Back to Work

Hello dear readers. I'm sorry for the recent lapse in posting. I have effectively been on vacation for the past month, but now it's time to get back to work, and by that I mean, get back to procrastinating by writing blog posts.

I have a 15,000-word dissertation due in about three months, so expect many a post between now and then. To kick off my return, I would like to link you to something I think you should know about.

If you've never heard of Ze Frank, he is many things, but I will use the title Wikipedia assigns him, which is "American online performance artist." He is all about using the internet to bring communities together through projects and songs and thoughtful meditations. I'm not really explaining him very well, but what you really need to know is that he's inspirational and funny and sometimes, very strange. But in a good way.

From March 2006 to March 2007, he had a daily web program called the show, of which several of my friends were huge fans. He ended the show after that year, but now he is doing a new show, aptly titled a show, and I think it's great. Each episode of both the show and a show is short (between 3 and 5 minutes) and very fast-paced. Here is the first episode of a show. It is "an invocation for beginning," which is great if you've ever had trouble getting started with something.



If you're not used to Ze Frank's style, he may take some getting used to, but I love him and his internet projects. He also has a website called Star.Me, where members respond to daily missions and then give each other stars for a job well done. Again, it encourages creativity and community interaction.

Finally, here is a video of Ze talking at the TED conference. He explains what it is he does a lot better than I can by giving examples of some of the interactive projects he has encouraged people to get involved with. It's pretty neat. Enjoy!