Thursday, July 29, 2010

It turns out the Internet makes you even more Social!

So after reading the Pew Internet Personal Networks and Community survey I have to say I'm both surprised and a little not surprised. On the one hand there's the social preconception that spending time at your computer makes you a shut in but at the same time most people when they are on their computer they are on a social network, socializing soooooo of course it makes people more sociable.

The internet isn't just a box you crawl into to turn off your brain like television, it's a social platform wherein you can interact with people via social media. I'm on facebook right now and I've already commented on friend's status and one's new job. What a world!

I find it interesting that people who are more connected to the internet (bloggers and whatnot) are actually more involved in there community though it makes sense when you think about it. To be an actual good blogger you have to have things to blog about so you have to work hard and go out there and do things like volunteer or talk to your friends.

Also, "Only 6% of the adult population has no one with whom they can discuss important matters or who they consider to be “especially significant” in their life." :( I feel really bad for that 6%. They're probably 50% old people and cat ladies too. Oh well, I know what'll cheer me up. Those guitar shredding North Korean Toddlers!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Happy Birthday ENIAC!!!! FREE POST!!!!


Hello gang, and welcome to another post on my blog. Today we'll be celebrating somebody's birthday. Whose you may ask? Well, his great-great grandchildren are sitting right in front of you? Give up? It's ENIAC or the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer or Ol' Uncle Eenie. Yes on this day in 1947 the Army Ballistics Division switched on Ol' Uncle Eenie and it was in continuous operation until 1955. The ENIAC increased processing speeds by 1,000 creating the largest processing speed increase in history. The title remains unchallenged.
If you want the official in depth version of the story of what the press referred to as a "Giant Brain" click here but if you wanna play a game of guess which facts I throw out are true or false then continue!!!

1. ENIAC was the size of a whole Apartment Block.
2. ENIAC was first tested by doing calculations on the atom bomb.
3. FDR had high hopes that ENIAC would help him walking again.
4. ENIAC was staffed almost entirely by smokin hot babes.
5. ENIAC had problems with transistor tubes blowing every 15 minutes
6. The decision to shut down the computer was made after the Army realized ENIAC became self-aware
7. The film the Matrix is loosely based on ENIAC's story.
8. ENIAC was made in Maryland by a bunch of nerds.
9. ENIAC is alive in a bunker in Colorado secretly controlling the internet.

ANSWERS!!!!!
1. True, it was huge! 2. True also! 3. FDR didn't even know what a computer was so FalseDR! 4. True true and true 5. No actually it was very reliable and only had transistors blow out every couple of days. 6. False 7. Only if you watch the film backwards 8. False, Pennsylvania, though true on the nerd part 9. False... or is it?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ENIAC!!!!!!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

What I learned about facebook from the Nebraska Humane Society

On Monday I tried to fight the urge to just stare at all the picture of cute cats and dogs and took in some serious lessons about social networking from our time at the Nebraska Humane Society. I'll even number the list so as to be more organized.

1. How to deal with the Trolls.
Apparently, even if you're an organization that helps puppies, you're gonna get hate from random strangers on the internet. I learned that in most cases the best idea is to state you're policies on whatever problem they have and to leave the comment up because if you take it down it will just enrage the troll even more. Though in a few special cases it may be in your best interest to simply delete the comment and possibly pursue legal action, especially if the troll is harassing you frequently.

2. Analytics. You will spend all your time looking at analytics.
To make you're bosses believe that you're actually doing something productive and not just messing around on facebook you have to have the facts to back up the site. You also have to keep track of how many people unsubscribe, how long people are on the site, how many people y tview as compared to how many people comment and all kinds of micromanagement internet stuff that went way over my head. And then you have to convince your bosses that all these people visiting the site is good because it ups your brand/increases revenue/gets more donations/etc.

3. Engage your audience.
I think I heard the word engage almost as much as puppy at the Humane Society Monday. Seriously though I learned that if you reply to people it makes them feel as though they aren't just commenting for no reason. It encourages your viewers to return and it creates a more appealing environment on your website. Another way to engage is to not just comment but make sure that things lke videos and notes encourage your viewers to comment and engage them to be involved.

4. KITTIES!!!!!!!!!!!


5. But seriously
It helps you get fans if you happen to be an organization that specializes in adorable animals. Though you have to be smart about how you post videos of these animals and how you respond to the people that comment if you want to stay up there. Great field trip overall!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Five great Finger Pickin Guitar Tunes or 3-year old North Korean Shreds your face off!!!!!!

Acoustic guitar is a radical instrument and is used by hundred s of thousands of greasy teenagers expressing their feelings and lame stuff like that. But just strumming chords is like only using your thumbs to type on the keyboard. (It stinks!) Anyhoo, everybody knows individually striking the strings with your fingers is way better. Just look at this video of youtube artist SOS auto playing 9 lb hammer.



Some say Finger picking is the style of grungy dirty acoustic tree huggers. They're pretty much right. Numero dos is the all time finger picking great and Guitar Vitruoso John Fahey, enjoy his rendition of Poor Boy's Long way from Home.


Paul McCartney actually wrote his all time classic "Black Bird" after learning finger picking from folk 60s hero Donovan. This undeniably great song and one that every goofball amateur guitarist learns right before stumbling through Stairway to Heaven at the coffee shop for the 8th time. Anyway BLACKBIRD!!!!


Here's effeminate singer song-writer Ryan Adams doing a much more understated fingerpicking song to highlight the tenderness of his song "Sweet Carolina." The notes really pluck along well with the melody he sings and adds an intimacy you wouldn't get with chugging chords. He's married to Mandy Moore now. That's so weird.


Now the finale! A North Korean 3 year old girl shredding here way through Choro Brasil!!!!!!!!!!!! Who cares that they just devalued all their currency! They've got shredding little girls!!!!!!! Goodnight!

Friday, July 16, 2010

What is my sentence?

Daniel Pink thinks that everyone should have their own sentence that sums up what they are, want to be and want to do. I think that's a bit lame and a simplistic way of thinking but I guess it should help people find focus in what they want to do. So what sentence am I?

"I will improve this world, either with my actions or my words: directly or indirectly."

I really wanted to have a colon in there. You know, to liven it up from an aesthetic point of view. Anyway but what I hope to get across in my sentence is that in my career I want to have a positive effect on the world either through influencing others to act positively or to make changes directly myself by working inside a company where I can leave a positive mark.

My main goal would be to have a positive effect on this world environmentally whether it be advocating environmental policies or working inside companies to push for those environmental goals.

So I guess if I need to start focusing on a brand it would be environmentally conscious writer who pushes for change in himself and in others. I could achieve this by posting links to environemental blogs on my twitter and starting a local blog that focuses on environmental issues is Omaha and tips for a sustainable lifestyle like tips on how to get your backyard garden growing. (It's not hard with the summers we've been having, simply plant seeds, put up chicken wire to keep out rabbits, pull out weeds, water and pick vegetables)

Seriously you should see the size of the cucumbers in my back yard. They're as big as your head. I could club you with one and you'd be like, "Why'd you club me with that large cucumber?"

...Can I change my personal sentence to "Why'd you club me with that large cucumber?"

Monday, July 12, 2010

Chili Burgers, Wheat Berry Salads and Ninja Training!


Salutations curious internet wanderer, and welcome to my first blog post. As per the request of Professor Zuegner I am going to tackle 3 other blogs in this post an talk about what post I read, what I learned from it and whether or not I can find a food to correspond to it. (I made the last qualification up but I'm sticking to it)

This will be our first blog of the day. The stately and humorous "Good Evening" by John Hodgman, author of Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require, but you probably know him best as the PC guy from those Mac commercials. Read a book.

Anyway, in this post he posts a photo of a sketch of musician Jonathan Coultan (here's his best work http://bit.ly/UQZQ). He also discusses what constitutes a true Chili Burger. I commented with my own idea of what constitutes a chili burger. I enjoy his blog because it gives me a peak into the lives of writers, singers and comedians I like and he does a good job keeping up with his commenters (sp?).

For blog numero dos I'll be looking at is Lick My Spoon.
On LMS we have recipes and restaurent review based in New York City. On the page I linked to is a delicious recipe for a Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries. Click that link and drool your heart out. Its a pretty basic recipe seeing as its just a salad but I did learn what wheat berries are. They're not actual berries but are kernels of wheat that are sort of like berries. Ha! Point is food blogs always make me hungry.

Lastly, I'll throw a curve ball with a blog that has nothing to do with food, Geekologie. Its a humor blog that focuses on the nerdiest things the internet has to offer, in this particular post it's Private Ninja Lessons. I really like the writing style of the Geekologie Writer (who always remains anonymous) because it's ridiculous and over the top. Just take a look at the Tags section of the blog to see how he goes nuts with tags. And obviously I'm always learning irreverent information to be used in geeky discussions from this site. I love it.

And those are the three blogs I have read today and what I learned from them. To recap, chili burgers are more burger than chili, wheat berries aren't real berries and Ninja Lessons will run you 90$ for an hour and a half. Thanks for reading.