Four for Friday

(Link at left)

Q1 - Next Tuesday: Instead of going to work next Tuesday, if you could spend the entire day doing something else--any one or two things that you absolutely love doing--what would you do?

Why next Tuesday? I'd love to be traveling, on my own terms, with no one else around except my family...or even alone. It would be outstanding to be somewhere I know fairly well but haven't explored thoroughly (London, the Garden of the Gods, Ydra), and be able to just poke around.

Q2 - Telecommunications & Privacy: Earlier this week, San Jose, California-based Pudding Media announced the availability of a new service that allows anyone to place free telephone calls from the Web or a cell phone. However, as many "free" offers turn out to be, there is a catch. Pudding Media uses voice recognition software to monitor your calls, and when certain keywords are spoken, timely news, entertainment, and other offers are displayed on your computer or cell phone screen. For example, if you were talking with a friend about an upcoming movie, you may see links to trailers, reviews and show times for nearby theaters. A sports fan talking about her favorite team may see commentary and game statistics on a computer or handset screen. How likely are you to use this service? Does the ability to make free telephone calls entice you enough to open up your conversations to a computer generated voice recognition software program, or does privacy dictate that you would never use such a service?

Not at all likely. As if I need more ads in my life?!

Q3 - Architecture: Back in the late-1960s, construction began on a six-building structure at the Coronado Naval Amphibious Base near San Diego, California. Designed by a respected architect, the original blueprint consisted of two central buildings and a single L-shaped 3-story barracks. Eventually, the plan called for the L-shaped building to be repeated three times at 90-degree angles from the central buildings. That's right, the United States Navy constructed a series of buildings that when viewed from above, appears to look like a giant swastika--the official emblem of the Nazi party and the Third Reich. (Don't believe me on this one? Fair enough. Google the words "Coronado" and "swastika" and see for yourself. Trust me, I could not make this stuff up even if I tried.) Now, some 40 years later, after fielding requests from the Anti-Defamation League and at least one member of Congress, the Navy plans to spend nearly $600,000 for landscaping and architectural modifications to obscure the fact that the complex looks like a swastika when viewed from above. How do you feel about this? Is the $600,000 expenditure an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars or is this not an issue that deserves our time and money?

Well, a little landscaping probably couldn't hurt in general principle anyway. But let's not forget that the swastika-like symbols have been used by various non-German groups through history for all sorts of purposes. This is just kind of a waste of air, though I can see how it could be upsetting to victims of the Third Reich. I would add that if the buildings are black surrounded by white concreted inside a field of red stones or sand, they really should be updated, landscaped, or otherwise renovated. I would also say that perhaps the Navy should stop repeating itself and throw away these blueprints in lieu of a new floorplan.

Q4 - Magna Carta: Later this year, Sotheby’s auction house in New York will present for sale The Magna Carta, the royal document revered as the birth certificate of freedom. This iconic manuscript, dated 1297, is the original charter that enshrined the rights of man into English law, and inspired the passion for liberty that flowered in America in the 18th century and continues around the world today. Quite simply, The Magna Carta is widely considered to be the most famous single document in existence. According to Sotheby's, it is estimated to sell for between $20 and $30 million. How do you feel about items such as The Magna Carta being sold? Do you think historical documents of such significance should be banned from ever being bought and sold? If your knee jerk reaction is that there is nothing wrong with the practice, would you change your mind if oh, I don't know, it was the original version of the Declaration of Independence that was up for sale?

Which copy of the charter is for sale? There are several, because it had to be hand-copied and carried to each liege lord after King John signed off. I believe that the "original" one, the first one that the king actually signed, would be hard to develop a provenance on after 900 years. In any case, when we were in England the last time, we saw three Magna Cartas, in three different cities. This is not like the original, scratched-out and rewritten Declaration of Independence, where there really is only one. In fact, I think each copy of the charter is actually slightly different, because of copying errors, or maybe because of who the recipient was.

Having said all that....I think buying and selling art or historical items is reprehensible if museums don't get first crack.