Dedicated to Twitter

3 12 2009

my wondeful Twitter "follow me" stalkings

Gabby and Tal make amazing tattoo tights and socks that they sell on Etsy (they’re also on Twitter!). I found their stuff through a friend’s tweet and immediately bought myself a pair of these “Follow Me” “stalkings” haha. I admit they make me rather self-conscious and cautious of people who might literally be “following me,” but they’re too much of an eye-catching conversation piece to just keep in my drawer. I don’t regret buying these one bit and chances are I’ll be wearing them to tweet-ups and similarly geeky parties for years to come.


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Categories : social media

New Media & Re-Imagining Communities

27 10 2009

Here it is. My rationale. The culmination of my undergraduate career at NYU. Well, it’s actually more like the 5-page written explanation of my upcoming colloquium – an oral exam with a panel of professors on a list of 20-25 books and how they all connect to the topic of my choice. Right, so think of this as the proverbial roadmap to that anxiety-ridden, two-hour-long, pass/fail culmination of my individualized major at Gallatin. And now for some disclaimers…

  • I formatted my rationale as a guide to my intellectual trajectory at NYU, mapping the issues that most interested me according to the key texts that help me understand these topics. Gallatin has already approved this draft twice so I don’t need to edit it so much as dig into (and make sense of) the texts and ideas.
  • Gallatin requires that every booklist contain seven (yes, SEVEN) ancient/medieval/renaissance classics, from before the year 1650. No joke. (Read: if you can think of any compelling connections between Ovid’s Metamorphoses and the Internet, feel free to leave a comment…)
  • My actual colloquium will take place on the afternoon of December 11. I will preparing from now until then, so I appreciate any feedback you might have!

Title: New Media & Re-Imagining Communities

With three months remaining until I complete my undergraduate career at Gallatin, my concentration can be articulated as follows: the study of digital technology and the ways in which people utilize new media and the Internet to express their worldview; broadly, how media is produced by and simultaneously produces culture (as manifested in hierarchy, identity, community, knowledge, and so on); the Internet as an unprecedented medium that has transformed individuals from consumers to collaborators/producers, connecting people in real-time across the world; the decentralization of hierarchy in the spread of information and culture, and the power of “new” media in organizing collective action toward social/political progress; all of the above interpreted with an anthropological mindset.

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Categories : social media

My Robo.to

1 10 2009

Yup, I made a new online profile at Robo.to, which is still a bit confusing but seems to aggregate a lot of my profiles and allows me publish to them all at once (from anywhere). The video updates are also fun, though 12seconds-esque (more like 5 seconds, really – see below). I do wish they’d make it easier to find friends and “add them to my crowd” though. We’ll see how this works out. Oh, and as always, the best way to follow me is on Twitter.

more about "My Robo.to", posted with vodpod


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Shots of Summer

26 08 2009
I made some great friends

Summer in a nutshell. I made some great friends,

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Categories : NY in DC

Blogging as a Chore?

12 08 2009
Me in the Center for American Progress internship video. I say the first 3 words: "Change does happen." Click to watch all of it.

Me in the Center for American Progress internship video. I say the first 3 words: "Change does happen." Click to watch all of it.

I abandoned my blog this summer. Perhaps I could blame it on my apartment’s lack of wireless connectivity, or on my 9-6 working schedule (though my wireless hadn’t stopped me from posting twice in May and my internship provided more than enough content to blog about). It could be that summer vacation seeped into my brain as my academic thoughts seeped out (though I managed to blog throughout last summer, with two jobs). Then again, I could always just revert to the fact that I am more of a Twitter person (not to mention the only people who find this blog are ones who Google “Hunter Parrish” + any combination of “gay? girlfriend? naked? Silas?”).

My seeming aversion to blogging presents a dilemma insomuch as I feel like I should have put more effort into ninanyc.com these past two months; I say “should” because substantive blogging is a requirement for any hopeful up-and-comer in the digital media marketing/online advocacy sphere. And yet, is it so wrong that I don’t enjoy hearing or discussing the same topic (“social media,” or anything else, for that matter) interminably? While the Internet and social networks account for my major as well as my work/internship life, one can only handle so much 2.0 talk. Blasphemy or honesty? You decide.

That said, I’ll continue to blog, though on an infrequent basis. This blog never had an explicit purpose or goal and so it has drifted along, becoming more of an intermittent chronicle of my life. I’m content to keep it that way, since my life consists largely of online social networks anyway. As a happy and busy Sam explained, “I’m having a hard time adapting (or even caring about adapting) this blog to a new purpose. It was basically a time-filler, and the time is currently filled.” As I just explained…my blog has no new purpose to adapt to, but my time is currently filled with exciting opportunities, a pending graduation, loved ones, and a new apartment in the West Village.

I will probably post again soon to recount my experience interning in DC this summer and to review my new place with soon-to-be roommate (Gawker-dubbed “NYU’s new-media wunderkind”) Cody Brown. Of course, don’t hold your breath.


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Categories : Everyday/Life, social media

Watch: Us Now

27 05 2009

I’m two days into my new internship at the Center for American Progress and I’m excited to be working here at this time – i.e. at the beginning of the Obama administration and helping to build CAP’s social network engagement. Working full time from 9-6 means a “real world” kind of summer. As for my previous Debbie Downer post, I’m okay now and adjusting much better. I feel oriented in DC and have begun to make some friends.

I’ve also been trying to get a start on my rationale/colloquium topic for graduation (trust me, it’s still in its convoluted/overbroad stage). Trying to find some inspiration, I watched this documentary that was recently launched online (May 12) by London-based Banyak Films – it’s titled Us Now. The documentary helped me formulate some key ideas on the topic of “mass collaboration, government, and the internet.” It takes a look at collaborative websites such as CouchSurfing.org, Mumsnet.com, and MyFootballClub.co.uk.  The case study of MyFootballClub.co.uk is particularly intriguing – the club is the first web community to own a football (read: U.S. soccer) team, Ebbsfleet United, while also deciding how the team plays by vote (e.g. player positions, budget, etc.); not to mention Ebbsfleet United went on to win the FA trophy at Wembley in 2008.

Us Now examines these sites’ successes as precursors to new forms of participatory government. The video below is only a teaser clip of some especially insightful parts of the documentary.

You can watch the hour-long documentary online in its entirety HERE.


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(Rough) Beginnings of a DC Summer

19 05 2009

Admittedly I am writing this blog post so I can feel like I’m talking to someone (as opposed to no one). I made the move to DC on Sunday.  After undergoing brief paralysis from sudden change, I spent the day unpacking and the night roaming DC.  I managed to pick up a late dinner at the only open place – none other than Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli (I ordered a Nathan’s hot dog and Manhattan clam chowder, haha).  On Monday I found my way to Trader Joe’s and somehow managed to lug back two 20 lb bags of food. I spent today (Tuesday) with my aunt, uncle, and little cousin – they live nearby in Virginia so it was easy to reach them by Metro. We went to Target, got ice cream, and food. They dropped me off at my apartment around 8 and I’ve since been wasting away my night (as I’m now accustomed to doing) by watching TV shows online.

The reason this post reads like a diary entry is because that’s basically what it is. I am in DC on my own and for the first time, I have to be completely independent and self-sufficient. This situation is not my forte. My Twitter bio says I “thrive when with loved ones” for a reason (okay, sorry, that was a bad example).  

To be honest, I’m struggling with how to spend my free time, how to be productive, and how not to feel lonely.  At times like these I normally call my mom, but she’s in Thailand for the next three weeks and not always available. I don’t want to cling to my aunt/uncle/cousin too much because I want to make it through this next week as an adult (I mean, by myself). Mallika (my roommate) and Max move to DC at the end of next week and I start work next Tuesday after Memorial Day. I know my new move isn’t a big deal but regardless, I get upset every time I confront the prospect of a full day/week with no set plans. I don’t know what to do with myself. At this point, I’m going to suck it up, pretend I didn’t just emo-word-vomit a blog post, take a shower, and go to sleep.


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Categories : Everyday/Life, NY in DC

InSTEDD Interview Recap

14 05 2009

Sorry for not updating in a while. Last week I was busy finishing up the semester and moving back to NJ, and now I’m preparing to move to DC this weekend. With my downtime at home, I’ve been finalizing this ICT for Disaster Response project and writing up my DigiActive post on InSTEDD’s Mekong Collaboration Program. Which reminds me, I have yet to blog about my experience with interviewing InSTEDD’s team members.

So close to submitting the post for review!

So close to submitting the post for review!

Two Sundays ago, I Skype-chatted with Ed Jezierski (VP of Engineering) and Shannon Oliver (Director of Communication, Mekong Region) for about an hour each. Ed had recently flown to Seattle from InSTEDD’s center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, whereas Shannon was still stationed in the region. I spoke with Ed first, whose technological expertise provided a detailed explanation of how InSTEDD uses its collaboration tools (GeoChat, Mesh4X, Evolve). The bandwidth in Cambodia wasn’t cooperating at first, so Shannon and I had to wait a few hours before reconnecting (Ed said the slow connection presents an everyday problem to communication between team members). When we were finally able to connect, Shannon presented a thorough overview of InSTEDD’s background, mission, and projects in the Mekong region; he helped me understand the recent successes of the organization and nicely complemented what I had learned from Ed. Both men were very enthusiastic about answering my questions and I felt like I came away with a lot of information (read: I recorded over two hours of conversation). They thanked me for the interview and encouraged me to Skype them if I had further questions.

I’ve spent the past couple days listening to the two interviews and jotting down important features to discuss. I just finished the draft of my DigiActive post an hour or so ago. Though it seemed pretty daunting to synthesize all the interview information into a blog post, I somehow managed to do so (not gonna lie, the post is rather long). Given all of the success InSTEDD has had with its innovative technology, I’m glad I have the opportunity to give their work more much-deserved attention (no pressure, right?). I’ll link to my post once it’s up on DigiActive’s site :)

UPDATE: The post is up, you can read it here.


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Swine Flu and Twitter

2 05 2009

Since it’s finals week, I’m going to keep this post short and to the point. Conveniently enough, that’s exactly what Twitter is made for.  

  • The CDC’s emergency Twitter feed (@CDCemergency) JUST announced that they have isolated the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu – this is great news because it means we should have a vaccine ready by next winter, when flu season starts up again and we’re more at risk of a pandemic (it’s warming up now so it’s harder for flu viruses to spread).
Good news.

Good news.

  • Another great Twitter account to follow is @Veratect – professionals in the field have been following it for a steady stream of the latest reported cases of swine flu around the world.

Of course, in the case of emergencies and the Internet (and Twitter, especially), there’s always the problem of separating valid information from rampant speculation and plain misinformation. My response to the argument that Twitter only serves as a medium for noise: the fact that Twitter functions as a community where people can @reply others and link to trusted news sources allows for a self-policing of information.  If someone says something false or misleading, there’s a strong chance that another Twitter user will address this person and provide accurate information.  Twitter by itself is never the best source for news – it’s the best source for linking to other sources and for facilitating conversation.

Hm, did I say this was going to be a short post?  This InSTEDD resource, Trackernews.net,  is also amazing – aggregates lots of different articles/sites for swine flu information


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Categories : ICT for Disaster Response

Current Developing Crises

27 04 2009
Residents wear surgical masks while riding the subway in Mexico City, Monday, April 27, 2009. Mexico's government is trying to stem the spread of a deadly strain of swine flu as a new work week begins by urging people to stay home Monday if they have any symptoms of the virus believed to have killed more than 100 people. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Residents wear surgical masks while riding the subway in Mexico City, Monday, April 27, 2009. Mexico's government is trying to stem the spread of a deadly strain of swine flu as a new work week begins by urging people to stay home Monday if they have any symptoms of the virus believed to have killed more than 100 people. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Over the past couple days, the international community has been monitoring the somewhat-panic-inducing spread of swine flu, which the World Health Organization has declared could become a pandemic.  With over 100 deaths and thousands of potential cases in Mexico, swine flu has also been confirmed in about 40 people in the United States (including 28 students in a school in Queens), all of whom have recovered or are recovering.  Elsewhere in the world, this strain of the flu has been found in Spain as well as in Canada.  This is a new viral strain of influenza (combining human, avian, and mostly swine flu components) and is transmitted from person-to-person, not from pigs or eating pork.  NPR seems to have a great lineup of articles whereas Mashable offers some ways to track swine flu online via RSS reader/GoogleNews or Healthmap.org (definitely check these sources – they’ve helped me stay informed and also calmed me from my overactive anxiety).  And, of course, there’s always the real-time #swineflu hashtag and trending topic on Twitter.  Paul Currion of humanitarian.info also lists good resources from the WHO and CDC.

Update 4/28: From InSTEDD’s most recent blog post, regarding their involvement in the swine flu situation: “From the early hours of this outbreak, we’ve been engaged with WHO in Geneva and we’re working to support the public health community at large in tracking and responding to this event.”

Update 5/1: President and CEO of InSTEDD, Eric Rasmussen, posted yesterday about the relevance of InSTEDD’s Citizen Guide to Pandemic Influenza, aka the Flu Manual – it’s available for free download here. Without being at liberty to say much about the organization’s work regarding the outbreak, he points us to two good resources:

Internally we’re following the notifications on Twitter from Veratect (www.Twitter.com/Veratect) and reading the really exceptional work that Janet Ginsburg is doing on TrackerNews.net. Don’t miss her hair-curling blog on factory farms and their infectious disease risks at www.TrackerBlog.InSTEDD.org.

P.S. I plan to interview InSTEDD team members this weekend about their use of technology in the Mekong region. It’ll be interesting to hear how they think their tools can be/are being applied to the current disease outbreak.  Expect a post on my experiences later next week.

Update 5/2: InSTEDD talks about how they’re using Evolve - one of their main tools – to visually track (on a map) and collaborate around the latest information on swine flu. It’s really interesting, make sure to look at this picture for an understanding of what Evolve does.

HealthMap's visualization of news from around the world concerning Influenza. The markers are color-coded for "hotness," or intensity of the disease (see Mexico).

HealthMap's visualization of news from around the world concerning Influenza. The markers are color-coded for "hotness," or intensity of the disease (see Mexico).

Another developing crisis in the world is taking place in Sri Lanka as the civil war continues between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels, or LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). Based on my very limited understanding of the ongoing (25 years, to be exact) situation, the Tamils recently called for a unilateral ceasefire, which the government refused to acknowledge.  The UN urged for the end of combat, concerned for the safety of the civilians caught in the Northeastern region war zone. Though this crisis is not exactly on-topic for my project on ICT for response to natural disasters/disease outbreaks, I’ve found that this particular activist field spans most humanitarian emergencies. ICT is widely used for crisis mapping as well as war/violence response in places like the Sudan.  The Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) team situated in Thailand has been closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka but reports little access to the country to provide humanitarian relief.  Their latest status: “A TSF emissary has been in Sri Lanka since Sunday April 26, in order to assess of the situation and prepare for an eventual deployment of personnel and telecommunication equipment.”

Sri Lankan soldiers. From NYTimes article, click on picture. Photo credit: Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press

Sri Lankan soldiers. From NYTimes article, click on picture. Photo credit: Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press


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