Nametag. Un-Nametag. Pinking Shears. Prayer.

Recently RantWoman, aka the Clerk of the Still Didn't Get the Memo on Email Immoderation was led to...offer to lurk on the email discussion list for the NPYM IT committee. RantWoman is now led to comment on one issue at a time among all that has swum into RantWoman's awareness as a result of this lurking.

For example, RantWoman thinks PERHAPS Committee on the Discipline now revising our Faith and Practice, the IT committee, and possible M&O and Finance and Legal might benefit from some focused simplifying conversations.  RantWoman thinks for what she has in mind it should MOSTLY be possible to post at least initial thoughts on her blog with links sent via email. This is to give the people who agreed to let Friends deluge them with emails the option of choosing to click or not click if it is not psychically or temporally convenient to read further at a given moment. But here to get started is just one example even if the simplifying is a matter of interpretation.

Query: Do we honor the Light and connections among the diversity of our communities--even when this means the technological picture includes human hands as clearly as specific other technology?

Query: do we take care that our technological tools remain tools held in care for service to the community?

Query: when something to do with technology goes awry, do we tend to the human aspect of the problem with the right mix of human concern and technical know-how?

Query: recognizing that we tend to many manifestations of the same Spirit, are we open to continually evolving Light about how the Holy Spirit flourishes in electronic media?

The nametag matter. RantWoman came upon the nametag matter mid-conversation.The IT committee discussion included a need RantWoman had not previously thought to meditate about, the possible need sometimes to render names on nametags if not in a database in Cyrillic.

Yeah, sure. RantWoman believes in something called Unicode, a topic likely of little interest except to people who tend the contents of databases. And RantWoman herself might sometimes be called to render her name in Cyrillic if for example there were visitors from Russia with Quaker connections. RantWoman honestly thinks Cyrillic nametags can be handled on a case by case basis, but in a fit of nerd selves being let out to play, RantWoman opined that well, it would also be wonderful if wecould do nametags in the hot happening new Unified English Braille, a topic probably of NO interest to anyone else in NPYM except RantWoman but tough bananas!

In terms of actual nametag practice, RantWoman offers in the image above:

(No image from an NPYM Annual Session nametag because RantWoman dutifully returns the reusable hand-written one created by a Friend whose presence is deeply appreciated even though the person who creates nametags  seldom at present appears in person. RantWoman at this point has done to hers what she tends to do to all nametags with the possibility to do so: written on the back “Please Tell Me your Name.”  Take RantWoman’s word for it.)

A nametag prepared with fabric, pinking shears, and prayer for each person to be given a nametag at the Pacific Northwest Quaker Women’s theology Conference. RantWoman would so not think to make nametags this way and thus is so touched that someone else was so led.

RantWoman’s standard reusable Nametag / Un-Nametag for purposes when RantWoman needs a nametag and either there is no temporary option available or RantWoman for some reason feels a need to remind people that she really cannot read nametags unless she is indecently close. The nametag is made from 1 colored index card, a sheet of the plastic RantWoman uses with braille to label some things, and several lengths of whichever yarn was available when RantWoman was assembling this nametag. Probably it would look more elegant and professional to make a braied lanyard or use onf of the numerous lanyards RantWoman accumulates over a year.

Nametags generated after RantWoman registered by computer for something called Accessibility Camp and something called a Digital Inclusion Summit. Both of them mention a role at RantWoman’s life focu, affectionately referred to as the Friendly Neighborhood Center for Extreme Computing. RantWoman is wondering whether the word “Manager” appears on one of the nametags because RantWoman was just picking the least inadequate option from some predescribed list.

The back of an event nametag disguising the most interesting part of the nametag, the ribbon at the bottom that says Planning Expo.

RantWoman's basic point: NPYM IT committee has PLENTY to do; perhaps it is good to understand diverse threads of the Nametag matter and NOT to overspecify may parts of the process. God and these our Friends can handle...