Youtube User:
"The reason that I was responding to you is because my husband is down there right now with about 80+ men and women of HSC-26 Navy flying medivacs off the island onto the USNS Comfort or sending supplies in from one the numerous navy ships that are down there. And that is just his squadron. Back at the squadron they are doing numerous fund raisers, blood drives, and food banks to send more supplies down to our people that are working 12-14 hour days while they are distributing these supplies."
The purpose of this blog is to discuss trends and lifestyle in the present day, reflect on past trends, and predict future one. In all history, there is only one trend, that has always remained the same: natural disasters. They are not planned, they are not strategic, and they make no biased selection of victims based on economy or religion or society. 9/11 had just short of 3,000 deaths (including the hijackers. That was an act of war. It was strategic. It was planned. It made a biased selection and was arguably based on economy or religion or society.
The Earthquake in Haiti has had 150,000 confirmed deaths. That is 50 times the amount slain in the September 11 attacks. And the number is predicted to rise to 200,000. Natural "occurrences" are the only constant since the beginning of earth. Not people, not animals, not religion, not war.
But the way in which we view these acts of nature are constantly changing. Technology has brought us together more than ever before. Coldplay can sing in London while Justin Timberlake can sing in LA; them doing that allows money to be donated by viewers all around the world to a small poor country located in the middle of the carribean. CNN, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook allow people to find their loved ones faster and to donate money and deliver aid faster. That is the difference and that is our now. Of course, in 100 years, it may even be possible with technology to stop these disasters from occurring. For now, Facebook groups like "Find Family in Haiti" or "Find Me in Haiti" will continue to work to help people connect with their loved ones.
Facebook statuses about Haiti:
User 1: "has a newfound respect for Taylor Swift. She is performing for the Haiti relief right now, prayers to all those effected. 'The night is always darkest before the dawn.' - BtDK"...who knew that quotes from a blockbuster film (Batman: Dark Knight) would have such a powerful message?
User 2: "Everyone should download and donate to Music For Relief to aid the good people of Haiti in these terrible times. Follow the link on my wall."
User 3: "Amazed how my sister's school raised over $1 million today for Las Vegas Charities and Haiti."
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Philip Defranco
First vlog (video log).
This guy = new hero.
Does the guy have a bit of a foul mouth? Yes. Is he biased towards some things? Of course, who isn't? This is a new way of getting out the news to the people that (unfortunately) don't usually pay attention to it. They think they're getting entertainment (and indeed they are) but they are also being informed. People that don't watch the news but watch Phil: got ya!
I chose "Fanfare for the Common Man" as my theme song for this blog (yes, I have a theme song), because it really is an ode to the way our world is working today and that the common man is now more than ever able to do exactly as he pleases and really find a way to market him or herself as a brand. This term is also called indienomics.
It is unbelieveable to see how far we have come in terms of our broadcast, our technology, and how we really connect with the world. It is no longer a one way dialogue from media outlet to viewer. The closest we could get to responding 20 years ago was writing to the editor of the newspaper and hoping that we could see our response somewhere buried in the pages.
Now it is totally different. We can tweet to CNN, vlog about current events, give positive or negative feedback. We are able to connect with complete strangers in so many ways and on so many levels. That is why I blog and that is why people like Philip Defranco are important to society.
Let me know what you think about all this.
This guy = new hero.
Does the guy have a bit of a foul mouth? Yes. Is he biased towards some things? Of course, who isn't? This is a new way of getting out the news to the people that (unfortunately) don't usually pay attention to it. They think they're getting entertainment (and indeed they are) but they are also being informed. People that don't watch the news but watch Phil: got ya!
I chose "Fanfare for the Common Man" as my theme song for this blog (yes, I have a theme song), because it really is an ode to the way our world is working today and that the common man is now more than ever able to do exactly as he pleases and really find a way to market him or herself as a brand. This term is also called indienomics.
It is unbelieveable to see how far we have come in terms of our broadcast, our technology, and how we really connect with the world. It is no longer a one way dialogue from media outlet to viewer. The closest we could get to responding 20 years ago was writing to the editor of the newspaper and hoping that we could see our response somewhere buried in the pages.
Now it is totally different. We can tweet to CNN, vlog about current events, give positive or negative feedback. We are able to connect with complete strangers in so many ways and on so many levels. That is why I blog and that is why people like Philip Defranco are important to society.
Let me know what you think about all this.
Monday, January 11, 2010
"Muggle" as a noun and "Google" as a verb
This is a continuation of a post from Floccadelphia.
Every time period has it, but sometimes it's just funny to reflect on how language and vocabulary make themselves known. Google is now a verb. Muggle (from Harry Potter) is a person born without magical power. You are probably a muggle. In some places Obama is a prefix. I found out that "doh" was added to the dictionary. As in...Homer's exclamation from The Simpsons.
These are the crazy ones. But words like internet, blog, high-definiton, are all pretty common now. 30 years ago those words would have been confusing and mind-boggling. 100 years ago they might have been blasphemic.
So what will our vocabulary and language be like in the next 100 years? Maybe some of our language will blend together with that of another planet that we encounter. I dunno. What do you think?
Every time period has it, but sometimes it's just funny to reflect on how language and vocabulary make themselves known. Google is now a verb. Muggle (from Harry Potter) is a person born without magical power. You are probably a muggle. In some places Obama is a prefix. I found out that "doh" was added to the dictionary. As in...Homer's exclamation from The Simpsons.
These are the crazy ones. But words like internet, blog, high-definiton, are all pretty common now. 30 years ago those words would have been confusing and mind-boggling. 100 years ago they might have been blasphemic.
So what will our vocabulary and language be like in the next 100 years? Maybe some of our language will blend together with that of another planet that we encounter. I dunno. What do you think?
Friday, January 1, 2010
Breaking Ground
So last night as I was getting ready to go to my friend's house for New Year's Eve, I decided to go on YouTube and find a playlist of the past decade's music. I found a user named stargirl4ep that had kindly composed a montage entitled "The Most Popular Songs of the 2000s" in 9 parts. Pretty good stuff; I had almost forgotten about the junior high days of "Milkshake" and "Hot in Herre." The playlist made me think of how we use music as a huge factor in defining our decades.
I'm here to talk about the end of the early 2000s and what's coming next. A Renaissance is definitely in the making. Prediction: Gaga/Lambert domination. Largest common denominators: background in theater (as clearly displayed in their performances), and daring to be different. I'm surprised they haven't tag-teamed on a song yet. If Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and Madonna had a three-way, their love children would be Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert, hands down. David Bowie would be the godfather.
Adam Lambert: Is he the next Michael Jackson or Freddie Mercury (Queen)? Probably not, if anything he's Bowie. Regardless, he definitely is groundbreaking and making efforts to re-shape music and how we think as a society. The glam-rock, high belting notes aren't for everyone, but they really do send chills up and down the spine, and they're higher than anything I've heard in a long time.
We know the music is good, we know that's gonna go somewhere. What's more important about Lambert in terms of revolutionizing society is that he doesn't cater to public reaction. When approached about his sexuality, he stated that his orientation is not important; his music is what got him onto the global stage. Everyone made a huge deal about his 2009 AMA performance and its promiscuity. But Lambert relatiated and made an excellent point in stating that women get away with exploiting their bodies and making out with other women on stage, why should this be any different? Smart man. A little cocky, especially in his interviews, but nevertheless a smart man. What's really great about him is that he's got his feet planted in the 70s and 80s but his eyes looking towards the future. He's looking to add a new spin to music that has worked in the past.
Lady Gaga: Now she's a different animal. Is she the new Madonna? I don't listen to Madonna but I know how groundbreaking she was and is. Gaga tops it. She's definitely bigger than Lambert, but is trying to push alot of the same ideas both musically and politically. She is the only artist in history to have four number one singles off the debut album. The style of music really works, and the best part about her is that she sounds even better live than she does on her recordings. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of her belting voice on future albums; it's a really good tool that she has.
She's a package deal. Yeah, her costumes are scary as hell to some but they can be pretty snazzy. Not only is she a talented musician, performer and singer, but she also has a message that she is passionate about. Lady Gaga stresses that it is ok to be different and unique. She completely overrides social norms, but in a positive way. At the same time, she really is just like any other human with big dreams. Instead of conforming to the Hollywood public eye, as so many have done, she takes a bold step to re-define what is the norm and what is accepted in mainstream society. That is what is groundbreaking. The fact that she is Italian also gives her automatic bonus points.
Both Lambert and Gaga are doing what many celebrities fail to do and have a responsibility to do; redirect their own spotlights on issues or discrepancies in our society that they are passionate about. Their progressive voices (both musically and politically) help to shape Our Now.
I'm here to talk about the end of the early 2000s and what's coming next. A Renaissance is definitely in the making. Prediction: Gaga/Lambert domination. Largest common denominators: background in theater (as clearly displayed in their performances), and daring to be different. I'm surprised they haven't tag-teamed on a song yet. If Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and Madonna had a three-way, their love children would be Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert, hands down. David Bowie would be the godfather.
Adam Lambert: Is he the next Michael Jackson or Freddie Mercury (Queen)? Probably not, if anything he's Bowie. Regardless, he definitely is groundbreaking and making efforts to re-shape music and how we think as a society. The glam-rock, high belting notes aren't for everyone, but they really do send chills up and down the spine, and they're higher than anything I've heard in a long time.
We know the music is good, we know that's gonna go somewhere. What's more important about Lambert in terms of revolutionizing society is that he doesn't cater to public reaction. When approached about his sexuality, he stated that his orientation is not important; his music is what got him onto the global stage. Everyone made a huge deal about his 2009 AMA performance and its promiscuity. But Lambert relatiated and made an excellent point in stating that women get away with exploiting their bodies and making out with other women on stage, why should this be any different? Smart man. A little cocky, especially in his interviews, but nevertheless a smart man. What's really great about him is that he's got his feet planted in the 70s and 80s but his eyes looking towards the future. He's looking to add a new spin to music that has worked in the past.
Lady Gaga: Now she's a different animal. Is she the new Madonna? I don't listen to Madonna but I know how groundbreaking she was and is. Gaga tops it. She's definitely bigger than Lambert, but is trying to push alot of the same ideas both musically and politically. She is the only artist in history to have four number one singles off the debut album. The style of music really works, and the best part about her is that she sounds even better live than she does on her recordings. Hopefully we'll be seeing more of her belting voice on future albums; it's a really good tool that she has.
She's a package deal. Yeah, her costumes are scary as hell to some but they can be pretty snazzy. Not only is she a talented musician, performer and singer, but she also has a message that she is passionate about. Lady Gaga stresses that it is ok to be different and unique. She completely overrides social norms, but in a positive way. At the same time, she really is just like any other human with big dreams. Instead of conforming to the Hollywood public eye, as so many have done, she takes a bold step to re-define what is the norm and what is accepted in mainstream society. That is what is groundbreaking. The fact that she is Italian also gives her automatic bonus points.
Both Lambert and Gaga are doing what many celebrities fail to do and have a responsibility to do; redirect their own spotlights on issues or discrepancies in our society that they are passionate about. Their progressive voices (both musically and politically) help to shape Our Now.
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