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Last weekend I went to a design show closing and an art show opening, all in the same night! The former was for a new Chicago-area alliance that supports independent designers (makers who can’t afford/don’t want to mass manufacture objects). The latter was at a gallery where the owner tries to feature artists that represent the opposite of the art world stereotype (the frou-frou and pretentious).

Each space fulfilled its specific archetype – the design show had mostly functional objects with a crowd decked in gingham, Vans shoes, and screenprinted tote bags, while the art show had drawings and sculpture with a tattooed crowd donning black tees and Docs Martens …and a man dressed as an astronaut. But they were similar in how some work occupied the fuzzy boundary between the art and design: objects that could be functional and conceptual, if the rules of reality were manipulated, contemplated, or ignored. It’s a line we toe in every industry. But there was another similarity, and it was not a good one.

In just a few years hashtags have emerged from their nerdy origins on IRC to become the way we organize the never slowing flood of information and conversation buzzing around the Interwebz. Most sites now recognize hashtags and more and more people understand what they are all about. Sure, I still use hashtags most for Twitter punch-lines and Instagram lolz. But, as time goes on the world of hashtag-ery becomes more and more mainstream. You can’t watch TV these days without a bombardment of networks telling you to use #GLEEfan4lifeyall to discuss the latest episode. This growing understanding of how hashtags work means their purpose has expanded and culturally, they matter. They helped propel the Arab Spring, fight bullying, and take down a warlord (kind of).

As with anything digital, people are constantly finding intriguing new ways to use #hashtags. They are organizing chaos and re-imagining how we collect memories and retell stories.

This week we’re hoping to spread happy warm fuzzies with: superhero finger puppets, giant rubber ducks, and beer submarines.

I’m less than 24 hours away from embarking on a journey to the famed desert of Nevada. I’ll be joining my fellow life teammates to celebrate the passing of one of our very owns bachelorhood. As the flurry of emails regarding last minute details fill my inbox, I have spent countless iterations mentally packing all needed items. While there were many additions specific to this particular adventure and active itinerary, I have some generic travel must haves that help with my piece of mind. Creature of habit much? Yes. For others that frequently find themselves referring to cities through only three letter airport codes, these may come in handy or best case you can tell me what I’ve left off.

For some reason, I always get people asking me what a “meme” is, maybe it’s because I work in a digital agency or maybe it’s because I speak in lol half of the time (whatever, I can’t help it – it’s like a second language to me).  When friends and family members do ask me about memes, I almost feel like an “ambassador” and get really nervous explaining what exactly what it is…I only want to give them the best definition without overwhelming them with my self-proclaimed loved for them.  But what IS a meme?  Stuff you find on the internet?  Internet fads?  A cat?  (It’s probably a cat.)  According to Wikipedia, a meme is “an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.”  I think this is the original definition in the old-timey sense, so I’d take it a step further and say that it’s not just an idea or behavior that spreads in general, but that memes spreads digitally.  ON THE INTERNET.