February 8, 2010 - "A Living Entity"

Oh joy - it's report card writing time. I'm busy reading posts to our intermediate division wiki and when I need to step away from the screen, I pick up my pleasure reading: Nalini Singh's "Blaze of Memory". What struck me is that Singh's conception of the NetMind as a living entity made up of the sum of its parts but also unique to itself is a good description of our school wiki. Individuals are important to creating content and character, but somehow both have acquired a special "personality". Nalini's sci-fi / paranormal romance universe hypothesizes that the NetMind has splintered a bit into two creatures. (I'm not doing a good job of explaining what the NetMind is - it's the crucial biofeedback link for the Psy - imagine the Borg and the Vulcans merged together. Or better yet, find Nalini Singh's homepage and let her explain it in detail.) Our wiki has multiple facets too. It is serious and academic but it also has a playful side (the kids have made a "Rick Rolled" link - glad to see they've discovered the marvelous music of my youth) and a vulnerable, trusting side. Thank goodness I receive notifications about when, who and what gets posted (my school email in box is full of these notification) - I've never be able to keep up with what they produce (who says writing is dead?) > good thing I'm not like those evil Council members in Nalini's books!