how many Justin Beibers could you take in a fight?

http://theoatmeal.com/quiz/justin_bieber

Alright, best quiz ever.

I got 28 Biebers.

You know you wanna take it...

We Own the Sky

So it's week ten, finally. I know it's a stressful time for almost everyone and each person handles it differently. One thing I like to do is watch music videos, on youtube of course. I listen to quite an array of music... is it just me, or does everyone say that?

Anyways, this is not one of my favorite songs, though it is pretty and very relaxing. However, I'd have to say this is probably one of my favorite music videos that I've ever seen in my whole life. If you watch it, go all the way to the end. It's weird, but.. well, I like it. The song is We Own the Sky by M83.

wow.

So this term is almost over. I keep thinking to myself that I am almost halfway done with college. But then i remember that I want to be a doctor, so I still have like 6 years to go. It still has been a wild ride so far, though. This term seemed like it had a lot more work than usual. I don't know if it's just because summer is on the horizon or if I actually have a greater number of assignments, but it has been rough.

This summer is going to be a lot different than usual. It's the first time in years that I don't have a job. I work at a school administrative office, but they couldn't rehire me this year due to budget cuts. Damn economy. So, instead of having a job, I am volunteering at Easter Seals. If you don't know what that is, basically, it's a place for special needs children to come for classes that provide enrichment and help with basic skills.

For the last few weeks of summer and first few weeks of winter break, I work as a substitute aid for special education classes at an elementery school. I love working with kids, especially special needs kids, and more specifically kids with autism. It's really eye-opening, so I can't wait to start my volunteer work. Also, that's pretty much what I want to do with my life. I want to be a doctor to study autism and savantism. So yes, this summer should be interesting.

Alright. This blog was pointless except for the fact that I have to blog enough to get full points this week because I doubt I'll have any time to blog week 10.

Prime internet example.

People often talk about mishaps on the internet involving anonymity. Sometimes children are harassed by peers, other times children are taken advantage of by pedophiles. However, as we all know, not every online encounter ends in tragedy. Some end in awkward interpersonal conversations that could haunt you for life. This one pretty much explains itself.

Laura blogs about politics... willingly??

I came across this little political cartoon, on tumblr of course. As I've said before, I am definetely not into politics. However, that's not to say that I'm uneducated on the big topics. I feel like this image speaks a great deal of truth, and while I may not agree with every decision that Obama has made (or not made), I feel like he does recieve a lot of criticism for his policies without fair comparison.

While it may be a little too optimistic, I feel like people should have a little more faith in the government. Not to the point of being naive, and it's possible that "faith" is a poor word choice... maybe supportive is more of what I'm going for. It couldn't hurt, right? Alright. That's enough politics for today.

octobaby!?

"Lakshmi Tatma, a girl born in 2005 in Bihar, India, was born a conjoined twin, with her parasitic twin’s headless body joined to her at her pelvis, giving her the appearance of having 4 arms and 4 legs. Lakshmi (named after the many-armed Hindu goddess of wealth) has a rare condition called isciopagus, where her twin has stopped developing in the womb and the remaining fetus absorbed the underdeveloped twin’s body. Aside from 8 limbs, Lakshmi has two spines, four kidneys and two stomach and chest cavities. That is, until the toddler underwent a successful 27-hour surgery at a hospital in Bangalore to remove the extra parts."

As much as I like octopuses, I don't like babies. And as much as this is kind of like an octopus, it's also kind of like two babies in one. It really is fascinating though, how things like this can happen. Also how the medical field has advanced enough in such a relatively short time to the point that they can handle something so extreme. I wonder if she had control over the extra limbs. I mean, how many times have you said "I wish I had an extra hand"?

T-Rex First Pitch at Memphis Redbirds Game

This. Is. Awesome. I love dinosaurs. Well, who doesn't? I don't really know why a dinosaur would throw the first pitch at a baseball game, but whoever thought of it is a genious. Not to mention whoever thought up that costume. It's pretty detailed. The only weird thing is that you can see the person's legs. Still, though, an excellent idea. I wish I could have seen this in person.

nataliedee.

If you've ever been on the internet, chances are you've seen a Nataliedee picture. Her cartoons are pretty much everywhere, although rarely cited. I stumbled upon her site probably 5 or 6 years ago and I've loved it ever since.


Like I said, Natalie draws short comics, some of which pertain to her life, others that are just weird. Additionally, she makes and sells paintings as well as screen printed t-shirts of her some of her comics. Natalie also posts blogs. Sometimes she writes about her life; her pugs, her husband, or her baby, but she also posts question and answer blogs called "ask Natalie".

Speaking of Natalie's husband, he makes comics of his own on a site called Tothpastefordinner. The couple also has two collaborative sites; marriedtothesea and superpoop. Each site has a slightly different humor, but they are all awesome and I recomend all four.

On the subject of parodies and copyright...

Alright, obviously, this is a parodie that the Simpsons have done of Ke$ha's song Tik Tok. Not so obvious is that the entire video is flipped horizontally 180 degrees. As soon as the into aired on TV, many people put it on youtube for others to view. However, these videos were removed due to copyrights. However, clever little youtube users flipped the video so that it cannot be removed. Even if the video description, the user who posted this video writes "JFYI its the other way'round so it will be not deleted because of copyright infringements".

damn whipper snappers.

I can't help but notice that lately, Ive been feeling almost... out-dated. Alright, I'm not some freaky amish kid or anything, I do have an ipod and a laptop... however, I still own a tape player and a VCR. It seems like technology moves so quickly these days, and I know that I'm not the only one finding it difficult to keep up.

For example, my birthday was a few days ago. Both my grandma and my 9-year-old cousin texted me from their own cell phones. My reaction to both really suprsised me. When my gradma texted me, I was like "You go girl!" Honestly, I would say that I was impressed. However, when my little cousin did the same, I was all "Why the hell do you even have a cell phone? Who could you possibly need to call? You're in the 4th grade."

I recognize this is somewhat of an age-ist double standard. And I felt like a total old woman looking down on a younger generation for their use of technology. The speed that technology is adapting is increasing the gap between generations. It will be interesting to see what other changes this brings to society and how older generations will be forced to adapt their ways.

SVU

Law and Order Special Victims Unit is quite possbily the most addictive show on earth. I've always liked the show, but recently I've been getting sucked into the all-day marathons on USA. If you've never seen the show, you are missing out so hardcore. Admitably, each episode is extremely similar. The show mainly follows two new york deterctive partners, Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson, as they attempt to solve crimes and aid it's victims. Many episodes revolve around sexually based crimes, however, not all do.

Like the other Law and Order shows, SVU is produced by Dick Wolf and filmed in New York city. The show is on it's 11th season and so far there have been 247 episodes between 1999 and 2010. The 7th season attracted the most viewers at 13.8 million (hollywoodreporter.com).

In my personal opinion, I think that the show is so popular because of the content. It is rather contrversial at times, however, many can relate to both the situations and the characters involved. Additionally, the main protagonists are extremely likeable, even though their 'character flaws are often put to the test. Alright. That's all I have to say. I'm gunna keep watchin SVU now.

Gators gunna Gate.

Another tumblr find. I wish I was this badass. (The article was posted with the picture; I did not write it myself...)

If you thought the legend of the horse whisperer was impressive, here’s an animal tale with even more bite. Rather than trying to tame wild stallions, fearless Costa Rican fisherman Chito prefers a playful wrestle in the water with his best pal Pocho, a deadly 17ft crocodile. The 52-year-old daredevil draws gasps of amazement from onlookers by wading chest-deep into the water, then whistling for his 980lb buddy and giving him an affectionate hug. Chito says, “Pocho is my best friend. This is a very dangerous routine but we have a good relationship. He will look me in the eye and not attack me. It is too dangerous for anyone else to come in the water. It is only ever the two of us.”

Chito made friends with the crocodile after finding him with a gunshot wound on the banks of the Central American state’s Parismina river 20 years ago. He had been shot in the left eye by a cattle farmer and was close to death. “He was very skinny, weighing only around 150lb. I gave him chicken, fish, and medicine for six months to help him recover. I stayed by Pocho’s side while he was ill, sleeping next to him at night. I just wanted him to feel that somebody loved him, that not all humans are bad.” It took years before Chito felt that Pocho had bonded with him enough to get closer to the animal. “After a decade I started to work with him. Then I found out that when I called his name he would come over to me.” At one point during his recovery, Chito left the crocodile in a lake near his house. As he turned to walk away, to his amazement, Pocho got out of the water and began to follow him home.

Published October 31, 2009

I hate politics blog.

I think that it's pretty obvious why facebook and other social networking sites are effective outlets for political dissent. The most obvious reason is the ability to communicate with others. This additionally allows individuals to find others with similar views and to form an alliance. Much like we have discussed about communities, social networking sites allow those with specific interests to come into contact with each other and provide support.

Although the internet it fairly easy to monitor in general, it is extremely difficult for the government to monitor every single individual's profile. (One could argue that certain words may be flagged, however, it is even easier for a group to create codewords...) So, these sites are relatively private. Sites like these are accessible to virtually anyone who has internet, as well. Finally, the internet creates a level ground for all; each individual is equal and therefore discussion is open.

Only twitter worth reading.

I am not a fan of twitter. Usually people just complain about dumb things or say what they're doing every waking second. But this... pure gold.

New Indie Film; Freud and Jung.

I just heard about a film that is being made about psychologists Freud and Jung. Admittedly, I am way more excited than any normal person probably is, but as a psych major, I'm just nerdy like that.



The article that I read, though, described Freud and Jung as both extremely influential. However, Jung really wasn't and isn't revered much for his theories because they include notions of mythology, which obviously cannot be measured and therefore are not entirely scientific. It seemed to me like the author was attempting to make him seem like a person of great impact, when in reality, Jung has made no where near as close to a difference in psychology as Freud.

With that said, I'm still looking forward to the film, though I hope that it is more factual than the article regarding Freud and Jung.



Here is the article.

lookbook continued.

After my last blog about lookbook, I decided to put up some images illustrating some of the lookbook cliches that were on the list I found. These pictures come from lookbook's "hot" category, aka lots of people liked them. In my opinion, some of the outfits are alright. But others.. well... not so much.

Painfully skinny? check. Also, keyboard? why?

Large frame glasses? o yes. Looking scary and deranged? definetely.

Beanie and a necklace with a leotard? Why the hell not.

This one speaks for itself. Really. I have no words.

lookbook; are you going in public dressed like that?

lookbook.nu is a site for fashion forward (or painfully mislead, depending on your opinion) people to post their looks to share with others. Users may 'hype' each look, and then looks are then rated by the number of hypes. Posters also may tag their pictures with the colors in their outfits and where they bought each item.

While a minority of the outfits posted are attractive, figure flattering, appropriate, and contemporary, most are awkward, impractical, or just plain hideous. Not to mention that the photographs of 90% of the looks are painfully cliche. Nevertheless, I do admit to having a lookbook account because I can't like without trends.

I found the following list on tumblr making fun of the site. It's totally true.

How to get your 15 minutes of lookbook fame:

1. Be painfully skinny. (This is really the only rule.)
2. Put on the randomest clothing you can find. Really just wear whatever you grab first. Close your eyes.
3. Wear said clothing in the most inappropriate place for said clothing. (for example, wear shorts and a tank top in the snow)
4. Look either pissed and slightly scary OR sad and slightly suicidal OR happy and slightly deranged.
5. Wear huge glasses with no frames.
6. Be a 15-year-old Dutch boy. Or girl. Just as long as it’s hard to tell what you are.
7. Use lots of Photoshop. If that doesn’t work, just resort to black and white.
8. Even if it’s summer, wear as many layers and jackets as you can.

Private

Ok. I just found this silly cartoon on toothpastefordinner and I thought that it connected well with some of our previous conversations about privacy on the internet and whatnot. That is all.

IS THAT A SICK JOKE!?

A day without facebook!!! Yeah, like I could even go an hour without it. What else are you supposed to do in college? Actually hang out with friends in person? I think not. Homework? Hell no. I'd say my whole life revolves around facebook.

I mean, how else would people know your relationship status? And how in the world would you make any plans with your friends? No to mention, how else could you possibly keep a non-communicating yet still awkwardly intimate relationship with all of the people you never talked to from high school?

In my opinion, facebook is completely crucial to normal teen development. No one needs face-to-face social skills these days. What we really need to learn is how to find out information about our friends and acquaintances without actually having to talk to them. So in short, I could not live without facebook. And no one else should even think about it, either.

Robot teachers.

I completely disagree with the arguement that computers should be kept out of the liberal arts classroom. Obviously, as culture changes, education must adapt with it. If it didn't adapt with the times, we would all still be writing with quils and reading from scrolls. Yes, I realize that sounds ridiculous, but so does the thought that it would possibly be benneficial to anyone to keep computers out of the classroom.

Besides just the opportunity to gain a wider array of information, computers and other technology helps to engage students in their learning. As someone who works with special ed students ranging from 3 to 13 years old, I can say from experience that the children love to go on the computers; to type, to surf the internet, and to play educational games such as FastMath.

I am not claiming that education should be accomplished merely through computers. Teachers sitll must be the primary source of information and instruction. Additionally, I am aware that technology does, in some ways, allow us to be more lazy in our learning endeavors. However, computers and the internet are valuable recources and students must be instructed in the proper ways of utilizing the technology in helpful and appropriate manors.

Secrets, secrets.

Often people criticize the internet for both decreasing privacy and eliminating interpersonal communication. One cite in particular involves these two aspects in a very interesting way. Postsecret.com has been gaining popularity for years, now, and I have to say, it is one of my all time favorite cites. Basically, people anonymously mail in postcards containing their secrets to the manager of the cite, Frank, and he scans and posts them online. The secrets range from the humorous to matters of life and death. Postsecret also has a number of books released and tours colleges across the country.

This cite is fairly unconventional for many reasons, like the fact that it relies "snail mail" as a major compenent. Additionally, the idea of posting your deepest, darkest secrets on the internet for all to read is generally looked down upon. However, this cite is inspiring. It is amazing to see how similar your own life is to these many anonymous strangers. Additionally, I feel as though it helps people realize that everyone in the world has struggles to cope with everday. Many say that when you read the postcards, it is impossible not to feel a connection with the people who have written them and even imagine if anyone you know is the author.

Just Google It.

No one ever says "Oh just yahoo it" "I'll bing it later" or even... "I'll search for it on the internet". No. Always Google. In my opinion, though, this is not necessarily a bad thing, however, more of a generally overlooked byproduct of capitalism.



As we all know, consumers will use whatever is cheap, easy, effective, and well-known. Google, obviously is one of those things. The morphing of Google into a verb is not surprising, either. Often times, the titles or brands which we use most regularly are used as sort of a blanket name for all similar products. Kleenex, for example, is only one brand of tissue, yet many people refer to all tissue as Kleenex. The same goes for Xerox, Tylenol, and Post-it Notes.



It just so happens that as of now, Google is the best at what they do, which is indeed "organizing the world's information and [making] it universally accessible". With that said, though, I do feel that people Google information way more than necessary. Some may say it is out of laziness, but i disconcur. You see, if you use facebook practically ever, you can just do into the url bar and type in "fa" and then a list will pop up, and voila! facebook.com will most likely be the first option. Two letters and a click. However, it seems as though most people go to google, and then type in "facebook", "facebook.com" or "facebook login". Much more work, and much less smart. It bewilders me, honestly.

Stupid google users aside, I do not feel as though Google is some empire attempting to take over the internet world and have control over what we see, hear, and learn. They are simply using their popularity, success, and business skills to their advantage. And who would blame them for that?

South Park does Facebook

I recently read an article discussing South Park's new episode regarding Facebook, and oh my jeeze, it is all so true. HERE is the article along with video clips from the episode. The things that South Park points out, while often exaggerating, are still extremely true. We all have those friends who are obsessed with farmville, send you dozens of page suggestions daily, or are constantly perfecting their creeping skills. (By the way, if you don't have that friend, you are that friend. Please stop now.)

I have appreciated South Park for many years now for it's satirical value. With that said, while the episode aims to make fun of the way that our culture treats the social networking site, many of the points that the show makes are serious criticisms and point out true issues that are beginning to arise. For example, the "real life" drama based upon events that take place on the internet, such as relationship fraughts, or parental control, not to mention the rumors and bullying that often stem from internet-based ocurances.

I think that people should take the site less seriously; that is, use it to communicate with friends and for short term entertainment as oposed to a means to keep track of their entire high school class and to have an alternative life as an agriculturist. I am sure that will never happen though.

Dude. Check this out.

Just found this gem on tubmlr. Totally irrelevant, but still completely awesome. That is all.

Day Without Shoes

Video Here.

So, the idea of this day/project/idea or whatever you want to call it is to go barefoot for one day in order to "help" less fortunate people, ie those who cannot afford shoes. Can someone please, please tell me how on earth not wearing shoes is going to help anyone? Oh, that's right, it won't. "But wait, it could raise awareness!" Bullshit. Who isn't already aware that there are poor people in the world? If you don't want to wear shoes in order to help poor people, then send your footwear to Africa. Or, I don't know, make a donation to an organization. Don't just do something awkward to pretend that you're part of some hip social movement. Seriously. Put your shoes back on and do something productive for a change.

Trace Cyrus; you're kidding, right?

Trace Cyrus, former front man of Metro Station and less fortunate looking sibling of Miley Cyrus, announced recently over a series of tweets that he will be making a solo record under a new band name. First off, I just want to point out how much he seriously looks like a horse. Secondly, he is not that awesome of a singer and is only famous thanks to his family. There are so many other people that should be making a solo album besides him. Actually, I would venture to say he is one of the last people I would want to hear singing solo.

Additionally, Trace stated that he hopes to do tracks with artists including Lady Gaga, his sister, Chris Brown, and lil Wayne. I'm pretty sure the only person he has a chance of collaborating with is Miley. The day that lil Wayne and Trace Cyrus do a song together is the day I lose all faith in the music industry.

Here is the article about Trace.

Jason Kottke interview response

I chose to respond to the interview about Jason Kottke because his blog sounded most similar to the type of blog that I am most familiar with; Tumblr. For those who not know what tumblr is, basically, you have your own page and may follow others, similar to twitter, but you can post different types of media, such as texts, images, videos, music files, and links. Then you can “reblog” what others have posted as well, adding commentary if you so choose to. People post on an array of topics, ranging from personal posts, to celebrity gossip, fashion, news, or just funny things.

With that said, I don’t really understand why Jason’s site is so popular if it is basically the same or similar to many thousands of tumblr sites (and in the interview, Jason himself states that he has no idea why his blog is so popular). I especially don’t see why he would be making money off of it personally when it’s so simple to just stumble on random links by yourself. So, I went on kottke.com, and honestly, I was disappointed. It was boring, in my opinion. It did remind me of tumblr, but one that I would not follow because I was not even interested in 50% of what he posted, and another 20% I had already seen days or weeks earlier from other sites.

I don’t mean to undermine the work that Jason has done or the success that he has achieved. All I’m saying is that I’ve seen what he’s doing before, and I’ve seen it done better by less experienced people. However, that is just my opinion and of course, it doesn’t hold much weight when it comes to blogging because I am in no way an expert in the field.

I did, however, appreciate Jason’s answer to the question of how the possibility he may be flamed affect his writing. I liked the fact that he knew well enough to not take the criticisms personally while still maintaining enough modesty to understand that some may contain a significant amount of truth. Additionally, I liked Jason’s answer to eh question of why he blogs; “Curiosity? Habit? Addiction? Don’t want to get a real job?” It really seems to me as though Jason did not mean for his site to achieve the status that it has, but now he has decided to embrace the opportunity to make a living off of what he has enjoys doing. And even if I and many others don’t necessarily see the allure of his blog, if it’s working for him and if others are interested in what he’s doing, then he definitely should keep it up.

Hey Hi Hello

This is a blog. I am going to blog here. This is my first blog not on tumblr. Ok cool story bro.