Afterworld: Over It

Afterworld is an online TV series that started a few months ago. At first when it came out I was HYPED. I thought it would be perfect to report on for this class. The basic plot is:

Sometime between 5 and 6 AM EST, the world as we knew it suddenly,inexplicably, changed. After traveling to New York City on a business trip Russell Shoemaker wakes to find all electronic technology dead and more than 99% of the human race missing. Driven by a need to discover the truth and determined to return to his family, he embarks on a journey to his home in Seattle. Afterworld is the harrowing story of Russell's 3000 mile trek across a post-apocalyptic America as encounters the strange new societies rebuilding themselves. Along the way, he is forced to confront his greatest fears while unraveling the mystery of what caused this global event.

Over time, Russel figures out that something called an 'ENP' destroyed everything. Never fully explained, its something like an electromagnetic wave that was able to turn off technology and wipe out humans. But within about 20 episodes, the spastic plot line began to get to me. Every 3 or 4 episodes, a whole new subplot came up. He'd meet someone new, get chased by someone new, etc. Bascially, whoever wrote Afterworld tried to cover every single post-apocalyptic archetype ever written. There are those who respond to the disaster by pumping up their religion, retreating into nature, or just losing it because of a longing for survival. Because of these crazy subplots that just kept piling up I couldn't manage to form a coherent blog entry. Afterworld is a fun series but isn't making any general statement just yet. Any great Digital Age point it could make is lost. Eventually I lost track of episodes and I don't think I can catch up now. Sometimes, the greatest Digital Age attempts just turn to dust.

It's Digital Age Macro Time!

The general theme for today: when computers go bad!

Digi Playlist

So here are some of my favorite songs about the digital age. Internet, current culture, ect. if you'd like a CD of them, just ask. You can bring me a blank CD if you feel like it but I have a ton.

• Online - Brad Paisley
• Download this Song - MC Lars
• Don't Download this Song - Weird Al Yankovic
• nevergetoveryou.com - Simon and Milo
• memory - Alan Jackson (if I put the actual title, http://www.memory/, it messes up the link. sorry)
• She Frickin Blocked Me - Josh Tobin
• The Emo Song - Josh Tobin (can't find the lyrics)
• Snakes on a Plane (Bring it) - Cobra Starship
• Internet Relationships - MC Lars
• This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race - Fall Out Boy
• White and Nerdy - Weird Al Yankovic
• and as a special bonus: I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Clause - Standstill (a hilarious contemporary christmas song.)

if you know of any other cool Digital Age songs, post a comment with them.

Link-tacular

So, I've managed to write all of the entries I'd planned, which I'm proud of. For right now I'm just gonna post some cool links to check out. If the inspiration bug bites me, there will be a real entry soon.

• How intel chips have changed...
• concept cars!
• brand me? new facebook app
• you know you love it: hottest geek toys!
• mobile banking... not so bad?
• luxuriotechno
• Facebook! you're still ahead, don't mess up now!
• what the heck's a wedcast?
• beyond a normal photosearch
• hey! offline info stays offline!

That was quick! The phenomenon of lolcats

So I decide to look up lolcat on Wikipedia, so that I can find the mystical origin of these pictures I'm addicted to. And I find something surprising: icanhascheezburger, one of my favorite sites in the world and one of the biggest lolcats sites, made its first entry in January. This January. As in 2007. It's so young! The earliest lolcat instance they can even find is 2005. Phenomena in the Digital Age doesn't take long. One website, one video, can turn into a huge catchphrase in a just a couple of days. Think about all of them: Hamster Dance, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, Brokeback Mountain parodies, Chuck Norris facts, or Numa Numa. Infamy is just a click away. Consider this a mini-entry, just because I was so shocked that icanhascheezburger had only been around for a year. The essay took a lot of my cognitive thought out of me. but here's two bonuses: a lolcat bible and a bonus locat!

Facebook vs. Myspace: The Ultimate Showdown

Which one wins? I've compiled a list of some basic and extended stats. Then choose which one is pro and which one is con. Two websites will enter... and both will leave! But we'll still like one better than the other. =P

The Basics

Users:

Myspace: 87 million. Facebook: 55 million

Year of Creation:

Myspace: 2003. Facebook: 2004

Money:

Myspace: signed a $900 million deal with Google. Facebook: Google bought a 1.6% share for $240 million

Pro: Myspace

The Profiles:

Blurbs:

Myspace: About Me, Who I'd Like to Meet, Interests, Music. Facebook: About Me, Personal Info, Contact Info, Educational Info

General Look:

Myspace: Able to be edited with html. Possiblities= endless. Facebook: set colors and shape, rearranging and editing are possible.

How Personal?

Myspace: Gender, State, Hometown. Facebook: home address and phone number

Top Friends?:

Myspace: Top 4, 8, 12, up to 24 may be displayed as part of the basic profile. Facebook: Third party application must be added in order to display any kind of top friends

Pictures:

Myspace: Albums now possible, tagging in the works. Facebook: Albums, tagging.

Feed:

Myspace: small chart of friend updates on homepage. Facebook: Mammoth feed on homepage, miniature feed on every profile page for that specific person.

Pro: Myspace

Communication:

Messages:

Myspace: similar to email. Private, but multiple messages stack up. Facebook: Private. Multiple messages with the same person are displayed as a single thread.

Preferred Mass Communication:

Myspace: Bulletins. Mostly surveys, questions, updates, etc. Pictures and videos able to be embedded. Displayed on sidebar of homepage. Facebook: Notes. Tagging available, as well as easy embedding of pictures and videos. Show up on mini-feed, Feed, and profile

Comments on Profile:

Myspace: Comments displayed on usual profile. Comments may be deleted and censored. Facebook: Comments displayed on a Wall. Features include deleting and wall-to-wall conversations.

Etc?:

Myspace: Myspace IM if applicable. Facebook: a 'poke' feature is equipped on every profile. Allows users to poke, get the attention of, other users. Also allows one to access the full or limited profile of a non-friend (if they poke back).

Pro: Facebook

The Extras:

Applications:

Myspace: HTML can be embedded in profiles. Videos and quiz results among top HTML added. Facebook: Third-party applications made available. Examples include Top Friends and Free Gifts

Groups:

Myspace: Not very popular, most users only have 5 or 6 if any. Hard to access. Facebook: Up to 50 groups, easily accessible

Events:

Myspace: None. (post a bulletin if you have to?) Facebook: Event application on a basic profile allows users to invite one another and RSVP

Status:

Myspace: newly added. displayed on profile (somewhere), never expires, also includes mood. Facebook: displayed on profile, mini-feed, and Feed. expires weekly.

Etc?:

Myspace: Extra features include Myspace IM, Myspace TV, Myspace mobile and Myspace News. Facebook: Sponsored groups and third party applications.

Pro: Facebook

Other:

Professionalism:

Myspace: considered much more personal. Facebook: can be used by professionals, with caution.

Age Groups:

Myspace: primary users aged 14-18. Facebook: primary users aged 18 -25

Privacy:

Myspace: users under 18 have their profiles automatically set to private. One must know the last name or email of user to add. Profile pictures always displayed. Facebook: all full profiles are inaccessible to non-friends. One simply adds a friend, and it may either be accepted or declined. Profile pictures and profiles can optionally be set to private.

Legality:

Myspace: Quite a few legal hang-ups, most of which involve sexual exploitation of minors. Facebook: Ongoing lawsuit involving illegal use of concept and source code of rival site, ConnectU.

Pro: Facebook

Winner is:

FACEBOOK!

Now, that's not saying that Facebook is ultimately immaculate and Myspace is the root of all evil. They both have their drawbacks and benefits. But as of this entry, Facebook rules! Oh, and below is a chart of how the users of both sites are growing. See a pattern? I think it reinforces my ruling.

New Digital Age Song

"Online" by Braid Paisley I work down at The Pizza Pit

And I drive an old Hyundai

I still live with my mom and dad

I'm five foot three and overweight

I'm a sci: fi fanatic, mild asthmatic

Never been to second base

But there's a whole 'nother me

That you need to see

Go check out Myspace.

'Cause online I'm out in Hollywood

I'm six foot five and I look damn good

I drive a Maserati, I'm a black belt in karate

And I love a good glass of wine

It turns girls on that I'm mysterious

I tell 'em I don't want nothing serious

'Cause even on a slow day I can have a three-way chat

With two women at one time.

I'm so much cooler online

I'm so much cooler online.

I get home I kiss my mom

And she fixes me a snack

I head down to my basement bedroom

And fire up my Mac

In real life the only time

I've ever been to L.A.

Was when I got the chance with the marching band

To play tuba in the Rose Parade.

But online I live in Malibu

I pose for Calvin Klein

I've been in GQ

I'm single and I'm rich

And I got a set of six-pack abs that would blow your mind

It turns girls on that I'm mysterious

I tell 'em I don't want nothing serious

Cause even on a slow day I can have a three-way chat

With two women at one time.

I'm so much cooler online

Yeah, I'm cooler online.

When you've got my kind of stats

It's hard to get a date

Let alone a real girlfriend

But I grow another foot and lose a bunch of weight

Every time I log in.

Online I'm out in Hollywood

I'm six foot five and I look damn good

Even on a slow day I can have a three-way chat

With two women at one time.

I'm so much cooler online

Yeah, I'm cooler online

disconnection leads to debt

Quick: how much credit card debt does a normal household have? Nope, guess a little higher. Close: around 8,000 dollars on average! What is happening to us?

Look at how we handle our money. Online banking, credit cards, checks. Cash is a distant dream. We charge 2 dollar packs of gum, write checks for 4 dollar cups of coffee. Even checks are becoming inconvenient, with the introduction of checking cards. And now the companies are coming out with faster and faster ways to spend your money. You don't even have to sign your name anymore, just flash a magnetic strip.

But this can't be doing us any good. Money is turning into nothing but numbers on a website. It's lacking so much tangibility that we're losing any grip on it. Think about it: you're holding some bills in your hand. A twenty, a ten, maybe a couple of ones. You have to count it to buy anything, you have to separate it and hand it over. You can see the monetary value right there. You hold it, feel it. It's quantifiable. Here's an example: a digital clock vs. an analog. On an analog, you have this metaphorical vision of time, where you can physically see the space between the numbers, how much time you have. It feels different than a plain numbered digital clock, where all the guessing is in your head.

The easier it is to spend money, the more money we spend. Hey, we're Americans! Capitalism rules, right? But putting us further into debt isn't helping anyone. We're not in debt because we have more money or even more to buy. We get into debt because it's so easy to spend money and so hard to keep track of (if you don't have a really convenient online banking system). We're buying everything online, even getting loans on the internet. And you can even get your debt consolodation online! Then you're just feeding the monster even more!

So back to clock metaphor: some people can tell time just as well on a digital, and still are never late to anything. The analog clock is dying and the answer isn't to revive it. We just have to learn how to gauge time on a digital. Put in a little effort, and you'll always be on time.

ELIC photos

I felt like ELIC just ins't a regular book, and deserves more than a normal blog entry. Most of these pictures I took personally, and I altered them all.