I believe this to be a topic of concern to us all. Although I don’t know how others view it, I personally feel that the world ending poses a bit of a predicament to the human race. Nonexistence, in my opinion, does not appear to be a great deal of fun.
Well, the words of Molière aside – “Of all follies there is none greater than wanting to make the world a better place...” – I believe that this world can be saved. All that we have to do is examine and then circumvent each and every possible threat to it. With that in mind, I have made a short list of what I believe to be the prime threats to human existence:
The first threat is ghetto literature. Unlike most genres, where a mere majority of the books are crap, the entire genre of urban/ghetto/hip hop literature is crap. Merely looking at the cover of one of these books deducts five points from one’s intelligence. The actual act of reading one of these books is highly hazardous to ones health and may result in the growth of a malignant neoplasm in the frontal lobe. The human race could be wiped out in this way.
The second is the movement to be “emo.” There’s nothing wrong with going for a certain look, but the emo look requires such a great amount of effort, precision, and hairspray, that as more people go into the emo scene, fewer things in the world will be accomplished, and the world will eventually fall into shambles (but everyone will have awesomely stylish hair).
The third is the globalization of McDonald’s. It will result in children being poorly educated, as their main sources of information – McDonald’s Happy Meal bags – prove to be inaccurate in their scientific basis.
The fourth is a hostile takeover of the world by either Walgreens or Walmart, or – what’s even worse – a gruesome war between the two, with all of humanity trapped in the midst of it, desperately clutching our two-for-one coupons, and wondering whether we will save that $1.50 on our purchase of Folgers Coffee.
The fifth is Bill Gates. Sooner or later, he will create an improved alternate world to this one, and, making it come standard with windows, he will force everyone into it.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Wired.com vs The New York Times
Both Wired.com and The New York Times recently ran articles about my favorite political candidate, Ron Paul. It was good to see a man so resolutely ignored by the media finally get some press. The way these articles played out, however, was surprising.
I like Wired.com. Tech news, the latest memes, and a gadget section designed for those who eschew functionality in favor of coolness? What more could a person want? Well, apparently, a little less bias and a little more common sense.
Wired.com - a site devoted to technology and the internet, a site that regularly
lampoons most of the media for their idiocy when it comes to matters technological - completely ignored its own dictums in its haste to bash Ron Paul. The article - a piece ostensibly
detailing the recent and unprecedented buzz Ron Paul has created on the Internet - accuses Dr. Paul of having a huge, shadowy following, that rigs polls and spams sites to tip everything in his favor. It ignored the fact that polls record your IP address or, if they are telephone polls, your telephone number. Each one of those votes in polls that RP fans were accused of 'rigging' was an actual vote by a Ron Paul supporter. It's surprising that a site that focuses on technology news would have such a political bias that it would make such a glaring political error.
In contrast, there is the story in the New York Times. The Gray Lady has never been one of my
favorite newspapers. It seems to have a liberal bias (the recent scandal over its Moveon.org ad pricing only confirms this) and to rely too heavily on its name, rather than its quality. That's why it's article on Dr. Paul was so surprisingly refreshing - instead of the small, vitriolic ad I was expecting, Dr. Paul received a thoughtful, five page article, giving his history, stance on various issues, and campaign futures. Certainly, it crticises him in places, but that is only to be expected. Dr. Paul received as fair a hearing as did the other candidates.
It seems odd - a site that I assume would have no bias is far less fair than a paper that I never quite agreed with. I must raise my hat to the Gray Lady.
I like Wired.com. Tech news, the latest memes, and a gadget section designed for those who eschew functionality in favor of coolness? What more could a person want? Well, apparently, a little less bias and a little more common sense.
Wired.com - a site devoted to technology and the internet, a site that regularly
lampoons most of the media for their idiocy when it comes to matters technological - completely ignored its own dictums in its haste to bash Ron Paul. The article - a piece ostensibly
detailing the recent and unprecedented buzz Ron Paul has created on the Internet - accuses Dr. Paul of having a huge, shadowy following, that rigs polls and spams sites to tip everything in his favor. It ignored the fact that polls record your IP address or, if they are telephone polls, your telephone number. Each one of those votes in polls that RP fans were accused of 'rigging' was an actual vote by a Ron Paul supporter. It's surprising that a site that focuses on technology news would have such a political bias that it would make such a glaring political error.
In contrast, there is the story in the New York Times. The Gray Lady has never been one of my
favorite newspapers. It seems to have a liberal bias (the recent scandal over its Moveon.org ad pricing only confirms this) and to rely too heavily on its name, rather than its quality. That's why it's article on Dr. Paul was so surprisingly refreshing - instead of the small, vitriolic ad I was expecting, Dr. Paul received a thoughtful, five page article, giving his history, stance on various issues, and campaign futures. Certainly, it crticises him in places, but that is only to be expected. Dr. Paul received as fair a hearing as did the other candidates.
It seems odd - a site that I assume would have no bias is far less fair than a paper that I never quite agreed with. I must raise my hat to the Gray Lady.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Speciesism
Since we are allowed to write about anything I thought it would be interesting to share something I heard Thursday in my pre-vet class. This once a week class mainly consists of various speakers talking to us about anything to do with veterinary school or the business of veterinary medicine. Last week we had two speakers talk to us about animal ethics. I immediately thought this would be an excellent discussion. After all veterinarians have to deal with the question of ethics constantly. For example, if an owner who has recently moved comes in to the clinic and confesses they are no longer able to have a pet in their new living situation and demands the pet be put down because they are convinced no one can care for the pet like them, what are the veterinarian's choices? I was eager to hear what the speakers had to say. However the first speaker came as a shock.
He called us all "speciesists" and went on to say we were just as bad as racists and sexists. At this point I was taken aback. He said we were speciesists because we think one species is superior than all other species: the human species. This professor stated that by eating meat, attending rodeos and circuses, and experimenting on animals without their consent we are acting as if we are better than these animals. Because the animals never give their consent, we do not have the right to do such things. I'm completely against cruelty to animals, but some of the points he made didn't make sense to me. I don't attend or agree with rodeos, circuses, or experimenting on animals. Additionally I don't eat a lot of meat, but I don't have a problem with people who do. If we are speciesists because we eat animals then all carnivores are speciesists because they also eat other animals. In addition if all organisms are equal, if a shark attacks someone in the water and the said person dies do we put the shark in jail? Do we kill it? I believe that it is our job to care for the Earth and all the organisms that belong to it, but if a person was dieing and a bird was dieing I would probably choose to help the person first.
He called us all "speciesists" and went on to say we were just as bad as racists and sexists. At this point I was taken aback. He said we were speciesists because we think one species is superior than all other species: the human species. This professor stated that by eating meat, attending rodeos and circuses, and experimenting on animals without their consent we are acting as if we are better than these animals. Because the animals never give their consent, we do not have the right to do such things. I'm completely against cruelty to animals, but some of the points he made didn't make sense to me. I don't attend or agree with rodeos, circuses, or experimenting on animals. Additionally I don't eat a lot of meat, but I don't have a problem with people who do. If we are speciesists because we eat animals then all carnivores are speciesists because they also eat other animals. In addition if all organisms are equal, if a shark attacks someone in the water and the said person dies do we put the shark in jail? Do we kill it? I believe that it is our job to care for the Earth and all the organisms that belong to it, but if a person was dieing and a bird was dieing I would probably choose to help the person first.
Looking Back...
Looking back over the past 2 months, I’ve seen both me and my life drastically change. When I graduated from high school back in June, I never really imagined what college would be like. All I knew was that almost all of my friends would either be attending University of Michigan or Michigan State University, and not only was I not going with them, but I was leaving the state all together. It didn’t really hit me till the week before I left for Purdue that, in fact, I was leaving home.
On August 10th, as I took a final look around the house to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, I suddenly broke down in tears. And I couldn’t understand why. I was excited for college; eager for independence, to meet new people, and I had prepared myself for the moment when I would say goodbye to my parents and watch them drive away. I had, however, not prepared myself for the moment when I left my hometown, the place I had spent the past 14 years of my life. I was leaving everything I knew- my parents, my friends, my known sense of belonging- to start anew in a place that I had only visited once or twice a year during football season.
Now that I am here, I know that this is exactly where I want to be. I absolutely love Purdue. I have met some amazing people, gotten involved in a great activity (marching band), and have found my new sense of belonging. I have become more independent and, I believe, more mature.
In a few hours, I will be going home for the first time in 2 months. I’m excited to see my friends, family, and teachers. And while I know it may be hard to walk out the door again on Tuesday, knowing it will be another month and a half before I go back, I know that I will be alright. Purdue is where I belong.
On August 10th, as I took a final look around the house to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, I suddenly broke down in tears. And I couldn’t understand why. I was excited for college; eager for independence, to meet new people, and I had prepared myself for the moment when I would say goodbye to my parents and watch them drive away. I had, however, not prepared myself for the moment when I left my hometown, the place I had spent the past 14 years of my life. I was leaving everything I knew- my parents, my friends, my known sense of belonging- to start anew in a place that I had only visited once or twice a year during football season.
Now that I am here, I know that this is exactly where I want to be. I absolutely love Purdue. I have met some amazing people, gotten involved in a great activity (marching band), and have found my new sense of belonging. I have become more independent and, I believe, more mature.
In a few hours, I will be going home for the first time in 2 months. I’m excited to see my friends, family, and teachers. And while I know it may be hard to walk out the door again on Tuesday, knowing it will be another month and a half before I go back, I know that I will be alright. Purdue is where I belong.
War and Warfare
I watched a movie this week about the changing face of warfare that I found very interesting. In this day and age a soldier is thought of as courageous, we honor our men and women in uniform. But it turns out that when gunpowder was invented not only was it inefficient (shooting in any direction it wanted)but it was the opposite of courageous. A knight took pride in his skills with a sword, now being a knight was not his only job. To be respected a knight had to learn about the arts since firing a gun at your opponent didn't take much training. Knights no longer could face the man they were dueling, duels did not exist. All of these issues led to the downfall of the knight as it was once known. Gunpowder changed battlefield medicine. Recovery from a sword wound was relatively simple. When gunpowder came around so did a massive amount of amputees, bullets would shatter the bone making it impossible to save. From these severe injuries came disease like gangrene.
There were of course the occasional soldiers that refused to carry a gun or fire a cannon, however the majority stood in awe as the primitive cannons blew nothing but a rock and a lot of smoke at both sides of the battlefield. I wonder why more people didn't speak out about gunpowder. Probably because it meant power. It seems to me that the more "powerful" the weapons become, the less honor there is in fighting. Weapons of Mass Destruction? Is it courageous to hit a button and assume that the computers will direct the bomb to the correct target? I tend to think not.
All in all gun powder may very well be one of the worst inventions in the history of man kind, even if it did also create fireworks.
There were of course the occasional soldiers that refused to carry a gun or fire a cannon, however the majority stood in awe as the primitive cannons blew nothing but a rock and a lot of smoke at both sides of the battlefield. I wonder why more people didn't speak out about gunpowder. Probably because it meant power. It seems to me that the more "powerful" the weapons become, the less honor there is in fighting. Weapons of Mass Destruction? Is it courageous to hit a button and assume that the computers will direct the bomb to the correct target? I tend to think not.
All in all gun powder may very well be one of the worst inventions in the history of man kind, even if it did also create fireworks.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
A Guide to the Life Cycle of the Average Webcomic.
Most people have at least one webcomic that they enjoy. Whether it's a quick glance at the week's Penny Arcade strips or a dedicated following of the intricate plot of Girl Genius, there's a webcomic out there for everyone. What most people don't realize is that almost every webcomic moves in the same, predictable pattern throughout its career.
INTRODUCTIONS
Ah, a webcomic's first strip. Someone out in the reaches of cyberspace has perfected their artistic talent, come up with a profound story, and dreamt up characters that seem to truly live and breathe -
All right, I'm joking. The vast majority of strips are started by amateurs, with little or no artistic or writing talent. The initial characters are often identical to the cast majority of others - two guys playing videogames on a couch. These two have a hilarious contrast - one might be crazy and one is normal, or one is smart and the other dumb, or one might be lazy and the other a workaholic. Most strips start out in this format - it's simple and makes it easier to copy Penny Arcade.
Story strips, or strips founded with an overarching story already in place, traditionally open with a prologue. The means of introduction for the characters of a standard strip is primarily an out of character sequence in which the two characters give a welcome speech to all new readers. Other methods include simply starting the strip and letting readers figure out the names and character traits, and starting with biographical entries.
FORMATION
The early stages of a webcomic are its formative times. While the strip is new, and has not yet attracted a readership, the artist is free to do as he or she likes with he strip. Wildly fantastic plot elements are often introduced here that would not be accepted later on - if Garfield, for example, had run for several months before having Garfield start to talk, the audience would have been understandably confused. Yet because it was established in the formative phase, before the boundaries of expectation set in, Garfield's sentience is accepted. Running gags, such as PvP's panda joke or EE's Eddie's hammer, are also often started here.
Also, for a non-story strip, this time is often referred to as "gag-a-day", as there is seldom any overall plot this early in the series. Strips simply run a self-encapsulated joke each day.
In this phase or the next, there is also often the introduction of the first female character, in order to attract a female readership. This first female character will almost always have some quality designed to show how fair-minded and unsexist the author is - generally she is an outspoken feminist, and reacts violently to comments from one of the founding male characters.
THE SAGA BEGINS
A webcomic reaches maturity, some would say, with the introduction of its first storyline. Moving on from simple, repetitive daily jokes, the webcomic here begins its new life. The strip's villains are here introduced, should the first story be an action adventure, or the first love interest, should the story be a romance. Often, gags from the strip's formation phase are pressed into new roles here - for instance, Eddie from Emergency Exit has the comedic ability to pull a hammer out of thin air, for comedic effect. In an early storyline, Eddie uses this previously funny ability to fight the madman Visage.
Story strips here have the action begin - the orphan boy leaves his sheep, finds a sword, and sets forth to slay the dragon.
Often, this phase can be painful to read if it has happened too late. Villains must be shoehorned in to a world that has no place nor reason for them, and funny characters are frantically revamped into attractive or dangerous heroes.
TURNING POINT
This is where the fate of the comic will be forever decided - a story strip, or a classic comic? Story strips have already made their choice, of course. Megatokyo, for instance, turned from a stereotypical gaming strip into an ongoing soap opera, as did PvP and Ctrl-Alt-Del, though to a lesser degree. Emergency Exit changed from the crazy antics of a pair of roommates to a dimension-spanning action quest, and The Order of The Stick turned from simple DnD jokes to an epic fantasy. Some strips, however, stay true to their roots - Penny Arcade still does a daily gaming joke with no storyline whatsoever. Regardless, this is where the strip chooses to become what it will be forevermore - only Checkerboard Nightmare ever escaped this decision, once made.
FINALE
There are many ways that this can come, but they all begin alike. One day, an update is missed, and the author never apologizes or does any filler. The author begins to shift the deadlines back more and more, updating less and less, and finally bows out due to problems. Often, the author will post a redrawing of his first strip, showing how much his art has improved, or a shot of all the characters waving goodbye.Then the strip is abandoned, forever waiting for the next joke or the next piece of the plot, until the website is no longer paid up, and the webcomic is gone forever.
INTRODUCTIONS
Ah, a webcomic's first strip. Someone out in the reaches of cyberspace has perfected their artistic talent, come up with a profound story, and dreamt up characters that seem to truly live and breathe -
All right, I'm joking. The vast majority of strips are started by amateurs, with little or no artistic or writing talent. The initial characters are often identical to the cast majority of others - two guys playing videogames on a couch. These two have a hilarious contrast - one might be crazy and one is normal, or one is smart and the other dumb, or one might be lazy and the other a workaholic. Most strips start out in this format - it's simple and makes it easier to copy Penny Arcade.
Story strips, or strips founded with an overarching story already in place, traditionally open with a prologue. The means of introduction for the characters of a standard strip is primarily an out of character sequence in which the two characters give a welcome speech to all new readers. Other methods include simply starting the strip and letting readers figure out the names and character traits, and starting with biographical entries.
FORMATION
The early stages of a webcomic are its formative times. While the strip is new, and has not yet attracted a readership, the artist is free to do as he or she likes with he strip. Wildly fantastic plot elements are often introduced here that would not be accepted later on - if Garfield, for example, had run for several months before having Garfield start to talk, the audience would have been understandably confused. Yet because it was established in the formative phase, before the boundaries of expectation set in, Garfield's sentience is accepted. Running gags, such as PvP's panda joke or EE's Eddie's hammer, are also often started here.
Also, for a non-story strip, this time is often referred to as "gag-a-day", as there is seldom any overall plot this early in the series. Strips simply run a self-encapsulated joke each day.
In this phase or the next, there is also often the introduction of the first female character, in order to attract a female readership. This first female character will almost always have some quality designed to show how fair-minded and unsexist the author is - generally she is an outspoken feminist, and reacts violently to comments from one of the founding male characters.
THE SAGA BEGINS
A webcomic reaches maturity, some would say, with the introduction of its first storyline. Moving on from simple, repetitive daily jokes, the webcomic here begins its new life. The strip's villains are here introduced, should the first story be an action adventure, or the first love interest, should the story be a romance. Often, gags from the strip's formation phase are pressed into new roles here - for instance, Eddie from Emergency Exit has the comedic ability to pull a hammer out of thin air, for comedic effect. In an early storyline, Eddie uses this previously funny ability to fight the madman Visage.
Story strips here have the action begin - the orphan boy leaves his sheep, finds a sword, and sets forth to slay the dragon.
Often, this phase can be painful to read if it has happened too late. Villains must be shoehorned in to a world that has no place nor reason for them, and funny characters are frantically revamped into attractive or dangerous heroes.
TURNING POINT
This is where the fate of the comic will be forever decided - a story strip, or a classic comic? Story strips have already made their choice, of course. Megatokyo, for instance, turned from a stereotypical gaming strip into an ongoing soap opera, as did PvP and Ctrl-Alt-Del, though to a lesser degree. Emergency Exit changed from the crazy antics of a pair of roommates to a dimension-spanning action quest, and The Order of The Stick turned from simple DnD jokes to an epic fantasy. Some strips, however, stay true to their roots - Penny Arcade still does a daily gaming joke with no storyline whatsoever. Regardless, this is where the strip chooses to become what it will be forevermore - only Checkerboard Nightmare ever escaped this decision, once made.
FINALE
There are many ways that this can come, but they all begin alike. One day, an update is missed, and the author never apologizes or does any filler. The author begins to shift the deadlines back more and more, updating less and less, and finally bows out due to problems. Often, the author will post a redrawing of his first strip, showing how much his art has improved, or a shot of all the characters waving goodbye.Then the strip is abandoned, forever waiting for the next joke or the next piece of the plot, until the website is no longer paid up, and the webcomic is gone forever.
Crossroads
Every time I have a few minutes to just stop and think, my mind begins to wander about my life as a whole and all of the people in it. After spending about a month and a half in college, my self-perspective as well as my perception of life has changed drastically. It still amazes me that nearly four months ago, I was still a high school Senior, making plans for our outstanding pranks and counting down the days until graduation. I went from being a small town girl who knows everybody’s name and any other useless information about all of her classmates to a college freshman who spends every minute of every day wearing a sign saying “I have no idea what’s going on.”
Since I have moved out of my house, everything in my life seems drastically different. Even visiting my family and my hometown seems to have somehow changed. I actually even created a CD with every country song I could think of and listened to it the entire way home last weekend. Suddenly, the small town I had waited for so long to leave has become something I am extremely proud of now. Don’t get me wrong, I do love college and having the opportunity to experience so many things that I would not be able to otherwise, but going home is one of the best feelings in the world.
I have begun to appreciate the simple things I had at home a lot more now that I have realized what life is like on my own. For instance, at home, I never had to buy my own milk or shampoo, or pay for my laundry to be done, and now I am grateful to my parents for supplying those things for me up until now. In addition, I have a greater appreciation for my family as a whole, and I make it a point to see every one of them on the weekends when I am home. I would even go so far as to say that I would rather be with my family than my high school friends when I am in my hometown. All in all, I feel as if college has changed me into a more well-rounded individual, and it has caused me to broaden my horizons while appreciating my background at the same time.
Since I have moved out of my house, everything in my life seems drastically different. Even visiting my family and my hometown seems to have somehow changed. I actually even created a CD with every country song I could think of and listened to it the entire way home last weekend. Suddenly, the small town I had waited for so long to leave has become something I am extremely proud of now. Don’t get me wrong, I do love college and having the opportunity to experience so many things that I would not be able to otherwise, but going home is one of the best feelings in the world.
I have begun to appreciate the simple things I had at home a lot more now that I have realized what life is like on my own. For instance, at home, I never had to buy my own milk or shampoo, or pay for my laundry to be done, and now I am grateful to my parents for supplying those things for me up until now. In addition, I have a greater appreciation for my family as a whole, and I make it a point to see every one of them on the weekends when I am home. I would even go so far as to say that I would rather be with my family than my high school friends when I am in my hometown. All in all, I feel as if college has changed me into a more well-rounded individual, and it has caused me to broaden my horizons while appreciating my background at the same time.
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