Inside View

Dark Christmas

WE KEPT OUR CHRISTMAS lights turned off for several days during this Christmas season to honour two neighbours who died in their homes on our street. Their passing, along with continued COVID-19 restrictions, marked Christmas 2020 as the darkest in my lifetime.

Deaths During Christmas

ON THE RUN-UP TO CHRISTMAS, we've had several sad events unfold near our home. First, an arthritic cat adopted us and was deemed so ill that our vet recommended putting her to sleep. Then a neighbour a few doors down died of a heart attack in his home. And now a steady parade of cars park outside our front door as an elderly man works his way through his final days of terminal cancer.

A Tense Election Night and I Time Traveled into 2002

I STARTED LISTENING to early exit polls from the 2020 US election and somehow transported myself back to 2002 when Ruth and I walked alongside the River Liffey. I can find only a few photos from November 2002 but it's easy to lose myself in the sound track of my life from those less stressful times.

Workplace Culture is Changing

AFTER A SHORT PERIOD teaching remotely, I can feel seismic shifts under the foundation of third level teaching in Ireland. I believe it's only a matter of time that lecturers will be timetabled to deliver their core teaching hours electronically as well as in a classroom.

Sharing Films with Kids while Locked Down

BEFORE BEING TOLD to keep our social distance, I went all-in and subscribed to Disney Plus, Netflix, Google Premium, and Amazon Prime--then noticed Mia (12) diving deep into Studio Ghibli (see My Neighbor Totoro above). After stressing my credit card with two new subscription fees (and renewing Express VPN so we can be region-agnostic), we now have a wishlist of films for the kids during the next 10 days of our confinement. Here are the ones we will watch during our first weekend stuck inside the house.

Cognification. Happening faster than any other trend.

THE FABRIC OF LIFE is getting smarter every year because our world is cognifying. Kevin Kelly offered this observation more than seven years ago as he started sharing parts of The Inevitable, an essential conversation starter in the Emerging Trends and Technology module on the Clonmel Digital campus.

Today, 2D rigger Jess Cheeseman explains how she has seen cognification affect her life and the lives of her family in Canada.

Listen to "Cognification. Happening NOW. E38" on Spreaker.

The Day Borja Brought Black Mirror into Class

CLEVER CREATIVES like Borja Lopez Montes teach me things I will always remember. Today, Borja revived my memory of scary bees when he brought Black Mirror into the classroom as part of a presentation about "tracking".

Listen to "Tracking With Borja And Black Mirror" on Spreaker.

Learning from Tweens h/t @thinkwithwitt

EVEN THOUGH I HAVE read and highlighted The Gen Z Frequency, I know there is nothing better than tuning in directly to the conversations of young teens. I had an opportunity to do that when I accompanied Mia (12) and her friends on a shopping trip to Waterford.

Starting a Collaborative Story h/t @johntierney_ #MyClonmel

THE IDEA STARTED years ago with an email from John Tierney, an archaeologist who thought I might share a passion for exploring the past. Back then, in 2008, we compared notes while visiting the graves inside the Rock of Cashel. More than a decade later, I'm taking those graveside thoughts into a community project I'll follow called #MyClonmel and watch young teens along with third level creative students uncover layers of a town's past.

Sharing #clonmelarts programme items in a busy cafe

CLAIRE BENTLEY took a pair of Rode Smart Lav+ lapel mics into the noisiest part of the Buttermarket Cafe to recap the most prominent coverage of art on the Tipperary Live website today. The top arts coverage is about the Junction Arts Festival.

Listen to "#ClonmelArts According to Google E04" on Spreaker.

I've started listening to #clonmelarts and my phone has started offering me updates at least once an hour. If you want to listen to what I'm learning, you can ask for "Clonmel Junction Arts Podcast" and you'll enjoy a wide diversity of cross-talk about the biggest summer arts festival in the sunny southeast of Ireland.