I am excited to be a full participant (when I sign up later today) for the Intentionally Equitable Hospitality May 2024 series. My usual “thing” to bring is often on the technical side, I built the WordPress theme used here for the Reflections, humbled to be a user of my own stuff, trying not to get wrapped up in “things I should have done better”.
You will see above, no suprise, I am representing myself with a photo of my dog, Felix. This has been a “thing” I have done in nearly my whole career, using dogs for their metaphors of loyalty, companionship, playfulness– all characteristics I want to have myself. I have long used dogs for my web sites, my social media avatars, maybe a play on avoiding the usual approach of a self picture (as someone who loves photography, I am a very rare selfie taker).
In thinking about an ALT-CV, I took up the mention of audio, a media not thought of for representing ourselves. Ecery since I started with media, digital storytelling, and small bit of teaching long ago, that it’s the “underdog” of media. I find people shy away from it “I don’t like the sound of my own voice” (clue– no one does). But as I learned more about the production values of audio storytelling it became one of my favorite modalities, for the human voice alone carries much we can connect to, more so than when we read text, but also, that creating good audio stories is much much more creative than turning on a recorder and talking into a mic.
With all that, I did a one take, off the top of my head recording, pretty much the opposite of what I just wrote. But this is but one key piece in what I always thought has been important in my online work (well all my work), and especially more in 2024 with the undermining with the dreaded two letter technology acronym, our individual human ness.
I recorded this in a nifty online audio recorder Sodaphonic Booombox (I love sharing little useful tools) that lets me share it as a link
https://sodaphonic.com/audio/w0wG5Umzm9LeKdY3nWMW
Note! The re-edit works. I like how Sodaphonic also adds (with AI) a transcript to recorded audio)
My "alt" calling card is a web site (with dog photos) https://cog.dog
Hey! Did Alan give me credit?
Lol
“dreaded two letter technology acronym” like it’s a dirty word we won’t say aloud, then you say it two sentences later haha. I do find AI for transcripts helpful, when it works.
Love your voice, and agree re surprises and the unexpected.
really appreciate this reflection and navigating the fracturedness of things and looking for the small seredipity…also the presence of your dog and the panting added a level of intimacy that was sweet. I