Another shot at getting down and up some thoughts based on two quotes from yesterday - althoug it will probably be a bit shorter than the original version (which was lost due to session problems last night - 30 minutes of thoughts..... oh well...)

Anyway, on to the qoutes:

"L'homme y passe à travers des forêts de symboles" - Charles Baudelair - [more info, works]
google-ish translation: The man passes there through forests of symbols

So - man(kind) travels through a forest of symbols - or metaphors - which is more or less suitable for the web as well; the URL and title tag try to capture the essence of something larger by a simple expression or a single word. Then there is the split between media and real world - how does reporting represent an event - what is the difference between war, terror, attack and crusade - how does the use of short terms rather than background depth change the way we view the world? Take the NATO discussions on Turkish security and support against possible hostile actions... where is the fine line in the sand dividing offencive action from defensive measures?
Oh yes, I had some comments on the possibility of interperting the template for this blog as a metaphor as well - the image of the statue linking to deep thought (Rodin, Thorvaldsen) - the muted colors reflecting the lack of solid answers, the goal of thinking and reflecting rather than saying/stating... and so on...


"J'est un autre" - Arthur Rimbaud - [more info, works]
google-ish translation: I is another
There is something in the statement - which google eloquently puts in a jamaica tone, normally je suis would be I am - but the point is that the normal is not good enough. We define our identity by interacting with others, by seeing and talking to other people - or creatures for that matter - I don't think there is a strict need for direct and similar feedback. Which brings on the meta level of reflecting on this blog of reflections; is it defining or just musings? Does it change if someone reads it - or only if they respond, by e-mail and heated discussions in chatrooms? Am I interacting with my laptop and with the server? Well, yes - but is it interaction in the "become myself" way that Rimbaud was referring to?
Is the language we use to express our opinions also adequate to express and discuss the foundation - ourselves behind the opinions? Or is that part of the reason for the subtle use of words - not really right but definetly not incomprehensible...

Oh well - time to let yesterday become yesterday and try to post this again!