Nov 11, 2012
If you don’t want to read what I have to say about politics (written only because I needed to get it out of my system and this is my blog, so if you don’t like it, go look at cute pictures elsewhere), then skip the next three paragraphs. I’ll let you know when its over.
BEGIN RANT
The 2012 elections are finally over, which means no more political ads for a while, which is exciting. But while I thought the worst was over on Wednesday, instead the most hateful comments from friends were just waiting for after the election. Sore losers are sore… and annoying. I want to keep liking these people. Personally I am pleased with the election results, but even if it hadn’t gone my way I wouldn’t be insulting everyone who won because I can’t handle my disappointment like an adult. Its a simple matter of mutual respect and I find it very hard to respect some of my friends and acquaintances and their viewpoints when they send out so much negativity and unprovoked generalized attacks. I guess that’s what I get for living in Utah where my political views make me the minority. But a little decency doesn’t seem like so much to ask for.
I guess for now I can take my solace in the fact that I won’t be living here forever, and hey my guy did win, so I guess I’m not alone in my “idiocy” since more than half the country agrees with me. And you know what? I can feel better that my daughter will be growing up in a world that (at least for the next four years) actually values the environment and is working to preserve it for her future. That’s what is important to me. So if my well thought out decision based on environment and social betterment makes me the stupid one then so be it.
I don’t believe that either side is completely right, or that either side is completely wrong, all I can do is make my decisions based on what I want to see for our future. I shouldn’t be derided for participating in the system the way I’m meant to. I don’t feel like I need to agree with everyone, and I can respect that people I love and care about have different values than I do. That’s what makes this whole thing work. What I do feel is that those things shouldn’t be divisive. Defaulting to insults and name calling degrades everyone involved.
END RANT
There now that wasn’t so bad, here are pictures of an adorable baby as a reward. This weekend was her first snow storm. She didn’t know quite what to make of the world turning white and cold. She didn’t seem bothered until she stuck her hand in it and realized that the cold wasn’t going to go away. There are also a couple pictures of my pretty little fairy child on Halloween.
Have I mentioned she’s crawling now too? Yeah, that’s happening. Between her and the rabbit, and her providing the rabbit with things, everything is being destroyed. Good thing they’re so cute.
We also took a trip to the Utah Natural History Museum this weekend. They’ve moved since the last time I was there and it was awesome. There are some pictures of Lucca and the dinosaurs here too (and a sabertooth cat). We had so much fun.
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Jan 30, 2011
The other day I was lucky enough to catch the premier of Life in a Day on YouTube. I had not heard of the project previously, but was intrigued when I learned about it. On July 24, 2010 people all over the world were asked to film themselves and submit their day to YouTube. They thought they might get 15,000 submissions but got over 80,000.
The film premiered at Sundance on Thursday night, and they streamed it live on YouTube. I happened to be online at just the right time to watch, so while I pretended to give my full attention the World of Warcraft raid I was a part of I actually spent most of the time watching this on my second monitor.
I was really impressed by how many people submitted to this project. It is truly amazing. There was such diversity in the people who got involved. I think they said people from 192 countries contributed. I was honestly surprised by the wide range of people. For some reason when I think of YouTube “culture” I think of young adults and teens, but these people were of all ages, and cultures, and belief systems.
I feel like nowadays its so common to see conflict, and disagreement in the world. It’s all over tv and the internet. This is one of the first things I’ve seen in a long time where people strove to be part of global community and share their lives with others honestly. It was amazing to watch.
I think one of the things that struck me the most was during the Q&A after the movie. The creators said that they actually had difficulty finding clips that were dark or sad. It’s amazing that that much hope and happiness exists in the world when we rarely hear about it.
This is a very cool project and I recommend that people see it when it finally comes out in theaters or on dvd. Of course I completely realize that this type of film isn’t for everyone.
P.S. I wrote this on my phone so don’t be too offended if there are spelling and grammar mistakes. 🙂
Jan 17, 2011
As I was sitting at work today (yes I have one of those awesome jobs where I have free time), I was trying to get my head into the JavaScript book I’ve been trying to get through for 6 months now. I enjoy learning it and I’m excited to put it into practice…but that doesn’t stop me from getting distracted. I have my moments when I can focus wholly on one thing, but getting into that zone can be insanely difficult. I recently took up crocheting so that I could have something to do with my hands when I’m just sitting around watching TV. I’m that person.
Back to my morning. As I was reading through my book, I thought about how I wish I could concentrate better. So I Googled meditation. I browsed through a couple pages. I went back to my book. I thought about how this technological world might have an effect on concentration and put too much emphasis on multitasking. I Googled that too. I didn’t come up with anything good immediately, other than one lady in a British publication saying that technology is creating a crisis with our brains. I went back to my book again. Then I decided that might make a good blog topic, so I went to my email so I could start writing and email it to myself for later. But first I had to look at that American Eagle sale that I know I should ignore.
A lot of people say they are easily distracted by shiny things. My shiny things are apparently the thoughts in my head, aggravated by the fact that 90% of the time I have a computer within reach so I can search, play, email, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love having information at my fingertips whenever I want it. But I have to wonder if it has an effect on my ability to focus.
I’m sure anyone can relate when I say sometimes I sit down to do one thing and 45 minutes later I can’t remember what that was but I’ve learned about origin of the phrase “blond bombshell” (1933, describing Jean Harlow in her film the Bombshell), and seen how many adorable rabbits were for sale on the local classifieds page (too many and I want them all). My husband makes fun of me for constantly having 10 or more tabs open in my browser at all times (hey, I don’t want to forget something I was doing).
Its interesting to think about the effect that technology and the digital world has on how we function. One great place to look is at the differences between what are being referred to as digital immigrants and digital natives. Digital natives are those born during or after the real introduction of digital technology to the mainstream, whereas immigrants are those born before who have taken it up, you might say. This is everything from the internet, to cell phones, to video games. I think that people my age are really some of the first to be squarely in that native category.
Even so I can’t help but compare to kids born later. My first real experience with computers was when I was 8, I owned one when I was 13 or 14. Essentially I grew up with it, as it was growing up too. But I learned to use the internet in 7th grade. I look at my nieces today, and they have never lived without it. They don’t even live in a family that is tech-centric. Their mother (my sister) barely uses the computer, but my nieces know how to get around. I have to wonder what my children will be like growing up in a house where we have three computers (for two of us, yes), and we use them all the time.
I don’t need to delve into it all, but for an interesting read check out Marc Prensky’s “Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants” Part 1 and Part 2. It’s a little old but it illustrates the differences really well. One thing he brings up is the fact that my generation is used to getting information and communication instantly. I started using instant messengers in middle school. TV without a built in schedule to browse drives me crazy. I use the internet on my smart phone to settle arguments about word usage with my husband while we’re driving to get dinner. Technology is in every part of my life. And I take advantage of it.
It can be overwhelming sometimes, though. I feel almost refreshed when I finally close my browser and all its tabs and start over fresh. My mind and my workspace can get pretty cluttered. I’ve been looking for a way to get it all organized. I recently started using the task list in my gmail. So far it’s been effective. Instead of trying to remember 20 things I put them in the list, no matter how important or inane. Then when I don’t have to think about it anymore. I can put it off for another time without it nagging at me. And when I feel flustered I can get myself back on track by reading through my list. Yes I have stuff on there like, read your JavaScript book.
It seems that my concentration problem is both aggravated and relieved by the technology I use. I have to admit though, my smart phone makes everything so convenient that the thought of leaving it behind for two weeks in May makes me a little sad.
