The serendipity trail

May 26, 2006

Never let it be said that I don't like a good technology-mediated conversation. My favorite recent one is on the topic of serendipity and whether the web enlarges it or shrinks it. I'm not sure whether the discussion is trivial or profound, and that's precisely why I like it. The latest installment is from the BBC's Bill Thompson. If you haven't been following it, it all began with an op-ed by William McKeen, which stirred a response from Steven Johnson, which provoked a modest contribution from myself. There are also some excellent comments, particularly on Johnson's post.

You know, I'm feeling frighteningly big-hearted this morning. I've already sent a love note to Tim O'Reilly and his crew, and now I'm praising the internet as a medium for exchanging ideas. That Google Brain Plug-In must finally be working.

Posted by nick at May 26, 2006 09:15 AM

Comments

Bill here... nice to catch you in a big-hearted mood - and I think you're spot on when you say that it's hard to tell whether this is a trivial or profound conversation. I think I'd like it more if it was a trivial debate which illuminated a profound change, but we'll have to see...

But of course the main problem is that we're all talking in different places, so only the Technorati-obsessed will find all the little filaments. There has to be a better way - and it isn't RSS!

Posted by: Bill Thompson at May 26, 2006 07:38 PM