Friday, September 21, 2007
OneWebDay is tomorrow . . .
. . . and so is Yom Kippur.
Both Yom Kippur and OneWebDay are days of rememberance of something we might forget without a Special Day. In the case of OneWebDay, we need to remember what a miracle the Internet is, how recently it has become a necessity in our lives, its potential to lower the barriers that separate individuals and cultures, and how easily its potential could be wrenched out of our hands.
I am as secular a Jew as any Jew can be. I didn't have a Bar Mitzvah, I have never been to Friday night services at temple, I have few warm feelings for the state of Israel, I don't know the next word after "Barook atah . . . " and I never got the joke my grandfather told (and told and told and told) about the non-Kosher cheeseburger.
My wife, who is just slightly more knowledgeable in religious matters than I am, impressed one Jewish thing on me -- Self-respecting Jews keep their head down on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur -- pronounced "yum kippa" NOT "yawm kipoooor" -- is the Day of Atonement. Treating it like every other day says, "I have nothing to atone for . . . I'm perfect."
Tomorrow is OneWebDay, the Day to Celebrate the Internet. It's held every September 22. The dang Jewish calendar, where the dates float all over the place, put Yom Kippur right on top of OneWebDay this year. I wish the Jews would get their calendar synched to the rest of the world.
There will be OneWebDay celebrations all over the world tomorrow. I won't be going to the Big OneWebDay gala in New York City, featuring Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Andrew Baron (Rocketboom), Birju Pandya (Charityfocus.org), Dana Spiegel (NYCWireless), Lauren Klein (One Laptop Per Child). I won't be going to any of the other OneWebDay events around the world.
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't. If the Internet has changed your life and you'd like to celebrate that fact, and if your religious attitude permits, you should be there. It's the second oldest Important World-Wide Observation tomorrow.
[Disclosure: I am on the OneWebDay board. It is a completely voluntary, non-compensated position.]
Both Yom Kippur and OneWebDay are days of rememberance of something we might forget without a Special Day. In the case of OneWebDay, we need to remember what a miracle the Internet is, how recently it has become a necessity in our lives, its potential to lower the barriers that separate individuals and cultures, and how easily its potential could be wrenched out of our hands.
I am as secular a Jew as any Jew can be. I didn't have a Bar Mitzvah, I have never been to Friday night services at temple, I have few warm feelings for the state of Israel, I don't know the next word after "Barook atah . . . " and I never got the joke my grandfather told (and told and told and told) about the non-Kosher cheeseburger.
My wife, who is just slightly more knowledgeable in religious matters than I am, impressed one Jewish thing on me -- Self-respecting Jews keep their head down on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur -- pronounced "yum kippa" NOT "yawm kipoooor" -- is the Day of Atonement. Treating it like every other day says, "I have nothing to atone for . . . I'm perfect."
Tomorrow is OneWebDay, the Day to Celebrate the Internet. It's held every September 22. The dang Jewish calendar, where the dates float all over the place, put Yom Kippur right on top of OneWebDay this year. I wish the Jews would get their calendar synched to the rest of the world.
There will be OneWebDay celebrations all over the world tomorrow. I won't be going to the Big OneWebDay gala in New York City, featuring Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Andrew Baron (Rocketboom), Birju Pandya (Charityfocus.org), Dana Spiegel (NYCWireless), Lauren Klein (One Laptop Per Child). I won't be going to any of the other OneWebDay events around the world.
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't. If the Internet has changed your life and you'd like to celebrate that fact, and if your religious attitude permits, you should be there. It's the second oldest Important World-Wide Observation tomorrow.
[Disclosure: I am on the OneWebDay board. It is a completely voluntary, non-compensated position.]
Technorati Tags: OneWebDay, Rant
Comments:
David
Guess that I'm some thing of "Web Agnostic"
I tend to prefer Every Web Day (well, maybe not every day, but most)
slightly longer comment on http://www.looneydunes.blogspot.com
The best thing, in my humble opinion is for the web to become like the air we breathe ...
Ciao
Chip
Guess that I'm some thing of "Web Agnostic"
I tend to prefer Every Web Day (well, maybe not every day, but most)
slightly longer comment on http://www.looneydunes.blogspot.com
The best thing, in my humble opinion is for the web to become like the air we breathe ...
Ciao
Chip
"Adonai" (from your goy friend)
I guess I am a "secular Internet guy." As much as I think the Internet is "neat," I guess I miss the point of OneWebDay. Is it that any good respecting Internet Guy should keep their head down and atone for the sins of Theodore Vail?
But hey, if you make it a federal holiday, we can get the day off!!
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I guess I am a "secular Internet guy." As much as I think the Internet is "neat," I guess I miss the point of OneWebDay. Is it that any good respecting Internet Guy should keep their head down and atone for the sins of Theodore Vail?
But hey, if you make it a federal holiday, we can get the day off!!
