On re-reading his novel White Noise 20-years later
Waves and Radiation and Hand Sanitizer
A toxic threat in the air that can kill us.
Fear-filled and surreal trips to the supermarket.
A morbid preoccupation with death and confrontation with our own mortality.
The notion of technology as our savior or destroyer.
Sound familiar?
These are all recurring themes in the brilliantly prescient 1985 novel, White Noise, by the reclusive and postmodern literary acrobat, Don DeLillo. His avoidance of the spotlight is refreshing in a world full of aspiring Instagram influencers.
Josh Spilker seems to agree in his story on biography, “Don DeLillo is a fantastic writer. But there’s no life story there. …
definitely! Part of the allure for writing ... I think most creatives want to leave a little something behind as evidence that we were here ha ha
But for many, its effects may have been profound
His Disconnect and Greed Exemplify the Religious Right
Dave Ramsey, a darling of money-fixated, evangelical Christians everywhere, received a hellish amount of negative attention recently. I doubt it bothered him much; in fact, he probably enjoyed it.
Maybe I am over-generalizing, but I don’t think many of the folks who support his business would be overly concerned by his remarks, either.
The public outrage resulted from his tone-deaf and derogatory comments about Biden’s pandemic relief plan that includes some direct stimulus payments to Americans (that as of this writing, some are still waiting to receive).
I don’t believe in a stimulus check because if $600 or $1400 changes…
Is is the final curtain call for the ‘sage on the stage’?
The Idea of the Lecture
I currently work for an educational technology company, worked as a teacher for many years, have a daughter in middle school, and work as a freelance writer specializing in educational content. One of my favorite courses as an undergraduate was “The Philosophy of Education,” an upper-level philosophy course taught by a wonderful professor I had taken a year earlier in a lower-level History of Western Philosophy survey course.
We traced some of the major philosophical underpinnings of Western education: from Plato’s Republic to John Newman’s “The Idea of the University” to Rousseau and Dewey’s works. Dr. Robert Mulvaney, who passed…
Is over-consumption of news and social media making us less intelligent and fulfilled?
Over-Saturation and Exposure
Turn off the news. Just stop. Yes, you. Just turn if off and take a break from social media too, while you’re at it.
Thank you. It feels better, doesn’t it?
Feeling Overwhelmed? Too informed? Do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats, sick with the thought that you can’t remember the number of confirmed cases versus probable deaths for Covid-19 in your state? Maybe you hardly slept last night because of nightmares that your credit score or personal identity was compromised. The former president pardoned or didn’t pardon so and so …
As the search for a Covid-19 vaccine persists and the global pandemic continues to disrupt the normal education environment, most K-12 public and private schools in the United States have gone fully virtual — or drastically adjusted their normal face-to-face meeting schedules. This varies from state to state; however, the key takeaway today is the much needed investment these schools need to make for content: engaging, timely, and specific content for their website (s) to keep students, parents, and the community up to date with what is going on.
When the pandemic lock-down spread across the world a few months ago, hordes of office workers grabbed their laptops and commuted home with a sense of uncertainty and doom. Public school students across the world abruptly adjusted their routine and pivoted to remote learning. Friends and colleagues had internet happy hours, eCommerce orders skyrocketed, and screen time was at an all-time high.
This moved digital marketers into the forefront of marketing. Businesses and organizations worldwide needed to remotely ensure their SEO was prioritized and working as effectively (and efficiently) as possible. …
Don’t worry. You are not alone.
S.E.O. [ search engine optimization ] has been an essential aspect of creating an online presence (for your business, personal blog, brick and mortar store, non-profit organization, government entity, music video, or collection of silly cat photos) since the dawn of the search engine. Remember Excite, AltaVista or Netscape, anyone?
Everyone that had a pulse wanted to start their own search engine in the prehistoric mid-90's!
Effective content drives change …
Whether it is an essay like “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. or “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin, a painting by Goya, a street art campaign, a company or organization slogan that suddenly everyone on the planet knows by memory — or a single photo or graphic design.
Below is a photo by famed Danish-American photographer Jacob Riis (1849–1914. His shocking photos helped bring about positive change and urban reform. Below is a photo of the horrific living conditions of immigrants in New York City’s Lower East Side at…
Let us be honest, there is a lot that can go wrong when you approach the world of digital marketing for the first time. If you choose to work with experienced professionals who understand this industry, you stand a much better chance of success.
Why “learn as you go” when you can collaborate with experienced digital marketers and professional content creators? We have spent years working in this industry, and we can help you avoid common mistakes nearly everyone makes.
The web is cluttered with ineffective content and confusing messages. Paradigm Content Solutions is here to help distinguish your business…
Andrew K. Block
I write about culture, education, work, EdTech, writing, social change, and more. For content and digital marketing needs, visit: paradigmcontentsolutions.com
