Back from a long weekend in DC. the capitol of the nation and, apparently, of memes. We were down for Family Weekend at CUA, which was a lot of fun. DC is my favorite city – there is so much to do and see. It also has a unique energy and feel, much different than Boston, Chicago or New York. I make the trip 5 to 6 times a year. The Jersey Turnpike can get old, but in the end it is worth it.

Since our discussion started about memes, I’ve been trying to look at information and images around me in a different way, to see how ideas just seem to happen. Interestingly, I noticed all over the DC Metro these ads from companies that I never see in Connecticut and products that did not fit the consumer market. Why would Raytheon place ads about a cargo plane, or UTC have an ad about a Coast Guard helicopter in the Metro? No Senator or Congressman is going to work on the Metro. Why the ad? The only reason I could come up with is that these companies are looking to create name recognition and ‘buzz’ with those people who work for those in power and funding, and get them talking or at least recognizing names and products so that when they come up in discussion there is a comfort and familiarity. The lobbyist work to create memes in their ways with contributions, information and perks, and the companies create visual memes, or clues, for the workers in the hope that they will all mesh into a funded project.

Blogs, I think, are simply devices, tools to pass on information that is placed elsewhere. I would be curious to see if blogs create memes, or are nothing other than a highway for the idea. My sense is that they are more a transfer device than a creative one. Perhaps I will find I'm wrong the more I search.