Right after last week’s post, Lutrell and I headed half-way down the state to the small village town of Cambria, CA. It’s just over a four-hour drive from Sonoma. We didn’t stop; however, there were some very tempting fresh fruit stands in Gilroy. Cambria is north of Moro Bay and just a few miles south of San Simeon and the famous Hearst Castle. We rented, through VRBO.com, a lovely house just across the street from the Pacific ocean. The neighborhoods are filled with homes that have every kind of garden art imaginable. It’s like hippy, senior citizens meet Martha Stewart. Some of the landscaping is quite tasteful, and then some of the yards are tacky to the highest degree, rendering them marvels to behold. The weather there tends to be cool in the Summer, so the flowers were sensational.
While we were there, I continued to tackle technical challenges with Facebook and my new Blackberry super-phone. I’ve still got a ways to go, but the tricks and clicks are getting easier.
My writing buddy from New Mexico, Brian Herrera, Facebooked this link:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/43565-here-comes-clay-shirky.html
You can copy and paste the link into your browser to get to the article. I found it exciting. Clay Shirky wasn’t a name I recognized, but discovered he is one of the those big picture kinds of guys. He has been writing and commenting about the internet for almost twenty years, long before I’d ever even heard of a modem. In 2008 he authored: Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations. His recently released second book is: Cognitive Surplus. In it, he describes the internet as a place where consumers can “donate” their free to “non-passive” entertainment. The unprecedented access people have to information makes the digital revolution not just fun and games but also a place where real social/civic change can, and does, occur. He is quoted in what is now referred to as the Shirky Principal: “Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution.” This has particular resonance for me in terms of my experiences with self-publishing. Lulu Press offered me the non-institution option.
I was just looking at the article again. At the end of it was a opportunity to post a comment, so I did. But then it seemed to disappear. I thought maybe it had been too long of a comment, so I posted a shorter version. It too disappeared. But now, I see both of my comments are on the page. That’s a little embarrassing, but then again, it’s press.
Here is the longer version:
As a recently self-published author, I’m very aware of the good/bad debate over the digital baby that has arrived. Lots of folks don’t know what to make of it, but it’s here, and I’m good with it. During this crux in time, I see huge organization faltering, if not collapsing entirely. The Banking industry, housing industry, health care, entertainment, political systems, Energy, etc., they’re all going down because they rely too heavily on secrecy and ignorance. The days of insider knowledge, back-room dealings, exclusive clubs, and secret societies are quickly coming to an end. We have the internet to thank for that. This baby is heralding the promise of democracy; it’s like voting…on steroids. My novel is in the world by the powers I vest in myself. I’m no longer waiting to be anointed by an unknowable, publishing corporation, a curtained Oz character. For better or worse, I pull my own strings, and I’m good with it.
–by: TerrySueHarms @ 20100622230027
My lesson for the week has been, don’t give up. All of the frustrations I have felt when trying to get my computer and Blackberry to perform have to be taken in stride. I like the game. I want to be in it. I can’t let technical difficulties hold me back. I have to dig deep, be tenacious.
I’ll post again next Friday. In the meantime, enjoy your week. Post comments, I love them.
Here are some Cambria pictures. There are seven more on my Facebook page.
Triumph! We did lots of mountain biking in Cambria’s Fiscalini Park.
Lutrell and Terry, the Pacific ocean is in the background.
Lutrell is the photographer. He has a great eye.