Farewell to Geocities



So I've recently heard the news that Yahoo! (yes the exclamation is part of the name) has decided to close down GeoCities. For those who don't know GeoCities was one of the first websites that allowed anyone to build a site and host if for free in subdirectory of their domain... basically you they gave you a site of your own to play with.

Back in the day when hotmail wasn't owned by Microsoft and thus only a quarter evil, yes GeoCities was a place for anyone who wanted their little section of the web to show to the world what little skill in web design they really had.

Yes I was once one of those who squatted some space on the web with my poorly designed and rarely updated site, though I actually wrote rants... ah those were the days. Angrily writing on a topic of which caught my attention, not caring if it made sense or right or wrong... just verbally spilling bile onto a forgotten corner of the interweb.

Surprisingly enough the site is still there, with nary a visitor in god knows how long. Still it was kind of nostalgic to read a few of my first ventures into writing things publicly available that no one would ever read... hehe... he.

Funnily enough the first Rant I posted was never finished, a point that doesn't go anywhere... perhaps a metaphor for my life in general... I really have to stop setting up these self directed jokes, even against myself I can't resist taking pot shots. Anyway it is kind of sad to see the old site go down, though now there are a lot more options for people to build sites, blogger (of course) wordpress, Myspace, and with Facebook why even bother building a personal website?

It is also neat to look at my style writing and notice a few subtle changes, my vocabulary has improved slightly and my tone is more even and considered instead of the angry ravings that constitute a 'rant'.

Though for old times sake I think I'll let the anger out a bit for my next entry and get back to a good ol'fashion written rage against the world. I even have a title picked out, "The smell of Jasmine and Shit... yes Shit"

A different way of looking at things....


They say news is a matter of opinion (I am beginning to think 'they say' is an overused term to gloss over the fact that there really isn't any concrete information), news is basically any event or action that has or will take place. What people consider news is very dependent on the person, for example some people may be interested in the latest sports score, others may want up to date financial news from the movers and shakers in the business world, and still others may only be interested in what their grandchildren have been doing.

In our modern society the importance of news is decided by a few factors:
1) to what extent will it impact the audience of the news
2) interest of the audience in certain news
3) standard or limitations to publishing news

Of course I'm oversimplifying it a tad but bear with me, now more often that not news in factor 1 is not of interest to people while factor 2 isn't really important to the lives of the audience beyond the superficial.
Now as well a lot of news in that is interpreted to make it as appealing to the audience as possible - or as it is more commonly known "sensationalising" news stories for popularity. It doesn't just fall into the realm of entertainment news, the major 'trusted' news networks are just as bad. The 'venerable' CNN in the USA has been considered the most 'fair and balanced' news channel by the general public. Unfortunately that is a poor standard, let's give a quick example, there recently was a story about North Korea, take a look at the headline from Reuters and compare it to the CNN headline for the same story (they link to the stories which I recommend reading).

Reuters - North Korea seeks talks with South but warns on sanction

CNN - North Korea: Sanctions a declaration of war

It gets worse if you do read the actual stories that were online, the CNN story makes no mention of the talks with South Korea but instead focuses on the threat North Korea and their missile program represent.

If you break down the story, only the first paragraph is actually news, the rest of the article is opinion and history provided to give a certain impression. All too often I see this type of reporting where the actual content can be summed up in a few lines while the rest is speculation and propoganda disguised as factual information.

It isn't really CNN's fault though... if you had a choice between the two headlines which would you click on?
News providers are tied to sponsorship and viewer count, they walk a fine line between journalistic integrity and meeting the bottom line. The sad truth is that no news source can really be trusted, if one wants a real picture of what is happening in the world you must take as many different perspectives as possible and the truth will fall somewhere in the middle of that.

Though how many people have the time for that anymore? Many don't even bother reading from one source of news, forget checking different and altering view points of news. It isn't necessarily a bad thing, until these same people decide the must have an opinion about the world or (heaven forbid) get actual power and decide to make policies based on incomplete and often faulty information.

What is even more frightening is people who have strong convictions based on absolutely no information at all... I won't say which group many of such people belong to, but I'm sure many can hazard a guess.

Though perhaps as with beauty, the value of news is just in the eye of the beholder... and how news will effect the way they think and act.

Hmm, perhaps it is all meaningless information that is consumed and passed out like ... ugh I can't finish that analogy.
I guess more important than having information is what one does with it, if someone has a perfect view of everthing going on in the world but just goes about their daily life... how is it different than someone who doesn't know anything about the world? So perhaps one has to take information with a view of how to change the world or at the very least share their view with others.

Not Normal



I've always had an aversion to normalacy... perhaps that is not the right phrase. I've always taken refuge in the label of being abnormal, different than the usual. Perhaps it is growing up considering myself (narcsisstically) unusual or not quite the same as people around me, in part that is true though one has to recognize that everyone is slightly different than the other.
I don't think of myself as unique or special just something that doesn't seem to productively fit in the mechanisms of the world that comprise what we call society.
I am able to understand or connect to different people and expereince... but never feel a part of them, or it does not quite resonate as what I see myself as - only parts. I keep having this feeling that I have all these functions but no direction, like an all purpose tool that may get many tasks done if used but is not really vital for any specific job.

I think what annoys me the most is that people like definitions or labels to identify what they are - in both positive and negative ways. Take religion for example (ah what a lovely can of worms), now I've come to a bit of an odd view that all religions are equally valid with both good and not-so good facets. They are all different ways of interpreting the world and they are all trying to get people to live in a moral and beneficial way to society or more specifically the ideals of the immediate community. Given the opportunity I enjoy learning more about religious beliefs, the only time I stop is when someone has the gall to say that there is only one path and all others are false.
Hmm, I'll stop before I dig too deep a hole for myself, anyway getting back to my original point is that people will often ask what my religion is and I have a hard time answering them. If I say I don't really belong to a religion they assume I'm an atheist - which isn't accurate. Conversely saying that I'm a student of any religion that promotes good qualities leads to puzzling looks and odd questions.
So to avoid the matter entirely I just say I was raised Roman Catholic and that seems to satisfy most people.
Still I dislike being forced into such a narrow viewpoint, not that I have anything against Catholicism of course.

Hmm, perhaps I'll call it a day as I have no idea how to finish this post without digging a deeper hole for myself :)

There really is something wrong when...

For the longest time I've been a fan of the Daily show, for those who don't know it is a comedy show that takes a funny take on politics and news in the US. Though up in Canada we've had Air Farce and This hour has 22 minutes were comedy gold well before Jon Stewart, but anyway...
I became a fan of the show mainly because it ... is darn funny, with excellent writing and comedy at it's finest... though at times also just plain silly as well.

However starting with this CNN crossfire interview I really started to question how people saw the show worldwide and in the USA in particular. In the interview Stewart himself said that there is something wrong when news networks look to a comedy show for journalistic integrity. Some pollsters have shown that more and more people are tuning into the Daily show for news than the news stations themselves or seem to trust the information they get from Stewart more than the 'respected' news anchors.

More recently there has been a big brouhaha over a piece DS did about CNBC and their seeming complicity in the current financial crisis. I'll admit it was interesting though as per usual it wasn't really anything I didn't know before... it was just packaged nicely and present in a way I could laugh at instead of banging my head against a wall.
However it really has struck a cord within the media itself and people are taking it more seriously than I thought possible... which I find really disturbing.
Now first one should really should Watch this , seriously. It was partially disturbing to see the show being about the full complacency of media with the economic crisis... but that Jon Stewart was actually doing a serious interview... I kept waiting for a punch line in the middle but it was a serious interview without the combative argumentative bullshit that passes for debate.
Why... why does one have to look to a comedy show for a serious look at what is happening in the world?
The answer is actually a damning statement against the current mainstream media. The responsibility of illuminating truth has turned into more of an exercise in earning advertising revenue and not upsetting the powers that be (who often happen to pay for 'adversing'). As other bloggers and commentors on the whole scenario have stated it does seem that these major news networks and sources who claim to have respectablility and access ... really don't use it effectively and are more afraid of giving offence than publishing what boils down to propoganda.

I wish I could write a bit more but time for work, and again to avoid the draft will just publish this entry as is. One last word about the media though... for all the stupity I see coming from major news and media outlets, it really is only a reflection of the regular person, people don't want the truth or justice... for the most part they just want to be entertained.

Adventures in shaving,

Well this might be an odd topic but felt it would be nice to try writing about. I'm sure most people can relate to shaving at least some part of their body for 'whatever' reason at one time or another, being a guy who could grow a full beard at the age of 14 it is something I've become quite used too.

Eventually I also started shaving my head as well, or to quote a colourful character "God shaved part of my head, I just decided to finish the job". In any event this means that whether I like it or not shaving is nearly a daily chore though keeping a beard allows me to slack off every other day or so (longer if I want a mean grunge look). What this all leads up to is the choice of shaving utensil, a razor, electric razor or some latest 5 blade power EXXXTREME razor than dispenses magical healing liquid and smells like mint - oh and also vibrates.

Anyway for the longest time I've settled on the Mach 3 razor which is quite comfortable though the cost of the replacement blades are a bit pricey. I've tried electric razors and they really are uncomfortable no matter how 'hi-tech' they become - plus they never seem to do quite the job that blades are able to. So while I use Mach 3 what I really want to use are good ol'fashion straight razors, of course would probably end up like Scarface but with a little practice it would be a nifty skill to pick up. Unfortunately finding these razors is not an easy task, plus one needs an assortment of equipment to maintain it: strop, brush, mug and a few other terms I forget.

Well since I was down to my last replacement Mach 3 blade decided to pick up a new razor and on impulse got the tried and true single blade razor with those iconic honest to goodness razor blades (the friends of emos since... whenever that fad become popular). I would have liked a straight razor but as I said it was on impulse and they don't seem to carry straight razors at the local stores.

The first time using the archetype of safety razors proved ... interesting. It was a little nerve racking to use an untested blade on ones throat but it was surprisingly clean to shave with. I actually completed most of my morning ritual with a couple of minor nicks (well within acceptable tolerances) until I reached the back of my head.
Now I am fairly used to head shaving so I don't use a mirror unless defining my beard (it is a sweet beard) so just went about as normal feeling for rough areas when a pass of the razor seemd to burn just a little.
I didn't think anything of it until I felt an a wet area on back of my head... yeah.
I actually managed to take a picture of my bleeding skull but fortunately for you it has been lost on my computer amoung countless pictures of random objects and various politicians (they're just so sexy).

Though now have got used to the blade and actually enjoy using it more than the Mach 3... I think there is something about the ritual of shaving that makes me appreciate the older shaving methods than the gosh darn fancy technological stuff. Maybe it is the concentration that is needed to safely use a very sharp blade or a Zen-like trance one goes into when shaving but while I wouldn't say shaving is an enjoyable experience it is one of those multitude of little rituals one has to do throughout the day that is actually not altogether unpleasant. Though I think being able to use a straight razor would be totally bad ass, it's almost like telling someone you use a gun to plant seeds... hmm, maybe not quite that stupid but I think you get the idea.

Fascination with Fail...


Well the above picture is more for the sake of humour than any meaningful representation about what I'm going to blog about today... at least I couldn't thing of a way to do it with extreme leaps of logic.
Anyway I guess a lot of things are happening in life again... it always seems that the universe conspires to lull one into a false sense of security and then hit you with the biggest sh... storm you ever had the imagination to think of, turn into a Hollywood script and have the resulting movie lead played by Helen Hunt (she was a famous actress... so I've been told).
Hmm, that might be a bit inaccurate, I think the way I see things in my life right now is like a large intersection... right now, it's pretty empty and quiet, maybe a few cars go by. In the distance it seems a couple of trains are coming, there also appears to be a few buses and trucks loaded with flammables heading down the road.
So I really should start planning how to switch the tracks for the trains and which bus to stop before they all collide together in a beautiful fubar fireball... or get a stick and some marshmallows and wait a bit.

Hmm, I guess what I'm trying to get at in a round about way is I have a lot of decisions to make, and no matter what I choose some people aren't going to be happy. Oh well, that's life I guess...

Another thing that has been weighing heavily on my mind is how seriously I take myself... quite often I make effort to downplay my abilities or appear foolish as a way of lowering expectations. Though I think people just begin to assume I'm a little nuts which works out just as well - since I really don't like getting involved too deeply in things, too troublesome.
I've started changing a bit, maybe it's just waking and thinking I guess I'll do what is necessary today, or maybe just thinking it would be nice to rage against the dying of the light.

Meh, whatever... either way as long as it stays interesting it's something to look forward too. I've also decided I really should make more of an effort to keep in contact with people. Someone passes away and you're left thinking 'I really wish I knew them' because honestly if you don't then it's hard to know how to feel. For all that I try to understand the world and how people act it is quite sobering to find out that one doesn't really know much about the people who should be closest.

So have a lot of stuff to work on inside and out so to speak... it's funny, I've stopped wishing for life to be simpler or easier... in fact, I think at this point I really do want something to rage against, to fight with all my strength even if failure is a foregone conclusion. What's that ol sports saying... "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game".

I've been thinking a lot recently... hmm, perhaps a better way to say is I've been thinking more than I usually do. Most of the time it isn't productive, just the usual mix of introspective and 'nature of the universe' stuff, but even that gets tiring so switched it up with some more analytical thought on things around me, people, environment, politics, censorship, accuracy of information etc.

Oddly enough I've never tried sharing about 95% of what I think mainly because I believe that I don't have enough information to make a conclusion, to do otherwise is just pure speculation.

However I've realized that most people really have no clue either... there really isn't any way to be completely sure about anything. Though it breaks down into two categories, the first knows their information is incomplete but makes decisions based on them leaving room for change if anything new is brought to light. The second takes what little information they get and then staunchly defend it without even considering that it could be wrong - to the point that they will fight against any contradicting information.

It surprises me how many people fall into the second category, or more accurately how many people fall into the second category only for certain subjects. This may be opening a can of worms but let's look at Religion and Politics. People may question a lot of things, but if it is put forward through a religious or political light then they will eagerly accept and defend it.

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I was going to continue with the previous thought but realized it would be more than I really want to get into. Actually it's just that it would take more time than I have to write the full scope of what I wanted so instead of saving as a draft (a mark of death for my blog posts) figured I'd shift gears with the smoothness of an elephant performing Swan Lake and talk about something completely different - organization!

Organization is a fancy way of saying... hmm, I'm not sure, where is my dictionary... damn, can't find it, I really should be more organized. Anyway it is something that is really really hard to do. That's it... oh and "I like turtles"