Book Review: Status Update

Katie November 26, 2013 0 Comments

I thought this book would be more about status updated with just Twitter and Facebook but I was pleasantly surprised (or maybe i should read book blurbs better) that it focused more on all sorts of technology and connecting to people – blogs, usenet, the way sxsw is ahead of the curve with debuting new technology. (Usenet is how I met most of my internet friends as a teen because I never had many friends IRL).  Interesting also is the ‘anti-fan’, a group of people who love to hate something and will comment negatively on anything the person they are an ‘anti-fan’ of posts. Who has the time for that?

The book certainly gave me a lot to think about in terms of status and being a ‘micro-celebrity’ not that I think I am one – but hey, a girl can dream, right? Maybe some day “concert katie” will be a household name?

If you are into technology, status and social media as much as I am then you will probably want to check out this book (Or if you have no friends IRL – or does that just go hand in hand?) It has a lot of great info and resources and you will hopefully, as I did, learn a lot!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Social media technologies such as YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook promised a new participatory online culture. Yet, technology insider Alice Marwick contends in this insightful book, “Web 2.0” only encouraged a preoccupation with status and attention. Her original research—which includes conversations with entrepreneurs, Internet celebrities, and Silicon Valley journalists—explores the culture and ideology of San Francisco’s tech community in the period between the dot com boom and the App store, when the city was the world’s center of social media development. Marwick argues that early revolutionary goals have failed to materialize: while many continue to view social media as democratic, these technologies instead turn users into marketers and self-promoters, and leave technology companies poised to violate privacy and to prioritize profits over participation. Marwick analyzes status-building techniques—such as self-branding, micro-celebrity, and life-streaming—to show that Web 2.0 did not provide a cultural revolution, but only furthered inequality and reinforced traditional social stratification, demarcated by race, class, and gender.

Book Review: Nursery Rhyme Delights

Katie November 26, 2013 0 Comments

Nursery Rhyme Delights has 6 different nursery rhymes featured in it (Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, Little Miss Muffet and Hey Diddle Diddle) The book is made up of mixed media illustrations done by Kristi Abbott, inspired by her favorite childhood nursery rhymes.  They kind of look like really, really intricate scrapbook pages for the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty was about 5 pages long and looks AWESOME!  Certainly very inspiring for a crafter and probably very interesting for a child who is reading the book or looking at it at bed while having it read to him or her by mom or dad. All the other nursery rhymes are amazing as well and it certainly gave me a lot of ideas for my scrapbook but I am not sure that I have the patience to actually follow through with it.  This was no doubt a ton of work to put together but it looks absolutely amazing!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the book

Nursery Rhyme Delights is an artistic children’s book designed to help children learn six well-known nursery rhymes in a fun and interactive way. It combines original hand collaged illustrations, playful typography and an interactive memory game.

Additional downloads are available from Kristi Abbott’s website (www.kristiabbott.com) to promote further fun and learning.

The series of six illustrations used in the book were inspired by Kristi’s favourite nursery rhymes as a little girl. When creating the art works, memories and visuals came flooding back to her from childhood. The fun, the giggles and the quirky twist of images have been captured through beautiful collaged papers and mixed media. Those early years spent sitting with her grandmothers looking and listening to bedtime stories, nursery rhymes and fairytales have had a lifetime impact.

About Kristi: From early childhood, Kristi has spent her life travelling between Sydney, Australia and Saint Paul, Minnesota. She was seldom without a book, a Barbie doll and a set of colouring pencils. Later after graduate degrees in Design and an MBA she rose to be the CEO of an online simulation company that merged visual imagery with complex teaching material. In 2012 she decided to ditch the corporate life for one where she could focus on her passion – to become a living artist. She currently lives in downtown Saint Paul in an artist’s cooperative with her dog Disco – from whom she is constantly inspired!

This is her first illustrated book – hopefully one of many to come.