MegaMiscellanea

“Things,” as I use it, refers to technological tools. Most of them have a social component, which is why I want you to use them, too. They’re not very useful without other folks to play with.

Facebook. I’ve been harping about this for a long time, but nobody really listens. That’s ok. All social networking sites are toilets, but if you have to take a dump you might as well enjoy it. I won’t bore you with another detailed treatise on the virtues of Facebook over MySpace, but I will implore you to make an account and join me!

Twitter. You all know what a blog is, right? Well, Twitter is like a blog and an instant messenger in one. Some are calling it a microblog, because no post can be longer than 160 characters.

Why such a seemingly arbitrary limit? Because that’s the maximum number of characters for most text messages! It’s made to operate inside the parameters of your current text message usage - you post a Twitter and it is broadcast to all of your “followers.” Likewise, if one of the people you follow posts a Twitter, you can choose to have it delivered to your phone. iPhone users will find it even easier, with a little program called Twitterific.

You should join this, too, and join me and my sister and a bunch of her friends in our never-ending conversation! I’m jamesforeman. Follow me!

Google Reader. If you already have a Google Account, then you already have access to one of the most useful apps I’ve ever used. Do you know what RSS is? You see it all over the place on the web, but you might not know what it is. Well, RSS is a means of delivering content, just like the web is. You get a feed reader and “subscribe” to RSS feeds using that feed reader. Most feed readers are separate applications you run on your computer, but the best one is built right into Google.

RSS feeds are like newspaper subscriptions, except for reading blogs and other sites that are updated frequently. With one click, you can share interesting articles with the world at large or email them to your friends.

You can read about it more here.

I’ve decided to bow to the interminable public pressure and finally allow comments on the Info-Matic section of my blog. I don’t like the sight of 0 comments all over my blog (it makes me feel lonely and irrelevant), so I didn’t have them before. But after a year of blogging at this domain, my traffic is always going to be what it is, and there’s no point in stifling the public discourse because of my little insecurities.

Therefore, comments are back on.

Reason Magazine’s greatest asset is its point of view: that any law or policy that directly infringes upon an individual’s right to pursue his own happiness must be very carefully considered, with a bias against such laws. This is why Libertarians scare people - we have some pretty major ideas in common with both parties, and yet fundamentally differ them. You can read their awesome, nonpartisan critiques here.

Who am I going to vote for? I haven’t decided yet. I’m not even sure I’ll be voting at all. I have an argument against VOTE VOTE VOTE AT ALL COSTS!, but I’ll save it for a later time. Not voting is a perfectly acceptable option in an election, and I might just exercise my right to abstain.

When I watch the speeches at the Democratic National Convention, I keep coming back to the same conclusion - these folks, every single one of them, is a what their detractors would call ivy-league elitist intellectuals. On both sides! Barack Obama and John McCain have more in common with each other than they do with us.

It’s all hype. It’s all marketing. Hillary Clinton is saying the same things that Democrats have been saying for decades: Republicans love rich people, hate the poor, want to privatize everything and only care about money and restricting your right to choose.

These candidates are reciting the same script, over and over again. They will continue to do so, the ultra-rich power-wranglers who will never have to worry about a mortgage payment, will play to their bases when they need to, open their arms to the independents when the polls lag, move closer to the center as the election day approaches and sneak through the finish line while their pundits and flacks accuse the other side of playing dirty.

In my own little way, in my own little red, brick bunker here in the rust belt, I voice my frustration and dissatisfaction with the status quo. I defy it in my own way, by writing these blogs, by posting passive-aggressive twitters and maybe even by staying home on election night.

What are you doing? Voting the party line?

Here’s my wish:

I wish I could see a video of Hugh Laurie singing and playing piano on one of my favorite Dr John songs, all while wearing a delightful hat.

What’s that you say, World Wide Web?

You granted my wish!

These songs were spilled forth from my iPod, which gave them to me in random order based on my listening habits. That is to say, they’re all 5 star songs culled from a Played Most Often playlist, and I think most relevant to my current listening habits.

The links go to live versions or videos (or even videos of live versions). I suggest that if you want to know what kind of music I listen to, you peruse this selection.

1. Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution - AC/DC
2. Teardrop - Massive Attack
3. Hi - Psapp
4. (Nothing But) Flowers - Talking Heads
5. Less Talk More Rokk - Freezepop
6. Skin O’ My Teeth - Megadeth
7. Dun Ringill - Jethro Tull (gloriously cheesy)
8. Megalomania - Black Sabbath
9. Underground - Ben Folds Five
10. Fiery Crash - Andrew Bird
11. White Queen - Queen