On writing a column as though it were a physical conference.


Most Boidem columns contain extensive associative links - to embellishments on thoughts, to ideas expressed in previous columns, and to numerous outside sources that expound upon the ideas raised in the main (or sub) text. The Boidem is, of course, an ongoing experiment in the concretization of associative thinking that hypertext offers. But in conferences, even when our minds wander (as I've already admitted that they do) we remain constrained. These constraints are primarily physical. Basic considerations of politeness keep us from leaving sessions we don't find particularly interesting, while few will notice when we free ourselves from mental constraints. But there are certain mental constraints. Though I don't have any empirical evidence to prove this, it's my guess that our minds primarily wander within the confines of the topics being discussed at the conference.

I've tried to write this particular column as though I were attending a conference, allowing myself occasional asides, but trying to contain these to asides that return home fairly quickly. As opposed to a "normal" Boidem column, there's very little nesting of links here. If my mind has wandered (and it has) it's returned fairly quickly to let the lecturer know that I'm still present. External links are, for a change, almost non-existent in this column. After all, if I'm attending a session on a particular topic, I'm not really expected to be surfing off into off-topic territory while being physically present.



Go to: The tedium of real time.