Emerging Standards for Behavior in Social Media

Every time technology changes the way we communicate, society is impacted and cultures change. What would you call someone who is paid to be a facebook friend, for example?



Is accumulating social capital the same as a credit to the "saving face[book]" account?

Thinking Clearly about Budget Reforms

I'm thinking about this editorial in the Times.

Specific questions to ask on a case-by-case basis about each proposal to reform the budget and reduce the deficit at this time: Will this specific reform be large? Will it be temporary or structural? Will it create jobs and growth? And will it be fair?

Dartmouth Alumni in Siena (by Steve)

LEXINGTON (#71)

I understand that someone -- some "friend" -- leaked our story to the Alumni Mag.  For you readers energetic and thorough enough to bother checking us out, welcome!  (Energetic and thorough are "code" for "type A" and "obsessive" you know....)

Reentry (by Steve)

LEXINGTON (#69)

Well, we're back.  And I must admit that there are a number of things that are really attractive about these United States and that six months away is enough to appreciate them again.  But having a few more weeks off and entertaining Italian guests has made coming back a real pleasure.  Everything is just so, well, transparent.

What is Going to Happen to the Website? (by Steve)

TOUISSET, RI (#70)

Some of you may be wondering what will happen to the site now that we are back.  Well, I would like this site to remain in a sort of suspended state as a memory of our trip.  I will be investigating ways of doing just that.  However, in the mean time, I'm not sure we're ready to close it just yet.  I think it's important to keep it open for a few months for a few reasons....For example, I know that I still have a story on the history of the Contrade and the Palio and another one on the Palio itself.  And there are still two or three hundred photos to publish.  At a rate of 20 - 30 per week (in current photos album) that will take till September.  And finally, I also think that there are some comments still out there waiting to be recorded.

Get those comments in NOW for posterity.

---

COMMENTS from the original blog

2006-10-21 14:09:54 stefano
after two years...
I have rehosted the site at a different hosting service in a different CMS called Drupal.  The photos are still in an open source application called Gallery.  Enjoy.

And the winner is.... (by Doreen)

SIENA (#68)

To the delight of Onda and the despair of Bruco...Jockey-less Giraffa (the contrada Onda sold their rider to in order to help keep their arch enemy, Torre, from winning).

Bruco led the race until passing the deadly curve of San Martino.  Giraffa was trying to pull ahead when all of the sudden its rider fell off.  Bruco's jockey pulled ahead again but then he, too, fell.

Then Bruco continued to lead (with its unknown horse and young inexperienced jockey) to its contrada's joy and amazement --not something they even thought could happen).  Then, calamity stuck. The 2 front runners caught up and started to lap Oca (the goose)'s horse (who had lost its rider in the second lap).  Bruco got boxed in.  Oca (finishing its second lap) started to run faster and was a nose ahead of Giraffa at the finish line.  I (and probably 1/3rd of the others), thought this was Bruco's horse. Instead, Giraffa's flag was hung outside the Palazzo Publico, as the winner.

Palio Marches and Trials (by Sarah)

SIENA (#67)

We thought we could have a little rest for a while after our trip and all our guests, but NO WAY! We are all busy seeing friends all the time. The Palio is on Friday, and this whole week is going to be busier than ever.

First, there have been the marches or giri of the contrade. Each of the contrade have their turn to march or girare through the streets of Siena and pay respects to friendly contrade, the Commune, and the Bishop. The marches started about a month ago. Mom and Dad went on the Onda giro on Sunday.

Some Guests and Packing for Home (by Sarah)

SIENA (#66)

The 14th of June, the same day we returned from our vacation to the South, we started seeing a number of families and friends from the US.

First, the Zimble family arrived. We showed them around Siena and had a great time. The next day, we met with Rick, a friend from Lexington. On Wednesday, we went to mercato and then met with the Zimbles again for a wine tour in Castellina. After, we went back to their agri-tourism hotel and swam in their pool. We all helped to prepare a fabulous dinner, and then came back to Siena. The next day, we had a dinner with the Ducci family and with Rick. On Friday, Dad drove Rick to the airport in Florence. Saturday we went to Lucca and to the beach with the Gherardi family and with the Zimble family. We stayed in Lucca for the night at a hotel called Corte Degli Angeli. The next day, we went to Cinque Terre (the second time for us) with the Gherardis and the Zimbles. We had a great time and then headed back for Siena.

Our Trip to the South (by Sarah)

SIENA (#65)

Hey. It’s been a while since we have written anything. I decided to take the initiative and update all of our loyal readers on what the hell we’ve been doing this past busy month!

Both Alex’s and my school ended on Saturday, June 5th.  On the following Sunday, early in the morning, the contrada of the Giraffa made their march around the city, so I ran outside before we left and saw my friend Simone in complete uniform and throwing a huge flag up in the air along with others in the group.

The Contrada System of Siena (by Steve)

SIENA (#64)

Donatello Giallombardo

One of the things that contributes to the distinct character of Siena today is a unique social institution called the contrada.  One way to define contrada is “neighborhood association” because each one of them is mapped to a distinct geographical area of the City. Or you could define the contrada by the horse race that takes place every year in the town square, called the Palio:  the contrada would be like the team whose horse and rider compete in the Palio.  The problem with this approach, however, is that if you don’t know what the Palio is, it can’t really help you understand the contradas (or contrade in Italian).  

The Palio is more than a race and the contrade are much more than a neighborhood or sporting club that one can simply join. They are conservative social organizations with deep historical roots. Although they have been remarkably stable for centuries and are inherently traditional, they are alive, dynamic and continue to evolve. They have broad social, economic and even psychological functions and assume a dominant role in everyday, modern life in Siena. And as far as I can tell, the contrade are quite unique in the industrialized West.

Making Cheese in Front of the Duomo (by Steve)

SIENA (#63)

We were in front of the Cathedral or davanti al Duomo of Siena.  It was 1979, perhaps the third week of our 10-week Language Study Abroad program in Siena, Italy.  I was a Sophomore, completely overwhelmed with the expectations that one could really become fluent in a foreign language in 20 weeks (10 of which were here in Italy).  I was particularly concerned with so much depending on linguistic proficiency.  I really couldn't imagine how I could get credit for College-level Art History and Italian Literature Classes conducted completely in Italian, including the oral and written exams.

Local Heroes (by Shari Zimble)

CAMBRIDGE (#61)

I am excited to read your postings and to finally (I hope!) have subscribed to your newsletter.  This has been an extraordinary week throughout Massachusetts, but certainly in Cambridge.  It's as if the whole city is aglow.  There are flowers and balloons and signs of celebration on a grand scale as the first gay and lesbian couples are married.  We were not among the hundreds of people at the courthouse when the clock struck midnight and forms for marriage licenses were distributed (how was it that we did stay up for the last Harry Potter book but missed this?  was it just that the book was released on a Sat and history changed on a Sunday night?!).  For the first time in years, it seems, I was eager to listen to and read the news.  I kept crying -- when is the last time that happiness was so palpable?

My Field Trip to Parco Regionale della Maremma (by Sarah)

SIENA (#60)

This past Tuesday, my class and I went on our long awaited field trip to the Parco Regionale della Maremma. We hiked for three hours and stayed at a beach for two hours, and then hiked the three hours back. We were all so exhausted when we got home, but we all had a very memorable time! See pictures and don't forget to read on!!! We had been talking about this field trip for the past two weeks in science class. And when I say we talk about it in science class, we only talk about the trip and that's it during class! We were going for a walk in a park in maremma to see science and biology at its best.

7:55 am

I arrived at the parking lot and found most of the rest of my class waiting for the bus. Of course, the first thing we talked about was what everyone brought to eat. "Looks like another 'food-o-centric' field trip!" I thought to myself. The other class that was coming with us on the trip started to arrive. The bus came a few minutes after almost everyone was there.