Wednesday, August 30, 2006

The Meaning of the Name

Digitizdat - Числоиздат

I learned the word samizdat by reading Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. It is a Soviet-era term for the underground publishing of uncensored material. I liked the word so much, I started using it as a handle, but other people were using it too, so I needed something new. I followed the meaning of the word samizdat back by reading the Wikipedia entry for it. I discovered that other versions of -izdat words exist, including magnitizdat, which is for publishing audio tapes. I thought a more modern -izdat would be in order for this new blogosphere, thus digit-izdat - digitally published. It preserves the rebellious spirit of samizdat, while moving the term into modern usage.

First post!

Wow, my very own 'blog. I feel so bloggy.