Walking Strange Ways...

[jarandhel]

Heh... some of the sites that bill themselves as teaching "advanced searching techniques" should be subject to a civil suit for false advertising. Of course, that's generally a redundant pair of terms...

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

Comments

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

Ummm... Isn't that the poem Gandalf left with Barliman Butterbur for Frodo (who could not remember to give it to him) describing Aragorn/Strider in code?

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

At the Prancing Pony in Bree?

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

Yes. I'm not using it in that context, however.

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

I thought it was something you pulled from their site *they* were using as "deep wisdom".

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

Oh no, this post didn't have anything to do with elven realities.

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

I am confused then...

[jarandhel.livejournal.com]

LOL, it was more of a geek post, actually. Internet search techniques. Some of the supposedly "advanced" internet search techniques that some sites teach are so basic it's pathetic, like proper use of the AND/OR/NOT Boolean operators. Comparing that to a site that teaches real search techniques, like (for instance) http://www.searchlores.org shows a dramatic difference. And the poem just struck me as a nice metaphor for searching in general:

1. All that is gold does not glitter - information that's pure gold doesn't glitter.
2. Not all those who wander are lost - people searching for information wander around to a lot of sites to find it, but as long as they're following a sensible searching methodology they're not lost.
3. The old that is strong does not wither - real powersearching is part of an old tradition on the internet, real freedom of information stuff from before the days when the web went commercial. And it's not dead yet.
4. Deep roots are not reached by the frost - Pretty much the same, plus some nice poetic imagery involving the chilling effect of lawsuits.

5. From the ashes a fire shall be woken - even though powersearchers in the old tradition are few and far between on the modern internet, some still exist amidst the "ashes".
6. A light from the shadows shall spring - hey, we can be optimistic, right?
7. Renewed shall be blade that was broken - people can wake up and start using their minds again rather than swallowing the pre-chewed commercial shit found by most searches.
8. The crownless again shall be king - basic principle of democracy... rule by the people, not by monarchs or corporations. People using their minds.

[silvaerina-tael.livejournal.com]

I understand what you are referring to, though I have no idea what inspired it...

[helen99.livejournal.com]

I've always liked that poem (whatever its context)... It has an alchemical feel