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**Update**

Wow. I’m exhausted. Such a brilliant evening was shared among a fantastic cast of folks tonite. Thank you so much to John & Mark. I haven’t felt that close to being 12 y/o again, in I don’t know how long. If you’d asked me yesterday, “what is it like to feel 12?” my answer would have been filled with apathy & feelings of powerlessness. Tonite, I could soar!

Details? No desire whatsoever to ‘document’ ‘em. The feelings, the emotions- in a realm beyond a written description… and really, what’s the point in attempting to describe such a brilliant sensory experience in a medium as generally trite as a blog?!. And- there were 50 of my oldest & newest friends all there with me, to share in this truly unique & awesome experience- so I have them & their shared memories of it too, to fall back on (if that’s ever even desired). Human co-conspirators as backup volumes- how’z that for a concept?

What I will write: throughout the evening my desire to document each moment with a camera, was irrepressible. That’s not a digital-culture thing, that’s an “I’ve been a photo-geek since I was 16″ thing.

When I was in high-school my photography teacher, Mike Mouraidian, instructed us (correctly): “the best photographers never go anywhere without their cameras.” Tonight made me realize that Mike’s wisdom parlayed onto his class of budding visual documentarians, encouraged us to view the world around us as a vignette of still images. When I was 19, I went to Oklahoma to visit my family there for the first time. In preparation I spent my usual few hours packing-up all my photo gear to properly document the whole thing. I remember sitting there hand-rolling all of my film from the bulk dispenser, staring at my bed filled with lenses- and I thought, “Do I want to burden myself with playing documentarian, or do I just want to experience this huge moment in my life- be a part of the moment- and let what I take away from the experience in my heart, be my metaphorical film for the event.”

Thank you Mark and John, for reminding all of us of the importance to leave the cameras & phones at home, and just be a part of the experience. No heady/pretentious “digerati” bs was discussed at all tonite. Truly, truly- took me back to Camp Storer. Thanks.

xo n

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“COVERT is a collaboration between John Law and Mark Growden that uses technology to liberate us from technology.” … from Mark Growden’s blog post, here.

I’m dyin’ of anticipation and excitement, and thrilled to bits to have gotten one of the coveted spots in tonite’s social experiment. As a designer of digital experiences for humans, I almost find it to be an imperative experience. Very much looking forward to it- wondering if I’m damning it from the get-go by looking forward to writing about it, afterwards.

Will update this post with a writeup, tomorrow- w00t!!!

n