notes from a time traveller

Saturday morning- it´s sunny out- plenty of space in the library- let´s get cracking!
I must admit, that I am going through an interesting period of my life at the moment. There is a lot of thinking, reorganising, a lot of nostalgia. Maybe it´s the fact that spring has sprung, maybe it´s what lies ahead of me, but as always I stand there with my suitcase packed by my side to continue my journey through life.
I have always liked to produce slightly philosophical blog entries, also in the hope, that they are readable for a wider public as I frequently embed the link to my blog in various places. (Facebook, e-mails to friends...etc.)
As this blog is about looking back, before going forward- I would like to share this video with you- an all time classic, many of you will know it already- but to me it is always worth taking the 6 minutes out to watch this....it makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside... ((O;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI

When I first started on BAPP, I remember being overwhelmed even by the thought of continuously using web 2.0 tools. Making an account with one of the largest internet companies was something that scared me- and is something I still regard with respect. Opening myself up to a wide, even unknown audience was something my brain could not grasp. Having even been on the verge of leaving Facebook (due to all the negative press about it at the time concerning personal data)- I took on the challenge- maybe much like a toddler being fed spinach, one small bite at the time and soon came to realise, that when playing the game of the internet you want to be very clear about what picture of your identity you want to leave out there. So I started inventing, who I am. What parts of my identity I want to expose. Sometimes to the bewilderment of people I know in "real" life...("Since when do you live there??") and probably exposing much more of myself than I want (I do however smile to myself, when I get dieting adds from Canada), but I am step by step starting to discover the chances and possibilities that lie out there, if only you respect the tiger that you are embracing.
Here´s my first ever blog entry...http://fionerettenberger.blogspot.de/2011/10/no-title-for-now.html
Of late I have come to think more and more about, what the internet and modern forms of communication, that Eric Schmidt so casually called "...the largest experiment in anarchy...", are doing to our brains and our sense of self. Are we becoming digitally illiterate? Are we forgetting more and more, because we can always have the internet at hand? Are we even becoming slaves in our dependency on the internet and our smartphones? Are the amounts of information we are unwillingly or not confronted by every day making us addled strangers to ourselves?

As I continue my journey I would like to share some of my thoughts on time. Time is probably the most valuable asset anyone can own- especially in modern times.
Working full time and also being quite ambitious about many things that interest me, has made time my favourite enemy. Especially regarding BAPP. I have not been able to produce the amount of work I would like to towards the programme lately, because we have been working on a premiere (long hours in the theatre) and went on a crazy tour to Spain (Northern Spain- in the snow- flights cancelled, luggage lost...´nuff said). However my mediations on time are bearing some fruit, that I can quite calmly plan the upcoming array of free days towards BAPP. I have started adding the value of time to my frequently updated BAPP "to do list" (i.e. "Write Blog- 1hr.", "read book XYZ- 1hr".....) and I have also left a small pocketwatch on my desk- not to observe time in a militant manner, but just as a subtle reminder to me, when I get lost reading something- or stuck on Facebook....(grr...).

So now as I am one hour over my intended time spent on pondering about the values of the internet and a short reflection on time, I bid you, dear reader, farewell and thank you for bearing with me this far!