on nuking my blog

Filed under: general.  

Last night, I nuked my blog. At first, I was just doing it to make a point, but I quickly reached a point where I was almost convinced I was going to leave it nuked. I was going to toss the albatross overboard, and start fresh.

But then I got an email from someone I’ve never met (although I’ve exchanged a few emails with him over the years). He convinced me to put the blog back up.

This whole edupunk stuff lately - it’s caused some strange reactions in people who get so hung up on the word. It’s not about the word. It’s about the concept. The idea that participatory culture needs to be more than just Web 2.0 Buzzword Compliance. The idea that it’s not about radicalism, or conservatism, or antiestablishmentism. It’s not against anything. It’s about standing up and doing things, and not just talking about them.

But my blog is strictly just a bunch of words. Just a bunch of talk. I described my edupunk heroes, because they are the people whom I look up to because they aren’t just talk. They live this stuff, and have for years. They don’t do it for recognition, or visibility, or fanfare. They just are.

One thing the blog nuking showed me is just how hard it would actually be to completely nuke it. I’ve got backups of files on several hard drives, database dumps in several safe places. Even if I actively tried to delete every backup, I’m sure I’d miss something, and some form of this blog would live on. It’s some kind of freaky albatross-cochroach hybrid…

Comments

14 Responses to “on nuking my blog”

  1. Brian on May 31st, 2008 11:35 am

    It was a disturbing yet oddly exhilarating moment in time.

    I’d be happy if you never pulled this sort of thing again. But please, oh please, keep calling us Fucktards in the source code!

  2. dnorman on May 31st, 2008 11:43 am

    you know I wasn’t calling YOU a fucktard…

  3. r on May 31st, 2008 12:12 pm

    Well, I am very glad you decided to put your blog back up… I’m a bit of a silent follower who gains a great deal from reading your blog… my opinion… for what it is worth… a word is just a word… the term doesn’t matter… it is emotion, feeling, motive, purpose that counts… i happen to love the word edupunk… kinda reminds me of my glory days… but… it is the concept and more importantly the people I find really intriguing…
    Really glad you are back!
    r

  4. Cole on May 31st, 2008 6:10 pm

    D … I pulled the source instantly and was surprised to see the level of emotion behind the boldness. I assumed your administration was asking you to cool it or to “wordsmith” your life, but I am guessing it was actually a moment in time you felt compelled to experiment with. I am all for that — all of the stuff we do is nothing more than a grand experiment! I am proud of the fact that you keep kicking ass … that approach is important and I am thrilled to call you a friend and a mentor in this space. Now, where do we all go from here? It is one thing to be part of a hipster movement, it is another to organize an agenda (I hate that word) that helps all of us move forward. Welcome back and I’d prefer not to see that visual when I come visit you every morning. Know what I am sayin’?

  5. dnorman on May 31st, 2008 9:54 pm

    there was no pressure from administration. i’d actually be surprised if anyone in administration reads my blog (although a couple of my coworkers do).

  6. Nathan Rein on June 1st, 2008 12:14 am

    I realize you have no idea who I am, but thanks for putting your blog back up. Like Brian, I found it “disturbing but oddly exhilarating” to see the nuke page. But I don’t think I’m ready for the apocalypse quite yet.

  7. highest money market rates on June 1st, 2008 10:21 am

    I am glad that you decided not to blow up your blog. I really liked you edupunk heroes post. Hope you don’t pull that $$it again.

  8. Richard Schwier on June 1st, 2008 11:53 am

    Loved the explosion (although I know it was a deadly serious moment of frustration for you), and I’m also glad to see you’re back.

  9. David Esrati on June 2nd, 2008 11:00 am

    Thanks for not leaving the building, D’Arcy.
    One day, we’ll meet. I’ll consider it an honor.

  10. Scott Leslie on June 2nd, 2008 11:15 am

    Now D’Arcy, when you say “albatross” didn’t you actually mean to say…just kidding! Don’t want to get called a fucktard, at least not this early in the morning.

    edupunk means…never having to say you’re sorry. Keep on rockin’ in the free world D’Arcy. Cheers, Scott

  11. Scott O'Raw on June 2nd, 2008 5:02 pm

    Hi D’Arcy,

    I’m sure I’m another in the line of ‘you don’t know me, but…..’ list.

    The ‘nuke’ put a huge smile on my face, but seeing you back more so.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

  12. Graham Wegner on June 4th, 2008 6:06 pm

    I had a few thoughts based on your post and thought the backtrack would find its way here but it hasn’t. For what it’s worth - here it is.

  13. alexanderhayes on June 13th, 2008 6:47 am

    Nuke it.

    The machine wont let you ………….so perhaps you could reconfigure history and do your darndest to rid of it anyways.

  14. Edupunk : Oi Oi Oi ! : alexanderhayes on June 13th, 2008 9:16 am

    [...] D’Arcy Norman threatens self immolation in a land of machines and Leigh Blackall quotes 1975 as being one of the best years in his short life in their reference to geek-boys desiring dirt amongst tech-smarm and power hungry industrialised neck-bearded hegemonists. [...]

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