First let me start with something completely irrelevant. The presentation on Saturday was highly enjoyable, and I thought everyone there had a great time even though the topic was quite serious. Prof. Siva Vaidhyanathan did a great job in presenting so that the audience could actually enjoy the time rather than be bored and fall asleep (like one person in the crowd that I noticed).

"Facebook is not just an addiction--it's a disease"
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/2/ARTICLE/5655/2005-09-15.html

Just wondering how one site can change people's lives dramatically. I found this while serfing for information for my midterm project. It's interesting how mere websites in itself can act as a new form of technology. Earlier, it had to be physical change, or somewhat physical. But now, the online realm can act as a catalyst for change.

For my midterm, I'd like to analyze a Japanese social networking site, http://www.mixi.jp

I am interested in the differences in culture affecting how the website works, and what kind of similarities in structures exist with sites like myspace or facebook. It's interesting, coming from Japan, because most Japanese students made a facebook after coming to college and keep up with their mixi websites as well.

As I've stated before, the lines of reality are blurred when talking about the online world.

Here is a perfect example.

A MMORPG, massively multiplayer online roleplaying game, is a place where you act as a character, gain experience, socialize with other players and fight bosses to gain equipment etc. Well people here can act as the other sex, cross dressing is everywhere, and well, you can even get married in some games.

The point I'm trying to make here is that, a lot of people in my opinion take online gaming FAR too seriously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TSGUf1xbF8

From "The Language of New Media"

...the computer media revolution affects all stages of communication, including acquisition, manipulation, storage, and distribution; it also affects all types of media --- texts, still images, moving images, sound, and spatial constructions.

I think this statement can help clear up a lot of the ideas we went through during class. Especially the idea of what art is.

Recently I've heard that a student from one of the 5C's was caught to be downloading stuff. Whatever the stuff may be, I heard it was music, but could be other things included in that as well. Anyhow, first, I really want to know if a $3000 fine was necessary. Also, how do the colleges find these people anyways?! Do they monitor inflow and outflow of activity from different IP adresses?

"This is the world of scarcity. Now, with online distribution and retail, we are entering a world of abundance. And the differences are profound."

101 Ways To Annoy People

1. Sing the Batman theme incessantly.

2. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sensual massage."

3. Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."

4. Learn Morse code, and have conversations with friends in public consisting entirely of "Beeeep Bip Bip Beeep Bip..."

5. If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.

6. Amuse yourself for endless hours by hooking a camcorder to your TV and then pointing it at the screen. <

7. Speak only in a "robot" voice.