Books reviews, current events, and other musings

 
Clay Shirky wrote a fascinating essay about the social dynamics of online groups. Mailing lists, bulletin boards, weblogs, and wikis, all of which I participate in, give medium to large groups of people the opportunity to converse with one other. This is a new kind of interaction, since prior communication technologies have been either one-to-one, like letters, or unidirectional, like television.

This social software, as Shirky calls it, leads to unexpected social dynamics and challenges in maintaining a positive social community. His paper contains several worthwhile insights into the Internet communities which comprise a growing component of my social life (from Joel on Software).

posted by Julian at 11:50 PM

 
The wedding two weeks ago went incredibly well.

We got married during a sunset cruise on the Tahoe Queen in Lake Tahoe. Twenty guests - half friends and half family - attended, though hundreds of other people were aboard the ship.

My stepsister and her husband helped me get ready and drove me to the dock. Dawn arrived a couple minutes later; she looked fantastic in her black wedding dress. We were a little nervous about the unconventional wedding attire we selected, but our families complimented our appearances and nobody seemed to be shocked. We introduced our guests to one another and posed for a few photos.

Once everyone showed up, we boarded the ship, pausing for two group photos, one with family and one with friends. We went to the upper deck, where the serious photography began. Dawn and I felt like celebrities, as a half-dozen cameras took non-stop pictures of us, by ourselves and with most of our guests. The weather was ideal and the lake provided a beautiful backdrop. We were very happy and not nearly as nervous as we expected to be.

Then it was time for the actual ceremory. The captain officiated, and after his first sentence I turned to face Dawn instead of him. We looked into each other's eyes during most of the ceremony, listening to the captain's words and being dimly aware of the nearby guests. At first it felt staged, hearing the captain go through the standard spiel. Soon it became much more real and signficant, as the phrasing that seemed dry on the written page became significant when spoken aloud.

When repeating the vows, I felt comfortable and delighted when promising to spending the rest of my life loving, cherishing, and caring for Dawn. Her vows brought out the love and devotion that she feels toward me. After taking the vows and exchanging rings, we kissed, at which point I felt somewhat more self-conscious of our watching guests. The captain announced us as husband and wife, and we were married!

Our friends and family congratulated us and were so excited for us. Then came another round of pictures, taken by the wedding photographer and our guests. We went downstairs for dinner, including a tasty chocolate wedding cake. We socialized for a couple more hours, with plenty of time to chat with everyone. When the boat returned to dock, we bid our farewells and headed back to the hotel.

It was fanastic wedding, and everything went flawlessly. The Lake Tahoe Cruises people really know how to put on a wedding, with minimal effort on our part. Our guests all seemed to enjoy themselves and were very happy for us. Though I was already optimistic about our married life, a great wedding is a nice omen of things to come.

Uncorked shot some great wedding photos.

posted by Julian at 8:55 PM