Notebook of Sand

• Recent Publications
• Recent Projects
• Conferences & Speaking
"Comparing Spatial Hypertext Collections"
  ACM Hypertext '09
"Archiving and Sharing Your Tinderbox"
  Tinderbox Weekend London '09
"The Electronic Nature of Future Literatures"
  Literary Studies Now, Apr '09
"The World University Project"
  St. John's Col. Cambridge, Feb '09
"Ethical Explanations,"
  The New Knowledge Forge, Jun '08
Lecture, Cambridge University
  Tragedy in E-Lit, Nov '07
Hypertext '07: Tragedy in E-Lit
Host for Tinderbox Cambridge '07
Keynote: Dickinson State Uni Conf
Upper Midwest NCHC'07: Speaker
eNarrative 6: Creative Nonfiction
HT'05: "Philadelphia Fullerine"
  Nelson award winning paper
NCHC '05:
 Nurturing Independent Scholarship
Riddick Practicum:
  Building Meeting Good Will
NCHC '04:
  Philadelphia Fullerine
  Lecture on American Studies
WWW@10: Nonfiction on the Web
NCHC '03: Parliamentary Procedure
ELL '03 -- Gawain Superstar
• (a)Musing (ad)Dictions:

Ideas. Tools. Art. Build --not buy. What works, what doesn't. Enjoy new media and software aesthetics at Tekka.

Theodore Gray (The Magic Black Box)

Faith, Life, Art, Academics. Sermons from my family away from home: Eden Chapel!

My other home: The Cambridge Union Society (in 2007, I designed our [Fresher's Guide])

The Economist daily news analysis

Global Higher Ed blog

• Hypertext/Writing

Writing the Living Web

Chief Scientist of Eastgate Systems, hypertext expert Mark Bernstein. (Electronic) Literature, cooking, art, etc.

Fabulous game reviews at playthisthing.

• Stats

Chapter I: Born. Lived. Died.

There is a Chapter II.

Locale: Lancaster County Pa, USA

Lineage: Guatemala

Religion: My faith is the primary focus of my life, influencing each part of me. I have been forgiven, cleansed, and empowered by Jesus Christ. Without him, I am a very thoughtful, competent idiot. With him, I am all I need to be, all I could ever hope for. I oppose institutional religious stagnation, but getting together with others is a good idea. God is real. Jesus Christ is his Son, and the Bible is true. Faith is not human effort. It's human choice. I try to be the most listening, understanding, and generous person I can.

Interests: Anything I can learn. Training and experience in new media, computer science, anglophone literature, education, parliamentary debate, democratic procedure, sculpture, and trumpet performance. Next: applied & computational linguistics, probably.

Education: Private school K-3. Home educated 4-12. Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Elizabethtown College in Jan 2006. As the 2006 Davies-Jackson Scholar, I studied English at St. John's College, Cambridge University from 2006 - 2008.

Memberships: Eden Baptist, Cambridge Union Society, ACM, AIP, GPA.

Alum of the Elizabethtown College Honors Program, sponsored by the Hershey Company.

Uncertain Future: Clouded Flame
Wednesday, 2 Jun 2004 :-:

"Look! It's on fire!"

Coming back from church tonight, I noticed a flame in the Eastern sky. I pointed.

It flared brightly and dissipated into the velvet-dark violet drapes of passing stormclouds.

Gone.

** * **

Thoughts of Icarus.

** * **

Although I have been very careful over the last few years, I have for the last few days been convinced that my pain over the last few weeks are the first symptoms of what I believe to be RSI. Three weeks of finals stress --late nights writing constantly at uncomfortable tables and desks-- have done me in. If you have been reading the blog, you'll have noticed my early May complaints of pain.

I thought it was temporary, but the pain hasn't stopped.

I see a doctor tomorrow.

** * **

The future of this blog is uncertain. For sure, I will no longer be making daily posts. The value of daily writing goes down when every word potentially compounds the injury.

** * **

Thoughts of Icarus. Have I flown too recklessly high?

** * **

I looked up again, away from the dying flame of a setting sun, gazing into the East for an answer. Nothing.

Had it been a terrorist attack? A ball of flame from an airborne explosion? It had been like the flash of napalm in heaven itself.

I glanced to the east. It was back, an airborne blast in turbulent, brilliant orange.

But it was not a disaster.

It was the moon. A smiling face. Orange. Warm, on a spring evening. The moon was beautiful, and the veil of dark blue cloud-wisps waved over a glowing smile. Not a disaster. Just a reminder to notice an old friend.

** * **

I have one great confidence. I have lately been reading Ephesians. The same God who raised Christ from the dead, raised Him above all powers in the universe -- this is the God who has raised me to life in Him. That's what really counts. And He directs my path. He knows why this happened. Probably to teach me humility. But it's good to know that He isn't caught off-guard.

** * **

Thoughts of Icarus. Thoughts of eagles' wings.