"Connections" (June 2009)

I continue to alternate between amazement and amused disbelief at the dizzying speed of technology. The concepts and the promise often sound too good to be true, and in fact, more often than not, they are! But I like to make note for myself those moments when technology facilitates something that simply would not occur otherwise.

I've found that interesting things happen when using social networks like Twitter and Facebook. I've asked for information and gotten it, noted customer service both good and not-so-good and gotten rather immediate (and usually helpful) responses, and have generally found that there are always more people paying attention to what you do than you will ever know about. That's a good thing to keep in mind in all walks of life these days. Make an arse of yourself with the customer service rep at one of those big boxes, and you might find yourself rocketing around the world on Youtube by evening.

I do enjoy what time I get to interact via these media (though I can't help but wonder if part of our economic distress is due to the immense amount of time wasted on surveys and games on Facebook!). And I certainly couldn't make up the story I'm about to share.

I believe I was one of the first handful from my high school graduating class on Facebook. As other people I know have surfaced and friended me, it's been fun to catch up, see pictures of their kids, read what they've been up to etc. An old friend and fellow musician looked me up awhile back and turns out he is living nearby. We shared a few moments to catch up, and then quickly lives swirled us back in other directions.

As the band and I were preparing to use the big projection screen for our recent concert at Franklin Park, we of course found that nothing with the software or hardware is as simple and straightforward as it seems. A quick Facebook post got my old friend Mark's attention, and since his long and winding post-high school road led him into the field of video projection as a career, his advice was most welcome.

Turns out that making the whole thing work the way we envisioned required a bit more than technical know-how, but some additional technology as well. So imagine my glee seeing Mark walk into the theater for the dress rehearsal, laptop and video switcher in hand! Hadn't seen him even once in the twenty-plus years since we graduated, and here he is like the cavalry riding over the hill. After all these years, the concert turned out to be a lovely evening, and all the more special to collaborate with an old friend to do something totally new.

Computers can certainly drag us away from our real lives in the real world, no argument there. In fact, it's time to get out on my bike and smell the honeysuckle and sweat in the humid June air. But I am also grateful for how the computer and its offshoots make it possible to bring some of the things I see and hear in my head to you, online and at concerts. And in particular, how the internet brought a very real person back into my real life at an opportune and special moment. Great to work with you old friend, and I look forward to the next audio-video adventure.

And to you, thanks for taking the time to stare at the box in front of you and read all this way. You are now free to resume your real life already in progress, ready and waiting!