A Noticeable Difference 20 Years Later

Twenty years ago I was in high school. A lot of things have changed since thing, particularly in Portland, Oregon as more and more people continue to move to this city.

But there's a bigger, more interest difference I'm noticing. It's less provincial. Something that's becoming more and more noticeable worldwide: we're living in the most documented age in human history.

If I hear a loud explosion in my neighborhood I can fire up Twitter and there's a reasonable chance I might be able to get ground-level reporting, photos and videos. I'm sure it's the healthiest thing all the time, but it's a fascinating way to watch protests and other events.

The event that crossed my mind that lead me down this rabbit hole was the fire that nearly burnt down the iconic Hollywood Theatre here in Portland. I can remember clearly going to the rooftop parking lot across the way and watching the firefighters narrowly save the building. Googling now I can't find any images. It's mentioned in plenty of places, but no photographs or videos seem to exist from that time.

The idea that something like that could happen, visually undocumented in this day and age seems impossible.