Ray Carney cut off from civilization?

We still don't know what's going on with Ray Carney. Is he just not checking his email? Does it make sense that he would cut himself off from the world?

I heard a comment on the radio. Someone was talking about what percentage of US homes had no internet or computer. I realized that it sounded kind of nice, like you'd be able to live a normal life again without one these things. I sort of admired some guy who said that he had never sent an email in his life.

I've never owned a cell phone. Texting seems stupid. Sexting even stupider. I remember many years ago, the actor Rob Lowe got into trouble. His camcorder was stolen and it contained a videotape of him molesting a high school girl in his hotel room. Why was he walking around with this on his camcorder? Why on earth wouldn't he put in a new tape?

But now we have millions of people walking around with nude self-portraits and home pornography recorded on their cell phones which they know get lost and stolen all the time.

Several years ago, there were fliers posted around town. A camcorder was stolen. The owner didn't want the camcorder back, but he offered a reward for the tape. It contained video of the first two years of his daughter's life. So, in two year's time, it never crossed his mind to put in a new tape? Videotape is dirt cheap. My guess is that he was recording LP or SLP since he still had time to record on the same cassette after two years.

When I first saw the flier, I felt sorry for the guy, but the more I thought about it, the more disgusted I became. How cheap can you get? Did he never consider the possibility that he might lose something? I would have worried about the camcorder eating the tape.

There was a guy who had gone on a trip around the world. I can't remember---did he jog or bicycle or walk around the world? His journey ended in New York where his camcorder with tape of the entire trip was stolen.

But I'm getting off the subject.

I would rather admire Carney for removing himself from "the grid" as people keep calling it. But if you have email it's rude not to check it now and then, and if you have someone's films and they've already taken you to court to get them back, you should consider checking in once in a while to see if anything else was happening.

Look at the long letter Carney coaxed Jon Jost into posting on his website. He talks about all the stuff he does. Speaking at events, publishing, interviews, advising students. Seems like he would need to keep in touch.