Carl Setzer

Today: another day where I sit amazed at the information stream I've set up for myself. Emails, website, tweets, etc, tons of stuff I WANT to process. Add to that the stream of stuff I "should" read. It's really mind blowing. I consider, though, "why?"  It's hits me that is rather new. Must of my life, getting access to information required more effort. I needed to subscribe to a magazine or journal, go to a library, etc. Plus, editors and publishers weeded the irrelevant (ostensibly, at least). I never needed to invest time in determining whether I was investing in worthwhile information. Now, knowledge races towards me. Things that would've required hours, of not days, of research I can now access from my bed. And it's all there... ALL, good, bad, useful and not...all. And I value that, democratizing information, even with the added burden. I'm working on the control skills. Really, though, the challenge is gluttony, on my part. I love ...

I, like so many others, have hit the wall: data overload. There's SO much out there, interesting and readily available. Free, or so for all practical intent; very few barriers. Not too long ago, price helped keep this in check. Our resources to spend on magazines, newspapers and the like naturally limited out data-stream. Yes, we had free at libraries, but content was still limited (by the fiscal concerns of libraries as well as any particular mag being used or destroyed by another patron) and there was the time commitment. Clearly the topography has changed. Content commodified: for creatives, this might be horrifying. I have a bit of that reaction. But this condition needs to drive a focus on quality. We content creators need to create the best stuff we can. And be aware of the subjective nature of "best". But "best" can still be buried within a sea of adequate. The tools for navigating this are still being crafted. I consider the hundreds of email I dele...