The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said some pretty disturbing things to Congress today about China. They are particularly worried about theft of military technology.
Grilled Cheese tip
I like grilled cheese sandwiches. Mahalo Daily inspired me to share my own tip:
The "parmesian on the outside" tip can be used for quesadillas as well (and it is, to great effect by my local 24 hour coffee shop, the Shorehouse Grill).
Butter the bread, put the cheese in, then sprinkle good parmesian cheese over the outside of the bread before grilling. This results in wonderful salty, burny, cheesy bits all over the bread and can turn a mediocre sandwich into something special.
The "parmesian on the outside" tip can be used for quesadillas as well (and it is, to great effect by my local 24 hour coffee shop, the Shorehouse Grill).
Productive Day
I got a lot done mostly because I was just feeling like a stubborn bastard, and wouldn't take no for an answer. At certain times I felt like I was metaphorically shooting a six-gun at my computer's feet while yelling maniacally, "dance!" It worked because by golly now it's doing a jig. Nice.
The unbearable strangeness of internet culture.
I've been spending more time on the internet, like the real internet, than I ever have in my life recently. It's kind of weird because I've been coding for the web for a long time. But really, I don't use it as much as some people do. I start to understand the blogosphere - there is a kind of breathlessness to the discourse. There are so many people, saying so many things, it's a bit overwhelming. Take, for example, this strange site. It's basically pictures of cats with strange, illiterate captions that are meant to be humurous. (I found it through Veronica Belmont's delicious tags. She could be the poster child of the modern social web. Or perhaps that's Andy Wibbels job?)
There has always been an undercurrent of self-deprecating illiteracy in the computer world, especially in gaming. I find this lolcat thing exceedingly strange. There are some ultra talented independant humorists out there (like the atrox, ben and eric, and quiet library to name just 3 "internet wave" sketch artists). So I'm not sure exactly what the point of this lolcat stuff really is.
There has always been an undercurrent of self-deprecating illiteracy in the computer world, especially in gaming. I find this lolcat thing exceedingly strange. There are some ultra talented independant humorists out there (like the atrox, ben and eric, and quiet library to name just 3 "internet wave" sketch artists). So I'm not sure exactly what the point of this lolcat stuff really is.
A very handy online Javascript reference - quirksmode.com
So, it turns out that doing real app development with GWT doesn't save you from having to learn about JavaScript. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. Luckily the "JSNI" feature of GWT (which allows you to write small snippets of JavaScript) is easy to use, and helps to minimize the amount of script you have to write.
Anyway, I'm not a JavaScript person, and I needed to learn a thing or two. Good references are surprisingly hard to find! The first link on Google, for example, is the truly awful javascript.com - not only is it useless, I actually fear getting malware while browsing the site. The local bookstore had the usual suspects, but something told me to stay away from the O'Reilly tome(s) - they are mostly reference and that struck me as rather redundant, given how quickly changing such things tend to be. Luckily I found Peter-Paul Koch's excellent QuirksMode website, which is exactly what I wanted. I like it so much, I bought his book just as a small thank you. He's got a lot of handy tutorials and references which seems perfectly targeted toward someone like me.
Technorati Tags: javascript, reference
Anyway, I'm not a JavaScript person, and I needed to learn a thing or two. Good references are surprisingly hard to find! The first link on Google, for example, is the truly awful javascript.com - not only is it useless, I actually fear getting malware while browsing the site. The local bookstore had the usual suspects, but something told me to stay away from the O'Reilly tome(s) - they are mostly reference and that struck me as rather redundant, given how quickly changing such things tend to be. Luckily I found Peter-Paul Koch's excellent QuirksMode website, which is exactly what I wanted. I like it so much, I bought his book just as a small thank you. He's got a lot of handy tutorials and references which seems perfectly targeted toward someone like me.
Technorati Tags: javascript, reference
Buzz: some useful tools.
- Online backup $5/mo. http://mozy.com/news
- Shared folders - free (for now). https://www.foldershare.com/
- Remote control for sysadmin work, whatever - free. LogMeIn
- Remote control - free. CrossLoop.
- Painless VPN (great for tunneling games, CVS access, etc) - free. Hamachi
- NetBeans - Eclipse really kicked it's ass, and they're learning. Better JEE, Swing support than Eclipse. http://www.netbeans.org/
- Glassfish - Sun's best piece of software ever? https://glassfish.dev.java.net/
- Google docs - free, zero install, Office collaboration. http://google.com/docs
- Google reader - a very good rss aggregator. http://google.com/reader
- The best blogging tool ever, scribefire. http://www.scribefire.com/
- Some other stuff I haven't tried: CamStudio MWSnap
How to charge your phone in an emergency.
Let's say you're stuck in the middle of nowhere - or perhaps you don't have access to a USB enabled computer, and forgot your wall charger. You're phone is dead. You need a phone number off of it, or perhaps you need to use it. What should you do? Well, if you have an onion and some Gator-aid (actually, simple salt water would do) you'll be ok. Here's what you do:
Problems with Autoplay? Check this out.
I found this handy Autoplay repair wizard which can help you if your drives stubbornly refuse to stop asking you what you want to do when you plug in the device. Unfortunately, it didn't figure out what the problem is in my case - I suspect that the IBM/Lenovo software is responsible. I could call IBM's tech support, but my cell phone minutes are running dangerously low. Perhaps next month, or perhaps I could ask to borrow someone's landline.
Cool Security News Website
They have an article on new-fangled botnets which sound quite scary. Looks like a good site for the paranoid computer users of the world (apparently they really do have something to worry about!).
(There's also a REALLY COOL ad type that I've never seen before. It's an animated dog-eared corner of the page that, when you click on it, "peels back" to expose a very colorful yet tasteful ad. It moves enough and shows enough to be intriguing, and it doesn't take you away from the main site. Plus it supports a very strong paper metaphor. I wish I could reproduce it here for you, or at least find out who's responsible... The ad is for Arbor Networks.)
(There's also a REALLY COOL ad type that I've never seen before. It's an animated dog-eared corner of the page that, when you click on it, "peels back" to expose a very colorful yet tasteful ad. It moves enough and shows enough to be intriguing, and it doesn't take you away from the main site. Plus it supports a very strong paper metaphor. I wish I could reproduce it here for you, or at least find out who's responsible... The ad is for Arbor Networks.)
Another YouTube Gem "my name is lisa" short film
It's so wonderful to see all the excessive talent in the world being brought to light by services like YouTube. Check this out:
S.C. Dems reject Colbert candidacy
What a sham. S.C. Dems reject Colbert candidacy. This isn't about entertainment, this is about people actually caring about civics again. I thought it was great when Colbert brought the paperwork for getting on the ballot out and filled it out on air. Colbert is providing us with a tongue-in-cheek, down-to-earth civics lesson. Yes, it's also a thumb in the nose to those in the establishment who have no wish to have the details of their arcane practices understood.
The beauty of Colbert's treatment is that the man himself is incredibly intelligent and detail oriented; in combination with being funny, he's a great teacher!
Powered by ScribeFire.
A "Be the Refugee" computer game for kids - finally!
Finally, something American kids can really use - A Refugee Game! Yay!
The game was designed by workers in the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Its various challenges include escaping from a hostile
town, guiding your character across a dangerous border and staying
alive in foreign lands with unfamiliar languages.
Powered by ScribeFire.
The Innocent Inventor says, "It's gonna CHANGE THE WORLD!!!"
Part 3: "The Dojo Programming Model" reminds me of a simpler time when inventors inevitably predicted their inventions would utterly change the world. You know, that cars would make horses go extinct. Phones would make the post office go out of business. That sort of thing. In this case, the well-meaning Dojo people obviously intend to be the be-all-end-all of JavaScript libraries.
(And there's no shortage of other contemporary examples. Good heavens, I don't think anything will ever me truly obsolete from this point on. Vinyl records are coming back into fashion, potentially replacing CDs. "Classic" video games are being recycled via subscription services and mobile devices.)
But programmers seem particularly vulnerable to thinking this way. We always seem to think our One True Library/Language/Tool/Whatever will replace everything else because it's Better Cheaper and Prettier. Of course, this is rarely, if ever, the case. Looking back in time, we see that older technology can be supplanted, but it never really goes away. We still have telegraphs; we still have blacksmiths, and horses, and vaccum tubes. Heck, we even have gas ranges (something I'm sure the microwave people didn't think would stick around).
One key question is, does this sort of cynicism hurt the innovation process? To know that your device or idea really won't change the world can be humbling. But isn't it better to be realistic? Truth be told, I'm not sure. A part of me (a big part) is on Dojo's side - I hope they DO change the world.
(And there's no shortage of other contemporary examples. Good heavens, I don't think anything will ever me truly obsolete from this point on. Vinyl records are coming back into fashion, potentially replacing CDs. "Classic" video games are being recycled via subscription services and mobile devices.)
But programmers seem particularly vulnerable to thinking this way. We always seem to think our One True Library/Language/Tool/Whatever will replace everything else because it's Better Cheaper and Prettier. Of course, this is rarely, if ever, the case. Looking back in time, we see that older technology can be supplanted, but it never really goes away. We still have telegraphs; we still have blacksmiths, and horses, and vaccum tubes. Heck, we even have gas ranges (something I'm sure the microwave people didn't think would stick around).
One key question is, does this sort of cynicism hurt the innovation process? To know that your device or idea really won't change the world can be humbling. But isn't it better to be realistic? Truth be told, I'm not sure. A part of me (a big part) is on Dojo's side - I hope they DO change the world.
Burma - it's not over
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Monks return to streets of Burma: "The British ambassador to Burma, Mark Canning, told the BBC he expected further unrest in the country."
My last post about these protests was made during the beginning of the marches. While I followed events closely as the government response became more and more violent, I didn't continue to blog about it, but I did continue to hope.
And now, a month after the brutal crackdown where many, many people were killed and thousands arrested, the monks of Burma are marching in the street again. Their bravery and courage serves as a message to us all. It sends chills down my spine thinking of what these men are doing, standing up for what they believe in despite the tremendous risks involved. They have both my greatest admiration and my prayers.
No matter what happens, the monks have already won.
My last post about these protests was made during the beginning of the marches. While I followed events closely as the government response became more and more violent, I didn't continue to blog about it, but I did continue to hope.
And now, a month after the brutal crackdown where many, many people were killed and thousands arrested, the monks of Burma are marching in the street again. Their bravery and courage serves as a message to us all. It sends chills down my spine thinking of what these men are doing, standing up for what they believe in despite the tremendous risks involved. They have both my greatest admiration and my prayers.
No matter what happens, the monks have already won.
programmers pithy thoughts
"Programmers learn to fear copying things with their fingers. Copy and paste prevents a lot of bugs."
"Asking code questions in a tech interview is like asking an investigative reporter how to spell."
-Me
"Asking code questions in a tech interview is like asking an investigative reporter how to spell."
-Me
I like Dissent
I like dissenting views, even if I disagree with them, because they provoke thought. They also take a lot of courage to voice, and I respect that. And too, sometimes amidst all the noise there is even a gem or two of truth.
Zeitgeist - The Movie, 2007 is a rather odd duck. I ran into the link while on one of my wikipedia explorations, which for some reason veered off into "tax protesters" and "the federal reserve", which dovetails nicely with some of my recent reading on Alan Greenspan.
Anyway, this movie is a rather odd duck because, although it makes some rather far-reaching claims, I would be hard-pressed to describe an overarching theme. This is a movie dedicated to describing an enormous pile of shit, but spends little time describing the shovel.
So, the pile of shit has specifically to do with the nature of Christianity, the nature of the federal income tax and the federal reserve, and 9/11. The common thread seems to be intentional concentration of power into the hands of a few that is leading to unwitting servitude of the many. Although really the 9/11 datapoint doesn't quite follow this pattern. Indeed, the crux of the last argument is that a few guys living in caves couldn't *possibly* outsmart the US and NORAD.
(Other movies that are related, like America: Freedom to Fascism, offer a few more datapoints like the fact that every war of the 20th century was started for profit, and that the public school system is designed to keep our children stupid. But I digress.)
So the first part of the movie launches into a description of how the details Christian story isn't all that unique. To me, this fact is interesting but hardly an eye-opener. I though it was well-known that religions borrow from each other all the time. And besides, in my view the interesting part of a religion aren't the rites and rituals, but the underlying essence of the thing. But the movie treats these revelations as somehow damning, which frankly I don't get. It's true that atrocities have been commited in the name of Christianity, a lot of them, but atrocities have been committed in the name of peace, and in the name of science, and in the name of virtually everything. Power hungry psychotics aren't really that discriminating when it comes to their rationalizations.
I was very interested in what they had to say about the Fed. I'm not quite sure I understand all of the arguments, but I think the basic assertion is that the Fed releases more money into the world, and that money is only lent (at interest) to large banks. Since the interest can only be paid back with other money, the Fed is always collecting interest on the sum total of all cash flowing around the system, and is therefore printing up debt.
I have to admit that this seems very strange to me, but I'm not prepared to say that this is wrong. I've always wondered about how money works - I mean, if money represents "wealth" what happens when more wealth is created? If no money is printed, then deflation results, which is bad for people who have to pay back loans (but good for people who save). If too much money is printed, then inflation results which is bad for people who save but good for those who borrow. And there are other effects relating to GDP and unemployment that I don't entirely understand.
What's not clear to me is how a gold standard would solve any of this. I guess it would all work out if the rate at which gold is produced is roughly proportional to the amount of other wealth produced by society. However, it seems like the Fed has been able to stabalize the economy. However, one of the assertions of this movie is that the Great Depression was engineered (and only made possible by) the central bank.
I'm extremely wary of this hypothesis, but I think it's possible. The motive given is that, by forcing money out of the markets, those with liquid assets were able to buy up failed enterprises for pennies on the dollar, further consolidating power and money. This is possible from powerful, stupid men who want a large slice of a shrinking pie (there are plenty of short-sighted dictators able and willing to demonstrate this reasoning). Wiser men would want a nice slice of a huge pie, which in the end would constitute more wealth, if not more power.
I'll have to continue this post later...
Zeitgeist - The Movie, 2007 is a rather odd duck. I ran into the link while on one of my wikipedia explorations, which for some reason veered off into "tax protesters" and "the federal reserve", which dovetails nicely with some of my recent reading on Alan Greenspan.
Anyway, this movie is a rather odd duck because, although it makes some rather far-reaching claims, I would be hard-pressed to describe an overarching theme. This is a movie dedicated to describing an enormous pile of shit, but spends little time describing the shovel.
So, the pile of shit has specifically to do with the nature of Christianity, the nature of the federal income tax and the federal reserve, and 9/11. The common thread seems to be intentional concentration of power into the hands of a few that is leading to unwitting servitude of the many. Although really the 9/11 datapoint doesn't quite follow this pattern. Indeed, the crux of the last argument is that a few guys living in caves couldn't *possibly* outsmart the US and NORAD.
(Other movies that are related, like America: Freedom to Fascism, offer a few more datapoints like the fact that every war of the 20th century was started for profit, and that the public school system is designed to keep our children stupid. But I digress.)
So the first part of the movie launches into a description of how the details Christian story isn't all that unique. To me, this fact is interesting but hardly an eye-opener. I though it was well-known that religions borrow from each other all the time. And besides, in my view the interesting part of a religion aren't the rites and rituals, but the underlying essence of the thing. But the movie treats these revelations as somehow damning, which frankly I don't get. It's true that atrocities have been commited in the name of Christianity, a lot of them, but atrocities have been committed in the name of peace, and in the name of science, and in the name of virtually everything. Power hungry psychotics aren't really that discriminating when it comes to their rationalizations.
I was very interested in what they had to say about the Fed. I'm not quite sure I understand all of the arguments, but I think the basic assertion is that the Fed releases more money into the world, and that money is only lent (at interest) to large banks. Since the interest can only be paid back with other money, the Fed is always collecting interest on the sum total of all cash flowing around the system, and is therefore printing up debt.
I have to admit that this seems very strange to me, but I'm not prepared to say that this is wrong. I've always wondered about how money works - I mean, if money represents "wealth" what happens when more wealth is created? If no money is printed, then deflation results, which is bad for people who have to pay back loans (but good for people who save). If too much money is printed, then inflation results which is bad for people who save but good for those who borrow. And there are other effects relating to GDP and unemployment that I don't entirely understand.
What's not clear to me is how a gold standard would solve any of this. I guess it would all work out if the rate at which gold is produced is roughly proportional to the amount of other wealth produced by society. However, it seems like the Fed has been able to stabalize the economy. However, one of the assertions of this movie is that the Great Depression was engineered (and only made possible by) the central bank.
I'm extremely wary of this hypothesis, but I think it's possible. The motive given is that, by forcing money out of the markets, those with liquid assets were able to buy up failed enterprises for pennies on the dollar, further consolidating power and money. This is possible from powerful, stupid men who want a large slice of a shrinking pie (there are plenty of short-sighted dictators able and willing to demonstrate this reasoning). Wiser men would want a nice slice of a huge pie, which in the end would constitute more wealth, if not more power.
I'll have to continue this post later...
Emergency Alert System - is it broken?
Emergency Alert System: "The official EAS is designed to enable the President of the United States to speak to the United States within 10 minutes"
It occurs to me though that as more people use satellite radio, internet radio, and cable TV that "emergency broadcasts" will reach progressively fewer people.
It occurs to me though that as more people use satellite radio, internet radio, and cable TV that "emergency broadcasts" will reach progressively fewer people.
Which candidate is for you? A nifty voting tool that goes in the right direction but falls short.
My mom sent me a link to a nifty voting tool that claims to match you with a candidate that share's your views. (It looks like a legit local news website.)
Now, I really like this idea, but I'm concerned about at least two issues that are missing. To me, one of the most important issues is the extent to which the executive branch of government has extended it's powers and ignored the checks and balances from the other branches. The next President should be one who works diligently to dismantle the structures put in place by this administration - and the sooner this happens, the easier it will be to accomplish.
The other huge issue that is not listed is the issue of the Patriot Act and Guantanomo Bay. I personally would strongly favor a candidate who owns up to the fact that 9-11 could have been prevented using the tools we had at the time, and that new invasive laws and freedom-eroding statutes were not necessary and need to be repealed. (It's unfortunate that Congress cannot make such a bold statement and actually act. But it's not clear to me that most Americans are even aware of the Patriot Act, or even if they are, if they have thought through it's startling implications.)
Of course, what's bound to be a huge issue is our stance toward Iran, and that's not in the quiz either.
This quiz inspired me to consider an important question: what should we really do about Iraq? I know in my heart we should leave because we went in for the wrong reasons (Iraq never posed a threat to the US, never) - but to paraphrase Colin Powell, "we broke it" so shouldn't we do what we can to fix it before we go? Are we able to fix it? What does "fixing it" even mean? Does anyone in power or out of it have any ideas on what the US needs to do in specific terms? The quiz gives 6 possible answers about Iraq:
Most of these are meaningless, of course. The "timetable" solution is especially empty.
To truly reverse our actions we'd have to resurrect Sadam (and thousands of others) from the dead. To maintain Iraq's borders it apparently needs a strongman dictator. It's sad, but true.
But does this help us achieve our tacit goal of energy-security? Perhaps. Does this help us achieve our tacit goal of being within easy striking distance of a newly nuclear Iran? Probably not.
But as Gary Kasparov said so shrewdly on Bill Maher the other day, the US used to be a beacon of hope and freedom - but now has become just another country wielding "Democracy" as a tool for it's own self-interest. This, more than anything, needs to change, and should be at the forefront of this election. We Americans are good people - idealistic, hard-working, intelligent, creative, honest, and tough. Common sense has been a watchword for us since time immemoral. We hate red tape, we are mistrustful of those who wish to concentrate power and wield it over us, we know the risks of being a do-gooder, and the risks of doing nothing.
I don't think we've changed all that much - but we are a distracted people. Our relative wealth distracts us - we are distracted by consumption of goods and information. To reinstate the draft would be a badly needed wake-up call. To make the effects of war felt by everyone would be a wake-up call. The current administration has done an amazing job isolating the effects of war from the population at large - the effects are boiled down to a few impersonal numbers. A few thousand Americans, tens of thousands of Iraqis, and billions upon billions of dollars. A news item about yet another road-side bomb going off in Baghdad. But there's no food rationing. There's no fear of being drafted. And so there are no protests. No one really cares in their heart about the war(s) (there's one in Afghanistan too, remember!)
Of course a big part of the problem is waiting for the right president to be elected! The right person getting the job would be a tremendous boon to be sure, but we as individuals can do our part. We can speak our minds fearlessly and passionately. We can help to wake up our fellow citizens from their sleep. We can encourage dialogue that is incisive and intelligent, rather than one that appeals to the least-common-denominator. Do not fear serious discussion with friends and neighbors. Talk politics with those at the coffee shop. On your front porch. With people at work. Even a few moments a day thinking about something other than Paris Hilton or the latest consumption craze is progress.
Now, I really like this idea, but I'm concerned about at least two issues that are missing. To me, one of the most important issues is the extent to which the executive branch of government has extended it's powers and ignored the checks and balances from the other branches. The next President should be one who works diligently to dismantle the structures put in place by this administration - and the sooner this happens, the easier it will be to accomplish.
The other huge issue that is not listed is the issue of the Patriot Act and Guantanomo Bay. I personally would strongly favor a candidate who owns up to the fact that 9-11 could have been prevented using the tools we had at the time, and that new invasive laws and freedom-eroding statutes were not necessary and need to be repealed. (It's unfortunate that Congress cannot make such a bold statement and actually act. But it's not clear to me that most Americans are even aware of the Patriot Act, or even if they are, if they have thought through it's startling implications.)
Of course, what's bound to be a huge issue is our stance toward Iran, and that's not in the quiz either.
This quiz inspired me to consider an important question: what should we really do about Iraq? I know in my heart we should leave because we went in for the wrong reasons (Iraq never posed a threat to the US, never) - but to paraphrase Colin Powell, "we broke it" so shouldn't we do what we can to fix it before we go? Are we able to fix it? What does "fixing it" even mean? Does anyone in power or out of it have any ideas on what the US needs to do in specific terms? The quiz gives 6 possible answers about Iraq:
- Decentralize Iraq by dividing it into regions of separate governments.
- Draw down the U.S. troops and decentralize Iraq by dividing it into regions of separate governments.
- I favor immediate and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops.
- There should be a timetable for the removal of U.S. troops.
- We are going to be in Iraq for a long time, as a support force for the Iraqi government and forces.
- U.S. forces need to stay in Iraq for as long as it takes for Iraqi forces to take over.
Most of these are meaningless, of course. The "timetable" solution is especially empty.
To truly reverse our actions we'd have to resurrect Sadam (and thousands of others) from the dead. To maintain Iraq's borders it apparently needs a strongman dictator. It's sad, but true.
But does this help us achieve our tacit goal of energy-security? Perhaps. Does this help us achieve our tacit goal of being within easy striking distance of a newly nuclear Iran? Probably not.
But as Gary Kasparov said so shrewdly on Bill Maher the other day, the US used to be a beacon of hope and freedom - but now has become just another country wielding "Democracy" as a tool for it's own self-interest. This, more than anything, needs to change, and should be at the forefront of this election. We Americans are good people - idealistic, hard-working, intelligent, creative, honest, and tough. Common sense has been a watchword for us since time immemoral. We hate red tape, we are mistrustful of those who wish to concentrate power and wield it over us, we know the risks of being a do-gooder, and the risks of doing nothing.
I don't think we've changed all that much - but we are a distracted people. Our relative wealth distracts us - we are distracted by consumption of goods and information. To reinstate the draft would be a badly needed wake-up call. To make the effects of war felt by everyone would be a wake-up call. The current administration has done an amazing job isolating the effects of war from the population at large - the effects are boiled down to a few impersonal numbers. A few thousand Americans, tens of thousands of Iraqis, and billions upon billions of dollars. A news item about yet another road-side bomb going off in Baghdad. But there's no food rationing. There's no fear of being drafted. And so there are no protests. No one really cares in their heart about the war(s) (there's one in Afghanistan too, remember!)
Of course a big part of the problem is waiting for the right president to be elected! The right person getting the job would be a tremendous boon to be sure, but we as individuals can do our part. We can speak our minds fearlessly and passionately. We can help to wake up our fellow citizens from their sleep. We can encourage dialogue that is incisive and intelligent, rather than one that appeals to the least-common-denominator. Do not fear serious discussion with friends and neighbors. Talk politics with those at the coffee shop. On your front porch. With people at work. Even a few moments a day thinking about something other than Paris Hilton or the latest consumption craze is progress.
The Economics of Trolling
Trolls, I believe, were initially identified on Usenet. They are users who say often outrageous, emotional, polemical, and irrational things. They will say anything to garner a response. All they really want is attention, and no matter what your response - be it angry, peaceful, reasonable, unreasonable, it just feeds "the energy monster".
Trolling has become an economic phenomena. It used to be called "sensationalism" but, by my own anecdotal evidence, it's becoming extremely common. A couple of years ago I recognized Ann Coultre as a mainstream media troll. Indeed, much of the "talking head" culture consists of trolling to some degree. (It totally sucks even mentioning her name, but hopefully this energy monster doesn't get too much out of me!)
Why is it a growing phenomena, what is the problem with it, and how can the problem be corrected?
The bottom line is that companies are hungry for traffic, because traffic equals eyes, and eyes equals clicks, and clicks equals monetizable actions, which equals money.
Psychologically we humans are designed to see the things that are out of place - it may only be a few degrees error, but we can see that out-of-whack picture frame. We have an instinct to respond especially strongly to false statements - and this works well in the real world when we have the (ever decreasing luxury) of face-to-face communication with the person making the statement.
So I click on the Google News item "Put Dumbledore Back in the Closet" from time.com, and I notice the new Anne Coulter book titled "If Democrats had any brains they'd be Republicans" and I know that many people out there will be tempted to care in a way that is sadly
What inspired this post is the incredibly hypocritical, ill thought out, and entirely blameworthy fluff put out by time.com about harry potter:
Put Dumbledore Back in the Closet - TIME
Trolling has become an economic phenomena. It used to be called "sensationalism" but, by my own anecdotal evidence, it's becoming extremely common. A couple of years ago I recognized Ann Coultre as a mainstream media troll. Indeed, much of the "talking head" culture consists of trolling to some degree. (It totally sucks even mentioning her name, but hopefully this energy monster doesn't get too much out of me!)
Why is it a growing phenomena, what is the problem with it, and how can the problem be corrected?
The bottom line is that companies are hungry for traffic, because traffic equals eyes, and eyes equals clicks, and clicks equals monetizable actions, which equals money.
Psychologically we humans are designed to see the things that are out of place - it may only be a few degrees error, but we can see that out-of-whack picture frame. We have an instinct to respond especially strongly to false statements - and this works well in the real world when we have the (ever decreasing luxury) of face-to-face communication with the person making the statement.
So I click on the Google News item "Put Dumbledore Back in the Closet" from time.com, and I notice the new Anne Coulter book titled "If Democrats had any brains they'd be Republicans" and I know that many people out there will be tempted to care in a way that is sadly
What inspired this post is the incredibly hypocritical, ill thought out, and entirely blameworthy fluff put out by time.com about harry potter:
Put Dumbledore Back in the Closet - TIME
Shockingly, Palestinians planned to kill the Isreali PM
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel reveals 'plot to kill PM': "Palestinian militants planned to kill Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert"
Wouldn't they be more surprised if such a plan didn't exist?
Wouldn't they be more surprised if such a plan didn't exist?
Wrinkle in Time author Madeleine L'Engle dies | Entertainment | Reuters
Wrinkle in Time author Madeleine L'Engle dies | Entertainment | Reuters: "Madeleine L'Engle, author of 'A Wrinkle in Time' and other tales woven with themes of science, religion, and love and read by millions of children and adults, has died in Connecticut. She was 88."
You were a great influence on me, and your heart shone through in every word. Rest in peace.
You were a great influence on me, and your heart shone through in every word. Rest in peace.
Funny or Die Videos - R.Kelly's Trapped in the Closet - by benanderic
For the record, I really dislike the misogyny in R&B and hip hop, and it's parodied here unfortunately.
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