I've been thinking about starting a youtube channel lately and posting videos etc. for a while now, and the desire to do this has recently been reignited.
This whole SOPA thing, I confess, has got me somewhat worried. My original reaction was, holy fuck, this is going ruin the internet! I was starting to think that things would eventually be so bad and so crippled here in cyberspace, that it wouldn't even be worth going on any more, which led me to start thinking, well, I suppose I'll just have to write the whole thing off and concentrating on other things. I mean, if laws like that start getting passed, there's not a lot we can do about it, so we should probably just accept defeat...
Then I thought, you know what? Fuck that. When it comes to the forward motion of humanity on the whole, the internet is the most important and amazing thing that has ever happened. The potential for open and free communication on here is astounding. It has led to an openness across the globe that nothing has ever come close to achieving. When I write something on here, and someone from say, America, reads it, or someone from Portugal, or someone New Zealand etc. that's me speaking DIRECTLY to you. That's person to person, with no middle man. Gone are the days when the governments really controlled global communication. My granddad would never in his life, have spoken to an American, or been anywhere near so easily able to if he wanted. Me? I can just pop on here and send someone a message.
Before, the only news anyone could get was from the mass media, who are controlled by politicians and corporations and so, cannot be trusted to be impartial, but with the internet, I could potentially get the true news stories, as they are happening, from someone who is actually there. There is power there, and it's OURS and the powers that be don't like it.
Something like SOPA is not about piracy, but is instead a blatant attempt at hamstringing communication. They've latched onto this piracy idea so they could attempt to give themselves some sort of moral high ground, and they could make the laws so vague that they could potentially target any online threat to them that appears, under the guise of combating piracy, because those copyright laws are actually A LOT more broad and limiting than a lot of people might realise.
They could look at some news website that's speaking out about their unlawful invasion of some foreign country and say "Oh look, they posted a picture there and there's a coca-cola logo in it! Looks like we have to shut down the whole site!". Before, because they were in control of it all, they could say "Don't worry folks, everything's fine in the world, nothings going on in Syria, just go back to your American X Factor" (to kind of paraphrase a Bill Hicks bit there) but now, they are not in control. Communication is so open and fast right now, that someone who was actually there could just tweet "Shit is getting real over here, guys, something's going on" and immediately, word is out. Of course, the powers don't want this.
In short, the potential for calling out bullshit, especially with governments etc. is HUGE now. We have more power now than ever before an they're trying to take it from us.
But hope is not lost. They thought they could just say "Yeah, we're going after pirates! We're the good guys!" and we'd all cheer and not notice what they were really trying to do, but what happened was different. Our eyes are more open than they ever knew, and people rose up in force against them.
This tells me that now, it's more important than ever for us to keep these lines of communication open. We really need to fight for our selves here, but I confess, I don't really know how. All I can think of is to put more effort into blogs like this, and to put myself out there more. I really want to try harder to keep talking to people and to keep us all linked.
We need to keep this alive.
This whole SOPA thing, I confess, has got me somewhat worried. My original reaction was, holy fuck, this is going ruin the internet! I was starting to think that things would eventually be so bad and so crippled here in cyberspace, that it wouldn't even be worth going on any more, which led me to start thinking, well, I suppose I'll just have to write the whole thing off and concentrating on other things. I mean, if laws like that start getting passed, there's not a lot we can do about it, so we should probably just accept defeat...
Then I thought, you know what? Fuck that. When it comes to the forward motion of humanity on the whole, the internet is the most important and amazing thing that has ever happened. The potential for open and free communication on here is astounding. It has led to an openness across the globe that nothing has ever come close to achieving. When I write something on here, and someone from say, America, reads it, or someone from Portugal, or someone New Zealand etc. that's me speaking DIRECTLY to you. That's person to person, with no middle man. Gone are the days when the governments really controlled global communication. My granddad would never in his life, have spoken to an American, or been anywhere near so easily able to if he wanted. Me? I can just pop on here and send someone a message.
Before, the only news anyone could get was from the mass media, who are controlled by politicians and corporations and so, cannot be trusted to be impartial, but with the internet, I could potentially get the true news stories, as they are happening, from someone who is actually there. There is power there, and it's OURS and the powers that be don't like it.
Something like SOPA is not about piracy, but is instead a blatant attempt at hamstringing communication. They've latched onto this piracy idea so they could attempt to give themselves some sort of moral high ground, and they could make the laws so vague that they could potentially target any online threat to them that appears, under the guise of combating piracy, because those copyright laws are actually A LOT more broad and limiting than a lot of people might realise.
They could look at some news website that's speaking out about their unlawful invasion of some foreign country and say "Oh look, they posted a picture there and there's a coca-cola logo in it! Looks like we have to shut down the whole site!". Before, because they were in control of it all, they could say "Don't worry folks, everything's fine in the world, nothings going on in Syria, just go back to your American X Factor" (to kind of paraphrase a Bill Hicks bit there) but now, they are not in control. Communication is so open and fast right now, that someone who was actually there could just tweet "Shit is getting real over here, guys, something's going on" and immediately, word is out. Of course, the powers don't want this.
In short, the potential for calling out bullshit, especially with governments etc. is HUGE now. We have more power now than ever before an they're trying to take it from us.
But hope is not lost. They thought they could just say "Yeah, we're going after pirates! We're the good guys!" and we'd all cheer and not notice what they were really trying to do, but what happened was different. Our eyes are more open than they ever knew, and people rose up in force against them.
This tells me that now, it's more important than ever for us to keep these lines of communication open. We really need to fight for our selves here, but I confess, I don't really know how. All I can think of is to put more effort into blogs like this, and to put myself out there more. I really want to try harder to keep talking to people and to keep us all linked.
We need to keep this alive.
So I haven't blogged in a while...
I've been doing a lot of thinking, trying to sort my head out after the past few months, and I have actually been coming to some conclusions. I need more productive hobbies, so in light of this, I bought a new camcorder yesterday, so I can get back into making videos etc. again! I used to do it in college but I kind of fell out of it into a shitty full time job and now I'm thinking I really need to put more effort into doing things that I enjoy.
So, now i just need to think of some stuff to film!
I've been doing a lot of thinking, trying to sort my head out after the past few months, and I have actually been coming to some conclusions. I need more productive hobbies, so in light of this, I bought a new camcorder yesterday, so I can get back into making videos etc. again! I used to do it in college but I kind of fell out of it into a shitty full time job and now I'm thinking I really need to put more effort into doing things that I enjoy.
So, now i just need to think of some stuff to film!
So we got some potentially life changing news at work today. Our office is being effectively ditched and everyone is either being relocated to a new one, or made redundant ("Laid off" in America?). Now, it's really not an option for me to relocate, due to the impracticalities of me actually getting there, so it's looking like I'll have to take the pay off and leave.
Now, at first glance, this may seem like bad news, and at first, I was angry. But not now. Now I feel like, you know what, I fucking hate my job and have done for years, but due to how convenient it has been for me, I've stayed anyway, and been unhappy. But what can you do? It's just so damn convenient, and it pays well enough etc. So let's be real and say that if I did stay there this time and didn't take this chance, I would end up staying there for years to come, and I would hate myself later. Or, I could take the pay off, and change my life.
There is some risk involved, of course, the pay off isn't huge, but I think it's enough and it's making me feel actually invigorated for the first time in years. I feel like, I can really do this. I can look at the risky, uncertain future and say, bring it on! I can do this!
Now, at first glance, this may seem like bad news, and at first, I was angry. But not now. Now I feel like, you know what, I fucking hate my job and have done for years, but due to how convenient it has been for me, I've stayed anyway, and been unhappy. But what can you do? It's just so damn convenient, and it pays well enough etc. So let's be real and say that if I did stay there this time and didn't take this chance, I would end up staying there for years to come, and I would hate myself later. Or, I could take the pay off, and change my life.
There is some risk involved, of course, the pay off isn't huge, but I think it's enough and it's making me feel actually invigorated for the first time in years. I feel like, I can really do this. I can look at the risky, uncertain future and say, bring it on! I can do this!
I should really go to bed, but I don't want to. I find myself in a rather strange mood, that I can't quite put into words, so since I fancy myself as an aspiring writer, I really should make the attempt.
I feel extremely relaxed, but also kind of sad. It's a sadness without any real direction or cause, and it's not depression, but something else. I sort of like it.
I'm sitting at the dining room table, with my laptop in front of me, drinking tea and listening to calming music. My head seems to be focusing on things that make me feel sad. I'm thinking of that girl I love but won't get to be with, I'm thinking of my near future, which I know is going to be mostly boring, frustrating and unfulfilled. I'm thinking of my career aspirations, and considering the real possibility that I may never reach them. I'm thinking of all the shit that's going on in the world that I can't fix, and having said all of that, it all seems to have brought my body into a state that I find pleasant. I'm not feeling a crushing hopelessness, despite how it may seem. I'm thinking, there's all of these negative aspects to my existence at the moment, but I just love being alive anyway.
I feel extremely relaxed, but also kind of sad. It's a sadness without any real direction or cause, and it's not depression, but something else. I sort of like it.
I'm sitting at the dining room table, with my laptop in front of me, drinking tea and listening to calming music. My head seems to be focusing on things that make me feel sad. I'm thinking of that girl I love but won't get to be with, I'm thinking of my near future, which I know is going to be mostly boring, frustrating and unfulfilled. I'm thinking of my career aspirations, and considering the real possibility that I may never reach them. I'm thinking of all the shit that's going on in the world that I can't fix, and having said all of that, it all seems to have brought my body into a state that I find pleasant. I'm not feeling a crushing hopelessness, despite how it may seem. I'm thinking, there's all of these negative aspects to my existence at the moment, but I just love being alive anyway.
Birthdays
Where I work, there's a lot of people, and the past few months have included a lot of their birthdays. We normally have a small collection to get a little gift etc. and we all gather around their desk and wish them happy birthday.
It's a nice practice I think, but recently I've been noticing the whole "I'm not telling how old I am, I hate getting a year older!" thing and I'm just wondering why everyone has that reaction to ageing? Obviously I'm still young and older people will probably tell me to wait till I'm their age then see how I feel, and maybe they're right, but to be honest, I don't think it will bother me. People seem to be so worried about getting older and closer to death that they forget to actually live and I want to say this to them:
Try looking at your birthday from another direction. Instead of saying "I'm a year closer to death", why not say "I'm a year further away from the beginning". Being a year further away from birth means you've been alive another year longer doesn't it? Isn't that a truly wonderful thing? A lot of people in the world weren't so lucky in the past year. A lot of people died this past year, but you weren't one of them.
Instead of saying "Today I am another year closer to death" why not say "Today I get to see my friends and family again" or "Today I get to tell my spouse that I love them"?
Why not say "Today I get to learn something"?
Why not say "Today I get to listen to my favourite song again"?
Why not say "Today I get to see the sky again"?
Just for this one day, why not just let yourself forget some of your troubles and really take note of the small pleasures in life that we normally take for granted? Just give yourself one day every year.
Wake up and say "Today I am alive".
Where I work, there's a lot of people, and the past few months have included a lot of their birthdays. We normally have a small collection to get a little gift etc. and we all gather around their desk and wish them happy birthday.
It's a nice practice I think, but recently I've been noticing the whole "I'm not telling how old I am, I hate getting a year older!" thing and I'm just wondering why everyone has that reaction to ageing? Obviously I'm still young and older people will probably tell me to wait till I'm their age then see how I feel, and maybe they're right, but to be honest, I don't think it will bother me. People seem to be so worried about getting older and closer to death that they forget to actually live and I want to say this to them:
Try looking at your birthday from another direction. Instead of saying "I'm a year closer to death", why not say "I'm a year further away from the beginning". Being a year further away from birth means you've been alive another year longer doesn't it? Isn't that a truly wonderful thing? A lot of people in the world weren't so lucky in the past year. A lot of people died this past year, but you weren't one of them.
Instead of saying "Today I am another year closer to death" why not say "Today I get to see my friends and family again" or "Today I get to tell my spouse that I love them"?
Why not say "Today I get to learn something"?
Why not say "Today I get to listen to my favourite song again"?
Why not say "Today I get to see the sky again"?
Just for this one day, why not just let yourself forget some of your troubles and really take note of the small pleasures in life that we normally take for granted? Just give yourself one day every year.
Wake up and say "Today I am alive".
