Congregations across the US will sing the song “In Christ Alone” this weekend, just as mine did this morning. It’s an obvious choice for Easter weekend because its verses trace the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. A line midway through the song recently became a flashpoint for the last ten centuries of debate among […]
The change at hand
“All politics is local,” pundits have said for about 80 years now. It may not be as complete a maxim this century. Grassroots activism has surged back as a tactic, especially on national concerns: years of action on police and state violence, increased organizing on environmental justice and climate change, and massive mobilization around gender […]
A second look at failure
One of the tools I’ve been using this week to cope with the steady stream of chaotic political news is playing with scales of distance and time: How many light-years between Earth and—oh, I don’t know—Pegasus. How long human history is. How short recorded history is in relation to the age of the Earth. How […]
Working to death
Ten years ago, an interview between Tavis Smiley and Will Smith went viral. When Smiley asked what set Smith apart toward the end of the session, Smith laughed and said: The only thing that I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill… I will not be […]
Nostalgia is no way to build a life
One of my favorite things is looking at the stars, especially in areas with low levels of light pollution. When I lived in Jamaica, my grandparents still had an exposed balcony (we installed railings when my grandmother developed dementia). I would sometimes sit on the balcony, long after my grandparents had gone to bed. Their […]
When the user can’t report what they’re looking for
User experience and usability studies are both parts of technical communication that I trained in as a graduate student. One of the articles I published during that period was about studying users in context and inviting them to teach others in order to demonstrate their own learning. “Training the trainer” is easy enough when a […]