The Most Basic and Effective Technology There Is...

My husband, my mom, and I participated in a "community walk" today along with 2000 or so other humans and doggies.

I had found out about the walk from FaceBook. I had joined a group called, "Friends of Station 20 West" after I'd seen a newsfeed announcing one of my FaceBook "friends" had just joined. I emailed the premier with my concerns. I signed an online petition. I also had emails from PAVED ARTS/New Media, and my yoga teacher urging people to get out and support the march. All of this happened BEFORE I read about it in the Star-Phoenix.

We gathered on a vacant lot at the intersection of Avenue M and 20th Street. There were the usual rousing speeches and outrageous songs of the "Raging Grannies". Motorists honked their support as they drove by. Police on bicycles escorted the walkers as they streamed down the sidewalks. Volunteers helped organize the parade.

We found out just how well organized everything was when my 81 year-old mother tripped and fell on a curb. An organizer with a cell phone appeared and contacted a volunteer "medic". A police officer on a bicycle came by and radioed the EMS people. Mom is OK, but had she not been, she would have had almost instant assistance to the medical help she might have needed.

There were also hundreds of cameras not only belonging to professional media services, but also ordinary people. One fellow had a "You Tube" label on his ultra small video camera. I'm sure hundreds of digital pictures and videos will be sent and uploaded during today, as well as many blogs (such as this one) written.

So what was the best of the technologies there? Human presence: people who cared about an issue and spent part of their Saturday morning showing it. They chose to get out of bed, get to one location and just BE THERE. Nothing replaces the presence of other humans en masse to broadcast the most effective message of all.

I'm glad I was there.