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Last evening, I had the chance to see Jandek play a live show at the Mendelssohn Theatre here in Ann Arbor.  It was a really dark set - Jandek on a fretless bass guitar and vocals, Christian Matjias on the harpsichord, and James Cornish was on trumpet.  Thanks to WCBN for bringing him here, and thanks to Jandek for a really intense, and intriguing show. read more about the man, the project, the mystery here.

Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society is celebrating its 10th Anniversary May 15th - May 16th with an event called Berkman@10.  The two day event features a selection of distinguished speakers, several scheduled as well as participant determined breakout sessions, book releases, and other presentations that explore cyberspace, the future of the internet, open education, open media, cooperation, transparency in government, and a host of other relevant themes.

One of the coolest aspects of the event, by far, is the number of ways for those of us who aren’t there to plug-in to what’s taking place. David Weinberger and others have put together a list of social tools event attendees are utilizing to capture and communicate in real time, including Twitter, an IRC channel, Second Life, and Webcasts.

Check it out.

My sister and I had the great opportunity to spend the past week traveling throughout Guatemala.  We started the journey in Guatemala City, flew to the El Petén region to explore the Mayan ruins of Tikal, visited with friends starting a non-profit organization in Antigua, and relaxed on the scenic shores of Lago Atitlán.  We roasted marshmallows over flowing lava, swam in crystal clear lakes, ate fresh mangoes and fresh made corn tortillas, and, best of all, met some amazing people.

In the next few days, I’ll be posting a number of photos from the trip on my flickr page.  As most of our time was spent away from Internet cafes, I’ll recap some of the trip experiences and reflect on my perception of how Guatemalans seem to be addressing issues areas including the high cost of energy, education, health care, and communication technology. One week is certainly not enough time for me to provide any significant commentary on these issues, but I will say that the time spent talking to people and observing environments very well may be enough to ignite some interesting discussions.