrain" It is caused by thickening of the bone. In the olden days it was known as numbskull.

    I'll look up pinterest and get back to you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have not jumped on that bandwagon ... yet. I will admit it looks intriguing as I have always love working with collage. "... show me a new media where there are not potential problems and I will show you boredom." Yes, it seems so. Great statement.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I decided I don't need one more thing. My sister loves it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think I may join you, Alan. Need to have a nose around first, obviously.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mike I know that was my feeling before I joined in on pinning- and talk about a dream come true....well even Alan can share the fun wisdom, it's something that is best felt and so much darn fun once you hop on over to Pinterest!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I expect I'll be along shortly too now you've whetted my appetite. I'm a bit of a techno-junkie as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I will go look now......not something I have investigated much yet.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have the account set up but I have not begun the adventure. People in Iowa actually created pinterest if that is something to brag about so you would think I would be onboard right away. I was on a few months ago and did see people were posting my photos as favorites but I am playing ignorant to its functions so far. When I do, if I do, when I do, I will pin you for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree it's great~! And very addicting! And it's fun that I've found you there!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can really relate to the idea of new technology as a lifebelt for those of us that are deaf. It's such a blessing. Though I don't have time to get involved with everything and some of it (Twitter!) bores me.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have an account..I don't go there often. Technology has made some strides toward the hearing impaired. I like escaping into the computer..always something interesting to read! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. You've come a long way! What a struggle. More of us should be keeping up with what's available on the internet.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Alan, I was very touched by your posting about your having a long part of your life without hearing. Being deaf is sometimes just thought of as such a nuisance, both by those who have the condition, and those around them. But it brought home to me how I see everyone on the internet as equally able...and miss knowing that anyone is differently-abled. No disabilities are evident here! It means my friend who walks with a scooter now can share all her activities without reference to living on wheels. And it means that I don't know a thing about how others have lived with the limitations they may have, until they share about them. Kuddos for letting us know your path to where you are today. And I'm not going to do Pinterest at this time of my life, anyway. You can enjoy it for me!

    ReplyDelete

11 March 2024 : Paper Hanging

  Some people read the paper, some try and understand the meaning of life, George II and Elvis Presley both died there .... and photographer...