Every now and then the algorithm really gets it right. We’ve all experienced it. We open our phones, tap on an app and the very thing we were thinking about seconds before pops up in front of us. Connectivity is a sign of our times, and it’s hard to remember exactly what it was like before the online experience captured our spare time so completely.
Some might argue we’re all moving too fast, that we’d be better off steering clear of this age of superintelligence that has permeated our lives. Maybe it’s a nostalgia for simpler things, easier roles, or even feelings of frustration that we’re not able to keep up like we used to. We’re all getting older and “No. I don’t want a summary. I want to read the article myself.” Autocorrect? No, thank you.
In 1979, The Sharper Image company began distributing their monthly catalog that would become a mail order staple targeted at affluent demographics. Nearly every household in PV began receiving one. Gadgets were turning up everywhere and for us kids, the catalog gave us a glimpse of what we could expect from the future if we’d only use our imaginations. This was not a Sears catalog, a JCPenney or a Brooks Brothers illustrated catalog, but it certainly acted as “the dream book.” The Sharper Image catalog was our “imagination station.” It illustrated what was actually possible and what was happening in real time. Back then, we were kids without resources and now, here we are, 50 years later and we’re witnessing a flying car, autonomous vehicles, returning rockets, drones, limitless information at our fingertips and near-instantaneous worldwide communication. The robots have arrived and what are we doing with them?
“Verifying you are human. This may take a few seconds.”
Being connected is a day-to-day reality. I do most of my work on a smartphone and a laptop. Others I talk to do the same. Ponte Vedra Beach has always held space in the real world as an antidote to mental overload and October has always been a time of reflection. The holidays are right around the corner. Taking a walk on the beach does clear the mind and helps reset priorities when feeling overwhelmed. Admittedly, taking a break from online use is a very healthy practice, and we all need discipline to maintain balance in our lives, and that’s a good thing.
Some of us embrace VR goggles, run VR chatrooms, like my wife and I do. We meet regularly with other users in Malaysia, Croatia, Saudi Arabia and the UK. Heavy moderation is an absolute necessity. It’s the WIRED culture alright, we admit it, and for those participating in the immersive experience, the reality is that one day, even the youngest users online today will be seniors looking back. We live in the age of information and technology and, honestly, the older we get, the greater our interests. Perspective helps mitigate the sometimes saturated amount of noise that finds us daily and competes for our attention. Consumer electronics are not going away and the benefits associated with VR goggles and the digital environment in senior living communities are already well documented. “Grok it.”
Every now and then the algorithm really gets it right. The first images I ever saw of Bill Price’s work arrived in my Facebook feed after being shared by another page. That first image held my attention just long enough for the algorithm to recognize my engagement and feed me another image only a few seconds later. Ellen Winner, author of “How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration” (2019, Oxford University Press), might have described the experience I was having perhaps as a close cousin to the Stendhal Syndrome, a “hyperkulturemia” in the digital realm. For a native Floridian, or anyone interested in Florida history for that matter, what I was seeing resonated with authenticity.
The bio on Bill Price’s Facebook page reads with clarity, “Born and raised in Florida, I restore old photographs for historical research and education.” His profile picture captures a quintessential Florida experience, the family garden, one very similar to my own old family photographs from around Live Oak. His page is as powerful as a family reunion photo album pass-around. There are no memes. No shared angst. No politics. No noise. Just pure signal. Talent.
I Facebook-messaged Bill shortly after discovering his page and introduced myself. I told him I’d like to write about discovering his page and his work colorizing old Florida photographs. It’s rare to find a page as clean and direct as what he’s created.
He wrote back to me in about an hour, and I asked him, “How did you begin doing all this? What inspired you?” He gave me a brief version explaining both he and his wife like old photos of family and they have many. “My career has been in technology so using scanning technology and software to preserve family photos is where it started,” he said.
Eventually using what he learned on the family photos, he began applying it to Florida photos he liked. “It’s a hobby,” he said. He posts on Facebook because it’s easy and it lets the images be public. He said the reactions from others inspired him to keep going. “Families who saw photos of relatives they had never seen before reacted, people reacted from their memories of where they grew up, with who they grew up with … I like them, they like them and there you go.”
A large majority of Bill’s images include his own researched narratives. “In my career I did a lot of research for work so doing research on the stories and info behind the photos comes naturally,” he explained. His page is a master class and is well worth seeking out and following. If we’re going to be spending time online, we might as well make it quality time. What Bill Price does and how he does it has not gone unnoticed, and rightfully so.
What he did not mention in his messages to me was the article written about him by James Call, the Tallahassee Democrat Capital Reporter for the USA Today Network, or the article in Tallahassee Magazine by Amanda Karioth Thompson linked from her FB page, AKT Artful. The algorithm fed me those resources without anyone’s prompting.
Bill Price is a man with a hobby and an interest in sharing his talent with others. What he has created is a well-curated visual archive of authentic Florida aesthetics that comes to life for a new generation. Savor it, enjoy it and share it with friends.
This is Florida at its best when connectivity and social networking can be used for meaningful and purposeful interactions. It’s where ideas come from before emerging in this world as actions. In all honesty, it’s where all the boats rise with the tide. This October, explore the wealth of Florida visually online and let Bill Price be your guide. You’ll be glad you did. Google, Grok, Meta and many other means are how research is conducted in this age of information. Don’t let its significance be underrated.
October officially opens shellfish season in Florida and on the Matanzas River and at Commander’s Shellfish Camp at Crescent Beach just below St. Augustine, their farm-raised clams are in full swing. An easy drive from PV and back gathers all the fresh Florida clams from Commander’s that you’ll need for S.L. Berry’s famous clam chowder.
Boil in 3 cups of water until the vegetables are tender. Scald 2 cups of milk with 4 tablespoons of butter. Add this to the cooked vegetables and clams. Serve hot. Chopped green parsley adds color. Four to six servings.
Just another First Coast recipe that adds seasonal fall flavor to this smartly casual place of all places, Ponte Vedra Beach.
