by Bernie Goldbach in Clonmel
I SPENT 55 MINUTES on a catch-up Zoom Call with journalist and thinker Karlin Lillington today and want to mark my timeline with the event. Although the purpose of the call was to share what we think about the Fediverse, some of the preliminary commentary helped me resurface some important references to shared experiences. I need to sharpen the screenshot of Karlin before Google Images adds it to its collection.
Shared Appreciation of Rehomed Animals
I brought Kerry, our rehomed Bedlington Terrier, to the Zoom call. Kerry has irritable skin under her belly fur so I need to take her for monthly injections. We also have a spray that soothes the itchiness. But 24-26 days after each injection, Kerry gets irritable again. So I use Apoqel tablets to control the irritation. Kerry also has ear problems so there's a lotion for that condition.
The interesting fact about her monthly treatment is Kerry's favourite vet, Niamh Buck. I think Niamh has a Bedlington Terrier as well because she knows all the anomalies of the breed.
Karlin knows all about these issues because she has Westies and Cavaliers--affectionate and playful pets.
Media Literacy Skillset
For more than 20 years, I've read Karlin Lillington's columns in The Irish Times and in The Guardian. Karlin has a sophisticated grasp of media literacy. That's part of my teaching practice. Media Literacy for young teens is a special interest of mine. I can see a time when our shared concerns coalesce as a partnership in a Community of Practice in collaboration with Media Literacy Ireland or Erasmus.
The forest out back
Even though the Surface Book I used had a rear camera that could have easily shown the rural view we have in our home, I didn't show the view. So I'll offer part of my Flickr photostream to illustrate one of our crown jewels: the Ice House.
We discovered the structure abutting our property line when I excavated 10 tonnes of dirt during COVID. I did it one wheelbarrow at a time. That seems so far away now because I'm currently hobbling around with a weak right knee.
Youth Media and Short Form Reporting
I explained how Dylan (12) conceptualises and creates his video clips for his Little Bit of Tipp series on YouTube. He gets an idea that he can write down. Sometimes he cheats and asks Google to write the sentences for him. I make him write out the letters on a paper, revise the questions, and then send the letters to a prospective interviewee. In early 2023, Dylan want to interview Racheal Blackmore, the prize-winning Irish jockey.
Thanks for Father Jimmy, the pastor of Killenaule, Rachael got Dylan's letter and she agreed to an interview. I reckon Dylan has replayed that YouTube interview 100 times. He critiques himself for the way he asked the questions and he suggests ways to enhance the production values.
Working with Curmudgeons
Back when I had an NUJ card with the Irish Examiner, I had to interview A-listers about trends in technology.
Both Karlin and I had memorable interactions with the same curmudgeons. I'll let sleeping dogs lie and just day that I appreciate the emotions some people may exude when they think they've been door-stepped.
Tech Headaches
I have an aversion to always updating templates and then paying more every year for the same small patch of online real estate. This aversion is the biggest reason I still write on a blogging platform that is Perl-based. I pay less than €250 annually and have no restriction on bandwidth, storage, or domain names. Karlin shared her current project with the relaunch of her Cavalier Forum.
To be continued
The purpose of our Zoom call was to get my reading on what's happening to many of the original gang of Irish people who set up Twitter accounts between 2006-2008. I'll offer a sophisticated answer by changing the question in a follow-up blog post. In the meantime, you can scroll the photos I've shared on my MicroBlog.
[Bernie Goldbach teaches digital transformation on the Clonmel campus of the Technological University of the Shannon. Karlin Lillington's weekly technology column normally appears in the business section of the Irish Times.]
