Entries for March 1998
Hypertext as a communications medium is almost an afterthought on the web today. Hypertext today consists of sidebars, navbars, and links to corporate web sites.
The real promise of hypertext is to provide more information about what you are reading. Consider the line “the meek shall inherit the earth.” When reading this line, I might want to know:
- that this is a quote from the King James version of the Bible, Psalms 37:11.
- the meaning of the word “meek”
- about inheritance laws
- the circumference and mass of the earth
- the earliest recorded use of the word “shall”
Too much to ask? Probably. Why? As an author linking to this stuff, I’d have to know all this stuff beforehand…or at least know where to find it. That’s a lot of work. No wonder we ended up with sidebars and shallow links to other pages.
The Web is here today…hypertext will have to wait some more.
Here’s Jason from earlier yesterday when asked if he was going to watch the Oscars: “I’m going to try to avoid them at all costs.”
And Jason today: “I watched every single goddammed minute of the Oscars, including the hour-long Baba Wawa pre-Oscar show.”
The punchline: “Jason is weak-willed and Titanic won everything. And despite my efforts to not like Billy Crystal, he’s pretty damn funny.”
Also, I can’t figure out whether the Academy members vote with their hearts, their heads, their wallets, or if they’re just reading from a script. I think the order is: “script, wallet, heart, head,” which is exactly backwards to me. Good thing I’m not a wildly successful Hollywood movie star…I don’t think I’d fit in out there.
One of my best days ever.
I went grocery shopping last night at the local superstore. Afterwards, I noticed a young couple in the parking lot. They were dancing…spinning and twirling together. Hugging, kissing. oblivious to the 10 or so people watching them. I was happy. Because I was witnessing True Love™, like in the movies.
My happiness quickly passed, much to my surprise and chagrin. It turned to sadness and just a little bit of jealousy. I’ve never experienced True Love™ before…never even close. And that made me sad.
I decided I needed to start writing things down. Because I forget. Because I think better and feel better when I write. I used to write often but got away from it. So here it is again. But you ask: “Jason, why not keep a private diary?” Because I’d never keep up a private diary…I need to force myself to write this. So, I made it into content. Since it’s content, I feel obligated to keep it up-to-date.
See these games I have to play with myself?
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