It's News to Me

If you've got a fast connection and about 30 minutes, you will enjoy spending that time watching this Quicktime video of David Weinberger's presentation on the Digital Future that was broadcast recently on C-SPAN. The file is about 90 Mb so it will take a bit of time before the streaming video begins, but in his presentation Dave does a great job of explaining a third way of looking at knowledge in the digital age. During the course of his presentation, he also explains why blogs, with all of their imperfections, are an important new way of knowing about and understanding the world at large.

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Julia Ann Floyd 12/30/2001

Originally uploaded by CaptQuirk.

When the sun comes up this morning, my world will be a bit poorer than it was when it rose yesterday because a wonderful relative of mine and a friend has left us. Julia Ann Floyd passed away yesterday morning at around 8:30 AM in the presence of her grandson, Brad, who was holding her hand at the time, and her daughter, Pat, who was by her side. So an era in my life has now passed into history.

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Dave Slusher of EvilGeniusChronicles is soliciting opinions about whether there is interest in a blogger conference in Myrtle Beach some time in the spring. Since these things usually happen on the west coast, it would be a great opportunity to meet some well-known (and maybe not so well-known) bloggers on the east coast and to learn some things about blogging. I told him I'd gladly attend if it were held on a weekend, which is what he has in mind.

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From Rory Blyth at Neopoleon.com:

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The «gang» who came to the birthday party

Originally uploaded by CaptQuirk.

A group of my friends and I got together on Sunday night at Puleo's Grille, here in Knoxville, for dinner to celebrate my birthday which was actually on November 7th. This picture is almost the entire group, except for Jimmy and Tom Wright, who arrived a bit later after this picture was taken.

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In response to yesterday's post, I have heard from both Bowen Baxter and Alfred Baxter that our grandfather's name was in fact Alfred Jesse, not Alfred Justice as I had indicated yesterday. So this post it to make that correction. Bowen said in his message this morning:

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maternal grandparents
Originally uploaded by CaptQuirk.

Mary Googer recently gave me a copy of this photograph of A. J. (Alfred Justice) and Julia Baxter (my maternal grandparents) from some time around the turn of the previous century. I used Photoshop to remove some stains and blemishes and to touch it up a bit. Because my mother was born after her father's death, she never knew him and this is the only picture I have ever seen of my grandmother as a young woman.

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Two Mama's Birthday

Originally uploaded by CaptQuirk.

During our recent Baxter family reunion in Snellville, Ga., on November 6th, I brought this scan of an old photograph to share with the rest of the family. Some of those in attendance wanted a copy, so I thought I'd post it here to remind everyone that it is available and that I'd be happy to email it directly to any and all who want a copy.

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While I was in Georgia for the reunion on Saturday, I went by the cemetary where my ancestors are buried and took this picture of the headstone at my grandparents' grave. Today would have been my paternal grandmother's 114th birthday. She was known as Mama Lena, and her husband, for whom I am named, was known as Daddy Perry. In honor of him, I have chosen to have my grandchildren refer to me as Daddy Perry.

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