The Penis Mightier

So my daughter was sitting next to me while I was taking the blog pic.  We are of course watching Dr. Who (for you non-nerd readers, it's the 50th anniversary today) and she therefore has sonic screwdriver handy and wanted to jump in.

The Penis Mightier.... well it still is a male dominated world in a lot of ways.  But you know what?  We subjugate that which we fear.  So there's two ways to look at that: ladies we are powerful, strong, so much that we are fearful.  There is also the viewpoint that women are crazy and understandable and best kept in a position lacking power.  I can understand both of the viewpoints because I know women in both of these categories.

I think if we had more women in the former category, showing that we are intelligent, strong, independent creatures, we would possibly still be feared, yes.  But respected and understood.  When you have a large portion of the gender acting like incomprehensible sycophants, it kind of sets us back.

I am not afraid to be seen as a misogynist in an effort to try to set the record straight.  Not all people ARE created equal - and ladies - we can do better.

Step 1: Take care of yourself.  No one is going to do it for you.

Step 2: Love yourself (almost more important because if you do, step 1 is a given).  Likewise if you love yourself, love from others will follow because they will see your happiness and wish to join you.  Seeking fulfillment from other is like trying to fill a cup with a holes in it.  It will never stay full.  You need to patch the holes first.  (You're the cup - fix the holes!)

Step 3: Get hobbies beyond being good at hair.  (Have things you are good at - you need to have things to spend your time doing outside of a partner!)
---Believe it or not basic hygiene is pretty much all you need to attract a mate.  Most of the time they absolutely do not care what makeup/haircut/hair color/nail polish/shoes/clothes any of that you are wearing.  AND STOP MAKING THEM TRY TO.  If you like it - awesome.  The fashion industry thanks you for keeping them employed.  But couples need their own independent lives and interests for a reason, stop trying to make them care about yours, especially something as uninteresting as what the hell you are wearing.  This is a conversation for your female friends.  ONLY.
note- most guys would back me up on this: they care only that you are clean, don't look like you are in pain, and look presentable.  THAT IS ALL.

Word of the Day:

Svengali : a person who manipulates or exerts excessive control over another.

Bet You Didn't Know:

( from www.theoatmeal.com.)  

Goals + (formerly Bucket List)

I want to be able to bend my feet behind my head.  Like the human pretzel thing.  Or at least touch both feet to my head.  I like to continuously add new flexibility goals, reach them and add a new one.  This isn't so much a real "bucket list" item, and I'm realizing now I should change this to a better name that simply emphasizes longer term goals... 

Quote of the Day:

I really like this one.  Good basic advice, and I especially like the end, since I'm the oddball that wishes they could indeed live forever.

I miss Pee Wee Herman

Ok.
They say write what you know.  I know a few things.

1. I only started this blog only for a required college assignment.  (and never posted again)
2. I have a million (I embellish) ideas a minute and commit to few.
3. The only way I'll ever bear fruit is to plant the gorram tree.

Why the sudden change? (why I am finally willing to blog)
I've done some scary things, but I just did one of the scariest this past Sunday.  Something I'd been putting over for MONTHS. 

And it made everything better.
All the trepidation, anxiety - gone. 

My point is this: I'm afraid to start writing because I don't want to commit the time if I don't have anything worth saying. 

So I've devised a formula (and what trumps Math?!):

I may not post daily but when I do I will adhere to the following:

1. A pic of me sitting down right now to type the post.  It's called posterity bitches.

2. Word of the Day!  (because Pee Wee Herman was amazing.  And knowledge is power).

3. "Bet You Didn't Know!" (this will be something awesome/useful/just plain exciting I think everyone should know about.

4. Bucket List (who cares if it's 'hipster'? Have some goals man! I'll update with anything I've added/crossed off)

5. Quote of the Day

I'm sure I'll think of more things to add, but this seems like a good start.
So with number 1 down, here's 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 for today's post:

Word of the Day:

Sapiosexual = One who finds intelligence the most sexually attractive feature. 

Bet you didn't know...

about the breakout company GoldieBlox.
This company, started just last year by Stanford engineer Debbie Sterling, aims to shows girls the cool toys aren't just for boys:
Watch the commercial!!!

Bucket List +

Working on kickstarting an LLC with a coworker, Jason Countryman from the dayjob.  (our first project can be seen at the blog that he is operating here.)  I admit adding "President" to list of titles is extremely appealing, especially before the age of 30.

 Quote of the Day

"Nothing is worth more than this day."
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


Ok kids.  Hopefully I'll be back with more.

 

Star Wars

Not just Star Wars, but Star Wars: Revelations.  This is a 40 minute movie that one of the creators describes as, "Revelations was created to give artisans and craftsmen the chance to showcase their work, allow all those involved a chance to live the dream, and maybe - just maybe - open the eyes in the industry as to what can be done with a small budget, dedicated people, and undiscovered talent."

This movie is just one example of how people are using mostly moxie and raw energy to create often brilliant and beautiful pieces of entertainment.

I stumbled upon such a gem myself fairly recently:
Sail Music Video Remake

The music video for the song "Sail", by AWOLNATION, was redone by a group of two young women going by the moniker 'Nanalew'.  I found this video accidentally, as I was intending to find only the original, and saw this one and opened it out of curiosity.  I found it to be absolutely brilliant.  I watched the making of and discovered that this young duo did it all themselves too, which is very impressive.

The cinematography and everything are absolutely top notch.  And the 'script', the story they tell, comedically in this mock-music video, is absolutely hilarious.

I love the independent genre.  I don't often enjoy mainstream films simply because the message is so force-fed, contrived and just plain wrong that it's not worth stomaching and losing the time.  I've found many independent films however, that are very refreshing.  Great acting, great plot, and real and believable characters, as well as the key things like plain old good filming and special effects. 

I say, grab your camera phone and shoot something if you feel the urge.  With the multitude of free editing software and effects programs, you could easily make home movies, which is what Jenkins and so many others are trying to say.  It's not just for the Fat Cats anymore, if we can show them we've got the goods.

Blair Witch

I admit I wasn't entirely surprised to find as I continued my reading of Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins, that the Blair Witch phenomenon was eventually mentioned.

I am old enough to remember this first hand, and I remember too the massive tourism that sprung forth all because of small indie film.  Blair Witch indeed, was not just a movie, but a prime example of Convergence Culture.  They were able to make a second film, based largely over the masses reaction to the first one!

The Matrix was also, as Jenkins points out, exceedingly original, and how the Wachowski brothers dealt with their fans, and critics helped to ensure their success.  The Matrix Reloaded had entire gaps of plot development missing in the movie, that were picked up on or completed in the coordinating video game.  Their movie posters had cheat codes in the streaming numbers.  They made a unique media event, not a movie.

They almost made the movie a game in fact, in the way they had symbolism and fans guessing for more and more hidden meanings, and their cryptic answers only incited the fans to dig deeper.  Similar to The Blair Witch, this was truly a fan experience, participated in by masses, communicating to masses, all trying to solve the puzzle that is The Matrix.

Dinosaur No Mo'

I have rebelled against a lot about social media, but I have been able to appreciate the positive attributes.  One of those is this blog.  As an writer aspiring to get published, and someone who loves to make people laugh, I am always seeking an audience.  I work two jobs, go to school and raise two children alone however, so I don't always have time to do this socially.  By socially I mean the original definition, of WITH PEOPLE, in their physical presence. 

During this class, I have been blogging, and I realize that this is actually a viable outlet for me.  Facebook isn't, and I also tried Twitter over this semester as well, as an alternative connection between people to Facebook.  Twitter I find not nearly as disappointing as Facebook, and I enjoy posting funny anecdotes, and I appreciate the format (160 characters or less).  Overall, there is more control on their site as well, on the content you are exposed to.

I think however, I shall simply be a blogger.  I may eventually turn the facebook back on, but while I rarely used it before, I shall use it even less now.  I can see why it's useful for creating an event, and inviting everyone at once, easily, especially for a more public event that you don't have phone numbers for everyone you'd like to invite.  So far that's the only thing I miss about Facebook.

It simply comes to finding an outlet that's appropriate for us, in a method that we deem acceptable for our own standards.

Web 2.0

The way we communicate today versus even ten years ago, has changed vastly.  Cell phones now in almost everyone's hand, they not only allow us to call anyone, anywhere, the texting and media are what these devices are mostly used for.  And this is key to the growing trend of how the mass at large communicates with one another, to the masses.

Web 2.0 is a term coined around 1999, and the definition varies slightly depending on who you're talking to, but the image above is an image of Web 2.0 at work, more importantly the way I am delivering it to you.  I, as a blogger in my class, am participating in this (relatively new) phenomenon of convergence culture.  As a blogger, I am one person, communicating with many, through mass communication.  This is not my preference, and I am just starting to really delve into what Web 2.0 has to offer.

Interpersonal communication is what I prefer.  Before texting, when a cell phone even, was just a phone, I used it rarely.  This is true today; I loathe phone conversations.  This is simply because I do not believe the phone should be used for conversations.  I prefer face-to-face interaction, but that's me.  As a test to myself, I recently deactivated my facebook account.  I've had it for about two years, because before that, facebook infuriated me so much that I shut it off and went without for almost two years. 

I see the benefits of facebook, I do.  Mainly, the ability to reconnect with people you might not otherwise.  But after over a week without facebook, I can say I feel only relief.  I am planning a few events at my second job, and I can see why having facebook right now would be useful, as I could easily advertise/promote the event.  It's not however, enough of a lure to draw me back.

Many to many communication is another part of Web 2.0.  I found another blogger that talks about this here: http://www.nojitter.com/post/225702034/manytomany-communication-and-social-media-in-the-enterprise

He explains also how the new mass-to-mass communication is difficult for corporations to deal with, mostly because of the instant communication social media can produce, and this is not conducive to corporate structure/function.

He describes this here:

"1) Control--Organizations like to control all information out of their environment. Marketing controls information around the brand, Legal controls information to protect the organization from lawsuits and to guard intellectual property, and Customer Service addresses issues on a case by case basis.
2) Role--Everyone in an organization has a specific job and role, so while it may be one person's job to follow and respond to a social media site on behalf of a company, not everyone in the company is allowed to.
3) Process--Organizations have specific processes for generating and approving information and how it is communicated. Posting information real-time, on the "fly", is usually not possible."

Overall, Web 2.0 is a good thing.  Of course there are the 'bad eggs', but this is the same as with any new concept.

She Dreams in Digital

Who would've thunk... I am now working for a software company, as of 4/15/2013.  I admit I am enjoying my forays into becoming more technologically inclined. 

Not only am I still ticking away at my app idea, but I also have a 'master plan' for what I think is a mighty brilliant website.  In this day and age of a billion (I may be overestimating, but probably not) websites, I think that's pretty savvy.  I of course don't want to put any details on here just in case (though I'm pretty sure only my professor reads this, one never knows - that's the thing about everything being accessible) - I am currently working on development of the business plan with several friends in different fields to make it feasible and functional.

Definitely stoked.

Convergence Culture, Pt. 1

I'm reading "Convergence Culture" by Henry Jenkins.  The following is my reflections of my reading so far.

With the internet and mass media, we have the ability to share everything that is happening, to everyone.  The opportunist in me is excited at the prospect of all the excellent and useful information that can be (and is) shared, but I find that so often, the "cloud" is clogged.

With the freedom of the internet, we have the intelligent who chose relevant, witty and entertaining information to put out there for the world to access.  And then there are those who feel it necessary to have every moment of their lives uploaded to the infinite world wide web.  I haven't had channels on my television for over ten years, because the majority of it was a waste of time, for a very similar reason.  I instead prefer Netflix, which I came upon fairly recently.  I find I only get on the internet looking for a specific item, then close the window, similarly, because most of it, is a waste of time.  The problem is, I know I miss out on some interesting things, but the time it takes the wade through the junk is usually not worth it.

I can't help but feel that there can be some way to streamline useful information, but of course if we start placing restrictions, we defeat the purpose.  Filtering seems the only option, and without google I would be lost.

Participatory Culture - meaning we are not created equal.  Corporations do hold the greatest power, even the individuals within them. 

Convergence occurs within the brains of individual consumers, and through their social interactions with others.  That's why this is such a unique and individualized, yet mass process at the same time.  A prime example of this is facebook.

Collective intelligence and media convergence - very interesting concepts again, unlikely so important without the internet.

Pg.14: New Media doesn't kill old media.  TV didn't kill the radio, etc.  This is especially important to note when e-book readers are on the rise, and libraries are closing their doors for good.  I, a "real" book fan myself, hold hope that print is not dead, but will become simply more precious.  Though as one of my favorite authors has three of his newer titles available in e-format only, I feel like the grandmother who can no longer listen to music when they stopped making records.  I think I will be forced to switch to e-books, or settle for what is left in print.

Media is plural for a reason, it is almost infinite in capability alone.

Pg. 18: "Convergence, as we can see, is both a top-down corporate driven process and a bottom-up consumer-driven process."  This I have duly noted, as now consumers have more a voice than ever to shape the way things are made and delivered.

Pg. 20: "Affective Economics" - ideal consumer is: active, emotionally engaged and socially networked.

Participation affecting the outcome - I think the best example of this is Walking Dead.  I see "If Darrell Dies, We Riot" everywhere... You can be sure AMC takes this into consideration when they continue the series.

Pg. 21: Transmedia Storytelling: The art of world-making. I think a great example of this that I participated in as well, was Blair Witch.  I was 15 when this came out, and it was also one of my very first encounters (within the first month or two) of the internet.  There were chat rooms, news reports, all kinds of hype around this, based on whether or not this was real.

Pg. 22: Popular Culture to Public Culture shift.  This is change we see today.

Pg. 27: Old vs. New community - this is a sad one and while I've never been close to even my nuclear family except my sister, I wish we supported the family unit more.  As we grow closer to our digital appliances and status updates, we draw even farther away from the people in our lives.  As a society we seem incapable of "unplugging."

The Great Equalizer

"The Internet is the great equalizer," has been said before since the '90's and has been proven true in so many ways.  One way that this comes to mind especially is in how culture is now informed.

Before the internet, those with a voice were only those with enough power or money to grant themselves one.  Therefore society was shaped largely by conservatives and left those with less popular opinions were left out of the decision-making process.  Then the internet came along and everything changed.

Fast forward to today and I marvel at the changes the common voice has brought to society.  Before the internet, if you weren't part of the majority, you could pretty much forget it (no matter what the issue was) but now you can gather your compatriots and bring your plight to the masses, courtesy of a plethora of devices.

Ten years ago even, nerds were still uncool, and freaks weren't accepted.  Gays were still a very taboo topic.  Now we have enough voices pushing through saying, "Hey.  We may all have equal rights, but we AREN'T all equal.  We are different.  Accept us."

The Medium is the Message

My thoughts on this chapter of The New Media Reader.