Benkler's The Wealth of Networks

I have 2 weeks of holiday break left. This is such an incredible thing, to have 6 weeks off during winter. I've gotten so many things done, as well as had plenty of time to just think about things. What a great idea, time off.

I started Benkler's Wealth of Networks a couple of days ago as part of the exploration I'm doing for the course I want to create on the future of the book. It's a bit far afield, especially given how long it is (couldn't likely assign it, but might certainly make it optional or recommended reading). It's online as well as in analog, so I can cut and paste the passages that are particularly resonant into EverNote for later use. I'm also getting started on a bibliography in Noodlebib for the course. I can annotate each entry as well as make notes to myself about each book and include quotes. The tools I've learned about in the Knowledge Management Course are really phenomenally useful. It's just such a shame that most working folk don't have the time to figure out how to make more of their time...

The one place I'm not making progress is on lining up the people I want to interview next summer in France. I keep feeling that I need to know more before I select the people, and I need to know more before I can come up with the right questions to ask them. All of this is true, but I don't have forever to figure it out. Reservations have to be made, appointments have to be arranged. I really have to just take a leap in some ways. I need to go by gut instinct here, sort of a Blink kind of thing maybe. Since I have to accomplish this outside the structure of a course, I don't have the advantage that course requirements would impose on my efforts. I have to be my own taskmaster on this. That would normally not be a problem, but the course requirements will squeeze out just about everything that isn't absolutely necessary once the semester gets going, so I will really have to make the most of the next couple of weeks before the crush is on.

It's been so nice though, to have the rhythm of the day be my own. Ah, life.