ephemera
plural noun things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time. DERIVATIVES
ephemerist
noun ORIGIN
C16 (originally (as singular noun) denoting a plant said to last only one day, or an insect with a short lifespan): plural of ephemeron, from Greek, neuter of
ephemeros ‘lasting only a day’.
So, here we are. A blog. I remember when the term was coined. Wikipedia tells me it was in 1997 and I have no reason to doubt it. It was later that the term became pervasive, though. At first I recoiled against the wave of enthusiam for the new format. New? Hardly. The concept existed on the net back in the mid 90’s but it wasn’t until 1999 that it was embraced by the netizens at large. I urged my technorati friends to avoid using the term and not to fall for the popularist terminology, feeling instead that if something already existed and had a name that it didn’t require reinvention to make it valuable or useful.
Alas, I was all but alone – possible numbering even less than those misguided individuals who think that “interweb” is a cool term. Today, blogging is undoubtedly the most public and obvious example of Web 2.0 – users modifying the web in real time.
Since I’ve decided to upgrade and update my web presence (which started with a web page created in Word – really – back in 1996) I’ve decided that I would give myself a small outlet for my random and considered thoughts alike.
Given the nature of the web, that even a minor, almost insignificant corner of it will likely pass through dozens of computers or perhaps even hundreds as it is replicated and produced and served to users around the world, it’s entirely false to call anything on the web ephemeral. Even when you actively try to remove content, most of the time someone or something, somewhere, has a copy of it meaning that it will certainly last for quite some time.
Perhaps, though, in the other concept of being used or enjoyed for a short time we can have web based ephemera and that is the basis for the name of this blog. In the unlikely event that I ever key something remarkable and profound, I will do my very best to remove it from here and place it in a far more worthy location, where ever that may be.
So please stay tuned and please enjoy. Feel free to register and to leave comments and to enter into discussions or ask questions