Love Sucks

After entertaining the idea for a while, I finally decided to make the commitment and try to develop a lasting relationship. At first it was wonderful, I was able to get to know my partner better, which caused me to change and learn about myself. However, after some time we began to experience some communications issues. What used to be a free and open interchange of information has become slow; often I give up in frustration before getting a reply. I have started seeing my last partner because there the communication is so much better.

Of course, I am referring to my choice to use Firefox this year. As much as I love Firefox, and as sexy as the tabs are, I know something is wrong between us. Perhaps it is my Microsoft operating system savaging Firefox out of spite, but for some reasons often times a simple request at Blogger or Facebook will cause Firefox to stop responding for minutes on end. Speaking of the end, that is where my wits are. I have been returning to the undeniably evil, but more convenient, Microsoft Internet Explorer. What else can I do when my other browser is comatose?

Perhaps my computing habits need to change, or perhaps I will return to whence I came. I will miss the tabs though, which is ironic considering they are one of the negative features I listed about Firefox in the first place. This illustrates a frustrating component of my personality, I am really quite an adaptable person but I just lack motivation to change too often. See, I did learn about myself in this relationship. Here's hoping that Firefox and I pull through and can celebrate many more successful Google searches.

P.S. I remembered how to log in this time, go me!

Idiocracy Redux

Savoring my last days of freedom before spring term commenced, I found myself watching Idiocracy for the first time late Saturday night, or rather, early Sunday morning. I found it to be a humorous, if somewhat grim, movie, slightly reminiscent of Brazil.

Fast forward to twenty minutes ago. I was reading through a comment pile loosely tied to the Snoop Dog/Bill O'Reilly fiasco here. Someone made a comment likening Snoop Dog's comments to the script of Idiocracy, which I read, thought about for two second, and then passed over. Later in the comment pile I had the sudden horrifying revelation that it is not uncommon for parts of comment piles to resemble dialogue from Idiocracy. This emphasized one of the themes of the movie, the possibility of highly sophisticated tools to be used without sufficient thought or discipline. Taking a page out of my local library's book, pun very much intended, I believe that I will start a propaganda campaign: "Be Kind, THINK!"

This also highlights the lack of respect which I feel is all too common in online discourse. I feel the same way about traditional analog conversation, but I see it to a high extent in digital conversation. Perhaps a part of the problem is that on the Internet we are always simultaneously behind someone's back and right in front of them.

Anyway, the reason it took me twenty minutes to start this post is I completely forgot how to access my account, oh the intricacies of G-Mail. I too fall victim to Idiocracy.

Be Kind, THINK!

Laying the Foundation

"Every journey begins with a single step."

No doubt most are familiar with this clichéd saying, if you type it into Google you will obtain hundreds of results. This only makes it more surprising that I cannot find to whom it should be attributed! Thus does my "blogging" career begin with disappointment.

I have been, if not agonizing, then worrying about, what I should put into this first entry. In fact, it has taken me almost a week to overcome my timidity and boldly throw myself out of the nest and into the Internet. It is not just the plethora of options that Blogger offers, which seem quite daunting to this shy soul, more than that it is the alternately apathetic and antipathetic nature of the medium in which I swim. However, the mental unease of knowing my unchristened, ignored blog lurked on one of my Firefox tabs did eventually grow heavier than the unease associated with exposing myself like this, and thus do I begin. Seeing as I am beginning, perhaps I should finish with some comments about myself and this journal.

1) I am a self-proclaimed moderate, mainly through alienation from both sides of our two-party system. I make no claims about my views actually being moderate; many of them are quite the opposite. I do not speak for any association of moderates, or radical far middlists, only myself.

2) I prefer mild language, both in my writings and in comments that, hopefully, are posted here. Personally my strongest insults usually hover around "nutcase," although I have been known to ramp it up to "stupid" if I am emotional. Keeping this in mind will help decipher why I am seem to be taking some issues sitting down, my language may be relatively mild, but I still might be aghast or enraged. I have no intent on censoring for strong language (see next point), nor will I faint dead away if someone uses an "adult word". I consider my language to be a form of respect for my reader, and I request that contributors show similar respect please.

3) On the other hand, I may censor for content. There are some things with which I do not wish to be associated. I will not list them; I doubt I could produce anything resembling an exhaustive list. Again, pleased be governed by respect for myself and other "netizens" you may affect. Should I feel it necessary to censor a comment, it will be removed, I may make note of it, and I may not.

Thank you for respecting my personal parcel of cyberspace.