I dreamed I found a new continent on google

[gurdonark]

I have the sense that all life is available on a hyperlink, if only I know the right search term to use to find it. I consider myself a rather good web surfer, capable of finding liberating moments with the flick of the tail of my mouse. Of course, liberation is entirely within the mind of the liberated. Sunday night I found www.fasola.org, the website for the Sacred Heart Singers. Sacred Harp, or shape note singing, was a 19th C. way of singing church music in which an earlier, simplified "fasola" scale was used. The great advantage of this scale was that it is very easy to teach to people who do not read music. The resulting unison choruses are throaty, resonant, bursts of joy, which are not about talent, just about participation. Listening to the snippets of sound available on line, and reading the history of how the tradition was preserved after most of the country was converted to modern musical scales, makes me want to seek out the local Primitive Baptist church where they do practice singings, so that I can drink in and be drunk by, the sounds of loud voices, singing together, without fear.

If Atlantis exists, I'm sure it can be found on google, and I'll bet the real problem is too many hits. 1,000,000,000 sites of fanfic about Atlantis, you know, and only 1 Atlantis. On a far less spiritual plane, I like the game in which I figure out the most absurd phrase, particularly a mildly purple bit of pseudo-erotic prose or a stereotypic bit of religious sermonizing, and then run it through google in quotes. The thing one learns from this game is that no matter how trite or improbable the phrase, a surprisingly high percentage of the time that phrase has been used in 62 websites. When I want to buy anything fun, I go find some obscure little site that has it, or buy it on ebay.

I dream of finding museums of rural photography, ant farms in full swing, hiking trails I've never dreamed existed, musics I've never heard which hypnotize me, art I've never seen but which blows me away. Someday the 'net will be domesticated--but right now I revel in its anarchy and chaos.

In my eighty seven seconds of planning for my November novel, I've come to realize that
the discovery of life in outer space with a radio telescope will seem trite and difficult to prove as contrasted with the cool graphics which life can portray in cyberspace. Who needs a warp drive when one has google.com? Who will need to discover anything when millions of websites are little islands out there, waiting to be found?

Comments

[chaptal.livejournal.com]

Somehow I'm reminded of the librarian in Attack of The Clones. 'If it's not in our archieves, it does not exist'

There's plenty out there that will never see the glare of a computer screen.

The hype is in the convenience.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Yes, there is a lot that never makes the internet. Before the internet, one still found cool places and cool people. But I sure enjoy the convenience.

[twiceuponatime.livejournal.com]

I sat in on many fasola sessions, over my CofC-preacher-kid's childhood.

The acapella singing ... majestic in every way ... is the only thing I miss about my decision to be un-churched and un-corporate.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Ah, but that's quite a baby indeed to throw out with the rest of the water...maybe you can find a way to put that part back in :)

[twiceuponatime.livejournal.com]

Synchronicity is the game lately.

I was invited to go to a large gathering (at a church where my dad preached, no thanks) for gospel singing, and declined.

Then, your mention of singing acapella (my perception and context for the fasola experience)...

... then, the "spiritual" I sang in voice lessons, today, unlocked a pool of grief and loss (for singing) I did not even know resided within me (see my post, today, "Erased" for more info.)

I knew I LOVED singing, just didn't know how deeply.

I got a name of a community choir. Once I recover from today's grief, I will know if I will look into it.

Your words are timely.

[uscwriter.livejournal.com]

Maybe your characters could discover a new universe within the internet...

hmmmm.

KIM:) (excited to start writing!)

[amatrixangel.livejournal.com]

Click. The word is Click the mouse. To flick is ultra-violence.

I went to the page you were mentioning. I picked up my guitar and *played* one of the songs. #161 Loved Ones Over Yonder No chords (there's none there but I could work them out) but the notes. I think my version sounded like a Beatles tune. It was alright :)

Have you tried this? (http://www.alltooflat.com/geeky/elgoog/index.cgi)

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Flick, click, either would not be as much fun as playing guitar to fasola songs.

[amatrixangel.livejournal.com]

It was really, really nice that song. I enjoyed the site. Um, I was *totally joking* about click vs flick by the way :)

[dabroots.livejournal.com]

Excellent piece of writing.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Many thanks.

[laruth.livejournal.com]

I love that subject line! This post describes what I feel perfectly. All I now need is time, and a fast broadband link to explore.