Information :: 092
Just so you know, {FirstName|Friend},
Everything Seems Knowable
A new favorite phrase has emerged in our house... "hey, Google."
It can play music, tell jokes, turn on the TV, and of course answer whatever questions the kids have. Even if those questions don't really have answers...
"What's Taylor Swift's best song?" "What's the highest number?" "What am I thinking now?"
They ask questions as if everything seems knowable. They're growing up in a world where knowledge and information is just expected. We all live in this world too, where all the information we desire is available.
Wanna know exactly what time it will start raining today? Or what your friends did last night? Or get 10,000 people's rating on that kitchen appliance you're thinking about buying?
ANY information is a merely a question away. And we've gotten so used to being able to access it, that when we're not able to, it's uncomfortable. When we're without wifi. When we're waiting for a reply. When we're hoping for news. We stare. We pace. We fidget. And we refresh, refresh, refresh.
The challenge with living in these times is that so many of the hard questions we face ARE knowable. They're just not searchable. What are my values? Is this person right for me? Which path should I take in my career? Am I living the life I want to be living?
This month, I want to explore that paradox: Everything seems knowable; AND not knowing is a key part of the human experience.
"Hey, Google. Is this going to be worth my time?"
We'll see where this month's exploration takes us. Come along.
Analog Memes
In middle school, there was a rumor that if you turned off the lights in the boys bathroom and said "Bloody Mary" into the mirror three times you would see a ghost. The toilet seats would rattle and the pipes would scream. That was Mary.
I never actually saw her, but maybe it was because I was too scared to actually go into the bathroom alone and turn out the lights in the first place.
There's a word for that. Not the scared part. But the mythology kids share with each other. It's called Childlore. It's a folk culture whose activities and beliefs are learned and passed on by kids to other kids.
It's part of the nostalgia of childhood: Batman smells. Step on a crack. MASH and paper fortune tellers. Blowing into a Nintendo cartridge. Cootie shots with mechanical pencils. Holding your breath driving past a cemetery. That joke told on a calculator whose punchline was 55,378,008 flipped over.
I didn't learn any of that from an adult. And neither did you.
There's a sort of magic that is part of childhood that can only happen when information is passed from child to child. It's not always correct information, but that's part of what makes it special and magical. That it's made up by kids and then spread around to other kids. No grownups.
Just for us.
A few weeks ago Golda came home and told us that the girls bathroom at school is haunted. My immediate response is that I don't believe in that. I remember being tricked. So I thought I should explain it away. There's no such thing as ghosts. It's not true. The older kids are just making things up to scare you.
But I didn't. I just acted curious and amazed.
Because for a minute, I remembered what it's like to be a kid. And that parents ruin everything.
"Home" A digital illustration of the 4 major cities I've called home
FYI: TMI
"FYI" my boss begins, "Expect big news tomorrow."
FYI - because I need to know.
A phrase that implies it's no big deal... although!
This kinda is, y'know?
I think this is my big promo'
FYI, like, update your brain's software, yo.
Take note, chico.
It's not like there's anything to do. No.
Just to know.
It's just for your information.
It's news.
Wait. Not to be confused.
That this story was true
I'm talking all news, too. Good news. Bad news.
Old news and Capital t The News.
Read a headline, open a paper and peruse.
Nothing that you can do.
Just some information. And you.
So you can choose to either be amused by truths
Or frustrated at all the abuse
Because there's nothing you can do.
It's just for your information.
So when I read
For a moment, I feel at ease
I'm informed and pleased
At how in this fast-paced world I can keep up with the speed
But my reading time is 10 minutes, not to exceed.
Because by then, the feeling collapses
And the fact is
When there's nothing I can do but refresh my news apps-es
My power is drained
My hope barely remains
And the world (especially me) feels entirely in pain
So a few minutes into reading the news I refrain
Instead of deep-diving I change
My reading scope gets downsized
And focus on just some headlines
Or a first paragraph to keep my eyes
on the reason I came here. The prize
is to stay informed and wise.
And sometimes.
Most times.
I'm sated.
It's too much information.
And so to all you who want to be more informed,
I have a wish I must insist
And remind you in verses I spit
That it's true what they say
A little ignorance can be bliss.
You can still stay informed and wise reading 10 minutes a day.
Because any more leaves you feeling like shit.
Post-Information Age
Hundreds of years ago, the key to wealth and prosperity was land. The person with the most land owned the most wealth.
About 150 years ago, wealth was in production. Access to factories and labor meant market dominance.
30 years ago we might have said information. Those who have access to the right information at the right time could capitalize faster than anyone else.
But we're living in a time where the world's information is accessible to nearly everyone. The difference is what we do with it. How we think post-information.
In this new way of engaging with information, what might be the next frontier of prosperity?
Perhaps humanity-- fostering empathy, exercising skills to gather people and build community.
Maybe creativity– the ability to make illogical connections and create expressions of art only you can.
Is it policy– those who make the rules and can influence decisions are set up for success.
What if it's all of it? Or something completely different?
We may never know.
––––––––––
I'm writing this from a vacation in Copenhagen where I've spent the last week. And I was struck by the interconnectedness of information and travel. In going to a new place to research and soak up as much as we can. And then when we get to a new place, we can only use part of that information. There's so much we don't know and will never know. Travel is a microcosm of our own lives.
Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to teach a little bit. (Teaching is just the ability to take information from my head and implant it in yours.)
If you have reflections or thoughts, just reply. I love hearing from you. Your thoughts are worth sharing.
I hope you're having a great Summer. Refridgeyalater,
Jake
Hey! There's more to know...
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Information overload? Unsubscribe. No hard feelings, really.
A few topics I cut from this month: Who controls the information, 411, how much I love the library, knowing a lot about a little vs a little about a lot, nerding out on infographics and data visualization
The Email Refrigerator is a monthly delivery of essays, poetry, imagery, and thoughts, written and curated by Jake Kahana. Why a refrigerator? Well, it's where we look for snacks, a little freshness, and where we hang the latest, greatest work. And besides, "newsletter" sounds like spam.