Book by Alex Lucas

This is a Book

BOOK

BOOK This is Not a Book

By: No Alex One Lucas

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To understand paradoxes is to be able to hold two conflicting in yourThis head the same time. This is notideas a sentence, is at not a sentence, This is not a sentence, This is not a sentence.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about merging two things that seem something This is not a sentence,into This is not a that, some This how, is makes sentence, not asense.â&#x20AC;? sentence,

incongruent

--Frank This isChimero not a name

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events; to watch the faces of the poor and the gestures of the proud; to see strange things machines, armies, multitudes, shadows in the jungle and on the moon; to see manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work...

This is a Book

This is Not a Book

BOOK BOOK

BOOK BOOK By: No Alex One Lucas

By: No Alex One Lucas

Often times paradox and absurdity are mistaken for one another. I think there’s a subtle, but important difference. Absurdity is paradox’s immature little brother. Absurdity is spineless. Two incongruent things are placed sideby-side. The supposed value is amusement from the randomness. Absurdity often seems a This pale imitation of paradox. The Simpsons isis paradox. Family is absurdity. There’s a big not a word, ThisGuy is not a word, This is not a difference word, Thisbetween is not asaying word,“Sleep, This isthat’s not awhere word, I’m viking!” showing chicken fightThis scene Thisa is not a and word, This isa not a word, is for Paradox insight, not 5a minutes. word, This is nothas a word, Thisabsurdity is not a lacks Paradoxes (Which is word,it. This is not a have word,meaning. This is not a word, confusing, of itself.) paradox This is notinaand word, This isOften not atimes word, This is and are is mistaken for one another. not aabsurdity word, This not a word. This is notIa think subtle, but important difference. word,there’s This isa not a word, This is not a word, Absurdity immature brother. This is notisaparadox’s word, This is not alittle word, This is Absurdity is This spineless. Two incongruent not a word, is not a word, This is things not a are placed TheThis supposed is word, Thisside-by-side. is not a word, is not value a word, amusement the randomness. Absurdity This is not afrom word, This is not a word, This is often a paleis imitation of paradox. Thea not a seems word, This not a word, This is not Simpsons Family Guyisisnot absurdity. word, Thisisisparadox. not a word. This a word, There’s a biga difference This is not word, Thisbetween is not asaying word,“Sleep, This is that’s a viking!” showing not a where word,I’m This is not aand word, This aischicken not a fight 5 minutes. word,scene This for is not a word,Paradox This is has not insight, a word, absurdity it. Paradoxes meaning. This is notlacks a word, This is not have a word, This is (Which is confusing, in and of itself.) not a word, This is not a word, This is not a word, This is not a word, This is not a word, This is not a word.

Often this is times not a paradox word, this andisabsurdity not a word, are this mistaken is notfor a word, one another. this is Inot think a word, there’s thisa issubtle, not a but word, important this is not difference. a word, this Absurdity is not a is word, paradox’s this is immature not a word, little thisbrother. is not a Absurdity word, this is is spineless. not a word, Two this is incongruent not a word,things this isare not placed a word, side-by-side. this is notThe a word, supposed this is value not a is word, amusement this is not from a word, the randomness. this is not Often a word, times this paradox is not a and word, absurdity this is not area mistaken word. thisfor is one not aanother. word, this I think is not there’s a word, a subtle, this is not but important a word, this difference. is not a Absurdity word, thisisisparadox’s not a word, immature this is little not abrother. word, this Absurdity is not aisword, spineless. this Two is not incongruent a word, this things is notare a placed word, this side-by-side. is not a word, The supposed this is not value a word, is amusement this is notfrom a word, the randomness. this is not a word, Absurdity this isoften not aseems word,athis paleisimitation not a word of paradox. The Simpsons is paradox. Family Guy is absurdity. There’s a big difference between saying “Sleep, that’s where I’m a viking!” and showing a chicken fight scene for 5 minutes. Paradox has insight, absurdity lacks it. Paradoxes have meaning. (Which is confusing, in and of itself.)

This

is not a

BOOK

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“Paradoxes have serious implications theaworld this isinnot quote”

for ourselves versus publishing for manyâ&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We typically discuss writing

One of the core beliefs of improv theater is the idea of “Yes, and…” meaning that each step in an improvisational process is accepting previous contributions and is additive in nature. Improvisation is more akin to building with clay than sculpting out of marble: things are added and attached rather than excess being carved away. The process is not freeing people out of blocks of marble, it is building something out of nothing. Rejection squelches unforeseen possibilities in the interaction and cripples participants’ desire to contribute. Frameworks for improvisation must remain positive.

As the format of contribution proliferates through more of what designers make, more new, powerful Wrent from Facebook. The value proposition of Facebook is clear: stay in contact with friends and share with them. But, what’s the use of Twitter? No one can say definitively, because there is no right way to use it. For some, it’s a news feed, for others, it’s a way to communicate with friends, and for others, it’s a way to keep in contact with brands.

It’s why Twitter fascinates some and beguiles others. Twitter can’t craft a clear proposition This is not avalue paragraph, This ison not a their homepage what the paragraph, This is to notsay a paragraph, site if you are This someone Thisisisfor, notand a paragraph, is not a The challenge (and potentially who needs convincing, that’s paragraph, This is not a paragraph, the art) of creating these frustrating, everyone This is not abecause paragraph, This is is not a frameworks is balancing the talking about site. If you are paragraph, Thisthe is not a paragraph, inherent incongruency of some observant, popularity This is notTwitter’s a paragraph, This isin not a ideas that comes with setting spite of its utility is a sign paragraph, This isambiguity not a paragraph, limitations versus trying to create that big is happening This something is not a paragraph, This is not a an atmosphere of acceptance that on a larger This scale.isWe no longer paragraph, notare a paragraph, maximizes potential. The art is building hammers with one This is not a paragraph, Thisspecific is not a having participants understand that use, or evenThis a swiss army knife that paragraph, is not a paragraph, anything goes, but not everything. can different things. Thisdo is many not a paragraph, This isWhat not a we are building akin to two paragraph, This is more not a paragraph, Creating these frameworks and pieces stone, from which someone This isof not a paragraph, This is not a building them on the idea of can make their for their paragraph, This own is nottool a paragraph, acceptance means that there will own specific uses: arrowhead This is not a paragraph, This is not a always be an element of ambiguity or hand axe. The most flexible paragraph. in the results. But, designers and frameworks for improvisation will users will become more and more not only have improvised content, accustomed to ambiguity as more of but also improvised utility. Often these platforms are built, because times, the utility is the interaction. their utility will not be obvious.

para-adox

This is what good gifts feel like. We are educated to the nature of them so that we may appreciate them more fully. This is the point of sharing something, whether it is a family heirloom, a collection of images, a shared video on YouTube, or a piece of writing on a blog. For us to properly value it, we must understand the quality of it and have a story to understand why it is so precious. Something travels from me to you, and in the process, we both gain. Most of our blogs, our new digital mantelpieces, are a collection of the things we find. Our collections are made public—others are given access, and we call this sharing. But it is an odd sort of sharing, where what we have found is indeed made available to others, but it is not quite a gift. A collection and a gift may both live in boxes, but they are different because the intent of each is conflicting. A collection is made for me (even if I let you look through it), while a gift is chosen for you. To truly share something is to give a gift, and if I am keeping an online collection for me, how can I make it a gift for you? I’ve always wanted to have a blog where I could share the things I like: items of timely interest and the different curiosities I’ve amassed in my personal files the past few years. These things really should be shared (in the true sense) because they are gifts. Many of them were given to me, and if there is a benefit to the idea of giving a digital gift, it is that each time it changes hands, a copy is made. I do not lose my gift by giving it to you. Gifts may spread further and travel farther.

It is odd when we talk about writing: our modes are at the extreme ends of the spectrum in the size of our audience. We typically discuss writing for ourselves versus publishing for many, but don’t spend a great deal of time thinking about what it is like to write for one person. We may write for one individual frequently through things like email, but it is not often considered, and hardly ever celebrated. My friend Rob Giampietro said “there’s something about writing for one other person, the epistle, the letter, the thought that’s offered to someone specifically—it’s very special indeed.” He said this in an email, which makes the point self-referential in the best possible way.

Every time I tried to create a blog to share these things, however, I was largely disappointed with the outcome. The formats optimized for collecting then sharing seemed to strip out so much of the stories behind what I was sharing. The schemes for blogging reduced what I was trying to share by dissecting the stuff and arranging it all in a chronological order. I wanted to do more than give people access to the things I found interesting. I wanted to truly share it by wrapping each thing in a story. There’s a scene in an episode of The West Wing where President Bartlet has his personal aide Charlie go on the hunt to purchase a new carving knife for the holidays. With each knife Charlie brings to This is not a sentence, is down not a his sentence, This is not sen- he the Oval Office, Bartlet This shoots selection, citing thea details tence, This is notThis a sentence, is not a sentence, This is not brings a finds important. happensThis several times, and finally Charlie sentence, This is not a sentence, This is not a sentence, This Bartlet is not the best possible knife he can find in Washington. President ainspects sentence, This is not a sentence, This is not a sentence, This is the knife closely while Charlie describes the finer details not a sentence, is not the a sentence, This available. is not a sentence, This of what makes This this knife finest knife And with that, is not a sentence, is not sentence, is not a sentence, President Bartlet This refuses the aknife, muchThis to Charlie’s exasperation. This is notBartlet a sentence, This an is not a sentence, not aapparently senBut then, produces heirloom knife This of hisisown, tence, This is not a sentence, This is not sentence, This not ait to made by Paul Revere and in his family fora generations, andisgives sentence, is not a sentence, This is not a sentence, This is not Charlie asThis his Christmas gift. a sentence, This is not a sentence, This is not a sentence, This is not a sentence, This is not a sentence,

“This is not a quote; this is not a quote!”

“Good jokes. Good concepts. Good design. I think all three share a firm foot in the realm of paradox.”

“This is not a quote.”

“Here are things we love. Here, you may have them.” “This is not a quote, This is not a quote. This is not a quote. This is not a quote.”

The Mavenist could be said to be a response to these shortcomings of the blogging format, and an attempt to warm up the tone of communication to explore different ways of sharing and suggesting online. The format is much like a traditional tumblog, but each shared item has a bit of a story attached, and these shared items are strung together into a conversation between two friends. A gift must have a giver, but it must also have a recipient. For the first post, my friend Rob and I are chatting about games, permutations and loops. Over the next few weeks, there will be more posts, some with me, some with Rob, others that will have neither of us involved. An offering opens a dialogue, and each post on The Mavenist is an attempt to capture that conversation of recommendations as true sharing, stories intact. It is a discourse that is aimless, but that trusts its own momentum. It is improvisational in structure, and the conversation only works through the acceptance of what the other has offered. It is meant to be celebratory. But, even more than all of these things, The Mavenist is meant to allow two friends be available in response to one another and in the process to create gifts for those who may be interested in them. Here are things we love. Here, you may have them.

to see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to; the women that men love and many children; to see and to take pleasure in seeing; to see and be amazed; to see and be instructed; Thus to see, and to be shown, is now the will and new expectancy of half of humankind. To see, and to show.â&#x20AC;?