Eric Mowery

I figured today I would conclude with my favorite poem (current favorite).

Fall by Rainer Maria Rilke

"The leaves are falling, falling as from far,
as though above were withering farthest gardens
they fall with a denying attitude.

And night by night, down into solitude,
the heavy earth falls far from every star.

We are all falling. This hand's falling too-
all have this falling-sickness none withstands.

And yet there's One whose gently-holding hands
this universal falling can't fall through."

Posted by Eric B Mowery at 12:36 PM | Permalink

My previous post on the information age, sometimes referred to as the information renaissance, noted that paradigm shifts often occur with the simultaneous development of a new medium. While the information age occurred with new data storage technologies and communication abilities via the internet, the change that occurred during the European Renaissance similarly occurred with a change in the medium: the printing press. As with the information age, the Renaissance delivered an unprecedented rapidity in change. While the printing press pales in comparison with regard to ease of information dissemination and access, it was a major step in the direction toward information access for all.

The Ball State University Archives and Special Collection houses a very rare collection of items; some objects are particularly pertinent to the Renaissance, including a page from the Gutenberg Bible, a picture of Johann Gutenberg, and a facsimile of his 2-volume Bible. The collection is readily available for viewing on the second floor of Bracken Library at Ball State University.

Posted by Eric B Mowery at 10:15 PM | Permalink

The Information age. Perhaps it is old news, some scholars argue that the global culture is transcending the information age and pressing into the next paradigm, the creative age. While the transition to the creative age is debatable, the onset of the information age was perhaps as opaque in its onset. However, there seemed to be some prophetic voices that perceived the potentials of new technologies to create a paradigm shift.

One of these individuals was Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian scholar. While his name may not be recognized at a pop culture level, he coined phrases that are: “the medium is the message” and “global village.” The surprise is that he wrote these phrases in the early 1960’s, about twenty years before the public display of the TCP/IP and twenty-five years prior to the world wide web. McLuhan perceived technologies capabilities and argued that a paradigm shift was underway.

Today, the global village has become a reality. We have, at least entered the information age, and perhaps on the precipice of the creative age. Where will we go from here, now that the information is available? As McLuhan stated “Tomorrow is our permanent address.”

Posted by Eric B Mowery at 08:28 PM | Permalink

Last year I was speaking with a friend about a class discussion he participated in at Ball State University. The discussion was scientific in nature focusing on astronomy and physics. However, the grandeur of the universe and the possibility of a multi-verse pressed the class conversation into the philosophical and theological arena. The fundamental response was that any god that created the expanse of the universe, dumbfounding the students, must be unknowable. As my friend spoke about the experience, I was struck by the splendor of another reality: human communication. The universe is not only expansive but also filled with all sorts of interrelationships and communications.

Science ties these two realities together. In science, there is the exploration of the universe along with definition of the things explored. Exploration and definition theoretically must be accounted for by all scientists in order to legitimize their quest. While the students’ agnostic response due to the “bigness” of the universe seems at once reasonable, the pervasive reality of communication also begs explanation. Any attempt to explain reality philosophically or theologically must account not only for the grandeur of the universe but also for the fundamental reality of personality.

For people interested in the exploration of science Popular Science: New Technology, Science News, The Future Now recently posted a news story about the most amazing scientific images of 2009.

Posted by Eric B Mowery at 10:24 PM | Permalink

Plagiarism is wrong in every instance, but there are particular scenarios where its presence is less expected and more insidious. One instance that comes to mind is academic literature due to the goal for originality among academicians. The field of journalism is another surprising place to find plagiarism. Though journalist may be more prone to the temptation as writing is the fundamental and pervasive medium, it seems that great lengths would be taken in training journalist to renounce the writer’s cardinal sin. Recently, Connecticut’s most widely disseminated newspaper, The Hartford Courant, faced accusations for plagiarism from competitors. While a singular instance of plagiarism within a publication might slide by as a mere mistake, the misdeed of the Courant is exemplified in the fact that 11 instances of plagiarism were attributed to it.

Another recent news story further exposed the plagiaristic misdeeds of an individual journalist, Mona Sarika. Over the past few months her columns have been removed from heralded news sources, such as Huffington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Professional notoriety gained in an unprofessional manner is actually leading her to disgrace.

These unfortunate cases of plagiarism illustrate the need to not just to aim at success, but to consider the methods by which it is achieved and aim at honesty. Professionalism demands the responsible and respectful use of others’ property.

If interested in plagiarism or other intellectual property concerns, Ball State University’s Copyright and Intellectual Property Office is hosting the annual Copyright Conference, “One Ring to Rule Them All” on April 21st, 2010.

Posted by Eric B Mowery at 08:43 PM | Permalink

In my previous post I recommended listening to This American Life and The Moth. While noting those radio programs, I think it necessary to also mention Old Time Radio Sci-Fi and Horror programs. They are wonderful. I highly recommend listening to them if for no other reason than to contemplate how technology has changed throughout the last few decades. There is a sense in which internet technologies enable time-travelling capacity, whether it is listening to old-time radio, watching historic videos, or historically significant speeches. An excellent place to start: the Sci-Fi show Dimension X. The show began in the early 50’s and included scripts from hailed sci-fi writers, such as Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Kurt Vonnegut.

Posted by Eric B Mowery at 12:30 PM | Permalink