Technology

Hey guys so as many of you know I am currently an undergrad student at Bridgewater State University, and what is going on this week is something called social media week.  Today's topic is actually Technology and how it plays in to relationships.  Technology is extremely important in our day in age as word travels extremely quickly through it.  If we look at something such as facebook, we see that it's no longer probable to ever be wondering what that coworker was doing on Friday night.  Every time you update that profile whether it be a status update or a new picture, it is up there for the world to see.  This can sometimes hurt people as they do not think really about what they post or what pictures are ending up on their page.  Facebook is also a big part of the hiring process for most jobs in the U.S.  Next time you think about posting that picture of  you "ripping the bong"  or "going vertical" on a handle of vodka just think about who could possibly see it and if they would approve, because it doesn't really matter how good you look and sound going in to that interview when they can pull out the pictures from your facebook showing you participating in illegal activities. 

Another thing that technology plays in to is personal relationships such as with your girlfriend or boyfriend.  Before the "facebook generation" people were not really as uptight about there relationships as they are now, nor were people as informed about who is dating who.  This tends to be a problem when people start to get what I like to call "facebook craze" this is when they scour facebook just to learn about how the relationships are of people that they rarely talk to or just met.  When people get this craze it usually turns in to a hardcore game of creeping, and as we all know creeping is never a good thing.  Well that is all I have to say today, and just remember be careful... this isn't Myspace anymore.

Skaters disrespecting priest *Warning this article and video are rated Mature, Please be advised*

Hey guys so my article today is about something that really pisses me off and should be addressed immediately.  This problem is disrespectful kids, and it is swarming through youtube like a bat out of hell.  In the video above there is about 40 kids skateboarding on church grounds, and when the priest comes out and asks them to leave they refuse and start yelling.  This turns in to a shouting match between the 40 kids and the one 70-year-old priest.  There are words being flung around such as "f&#@ing c@#t," or "you f@!$ing racist pr#$k"  and this is the part that really gets me angry, not only are they being disrespectful but they are pretty much being pussies too.  Not only is there 40 of them attacking the 70 year-old-priest, but they are attacking him after trespassing on his property and refusing to leave.  Now I have seen many of these types of videos that these skaters have put up on youtube with titles like "dumbass cop attacks teen" and things of that nature and I always wonder do these kids think that they are right?  I know I'm not one to judge, wait of course I am I'm writing a blog, these kid's should honestly be lynched.  The parents of these kids should feel considerably bad, as they are officially the world's shittiest parents.  Honestly did they ever teach their kids right from wrong or did they miss that issue of parenting weekly?  Or how about the respect factor, if these were my kids I would kick the shit out of them.  If one of my kids came home and showed me a video of how a "dumbass cop hit him," I would ask him if he learned anything and if he said no then I would beat his ass.  If you watch these videos you will find that 9 times out of 10 the kids deserved it.  Well that's enough of my rant. (I need to stop before I pop anymore blood vessels in my head for being so pissed off)  Have a good day everyone and remember I don't condone violence... unless its against these disrespectful kids.

Kid Cudi vs. Crookers - Day 'n' Night

So guys this is the music video for Kid Cudi vs. Crookers Day N Night. You guys probably didn't know this but Kid Cudi is probably my favorite musical artist. He is very talented, and it really shows in this video. The video starts off with his boss giving him a lecture about running the store during the night. It is very obvious that he is not feeling what his boss is saying and it is proven when his first action after the boss leaves is to smoke in the back. He comes back in and is blowing out smoke as he walks out the door. It is very plain to see that either he has either some pretty crazy weed or its not weed that he was smoking as he is basically tripping out the whole video. It goes through everything from a winking dog to a sexy stripping cop to a group of vampires. All in all this is an awesome video. Music: A, Creativity:A+, Humor: A+. It honestly doesn't get any better than this, so check it out and be sure to listen his other songs also.

Warning Labels on Tobacco???!!

Ok guys now this one really pisses me off.  Does the Surgeon General really think if you put a huge ass warning label saying that you will get lung cancer on the pack, that it is going to stop people from smoking?  Definetely not, or even on dip tins the warning label states that "Smokeless tobacco is addictive," Um yeah no shit.  Obviously if the government is sin taxing ciggarettes by freaking 250% and people are still smoking, a little warning label on the packaging is not going to stop us.  Yeah I said us, I have been smoking  for about 2 years now and have been dipping since the beginning of last semester.  By the way government making the age to buy ciggarettes 18 is clearly not working either.  When people want to do something they will do it, there is no stopping them.  Oh yeah heres another tidbit, Obama smokes too.  BAMM!!!

An anthropological introduction to YouTube

Hey guys so this is a video I found on youtube while browsing which basically discusses the effects that youtube has had on social media.  Even though the fact that it is a 55 minute video might turn some of you off to it, it is actually really interesting.  This was actually a presentation that Michael Wesch did at the Library of Congress.  It took us through the beginnings of youtube and the first really viral video(Numa Numa Guy) and showed how it exploded into this whole new world of pop culture created by the viewer.  The world changes every day and most of it is due to sites like youtube or blogger that allow people to share their opinions with up to millions of viewers simultaneously.  This is much different of before in like ten or twenty years ago if you had bad service with a particular airline then you would rant about it to your family and friends so at most about 50 people, but in our day in age you post something like on the internet literally billions of people have access to that rant and it could single handedly destroy a company.  Today it is ever more prevalent that the decisions will be made by the consumer. By the way for reading this article you guys get a special treat.  Its me doing my own rendition of the ever so popular "Numa Numa Dance."

On My Mind: Image

So guys one thing that i have been thinking about is the idea of image.  What exactly does image entail? Is it outdated? 

One thing that pops into my mind when I hear the word image is how people view me.  So it would go in with how you look not necessarily who you are factoring in to how people stereotype you.  Right now I am wearing an argyle sweater jeans and my glasses.  If someone who doesn't know me was to look at me they would probably stereotype me as a nerdy prep kid who does good in school, basically an overachiever.  What if I told you that I'm not a straight- A student I failed statistics my senior year of high school and I barely got into college?  Or how about if I was a big party goer who would get drunk every weekend and hooked up with a bunch of (good-looking) girls?  Or how about the fact that I was almost arrested and thrown in jail?  As you can see the way someone looks does not necessarily define who they are.  Now many of you may feel this is true but then again many of you may not.

Another thing that this might play in to is the idea of cliques.  In pop culture cliques are shown as social barriers that none my bypass i.e. nerdy guy may never talk to popular girl, or stoner will never hang out with the jocks.  I know at least in my school this is not the truth.  Although I was not clearly defined in to a specific group many people in my school were, that said they were not held back by these "social barriers" that would not allow them to mingle with people of other groups.  In my school the groups are as follows: Jocks, popular girls at the top then below them the stoners and the wannabes, then below them the video game nerds, the theater people, and the smart kids, and then down at the bottom were the band geeks.  Now I played sports in high school which would throw me in the jock category right? But lets see I also smoked weed, and played a lot of video games so therefore I'm a jock stoner video game nerd.  But is that how I should be defined, is that all people should think of me?  Although this is what pop-culture tells us it is not the truth.  I dated one of the smartest girls in the school smoked with the stoners, played video games with the nerds, hung out with the "smart kids" and partied with the jocks and popular kids.  By pop-culture standards I am a super human as i have single handedly broke the social barriers that have been placed by so called "cliques."  Now I'm not saying that pop-culture is wrong but maybe a little outdated. 

Well that is all I have to say at this time if you guys would like me to continue with this subject at my next post or have something to add then please feel free to post a comment or follow me on twitter to see when I have posted again.

Vale,
Josh

http://twitter.com/#!/Saint614

Weird sleeping pattern?

Ok guys so i have been falling into an awkward sleeping slump (nice alliteration).  Basically yesterday I slept until about 4 when i had a meeting with my fraternity.  After the meeting I went back to sleep at about 8:30 and woke up at about 11:30 very confused to say the least.  I had just had a dream that i don't even remember the content of.  Upon waking up I wasn't even sure if i was awake or if i was still in my own little dream world.  So i did what any normal college student would do and went outside and lit up a cigarette.  Now mind you I live in Massachusetts and it was bout 15 degrees outside.  That was when i was sure i was definitely not in dream world because in dream world my nuts don't shrivel to the size of peanuts when it is cold.  Or maybe they do? I don't really know my dreams don't normally take place in Antarctica.  So anyways i stayed up until about 8 and crashed until about 6:30.  Moral of the story... Fuck holidays they fuck with my sleep schedule.