02/22/2003 Entry: "I AM. I AM HERE. I AM LISTENING."

Like many people, I sometimes enjoy sitting with various search spies and watching what other people are doing on the Web. The relative anonymity of the Internet lets people easily explore their voyeuristic side (and, not coincidentally, our exhibitionistic side as well.) So maybe it's not surprising that last year in New York, while we saw a lot of art, the piece that stuck with me the most was Listening Post at the Whitney. It takes snippets from public chat forums and presents them visually and musically; it's thoroughly engaging. We sat cross-legged on the floor for nearly an hour watching thousands and thousand of pieces of conversations. If you're in New York and love the Internet, I highly recommend seeing it before it closes. For everyone else, there's this NPR story—it's a wonderful taste of what the exhibit is like. (Link via The Boyfriend.)