May The Force Be With Music

This is a new beginning. I used to call myself a writer. I used to call myself a scientist. Now I'm neither. With an undying love for music and the written word I hope to reinvent a new path for myself. Or create a new deposit of run on sentences and droll opinions. The internet always needs more of that. 

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

15 Going on 25

I can only keep working at developing myself as a human to hopefully become all that I can be. Really that’s all any of us can do. It’s what keeps us strong against the tide of reality and responsibility that drown our dreams in cynicism and gray scale. I can only hope to embody the spirit of what my 15 year old self envisioned. But I want to become so much more.

A friend asked me a poignant yet completely introspective question the other day over coffee: Would you have imagined when we were 15 that we would be where we are now?

This question really shook me to the core. What did I think was gonna happen when I was 15? Well i was a concert, music loving teenager who could only imagine where life was gonna take her. I imagined myself having my own place, having a fantastic boyfriend, and having some then unnamed incredible career.

Jetting to the present I do have a wonderful place of my own, and a wonderful man in my life. The career is still in stasis. But with hopes fate will decide a better diversion for my true passions.Some things have become true that my 15 year old self foresaw.  While this could be akin to a premonition, I like to think that I always had it in me to get what I want.

Being a quarter of a century though does not come without its drawbacks. I get more questions on when I will get married or when I will have my first child then when I will publish my first novel. When I tell people I don’t want to think about kids until I’m forty, they often look at me like I’m joking. I’m not joking. I feel like there is so much more life to live before I even consider creating one of my own. As far as marriage goes, the commitment involved will not be taken into consideration for at least another five years. And then at that point it may still be considered a moot point. I value my independence, but I also think such life decisions should employ lots of thinking and mulling over. This bodes well for my inherently neurotic nature.

But I digress. When I was 15 I envisioned myself as a young independent woman, living her dreams and embracing her potential. I feel like I am at least half of that statement. I am a young independent woman who can take care of herself. But am I embracing my potential? Recent times aside, prior behavior indicated I may have become stagnant in my ways. My creativity had been non-existent. But I feel as if I’ve encountered a renaissance of sorts. I feel driven more now to pursue my interests and passions then I have in a long while. I feel like I’m finally on the precipice of discovering who I am and all that I am capable of. This could just be my reality playing tricks on my mind, but I feel as if the winds have changed. What felt like chains and the smell of cubicles shackling me to an inevitable destiny, now have an air of whimsy and undiscovered curiosity that is tangible and within my grasp.

When my friend asked me such large and philosophical questions, I really couldn't think of how to answer her. It sent my mind racing into all sorts of messy directions, with no coherent sentences in sight. Thankfully we are different than who we were at 15. With more world experience and all that other shtick. But as my friend so eloquently put it, she is no where near where she thought her journey would take her. I actually think this is fucking fantastic. This means that we can't always see where we are going, but we often end up exactly where we need to be. Even with misguided dreams at 15 we only had a naive conception of what being a grown-up actually meant. Or the many complexities that it could contain. I know I certainly didn't. But I’m grateful for the reality check. It’s what makes each of our own self-driven soliloquies that we call life so exciting, and ripe with meaning and fulfillment.

I can only keep working at developing myself as a human to hopefully become all that I can be. Really that’s all any of us can do. It’s what keeps us strong against the tide of reality and responsibility that drown our dreams in cynicism and gray scale. I can only hope to embody the spirit of what my 15 year old self envisioned. But I want to become so much more then I ever dreamed possible. 

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

Artists and Authors

On my pilgrimage to the great Barnes and Noble today, I found some compelling reads to devote some of my free time to. The one I’ll be talking about here is a whimsical devotional entitled “The Daily Book of Art: 365 readings that teach, inspire, and entertain”. Driving my purchase was several intuitions. One is that even though I took an introduction to art class in college, the knowledge seems to have leaked out of my usually sophic mind. This was made even more obvious on a recent trip to a museum where a friend asked what my favorite art period was and I replied with a blank deer in the headlights look. This was traumatizing to say the least (and i felt slightly disgusted with myself stammering out “The renaissance?”, the only thing that came to mind). Second is I am trying to develop the creative side of my brain more (hence this blog you see before you), so i figure anything to inspire me is worth a gander.

Day one of the book centers on the basic fundamentals of visual art. Line, shape, form, value, color, texture, and space. It provides brief definitions on each of these key components and explains their contribution to the visual hierarchy.  What struck me about the definitions was that they can be found in everyday life and even within the confines of my writing.

The book describes line as the pathway that moves the human eye through a body of work. This to me could describe the plot of a story, the foundation of a narrative that takes its reader from start to finish. It helps us to follow along, to comprehend where the author is taking us. Whether a visual reinforcement, or an array of sentences and paragraphs, the line is always guiding us to a destination. From a philosophical standpoint, this could be seen as a symbol of fate. Both the author and the artist know where they want to take you. If you follow the path thats set before you, you will reach the end state of what’s been created.

Shape is described by the book as the two dimensional area taken up by an object. This speaks to me of landscape and setting. The rich and vast nature of descriptive writing that sets up the imagined (or in some cases real) world that the writer has created. This is what develops the perspective and the mood of the piece. There may be highs or lows, but the landscape enables the characters to move freely within the confines of their creatively driven universe. It’s also unique to the story teller. As they describe what they see, you are absorbing their unique perspective on the world.

Form is the illusion of a three dimensional object on a two dimensional surface. This speaks to me of the characters within a novel or story. They are the animated part of the landscape, the humanistic pursuit that will drive the story forward. The characters have to be as rich as their surroundings in order to draw in the reader, and connect to someone reading mere words on a page.

Value is described as the light or darkness of a color. Value could be construed as the moral fiber that connects the characters of a narrative. Their actions and thoughts can develop a heroine or villain, show the audience who to root for or to scorn. Value can also have greater neutrality, not as stark a contrast. This is evident when morality is grayscale of an antagonist or protagonist, the character having both redeeming and unscrupulous qualities.

Texture is described as the way we discern the qualities of a surface. This speaks of the theme in a novel. The undertones or imagery used convey a sense of connectivity to a deeper meaning or symbol. These deeper meanings sometimes blur and mean different things to different individuals. Where a word might speak volumes to me and a phrase may wrap you under its spell, the end result is the same. The author or artist is attempting to connect you to a higher meaning than what is portrayed directly in front of you.

Color is self defined. But I see color akin to the words an author uses. Its the same words that you or I would use in daily life, but their structure and composition has given them new life. An artist does not invent new colors. Rather they use the same fundamental tools to tell a different story. Convey a new meaning to various sets of eyes or temperament. Both have to rely on their creative genius to captivate the masses in a new perspective.

Space is described as the areas within a work. It’s the meat and bones of the painting. It fills the visual perception and conveys a sense of holistic nature to the painting. A novel does the same thing. Though there may be themes and motifs used throughout the book to resonate with real life issues or meaning, at the end of the book there is a holistic message that readers are left with. This is where the plot and events have been surging towards, the inspiration for it all. There is no existential crisis at the end of a book. The author always had an agenda. A purpose. And they finally have laid out their intricate blueprint before you page by page.

Though my stick figures may need some work, this art book certainly did a great job of inspiring a greater appreciation for the written word. Everything means something. But everything means something different to everyone else. As the author or artist, you just hope to find some middle ground.

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

Avoidance and Human Rights

“Do you believe in human rights?” No, this wasnt some self propelled ideological crisis that I was having. There were several people standing in downtown Burbank, CA  yelling at passersby mumbling about some charity cause or another. Walking with others and having something else to do (mainly not to be forced into an interaction with an overzealous believer), i did a short step and a hop to dance away. I felt awkward verbally responding (because who really can say no to that loaded question), running away seemed the more viable option.

That got me thinking. How many times do we avoid the hard questions and simply dance away? The adult thing probably would have been to tell the acoster “I do believe in rights man. I just got shit to do right now”, but avoidance has its own seductive perks. I like to believe that i tackle things head on. For better or for worse I’d rather get it all out, and then find the best way to keep on moving forward. But as I’ve gotten older I realize that somethings are more avoidable than others.

Like telling that person at work that always likes to give their “two cents” about every inane task that you undertake to shove it. That one person who likes to act as a self appointed micromanager who attempts to intimately associate with everything going on within your work life. The problem with this is they seldom actually understand what you are doing and fail to supply any logical assistance or support. Its hard to tell whether is conscious efforts at manipulation or they truly are that silly of a human being. Either way its something that has to be dealt with on a regular basis. Though I would like nothing more than to physically remove this person from my cubicle when they attempt to interact, I often end up using specific tactics to subdue their attempts to micromanage. The subtle method seems to work, as I am usually able to outsmart them enough to leave me alone (if alas for only a short period). I realize this is avoiding the true conflict. But to me this is a necessary evil. As a friend told me recently, gotta keep remembering that C.R.E.A.M.  I’d rather play the situation smart, then end up regretting a direct confrontation later.

Another situation where avoidance becomes an intriguing option is when you have to ask yourself the hard questions. Sometimes they’re about life. Sometimes their about relationships. Sometimes they’re about the metaphysical realm. And sometimes its as simple as what shirt to wear in the morning (a constant struggle for myself as one of the most indecisive human beings in existence). You see yourself leaning towards avoidance, not out of fear or negligence. But out of a desire to avoid the regret or consequence that could stem from meeting such things directly. Recently I have been doing a dance of avoidance and having trouble keeping to the beat.  I can’t get the tempo right. Or maybe I just have the wrong moves. Everything is in a state of flux. The universe has started shifting and moving. This isn’t only true for my own life state, but it feels like those I’m closest to have also been swept under this cosmic undertow.

Just trying to keep a strong footing is what takes the bulk of my energy. The avoidance is me trying to conserve energy for a much tougher battle of not losing myself in the inertia of the change. If I don’t interact with the catalyst of conflict then I save myself from getting the full brunt of the oncoming wave. I dont know if this is the most healthy way to deal with the various conflicts in everyday life, but it is a necessary survival mechanism. It helps fortify the will to continue to roll with the punches, and to take the hits easier. I want to be the one that strides out to meet their indecision and conflict head to head. But I have become the one who sometimes avoids the fight all together. I don’t know what the right answer is, but I figure if I avoid it long enough something will come to me. Procrastination is a real symptom of avoiding a collision with forces that threaten to overwhelm. I can only hope that motivation will spark a more aggressive approach within my spirit. But for this very moment I can wait. I can procrastinate. Some would even say that it’s my human right.

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

Tired

So I’m sitting here trying to think of a topic to write my obligatory 750 words about. There's a million thoughts racing through my head, and i'm grasping at straws trying to pick one. Should I write about work? Should I write about my personal life? Should I write about music? So many options, yet the more time I waste deliberating, the more tired I feel. Tired is an interesting state of mind. For a word that self defines, it can be used in conjunction with so many things. Now you can actually be tired (as I am in this moment). The day and last 24 hours lay hard upon your weary body. Solution: Go to sleep. You can be tired of an emotion or state of mind. This can be tricky as the ability to escape one’s neurosies is a difficult one to master. Trust me I’ve tried. And am clearly failing considering the indecisive nature of this post. You can be tired of a person or an object. Just the visual stimuli is enough to make you groan. The list goes on and on.

I feel emotionally and physically tired. It’s enough to upset my stomach and enough to make my head spin around in circles. There are reasons. There are always reasons. Reasons of our own choosing and design. This case is no different. It’s why I feel like I can’t make a coherent sentence while at the same time I feel compelled to let my messy thoughts spill out on to the page in all its chaotic splendor. Let them blur together and let them whisper the secrets of my own personal universe. I’m both afraid of what I may find, but also afraid that I could become so filled with thoughts that I end up bursting at the seams, losing what sanity reserve I retain on a regular basis. But I’m tired. It makes typing this post more difficult and also promotes more rambling soliloquy in the narrative. And everyone loves a rambler. But it’s important that I try to keep to the goal I’ve set out. That no matter how exhausted I may feel, i have a personal duty to word vomit all over this blog before you.

And word vomit it is. Its reeking of self doubt, exhaustion, denial, and perhaps a bit of self loathing sprinkled on top. I love control. But feeling tired always makes me self aware that nothing is within the constraints of my control. Thus the regurgitation of my thoughts occur. It’s my mind rejecting the notion of no control. It’s like when you take one too many alcoholic shots and your digestive track decides that enough is enough. I can’t take how uncontrollable the day has been, how uncontrollable my thoughts have been, and how I kept falling asleep today uncontrollably (at work AND on the freeway ride home).

I know the answer to this is to relinquish the control. Let fate or the forces that bind us together lay the groundwork. Or even less grandiose to allow my stomach to stop churning with indigestion. I want to release, and to not care that I can’t control life’s momentum or confusing magnetism that draws us to ideas,people, and idealistic pursuits. I don’t know if I can accept what I don’t understand. But this could just be my tired brain trying to link obvious rhyme and reason, and failing at drawing the logical conclusion. I can only hope that after a good nights rest, my operating system can reboot. Then I can more clearly assess my surroundings. The meaning. The reasons. Clearly assess but again not control. Control is just a lie I tell myself when I’m tired of being surprised.

Yawns speak louder than words. My body is telling me to throw in the towel with tonight's self deprecating speech and hit the sack. With every word I type, my eyelids get heavier and heavier, every keystroke like a countdown to recharge. But it’s time to give in. Put my steel resolve on the shelf for the night and let the circadian rhythms unleash their spellbinding song throughout my sleep cycle. So I will relinquish my power to the dreamworld and fulfilling sleep. I can only hope that my dreams bring me clarity. That they are not more premonitions of what I can or cannot control. That they don’t leave me vulnerable or weak, open to attack. Or leave me tired when I’m waking.

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

The Beginning

This is the first blog post I have written in three years. It feels both foreign and exhilarating to attempt to create something out of the muddled thoughts rattling around in my brain. Though these past few years have given birth to beautiful memories and the natural progression into pseudo adulthood, there is stagnation in the change. One of the most obvious transitions from young twenties to late is the favorite ice breaker of many a party or hallway conversation. Where do you work? It used to be What do you want to do? Though this seems like a small change in the simple tense of a sentence, the significance of it I can feel every day chaining me to responsibility. Chaining me to an object that I can see in front of me, to a destiny that is inevitable if my path continues on its course. I try not to complain, to count my blessings in a fluid world where nothing is to be taken for granted. I was lucky to be where I am. I am lucky. With every click of the keyboard, position of the mouse, the ergonomic prison that I’ve crafted is comfy at least.

Where do you work? What do you want to be? These questions tear at the surface of my thoughts. It seems that society accepts that by the time you get to my age, that there is no time for a philosophical journey of passions. To say you want to do something else is equated by dissatisfaction.  Dissatisfaction is seen as a seed planted in the roots of negativity. And then to utter the words, “I don’t really know what I want to do”, is almost a kiss of death. You are seen as a lost soul (or at worst an adult child). Instead my gut tells me admitting to yourself that you need a change is the first step in finding out what you are capable of.

Thinking about what has to happen tomorrow, interferes with enjoying what little weekend remains today. I know there will be work. I know exactly what needs to get done. Knowing everything isn’t as fulfilling as one would think.  And I love knowing things. But this feeling of restlessness has its benefits. Its why you see this blog before you, and why you have to listen to me whine about going to work tomorrow. But hey at least it was done eloquently. But I digress. I want to focus on where I want to be. What I want to do is exist in a dimension that fosters my creativity, that feeds my intuitive lust for knowledge, and satiates my need for fulfillment within my professional life. I have no idea how to start, but my gut tells me that this is the right first step. So my challenge is to write something new everyday. It doesnt matter what it’s about, or if anyone even bothers to read my illogical sentence structure and exposition. It’s about me doing something new. Doing something that will challenge me. Doing something completely selfish. I hope to find the motivation to do what I love. Maybe to even discover what passions lie dormant within this being of consciousness that I call my identity. I vow to try and write something everyday to make sense of the world around me and those that occupy it. I hope that i can regain my desire to write, to construct, and to create. It’s like when you begin to recognize a song playing. At first its notes seem ambiguous, its lyrics unknown. As the melody and harmony converge to create the body of the song, a flicker of recognition stirs within the mind. I know this song. I’ve heard it somewhere. The nagging intensity crescendos until finally. That’s what that song is. I crave to have this recognition in my professional life. To have that a-ha moment. Oh that’s what I need to do to achieve the goal of self-enrichment and self-satisfaction. It’s so simple. How could I not see it before?

But I’m getting ahead of myself. This is a marathon and not a sprint. And whenever me and physical movement are involved the more breaks the better. But it’s a start. A spark. Whatever other cliche I haven't used yet. This transition through my twenties has seen some find their life’s work, and others do whats necessary to get by. Each path is filled with a certain amount of nobility, and determination.  So where do I work? Somewhere. What do I want to be? I want no limits. The question that now swings its hand is “Where do I begin?”.

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

Book Analysis Summary

The books I chose for my analysis were The Peep Diaries: How We’re Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors, by Hal Niedzviecki, and Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in the Age of Social Networks by Theresa M. Senft. Both books gave vastly different arguments about the topic of privacy and identity. Senft’s book discussed the reality of feminism being tied into the actions of many women who broadcast themselves in an effort to fight against the patriarchal traditions set in place. Niedzviecki  instead argues against the societal behaviors that justify our need to share information in order to connect with other human beings. Both books offer a great insight into the complex nature of privacy and identity. Both are great reads and offer an in depth perspective on privacy in today’s world.

[jroy9390-blog]

Being Facebook friends with the person you are dating can complicate things. The article, “5 Ways Facebook Changed Dating (For the Worse)”, discusses how Facebook can have negative effects on user’s romantic life. The 5 ways Facebook is changing dating for the worse are:

1. Overanalyzing Will...

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

I actually just encountered this earlier today, explicitly case study number 2. Even if you have moved past it, that faint reminder is always there. While it is definitely a two sided coin, I think facebook at least allows you to come to two conclusions. One: The past is the past. Everyone has to move on a some point. Two: It gives you the chance to learn a bit about prospective loves. It can definitely be used as a tool in a person's lovelife. But you definitely have to remember to delete old pictures of you and your ex, especially when the new pictures of them and their significant other start showing up in your news feed :/

[thetreeoftruth]

Over the past couple years, the quality of 3D television has become a big thing in America. Being more subtle in the early 2000s, it is starting to make their way into more movie theaters, people’s homes and now, on Youtube pages. In this article, this social networking site is starting to...

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

They really are starting to get out of control with the whole 3D thing. Im so tired of movies being remade in 3D, of video games being created for the 3D purpose etc. Its all just a gimmick that the multimedia industries are trying to capitilize on. I just hope it is a fad that quickly fades away.

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

Revolutions and Retweets: Social Networks in the revolution

Along the lines of what we discussed in lecture, this article  conveys a convincing argument that social networks are a useful tool in activism and social movements. This article refutes Malcolm Gladwell’s assertion that the next major revolution won’t be charted on a social network. Author Leo Mirani argues that this has already taken place in recent history. From Iran’s blogging revolution to the way Arab Spring culminated its digital resources, there is evidence that social networks have become a power player in the way protest and events are organized and executed.

I tend to agree with Mr. Mirani. There are so many examples of how social networking is used as a viable resource to communicate and organize its group of mass contributors. For example: Egypt. They utilized the power of networks like Twitter and Facebook to get their messages across their country and the world. Even when the governments cut the use of the internet, Twitter was still a resource. Protestors were able to simply text their ideas and messages to be shared across a network, even when their direct lines of internet communication was cut off. This is a huge occurrence that shifts the power of change into the hands of the people.

But social networking cannot work alone. There still must be action. The use of social media is simply a tool to create and share new ideas at the forefront of revolution. Sharing and planning is easier than ever before, but the steps to implement such action still have to be taken. Social change comes by force. Regardless of whether that force is intellectual or physical, there must be an active resolve to carry out strategies to result in a successful campaign.

There is some truth in Gladwell’s admission: that a revolution cannot be solely conducted within the online community. However it is a useful resource that allows communication within a campaign to prosper and work more effectively. By using the numerous networks available, people are able to send and transmit their messages rapidly and to a wider audience. This distinction shows that campaigns in the future will rely on the innovations in technology. These innovations are tools of communication and foster a vast network within a campaign or social movement.

[roseyyybabyyy]

After class on Tuesday with our discussion about politics and political campaigns it really got me thinking about what to expect for this year. Its time for another presidential election so I want to see what it is like 4 years later. So I went to president Obama’s webpage. Which like the survey...

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

I think that social media most definitely will have an impact on the outcome of the election. Considering the Social Media sphere has grown since 2008, it will determine who the power player in this election is. technology's advances have given us the opportunity to expand our ways of communication. The politicians would work best to utilize this to their greatest advantage.

[noirmatrix-blog]

In 2011 CNBC released a brief and engaging 45-minute documentary that covered the rapid rise of Mark Zuckerberg as an Internet visionary and the viral growth of Facebook. The short titled “The Facebook Obsession,” details how deeply engrained the website has become in today’s digital age....

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

That is an interesting point about the maturity of Zuckerberg to be holding on to so much responsibility. But perhaps he has come farther than his freshmen ideals. It will be amazing if he indeed develops a way to connect them into his Facebook framework. The man is definitely intelligent enough to come up with a creative and insightful way to pull China away from its restrictions. With time and effeort Zuckerberg could create new innovations for intercultural realtions.

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

To Regulate or not to Regulate

This is a very interesting article that is arguing for the government to step out of regulation of the internet. The author creates a convincing argument that insists that net neutrality is the only option that would make a sustainable and justified system. The article in question  “Public Parts – The conclusion Who Will Protect Publicness?” describes the various ways governments have taken a stake in the use of the internet. China restricts almost every facet of the internet for its people, including specific sites and services that could be utilized by the greater public.

  The argument in the article proposes that governments everywhere should take themselves out of their role as the gatekeepers of the internet. Instead that responsibility should be given to those who regularly use it as a device of communication and public forum. In this case the public. It raises examples that describe how rights to communication and access are against the ethics that should be used in the internet. Ethics that include alienating communities from connecting and communicating across the world about political situations and events. The fact that ideas are being filtered through this siphoning of the internet is an abomination according to many.

  The principles of publicness state that we as a people have a right to connect, to assemble, to speak, and to retain an open institution of the internet. That is the internet is seen as an open source commodity. It needs to be distributed to all without discrimination. This idea of an equal source internet is seen as a right and an ethical crisis for its mediators. Net neutrality is a large concept within the internet regulation sphere, but in reality it calls for equality in an open resource that many utilize.

  His claim has logical reinforcement. The web is a commodity like any resource or good. It is manufactured on a large scale and this sometimes calls for regulation. But in the case of the internet, free speech is a large component of what makes up its infrastructure. This is sensitive material that cannot be filtered without infringing upon the rights of the user generated content that makes the internet so interesting. I agree with the author’s principles. The internet is yet another device we can use to express our individuality and creativity. When the government tries to infringe upon these rights, it is only natural that the public should stand up for them. In this case we need to become the moderators in charge, to protect our rights.

[brittshirk]

After learning this week in class about privacy and identity, I found it only fitting to continue this discussion, and I would love to hear more about what everyone thinks about the topic of “keeping things private.”

While searching on Google, I came across a recent article by Ben Casnocha on his...

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

The issues of privacy really dont concern me. I trust in the fact that I can apply pretty strict guidelines on my various profiles to restrict who gets to see them. And I always live by the rules, don't post anything you don't want hanging around forever. There is always that distinct possiblity that it will come back to haunt you. So i try to stand 100% behind whatever finds its way from my desktop to web. I used to have professional profiles, but for the most part they have converged themselves into one. I primarily use them to promote my work, so it has not created any problems for me yet. I feel that you should be who you want to be on the internet. Just always be ready to stand behind that ideal at all times.

[charliejoslinx]

Getting to work with a bunch of journalists almost every day has opened my eyes to another world of control and rules that are just asking to be broken. The traditional industry of journalism is steeped in prestige and talent. But it is starting to stumble with the shift to digital media and...

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

I agree that the coventions of traditional journalism are changing. If I want to find feedback about a band I'm into or the events of a music festival, the fact is I will probably be reading the pretentious hipsters of Pitchfork rather than something conventional like Time. I have never been under the impression that simply having a degree makes you the expert in something. There are exceptional and well-versed writers that just started their blog or website on a whim or simply a love of writing. The tides of journalism are changing, and honestly its about time.

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

Data Mining is Not Exactly Earth Shattering News

Data Mining seems to be the talk of the town these days. It’s no surprise that the great social media connoisseur Mashable has written a piece on describing some of the more positive aspects of the process.  Erica Sandberg describes in the article how data mining is simply a way to tailor to the consumer and improve the online media experience for them. I feel like I am in the sea of neutrality on this topic. On the one hand company’s compiling behavioral patterns on my internet use is a tad big brother esque on the surface, but the truth is we agree to these terms when we sign up.

No matter the social media service, there is always the question of “do you accept these terms of service”, and most of the time people neglect to read the fine print. There is always a double edged sword. Though we gain the use of this free service, we end up bartering for it. In this case our information becomes the precious commodity. As the article explains, this pattern that we leave via the internet becomes important to the marketing team of a particular company. They can modify what information we get in order to tailor to our interests. Everything from products, ads, to even the search results we get, can be better refined to suit our own personal interests.  On the one hand, this is done to make the internet more personalized to our needs. On the other, we may be missing out on stuff that could potentially lie outside of our box that would end up beneficial in the future.  It’s a tough situation. But if it really bothered so many, I feel that they would drop the service. Out of all the more than 50 people I know, two have taken the steps to deleting their Facebook account. Two.

Clearly the benefits of networking tools like Facebook (both socially and professionally) outweigh the possible privacy infringements. While it is a bit intrusive to for companies to be compiling algorithms to create a specialized internet experience for each user, it might be taking the uneccesary fluff out of our web browsing experience. The article hints at utilizing our time on the internet and seeing it as a precious commodity not to be wasted on viewing unnecessary information.

The power is still in our hands. If it bothers a person so much they should take the necessary steps to eradicate the problem. If the trade-off is too great, then everyone has to learn to live with it. Maybe next time we’ll pay attention to those small letters in those seemingly unimportant terms of service window that pops up. Then at least it won’t come as that much of a “shock” to our digital systems.

[katherinemckeon-blog]

This article researched the demographics of mobile device users and their comprehension and use of mobile sites. They researched the use of mobile sites by gender, age, income, and education level. The results: women ages 25-34 were most mobile website savvy, people with a reported annual income...

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

This does make a lot of sense. It could be put into the context of some having more technological things available than others. Income creates barriers for technological development. This caste system never really goes away, because as new gadgets come out, the less financially sound finally obtain the toy that was "expensive". Meanwhile the wealthy get the advanced system just released. The digital gap grows even more.

[tiredryan-blog]

As we talked about in class many people have issues with their privacy and what they want to be public knowledge and what they want to keep to themselves. A lot of people have information they do not want out in the public for everyone to know, and personal things that are better off not shared...

[maytheforcebewithmusic-blog]

That really is the terrible part, people are not even paying attention to what they are agreeing to. Most services through the internet have agreements that are long and wordy that make it difficult for most people to get through them. This seems to be a ploy from the company to do things the "right" way, but more importantly to fulfill their agendas.