John Miedema

Offworld, Pt. 4

PEOPLE

Batman is a creature of the night, just as much as Superman is citizen of the day. Batman vs. Superman. Who would win a fight? The comic book and movie makers have always promised to give us this battle. Superman is easily the physically superior one. How could Batman stand a chance? Batman must have a psychological edge of nearly equal power. There is a connection between Offworld and psychological depth.

Curmudgeons. Irritants. People who don’t absolutely love whatever new trend. Luddites protested the industrial revolution by throwing wrenches in the machine; it was an early form of culture jamming. Andrew Keene, author of Cult of the Amateur, seemed like a wet blanket in the midst of the Web 2.0 hype. Curmudgeons. We hate ‘em but we love ‘em. When the hype is over, they seem to make some sense.

PLACES

Your father’s library, the kind of library where silence was sought. It is a place where opposing ideas co-exist peacefully as books on a shelf. It’s a place where people with conflicting thoughts work quietly side-by-side at desks. Libraries are a place where unused books get weeded, a deliberate reduction in information to increase relevance.

Closets, bathrooms, bedrooms, basements and alleys are the places of Offworld, places where people can escape to hide, rest, read or think.

PRACTICES

Silence. Quakers practice silent worship. Wittgenstein wished to consign metaphysics to the flames. He had this famous line, though, that of which we cannot speak we should be silent. The Quakers would appreciate that.

Boredom. Some people tell me they are never bored. Why not? I ask. Maybe try seeking out boredom for a change. Make it your friend.

Total power shutdown. Power outages can be fun, like a camping trip, but then it gets a little scary. How come? We use energy around the clock. In most homes it is never off. Imagine shutting down every little bit of power consumption in your home, even the little lights in the DVD player. Imagine doing that every night. I think I would sleep better.

Culture jamming. Kalle Lasn is CEO of Adbusters Media Foundation, dedicated to tripping up consumerist culture. As Lasn puts it, “Advertising is brain damage“.

WRITING

Graham Greene wrote a short story, The Destructors. Destruction is required for creation.

Via negativa is a theology that describes the divine by negation, speaking only of that which may not or cannot be said about it. One of my favourite blogs is Dave Bonta’s Via Negativa.

I have a haphazard collection of back-to-the-land books. I doubt I will ever adopt the lifestyle; I just like reading the books.

The End of Night: Why We Need Darkness. This was the title of the November 2008 issue of National Geographic.

The End of Solitude. The title of an article by William Deresiewicz in The Chronicle.

TECHNOLOGY

An application called Freedom blocks your internet access for up to eight hours.