Way back in the mid-90’s the author and astronomer, Clifford Stoll, who’d just written a book called Silicon Snake Oil, was part of a panel discussion on the future of the internet at a university here in Nashville. Stoll was very much an internet skeptic and while his book contains some real howlers—he predicted the internet would never be a place to buy and sell stuff because nobody’d give their credit card number to a website—his larger point that there are some experiences that technology will never duplicate or replace still holds up, and probably always will. Someone in the audience (not me) asked Stoll why, for example, we’d still need classrooms when videoconferencing meant we could have virtual classrooms. What, the person (not me), asked, would we be missing? And Stoll ran up to the guy’s seat and started shaking it and shouting, “This! One-on-one human communication between two people sharing the same space! That’s what we’d be missing!”
Yeah, he had a point, but you should also never, ever do that to someone because it’s just rude and you never know what the effect of getting up in someone’s grill like that could be.
I was reminded of that recently when for the first time ever I got to meet friend and fellow blogger Ann Koplow, whose blog title The Year(s) Of Living Non-Judgmentally reassured me she wouldn’t judge me, at least not too harshly
I’ve never met a fellow blogger before and it felt like meeting a celebrity. Of course I was worried I’d be starstruck and tongue-tied. Fortunately I was just starstruck and as we had lunch and milkshakes at the Elliston Place Soda Shop we covered a lot of ground, metaphorically, and then we covered a lot of ground actually as we moved on to Centennial Park where Ann met my wife and two of our dogs, and then we went into the Parthenon where Ann got to see the statue of Athena. And there’s another good metaphor, or simile: Ann is like Athena. She’s wise, far-seeing, and has a positive influence in the lives of others, although she’s not forty-two feet tall or covered in gold.
Meeting Ann was a great experience, one I hope to repeat. Getting to know people online can be a wonderful thing but nothing can ever replace one-on-one human communication between two people sharing the same space. And I’m glad we were able to do it without shaking chairs and shouting in anyone’s face.
That is so awesome! A few weekends ago the LeeLander was supposed to spend a night in Nashville. While I’m certainly no star like Ann, I was going to see if you wanted to meet up. Unfortunately, we had a delay in our travel plans and had to roll right through in order to make up time. I’ll catch you the next time if you’re up for it.
It takes one star to know another one, my friend.
I’m absolutely up for it and have even scouted some places around here that would be good for hiking. The most scenic is really Radnor Lake but they don’t allow dogs on the trails, which is a shame for a lot of reasons.
Also it would be really great to get my copy of Sawyer’s Run signed!
Sounds like a plan!
You covered a lot of ground in this post, my friend, and I hope you know that it takes one wise, far-seeing, positive, influential, human-sized, and not-covered-in-gold but good-as-gold person to know another one.
ANN J KOPLOW recently posted…Day 3057: Windows
For all the ground I covered I feel there’s still more, which is one of many great things about your visit and getting to meet you. It provided plenty to think about.
You got to meet Ann?!! I’m so jealous! And I can’t meet you in person but you’re always welcome to join Cyranny’s Skypy Friday, where a bunch of us bloggers pop in for a quick visit. Let me know and I’ll send you the link!
Maybe someday you’ll get to meet Ann too. It’s definitely worth it. And I’d love to join Cyranny’s Skypy Friday.
If you and Ann send me your email addresses, I’ll make sure you get the link for this Friday!
Have you sent me your email? I have the link for tonight—it starts in 15 minutes!
I missed it! My weekends have been overstuffed for some time now and I should have known I wouldn’t be able to make it. I’ll send you my email address so maybe I can catch the next one, or a later one.
Sounds good!
I didn’t get your email but here’s the link–it starts in 15 minutes:
https://join.skype.com/px4B81dg6UEQ
Could you send me the link too because now I’m jealous!
I didn’t get your email but here’s the link–it starts in 15 minutes:
https://join.skype.com/px4B81dg6UEQ
I missed it! So sorry.
I didn’t mean to be anonymous there. Hope to connect someday soon!
I’m following comments on this because I never know if you reply to me–it doesn’t show up in my Reader:-)
mydangblog recently posted…J.K.
I’m glad you got to meet her, and I am sorry that I couldn’t get it together to do the same.
Maybe some time in the future our paths will cross, Allison!
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