Thomas Friedman Commencement Speech at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

My son, Evan, graduated with a degree in engineering yesterday from RPI. Even though it rained incessantly throughout the ceremony, once spot of sunshine came, not from the weather, but from the speech by Thomas l. Friedman. His address tied together the many facets of The World is Flat in a way that made it relevant to the graduating students.

His speech took a three-faceted approach in how students' lives would be changed from this day forward: the brutal facts, the inspiration and the sentimental. All three were filled with humor, insight and warning. He told the students that the world needs them as graduates, with degrees in science and engineering and mathematics. These fields are what brings innovation to the world. He admonished that their brilliance would require them to create and invent ways to do more with less.

He also stated the importance of the liberal arts, coupled with math and science to the creative process. All great inventors and thinkers and innovators were versant in two or more seemingly disparate fields. He gave as examples: Steve Job (founder of Apple Computer whose idea for the first graphic computer was a result of his study of calligrapher) and the obvious-Leonardo DaVinci.

He also good-naturedly urged the students to look to their own backyards (and dirty closets) before seeking to clean up the rest of the environment. The brutal fact was they were on their own now.

Mr Friedman also talked of the unprecedented changes that the internet and web have brought to the world and that it has been the single most important factor in the flattening of the world. He cautioned the graduates that they should be vigilant and mindful of the footprint that they leave there. Resumes are no longer the way that employers find out about potential employees as they were in Mr. Friedman's day. Now the entire world can see what one's life is about through such social networking sites as MySpace and FaceBook.

Finally, and this appealed to all of the parents in the audience, Mr. Friedman encouraged the students, as they go out into the world to remember the people who helped them to get to the place are now. His exhortation "Call your Mother" brought smiles and tears from the parents in the audience and heartfelt cheers from the students.

Sure, we were soaked as the heavens opened for most of the ceremony, but it seemed no one noticed the rain during Mr. Friedman's speech.

Here is a link to the Albany Times Union report on the speech:
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=590979&category=FRONTPG&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=5/20/2007

Notes from the NYLA School Library Media Specialist conference

One of the most beneficial aspects of globalization is the increase in opportunities (and tools) to collaborate with other individuals and organizations. I attended the School Library Media Section of the New York Library Association annual conference last week and had the opportunity to attend a workshop by Chris Harris, who writes about the use of Web 2.0 technology in schools and school libraries extensively for School Library Journal. Chris' perspective and vision on the use of these technologies in schools and as opportunities for collaboration were inspiring. Here is a link to his blog:
http://schoolof.info/infomancy/

Bill McKibben Interview on Worldchanging.com site

Bill McKibben, who has written "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future" was interviewed by the folks at the worldchanging.com site. Here is a link to the interview:
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006451.html

Here also is a link to Bill McKibben's home page:
http://www.billmckibben.com/

Of particular interest to me in the interview is the discussion about the changes taking place in China and whether China will follow a European or American model regarding energy consumption.

My friend, Rudy DiGilio, is just back from China and he has said he will be happy to participate in the RR when the time comes: either virtually or in person. His perspective will be one that will be very interesting as he has travelled extensively in various parts of China and I think that he will be able to address perhaps some differences even within the country. I think we tend to think of China as "one place" perhaps the way we view a city or a state, but saying that all of China is alike is like saying that Miami, Florida, USA is the same as Juneau, Alaska, USA.

Blog Usability, Commencement at RPI and SU's Mark Rupert

Here is a link by Jakob Nielsen about the top ten mistakes people make in creating a blog:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/weblogs.html

Found out this weekend that Thomas Friedman will be the commencement address speaker at RPI for my son Evan's graduation. We had been hoping in the initial stages of planning the Regional Read to get him as a speaker as we were able to do with Ray Bradbury but Mr. Friedman was too expensive and also booked solid. I will take good notes and report here.

Also, on my Library 2.o Ning page received a webchatter from Marcus Elmore about Syracuse University Professor Mark Rupert's critique of Thomas Friedman's work on globalization. Here is the link to that site:
http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/merupert/Anti-Friedman.htm

He also recommended the following book:
William Greider's _One World, Ready or Not_ (Simon & Shuster, 1998)

Also, for those curious, here is a link to my Nin Library 2.0 page:
http://library20.ning.com/profile/BeverlyCD

Interesting tidbits about religious rituals and globalization

While researching information about Chinese calligraphy and characters for a personal event yesterday, I came across a website which features a Anglican minister, Rev. Elyn MacInnis, in Shanghai, China who uses Chinese characters as part of her Lenten ministry with a webpage titled Brushstroke Mediations. East meets west in the clearest sense and she has been awarded the Harvard Divinity School, Katzenstein Award. The calligraphy lessons are wonderful-for example this past week's lesson was on the character for "compassion." I was tickled at the synchronicity of this discovery as I was bestowing a blessing on a friend's new grandchild at a blessing ceremony and my wish/blessing for the beautiful baby was that she grow with the compassion of Kuan Yin, the Chinese bodhisattva of compassion.

The whole concept of Christian ministry/missionaries, however, in countries where Christianity is not normally practiced is one that I wrestle with, because some part of me thinks that it hearkens back to the colonialization, imperialist imposition of western cultures and belief systems that European and Americans have been guilty of for centuries.

I do think however it is not one-sided as I am also reminded of communist China's "missionary" zeal in imposing their religion of "no religion" on Tibet.

In any case, this reverend's website gives a nice description and "etymology" of the Chinese characters. Her sensitivity in integrating the concept into her "sermon" are insightful and each meditation ends with a number of quotations about the concept from leaders and thinkers and philosophers from around the globe.
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79706_22210_ENG_HTM.htm?menupage=73980
http://tinyurl.com/27yh36

Additionally, the New York Times this morning has a lead article on how a new method for the the collecting and purchasing of palm leaves for Palm Sunday has gone "green" and takes into account the principles of ecological soundness and fair trade practices.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/world/americas/01palm.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
http://tinyurl.com/2k2tzt

British MGs in China

The Regional Read program workshop went well this morning and we had quite a few people in attendance. I had heard on the way in another example of flattening on NPR. The British motor company that manufactured MGs dismantled their manufacturing plant and shipped everything to open a plant in China. The first car had just rolled off the assembly line. Here is a link to the story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9177078

Thoughts on Project GAIN

I was thinking this morning how our participation at the Morrisville Public Library in Project GAIN almost 15 years ago allowed us to take advantage of the promise of the internet to flatten the world for the better. The technology of the internet (rudimentary as it was at that time) allowed the people in our small rural community to offer their ideas, make global connections, and impact technology policies and law in own country and places as far away as Australia. Our involvement was one of those magic moments of synchronicity.

And in another magical synchronous way, last Thursday, Jean (Armor Polly) was at Mid-York for the Tech Atlas worskhop and we had a nice visit - she had the vision to make Project GAIN possible. I always learn so much from her. Perhaps we can get a copy of the Project GAIN video for the RR.