A few weeks ago I parted ways with BitPay and started working on a project called Augur.
Augur is a decentralized prediction market that is being built on Vitalik Buterin's Ethereum platform. The idea, technology and fields of interest made this an opportunity I had to jump at.
There are plenty of better resources to learn about prediction markets, I suggest Overcoming Bias and LessWrong.com as great starting places.
My interest in something like Augur came from studying Bayesian Statistics and how an entire field can be misunderstood by so many within it, it was a very similar feeling to how I felt about Economics. I'm very leery of professing absolute beliefs, in general I think admitting that you aren't convinced or that you don't know something is an underrated trait.
I know very little and it doesn't bother me because knowledge doesn't define happiness. But knowledge does define passion, so being a part of something like Augur has me excited.
Be sure to check out Augur.net and @AugurProject on Twitter to get news and updates on what we are doing, oh and contribute to the project on GitHub.
Oh and as always, follow me on Twitter: @TonySwish
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Why I Write In Here
There may be some misconceptions with some of the posts I have made on here and why I choose to post them, so I wanted to make a little explanation of somethings.
1. The reason I put my name behind every thing I said is because as the time of writing them I stand behind everything, sure ideas change and it's important to embrace those changes but I am honest. I would hope that these opinions do not alter anyone's opinion of me as a person as I respect every other opinion as equal to mine.
2. I am not anti-government AT ALL, I'm anti-poorly/inefficiently run government and truly believe more people need to utilize the tools available to talk about this publicly.
3. I am not anti-education! It's 2014 and there are new ways to educate, it frustrates me that some of the brightest minds are going un-nurtured because they have no opportunity to learn what actually interests them or important "life skill" information.
4. It's frustrating seeing the media manipulate the public into believing they only have two choices when voting in an election.
5. In my day to day life I notice very little discussion of these issues, so this is my place to vent.
The world is a pretty great place and there has never been a better time to live on this planet, it's my goal to help in however I can to keep it this way.
1. The reason I put my name behind every thing I said is because as the time of writing them I stand behind everything, sure ideas change and it's important to embrace those changes but I am honest. I would hope that these opinions do not alter anyone's opinion of me as a person as I respect every other opinion as equal to mine.
2. I am not anti-government AT ALL, I'm anti-poorly/inefficiently run government and truly believe more people need to utilize the tools available to talk about this publicly.
3. I am not anti-education! It's 2014 and there are new ways to educate, it frustrates me that some of the brightest minds are going un-nurtured because they have no opportunity to learn what actually interests them or important "life skill" information.
4. It's frustrating seeing the media manipulate the public into believing they only have two choices when voting in an election.
5. In my day to day life I notice very little discussion of these issues, so this is my place to vent.
The world is a pretty great place and there has never been a better time to live on this planet, it's my goal to help in however I can to keep it this way.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Schools Hate Internet Freedom
As a lifelong resident of the Detroit area it saddens me that 70% of students within the Detroit city limits lack any Internet connection at home, this also most likely means that they lack Technology skills that are NECESSARY for them to exist in the current economic climate. I have no desire to go into the clusterfuck that is every aspect of Detroit Public Schools, but there is a way to disrupt that system that is leaving so many kids disadvantaged, and that is Broadband Internet Access for all at home. The sooner the well-meaning citizens figure out that teachers, administrators and government officials either really don't care or are burned out about educating the youth, the sooner they can be more open minded to how Internet access can help to change this.
To think that the public education sector and many private sectors don't have a hand in trying to block things like this from happening would be incredibly naive. School districts continue to pay MILLIONS of dollars yearly to the fucking evil Textbook industry for information that can easily be found on the Internet for free, Telecom companies continue to charge ridiculously unfair prices for Internet access (And why isn't Internet Access considered a Public Utility?), Content Control Software developers make MILLIONS on school district contracts to provide an extremely easy to bypass content blocking system and these are only a few of the obvious money pits that Public Schooling ultimately gets involved in. The cause of this is lack of education, community apathy, out of touch administrators, resistance to change and greedy corporate scumbags.
One of my favorite things about my University experience was hearing almost every professor explain how inaccurate and bad Wikipedia is for the educational process, at the time I knew they were speaking out of ignorance and history has proven just how right I was. I'm not sure if they felt this way because they were old and didn't bother trying to understand how and why it works or if they felt threatened as educators by a free online service aimed at providing quick and easy information on anything. The accuracy of Wikipedia has been seen as equal or superior to the Academic Superpower of Encyclopedia Britannica, while the methods used to measure this are hardly enough to state this definitively, it's clear it is more accurate than not because many in the Wiki community take it very seriously. I consider Wikipedia to be one of humankind's greatest creations, yet many of those in Education still give the simplistic argument of "can't anyone edit it?" not realizing that is the entire reason it works.
I'm a frequent Wikipedia editor and contributor as I believe that currently information and knowledge only have a perceived economic value and no actual economic value. Educating oneself used to require attending a school or University, purchasing expensive journals owned and sold through said Universities, purchasing books or going to a Library with a finite information, but this is clearly no longer the case. Don't get it twisted, the classroom setting works for many many people and shouldn't be abandoned, but the fact that smarter and cheaper supplements to this educational format aren't used is foolish and creating many many problems.
My previous example of the continued use of textbooks to provide knowledge is emblematic of the apathetic, self-serving attitude of those in charge of education in America. They are out of date, contain archaic and hard to understand explanations of relatively simple concepts and often do not provide any original thought or material.
When I tell people I learned significantly more from the Internet than I ever did at any point in school, I often get weird confused looks that someone can learn something in a different way than they did. Recently I was researching Sierpinski Triangles and I came across an amazing page that explains a very complicated subject in a contemporary and interesting way. Note the description of a mathematical format as the "straight ballin'" form, something that would appall traditional Academia but actually makes the subject more relatable to the average reader. The topic is not the easiest to understand without a bit of background in mathematics, but the fact this incredible information would never be presented in a classroom setting is the problem.
All of this comes down to one thing, and it's one of the ideals I hold most valuable, that is it is the Earth's benefit for the Internet to remain 100% free of censorship, regulation and profit.
Edward Snowden made a claim that "the Internet is the most important invention in all of human history" and explained how much it meant to him and changed his life, I share the same views. The Internet expanded my mind and made me think about things in new ways I never would have otherwise. Living in America is weird because those in charge are so out of touch with the opinions of those they govern, especially those of another generation. The institutional power structure of these groups are constantly threatened by the openness of a Free Internet so it is in their best interest to stifle that when at all possible.
Remember how many people demonized Snowden and used his age as a reason, there is a war on youth and the Internet and it's up to the outspoken to convince those who aren't a part of this culture that the value is too important to give up on.
To think that the public education sector and many private sectors don't have a hand in trying to block things like this from happening would be incredibly naive. School districts continue to pay MILLIONS of dollars yearly to the fucking evil Textbook industry for information that can easily be found on the Internet for free, Telecom companies continue to charge ridiculously unfair prices for Internet access (And why isn't Internet Access considered a Public Utility?), Content Control Software developers make MILLIONS on school district contracts to provide an extremely easy to bypass content blocking system and these are only a few of the obvious money pits that Public Schooling ultimately gets involved in. The cause of this is lack of education, community apathy, out of touch administrators, resistance to change and greedy corporate scumbags.
One of my favorite things about my University experience was hearing almost every professor explain how inaccurate and bad Wikipedia is for the educational process, at the time I knew they were speaking out of ignorance and history has proven just how right I was. I'm not sure if they felt this way because they were old and didn't bother trying to understand how and why it works or if they felt threatened as educators by a free online service aimed at providing quick and easy information on anything. The accuracy of Wikipedia has been seen as equal or superior to the Academic Superpower of Encyclopedia Britannica, while the methods used to measure this are hardly enough to state this definitively, it's clear it is more accurate than not because many in the Wiki community take it very seriously. I consider Wikipedia to be one of humankind's greatest creations, yet many of those in Education still give the simplistic argument of "can't anyone edit it?" not realizing that is the entire reason it works.
I'm a frequent Wikipedia editor and contributor as I believe that currently information and knowledge only have a perceived economic value and no actual economic value. Educating oneself used to require attending a school or University, purchasing expensive journals owned and sold through said Universities, purchasing books or going to a Library with a finite information, but this is clearly no longer the case. Don't get it twisted, the classroom setting works for many many people and shouldn't be abandoned, but the fact that smarter and cheaper supplements to this educational format aren't used is foolish and creating many many problems.
My previous example of the continued use of textbooks to provide knowledge is emblematic of the apathetic, self-serving attitude of those in charge of education in America. They are out of date, contain archaic and hard to understand explanations of relatively simple concepts and often do not provide any original thought or material.
When I tell people I learned significantly more from the Internet than I ever did at any point in school, I often get weird confused looks that someone can learn something in a different way than they did. Recently I was researching Sierpinski Triangles and I came across an amazing page that explains a very complicated subject in a contemporary and interesting way. Note the description of a mathematical format as the "straight ballin'" form, something that would appall traditional Academia but actually makes the subject more relatable to the average reader. The topic is not the easiest to understand without a bit of background in mathematics, but the fact this incredible information would never be presented in a classroom setting is the problem.
All of this comes down to one thing, and it's one of the ideals I hold most valuable, that is it is the Earth's benefit for the Internet to remain 100% free of censorship, regulation and profit.
Edward Snowden made a claim that "the Internet is the most important invention in all of human history" and explained how much it meant to him and changed his life, I share the same views. The Internet expanded my mind and made me think about things in new ways I never would have otherwise. Living in America is weird because those in charge are so out of touch with the opinions of those they govern, especially those of another generation. The institutional power structure of these groups are constantly threatened by the openness of a Free Internet so it is in their best interest to stifle that when at all possible.
Remember how many people demonized Snowden and used his age as a reason, there is a war on youth and the Internet and it's up to the outspoken to convince those who aren't a part of this culture that the value is too important to give up on.
Bill Gates' Attitude Toward Charity and Broadband Access Is Misguided....And It's Shared by Millions of Americans (Part 1)
Last year Bill Gates made comments regarding how providing free/improved broadband Internet access to impoverished nations is not as important as providing treatment for the Malaria epidemic. If you think about this only in the short term it is 100% correct, but if you move further away from the picture it becomes drastically altered, and instead should be seen like a band-aid trying to heal a gaping bleeding wound. It's shocking that someone as bright and caring as Bill Gates doesn't see the bigger picture here.
America has this weird love affair with charity that sometimes results in creating bigger problems in the long run because those donating and administrating the charity believe they are doing good while missing the same bigger picture that Bill Gates fails to see. Think about every time a person, a company or a corporation donates mass amounts of clothing to third world countries. The result for the person donating is a good feeling in how they are helping others and giving a shirt to a poor kid who cannot afford one. What no one asks or thinks about is what is the actual result of this action? The result is that these countries have no economic incentive to create any sort of textile market or industry, which is one less potential job for the poor.
The previous example is similar to the statement Bill Gates made, which upon hearing makes complete sense but upon further examination is troublesome. Don't get me wrong, providing them with Malaria vaccines is a valid charity and definitely worthy of donations and support, but it doesn't fix the problem, only individual cases. Providing free or low-cost Internet access opens doors to these communities that could provide them with information on how to reduce the spread of malaria or how to create the vaccines used.
I truly believe that in the past 15 years 1st World nations have had something of an educational boom because of technology, and although the system of sharing information is severely neutered because of obsolete and evil patent laws, the ease of access to information is still exponentially greater than it ever has been.
Contrary to popular belief by the conservative, old and racist communities, Third-World nations full of "dark" people contain just as many brilliant and talented people as America, China, Japan or any other country, the only difference is their impact is greatly diminished due to lacking access to information. Enabling cheap or low-cost access to this information is the greatest charity we could provide to these countries and could result in many problems being solved by those within their own community.
The suggestion I have to those who still want to help their fellow man is to concentrate on helping the less fortunate within your own country and more specifically in your own community. In my job I assist many low-income students who lack Internet access at home, requiring them to come to campus or a library (often using slow/unreliable public transportation) in order to do simple things like applying for a job, paying a bill, registering for a class or typing a paper.
America has this weird love affair with charity that sometimes results in creating bigger problems in the long run because those donating and administrating the charity believe they are doing good while missing the same bigger picture that Bill Gates fails to see. Think about every time a person, a company or a corporation donates mass amounts of clothing to third world countries. The result for the person donating is a good feeling in how they are helping others and giving a shirt to a poor kid who cannot afford one. What no one asks or thinks about is what is the actual result of this action? The result is that these countries have no economic incentive to create any sort of textile market or industry, which is one less potential job for the poor.
The previous example is similar to the statement Bill Gates made, which upon hearing makes complete sense but upon further examination is troublesome. Don't get me wrong, providing them with Malaria vaccines is a valid charity and definitely worthy of donations and support, but it doesn't fix the problem, only individual cases. Providing free or low-cost Internet access opens doors to these communities that could provide them with information on how to reduce the spread of malaria or how to create the vaccines used.
I truly believe that in the past 15 years 1st World nations have had something of an educational boom because of technology, and although the system of sharing information is severely neutered because of obsolete and evil patent laws, the ease of access to information is still exponentially greater than it ever has been.
Contrary to popular belief by the conservative, old and racist communities, Third-World nations full of "dark" people contain just as many brilliant and talented people as America, China, Japan or any other country, the only difference is their impact is greatly diminished due to lacking access to information. Enabling cheap or low-cost access to this information is the greatest charity we could provide to these countries and could result in many problems being solved by those within their own community.
The suggestion I have to those who still want to help their fellow man is to concentrate on helping the less fortunate within your own country and more specifically in your own community. In my job I assist many low-income students who lack Internet access at home, requiring them to come to campus or a library (often using slow/unreliable public transportation) in order to do simple things like applying for a job, paying a bill, registering for a class or typing a paper.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Cicada 3301 Update, Possible Anonymous Affiliation
The link I posted in my last entry was removed from Craigslist shortly after posting, thankfully I saved a screenshot which I will share in the near future. Unfortunately many within the Cicada community are keeping their communication about the entire thing private to the rest of the Internet.
The other interesting development that happened is a page set up by Anonymous now has a "3301" link and a timer counting down until January 5th, 2014 on the front page. The addition of this is curious as nothing has been stated outright about this or anything else.
I would also be weary of any news reports stating that someone "figured out Cicada" as their authenticity and knowledge have been questioned by many.
The best rule of thumb when dealing with Cicada information (including things posted here) is DTA! I try to only report what I believe is true but this subject matter makes it incredibly difficult.
The other interesting development that happened is a page set up by Anonymous now has a "3301" link and a timer counting down until January 5th, 2014 on the front page. The addition of this is curious as nothing has been stated outright about this or anything else.
I would also be weary of any news reports stating that someone "figured out Cicada" as their authenticity and knowledge have been questioned by many.
The best rule of thumb when dealing with Cicada information (including things posted here) is DTA! I try to only report what I believe is true but this subject matter makes it incredibly difficult.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Cicada 3301 for 2014 May Have Already Begun
Yesterday upon scouring search engines and TOR for more information about this mystery, I came upon a new potential clue. Utilizing chat logs, screenshots and other information found on the excellent Uncovering Cicada Wiki I performed a Google search with the words "Cicada" and "Craigslist" which led me to this posting on Craigslist's Portland Missed Encounters page that was apparently posted on Saturday. The following text was included in the posting:
A few things jumped out at me, first let me quote the last major Cicada clue that was found in an MP3 titled "The Instar Emergence"When I enter a search for "Liber aL decoded" I am presented with the buzz on the mysterious "Cicada 3301" phenomena. Amusing and curious. I've only glossed over the material & challenges. High level crypto isn't my cup of tea, but that isn't what has me puzzled.Liber aL broadened my understanding of information technologies: stereograms, steganography, and holography. It helped me in my pursuit of the divine language.If you desire progress, enlightenment...or, revolutionary technology, I would suggest flexing your intellect in pursuit of the same.Why a cicada? I'm partial to bees and spiders.the(3)instar(6)emergence(9) <== I love triangles too.
The Craigslist posting has many references to this and other previous Cicada clues including:Parable 1,595,277,641
Like the instar, tunneling to the surface\n
We must shed our own circumferences;\n
Find the divinity within and emerge.
- The description clearly states "the instar emergence"
- Mentioning the "buzz" of the Cicada phenomena when the hidden parable was found within the "buzz" of the mp3 clue.
- The pursuit of the "divine language" and "Find the divinity" which seems to be a reference to the Divine Ratio, which is also necessary for Sierpinski Triangles.
- "Liber aL" or "The Book Of The Law" by Aleister Crowley that has been referenced in previous Cicada clues and is known to be written in code.
- "Shedding the circumferences" which could refer to both the snake found in the middle of the Sierpinski Triangle clue that is attached to the posting, one of the characters found in the same image and the fact that Sierpinski Triangles are known fractals and that this is only a Level 3 Sierpinski Triangle.
As the extent of my computer hardware is an iPad and my vacation is nearing a close, it's necessary that I hand this off to the community to further investigate and verify if this is in fact a Cicada clue with the public key. The little I did do on a relative's PC included using Hexplorer on both of the images and finding some interesting results. I don't want to go further into this until it is verified by someone in the community.
I am disappointed that I lack the hardware or free time to pursue this, thanks Detroit for having an interest in Mathematics and working in a field where I never get to exercise that part of my brain besides on vacation.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Is the goal of Cicada 3301 to achieve The Singularity?
The Cicada 3301 puzzle is clearly the most insane recruitment strategy ever created, but with all the speculation of what this mysterious group is recruiting for not one person has brought up what seems to be the most obvious conclusion based on the information we are led to believe is true.
My postulation is that the end goal of Cicada 3301 is to ensure at any cost that The Singularity is achieved to improve the world. There is no way I could do nearly as thorough of a job sifting through this data as those on the Uncovering Cicada Wiki, but the information we were provided about this mysterious group is as follows:
My postulation is that the end goal of Cicada 3301 is to ensure at any cost that The Singularity is achieved to improve the world. There is no way I could do nearly as thorough of a job sifting through this data as those on the Uncovering Cicada Wiki, but the information we were provided about this mysterious group is as follows:
As it turned out, my opinions and my goals were very much in line with that organization: at the political level, I lean towards freedom, which is called at the time. I am well-educated in science, mathematics, and foreign policy. I was non-religious at the time in those first days. Philosophically, I agree with the ideas of Sartre and Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and so I believe in random universe - one in humans that were not more than a coincidence. No absolute moral right and wrong. That the value of a man is what he does. I also believe that we can (and should) aspire to reach the next "level" - as individuals and mankind as a whole: Nietzsche "Übermensch". I didn’t know then, but this is one of the main focuses of the Cicada. They believe they possess wisdoms to transform human to Übermensch. Cicada give knowledge to members slowly as they progress up pyramid."Übermensch" is the death of god and the creation of new values and reaching the next "level" is using technology to enhance our physical being.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
High School Yearbook Photos Of A Young Bruiser Brody
In the early 1960s one of the most famous wrestlers of the territorial era by the name of Bruiser Brody (AKA Frank Goodish) attended Warren High School in my hometown of Warren, Michigan. Brody was tragically murdered in Puerto Rico in 1988 and since then his legend has only grown. After some intense scouring I found some pictures in the 1961, 1962 and 1963 Warren High School Yearbooks of a young Bruiser Brody! I wanted to share these awesome pictures of probably the most famous person from Warren, Michigan until a young Marshall Mathers came along.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Misogyny, The Internet and Gaming
In the past few months there seems to be a lot of posts about the misogyny on various internet and gaming communities, while this isn't a subject that directly effects me, it is a subject that is fascinating. These posts are quite often by women and usually have the goal in mind of ending the misogynistic attitude some have to make the Internet a more pleasant place for women. The goal is insanely noble but I think people are asking the wrong question, the question that should be asked is why, and how can we change THAT.
Remember whenever talking about this that emotions run deep and quite often the worst characteristics of both genders can jump out to everyone, but the fact is that women are treated poorly all over the Internet. Unfortunately many of the theories and attitudes that some women have are just as cruel as the original comments made by men that made them feel uncomfortable. Also note that generalizations will be made and although they are not perfect, they are necessary for most dialogue on this subject, so please realize that.
Here are a few things that I am sharing from a male perspective on why it occurs besides the seemingly typical female response of "They are misogynistic because they were rejected by women" which is a cheap and cruel cop-out. There is more to it than that and unless you want to dig deeper, this problem will never get solved:
Remember whenever talking about this that emotions run deep and quite often the worst characteristics of both genders can jump out to everyone, but the fact is that women are treated poorly all over the Internet. Unfortunately many of the theories and attitudes that some women have are just as cruel as the original comments made by men that made them feel uncomfortable. Also note that generalizations will be made and although they are not perfect, they are necessary for most dialogue on this subject, so please realize that.
Here are a few things that I am sharing from a male perspective on why it occurs besides the seemingly typical female response of "They are misogynistic because they were rejected by women" which is a cheap and cruel cop-out. There is more to it than that and unless you want to dig deeper, this problem will never get solved:
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
The Police Burned Chris Dorner Alive
Last night I listened to 4 hours of the only LAPD Scanner stream left on the internet, and what I heard was jarring and thankfully recordings made it on the net. The reason only one stream was left is because the police asked media to only use film from far away and used a 4G signal blocker while the building was strategically set on fire by "burners" mentioned in the below video. It's also of note that the building owner stated there was no Television or Internet connection in the house (which the police already knew), therefore what they stated to the media was a lie.....
Here is the video with the 5 minutes of audio as it's burning, with the way the mainstream media is avoiding this part of the story...you may want to watch it quick:
Remember the most important thing to do is to make sure your mainstream news media knows about this and also that many people know. It's about time ruthless police departments who do anything to protect themselves get their justice, Dorner's methods were savage and wrong but let's make sure something good comes of this....which is the public outing of what justice really means within the city of Los Angeles and the State of California.
Here is the video with the 5 minutes of audio as it's burning, with the way the mainstream media is avoiding this part of the story...you may want to watch it quick:
Remember the most important thing to do is to make sure your mainstream news media knows about this and also that many people know. It's about time ruthless police departments who do anything to protect themselves get their justice, Dorner's methods were savage and wrong but let's make sure something good comes of this....which is the public outing of what justice really means within the city of Los Angeles and the State of California.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Music's New Generation Gap is Drastically DIfferent
The traditional view of older generations having different tastes of music than the younger is one that may just be dead. Sure there is the whole dubstep thing, but that seems more niche than anything else...
What I have noticed in the barely relevant mainstream music media is that authenticity means more than the quality of the music being produced. Two weeks ago on some Star Search ripoff show, a contestant stated she did "the country thing" and apparently offended Keith Urban who is self-identified as a country artist. After this Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson proceeded to provide that "veteran music industry advice" and grill this girl regarding if she's Country or something. Nicki Minaj was visually frustrated at this conversation as was anyone who is sane. This conversation could only exist with two people who are oblivious to the way people listen to music in 2013. Randy Jackson then went on about his 30 years of industry experience (NOT something to brag about) and Mariah ranted about some other nonsense that didn't matter. Before she walked off stage, Nicki made it quite clear that none of this advice was helpful at all to the girl and questioned why it was even given in the first place.
What I have noticed in the barely relevant mainstream music media is that authenticity means more than the quality of the music being produced. Two weeks ago on some Star Search ripoff show, a contestant stated she did "the country thing" and apparently offended Keith Urban who is self-identified as a country artist. After this Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson proceeded to provide that "veteran music industry advice" and grill this girl regarding if she's Country or something. Nicki Minaj was visually frustrated at this conversation as was anyone who is sane. This conversation could only exist with two people who are oblivious to the way people listen to music in 2013. Randy Jackson then went on about his 30 years of industry experience (NOT something to brag about) and Mariah ranted about some other nonsense that didn't matter. Before she walked off stage, Nicki made it quite clear that none of this advice was helpful at all to the girl and questioned why it was even given in the first place.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Best Albums of 2012
Looking back at the previous year in music is one of my absolute favorite things to do every year dating back to even before I worked at Record Time. With 2012 being the best year for music in a long long while (since at least 2005 that I can remember) it has been super fun and also extremely difficult to come up with an actual ranked list. My top album of the year is a reissue so I felt guilty having it top my list, BUT when you look at my Last.fm chart of the previous 12 months you will see why I felt so compelled to choose it for #1.
Either way here is my yearly list and I would encourage you to check them out!
Either way here is my yearly list and I would encourage you to check them out!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Best & Worst Shows of 2012
Even though it isn't over, I like to start my "Best Of" lists early and I figured it was perfect timing to do my favorite shows of the year. Since I'm a smartphone picture addict, I will include digital folksy self shot images of each show, because I care.
1. The Weeknd
St. Andrew's Hall - Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
.JPG)
Within the past year there is no artist I have listened to more than The Weeknd, check here for proof of this. So to say I was excited for this show would be a ridiculous understatement. St. Andrew's was about 250 degrees and it was my last time being around someone I ended up developing true feelings for, so the evening remains bittersweet in that way. Forgetting personal drama, this show was unbelievable and not only my favorite show of the year, but one of my 3 favorite of all time. A perfect setlist, a crowd that sang along to EVERY WORD of EVERY SONG and so much talent that it was off the charts. This was the type of show that you know you will brag about being at in the future.
This didn't stop throughout the entire show. Leading to a performance of Drake's Crew Love that had everyone in attendance singing "This Ain't No Fuckin Singalong", it was a singalong and it was the best show of the year with a bullet.
1. The Weeknd
St. Andrew's Hall - Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
.JPG)
Within the past year there is no artist I have listened to more than The Weeknd, check here for proof of this. So to say I was excited for this show would be a ridiculous understatement. St. Andrew's was about 250 degrees and it was my last time being around someone I ended up developing true feelings for, so the evening remains bittersweet in that way. Forgetting personal drama, this show was unbelievable and not only my favorite show of the year, but one of my 3 favorite of all time. A perfect setlist, a crowd that sang along to EVERY WORD of EVERY SONG and so much talent that it was off the charts. This was the type of show that you know you will brag about being at in the future.
This didn't stop throughout the entire show. Leading to a performance of Drake's Crew Love that had everyone in attendance singing "This Ain't No Fuckin Singalong", it was a singalong and it was the best show of the year with a bullet.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Want to Hire/Woo Gen Y & Millennials? Ignore the Internet
I just read this piece from the Wall Street Journal describing how oXYGen Financial use stupid marketing tactics to attempt to appeal to younger consumers and it greatly emblematic of what's wrong with America. Yes, that statement is hyperbolic but it's 100% true, businesses have absolutely no clue anymore and have completely lost their shit. Just reading that article makes me wonder how successful their business model is, because it seems to me paying $90 for "investment advice" seems like bullshit from every angle.
People from my generation have been marked to 24/7 for our ENTIRE LIVES, so how does a company that clearly gets this fail so hard. If you look at the last sentence of the article it states "They want to know exactly how you're going to make money off of them and the last thing they want to hear is some slick sales speech" which is truthful, everything else contradicts this statement.
Fuck social media, fuck generational wall building, and fuck these internet business content mills that spout shit that business leaders believe. Why do none of these articles speak of the companies successes and failures? The point of a business is to make money, this is surprising news to maney.
So why do these companies spout nonsense about how attracting younger customers while also clearly missing the point? It's because there is only one way to get the "internet generation" which is a much better term I believe, and that is by offering a quality product or service. Apple is still growing because their products are great, people are cancelling their cable service because the product is shitty....does this make sense? Apparently not because companies would rather drone on about social media and "fun events" rather than providing honest customer testimonials explaining why we should use their product.
Within the next few months I will be launching my own business, and I will use what I've learned from 15+ years as an internet addict to attempt to build and grow this business. Doing this won't be easy but it sure as hell will be more rewarding than watching assholes take advantage of younger customers and employees. So instead of figuring out how to value a "like", I will be charging for a product and utilizing Facebook and Twitter to promote said product. It seems alarmingly simple but it's something that most companies with 60+ year old leadership are failing at massively.
This blog has a lot of posts bitching about older generations, and I feel I should end this post with an explanation. I'm so upset about this because I know I'm a better employee/worker/person than most of you, but I am stuck in a rigid system of conformity and mindless merit-based hiring practices. This is shit you started and accepted. In my past work experience (note I said PAST and not current as my current employer is fantastic and progressive) here are some things that go on which I can't believe are still happening in 2012 (AND IT'S YOUR FUCKING FAULT). So if any of you manager types that are bored and reading this online because your employees are doing all of your work, here is why they hate your guts.
People from my generation have been marked to 24/7 for our ENTIRE LIVES, so how does a company that clearly gets this fail so hard. If you look at the last sentence of the article it states "They want to know exactly how you're going to make money off of them and the last thing they want to hear is some slick sales speech" which is truthful, everything else contradicts this statement.
Fuck social media, fuck generational wall building, and fuck these internet business content mills that spout shit that business leaders believe. Why do none of these articles speak of the companies successes and failures? The point of a business is to make money, this is surprising news to maney.
So why do these companies spout nonsense about how attracting younger customers while also clearly missing the point? It's because there is only one way to get the "internet generation" which is a much better term I believe, and that is by offering a quality product or service. Apple is still growing because their products are great, people are cancelling their cable service because the product is shitty....does this make sense? Apparently not because companies would rather drone on about social media and "fun events" rather than providing honest customer testimonials explaining why we should use their product.
Within the next few months I will be launching my own business, and I will use what I've learned from 15+ years as an internet addict to attempt to build and grow this business. Doing this won't be easy but it sure as hell will be more rewarding than watching assholes take advantage of younger customers and employees. So instead of figuring out how to value a "like", I will be charging for a product and utilizing Facebook and Twitter to promote said product. It seems alarmingly simple but it's something that most companies with 60+ year old leadership are failing at massively.
This blog has a lot of posts bitching about older generations, and I feel I should end this post with an explanation. I'm so upset about this because I know I'm a better employee/worker/person than most of you, but I am stuck in a rigid system of conformity and mindless merit-based hiring practices. This is shit you started and accepted. In my past work experience (note I said PAST and not current as my current employer is fantastic and progressive) here are some things that go on which I can't believe are still happening in 2012 (AND IT'S YOUR FUCKING FAULT). So if any of you manager types that are bored and reading this online because your employees are doing all of your work, here is why they hate your guts.
- Why are there 2 hour meetings that should only be 10 minutes?
- Why are work shifts set in hours instead of task completion? If someone completes a task in 2 hours that takes someone else 10 and then has 8 hours of boredom, why are they punished for being a better employee?
- Why do you give a fuck what any employee looks like if they get the job done correctly and quickly? It's 2012 and your stupid dress codes and anti-tattoo/piercing shit is dying fast.
- Why should anyone respect you just because you are older? No one has EVER given me a good reason for this, as respect is always earned and not given based on arbitrary age requirements. Oh and most of the "wisdom" they think they possess, can be Googled.
- Why do we have to be your IT department and still get paid less than Everyone in the IT department?
These are all giant disconnects I have noticed in the new "generation gap" and I hope that the generation I am from stands up for themselves more and realizes they don't have to work in this system, they can change it by being outspoken or doing their own shit.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Life's Pet Peeves
There
are issues that everyone has in life and some of them annoy me more than
others, here are some of the things peeve me the most:
1.
Slowness
This
is my hands down top pet peeve of all time. Nothing in life angers me more than
someone else slowing me down, and it seems that slowing me down is society's
master goal. I personally believe that
slowness is one of the rudest things that a person can do.
A
few specific examples:
- Driving
- Not immediately going when a
light turns from red to green
- Driving significantly under
the speed limit and blocking me in when it’s clear I’m trying to pass
- Stopping in the middle of the
road to turn around regardless of traffic situations
- Making unnecessary small talk
with the cashier when a long line is behind you
2. The Telephone
I hate talking on the phone, part of it is that I have a hard time hearing after years of extremely loud rock concerts, the other part is that it is presumptuous and rude. If someone texts or e-mails me something I can send a reply at my convenience without interrupting any meeting, conversation or event that I may be at. A phone call, however, requires me to drop everything to speak with you at this given second. Phone calls should be used only in times where it is easier/more convenient than a text or e-mail.
Telephone use is something that is very generational, in my workplace I have noticed that those over 40 are much more apt to communicate via phone, whereas those who are younger will use alternate methods. Under this umbrella are Voice-mails too, which are probably the most annoying thing on earth. They wouldn't bother me at all if people knew how to leave accurate, succinct messages. This however never happens and instead I have to listen to a minute or more of rambling, boring nonsense.
The next time you need to get ahold of someone and have the phone in your hand, THINK. Is this a message better suited for a text? Usually it is.
3. People Who Don't Google First
In 2012 it is unacceptable to ask me questions like "How do you spell this word?", "Give me directions to Warren from here" or "When is the Nine Inch Nails concert?"
This is another issue that is influenced highly by age, as those who grew up with the Internet generally know how to find information faster (although the Millennials are failing miserably at most aspects of Boolean Logic). If you want another reason that the young folks are bitter at older generations, it is that we are generally their personal library service, providing whatever information they request at the drop of a hat. This ability to do something they are too stubborn/lazy to do on their own usually results in no pay increase for us, instead just bitterness that the older generation can't figure out how to use Google.
4. Dress Codes
Another outdated custom that needs to go away for good. A good percentage of the population actually believes that there is a point to wearing a shirt and tie or "professional attire" to show professionalism. In reality all this attire does is mask incompetence.
Dress Codes are something enforced by old people who are bitter that our generation is changing a meaningless custom. It is important for us to break dress codes as often as possible to ensure future generations will not have this nonsense. It's important that young folks realize that these rules do not need to be respected and this can change if you FORCE these organizations to change.
5. Overhype
This is something that isn't going away and it has ruined many great things. There is nothing worse than people talking seemingly non-stop about something you love, because it will inevitably lead to disappointment and over-saturation. Ignoring all hype is the best first step to fixing this issue.
6. The Music/Media/Publishing/Film Industries
These industries HATE THEIR FANS. Filing lawsuits against fans, making it next to impossible to effectively use their digital products on the device of your choice because of DRM and of course there is the huge factor of being a complete rip off.
Record Labels love to waste money. They used to be able to waste as much as they wanted because of how much they gouged the end consumer who purchased their products. File sharing came along and then the record labels got angry that consumers were now able to say FUCK YOU to the greedy asshole labels. So now after failed legislation and an almost dead business model, the industry has ran out of good ideas.
Thankfully independent artists like The Weeknd, Odd Future, Danny Brown, Trent Reznor and Radiohead have realized that the economic value of pre-recorded music in 2012 is zero and it should be used as a tool for other revenue streams.
Friday, July 20, 2012
How To Get Free Or Cheap Textbooks, and why you should
Community Colleges offer a variety of classes in useful subjects for an extremely fair price to anyone in the community who wishes to learn. The quality of education is the same as a 4-Year college and it is a great help to the area. The only downfall of this is textbooks!
The part of the college experience that is (seemingly) a necessity at every level is a textbook. Inside this book is tons of information that you can find on the Internet for free, it's a good thing these books are very reasonably priced and usually ONLY cost between $100 and $200 each. In order to ensure maximum profits the textbook publishers make sure to release a new edition every year so that used booksellers can no longer sell the previous edition, therefore eliminating reselling. There is also the unspoken fact that the publishers often pay teachers to ensure that their books are used, this is all purely speculation of course.
Well all of this is known and it annoys/rips off anyone who has ever taken a college class. So while making ridiculous (how much money goes into a $200 16th edition of a Biology textbook?) profits on each new edition, the textbook guys realized that they weren't making enough money and thought that it's about time we make sure NO ONE is able to learn for free. The idea is students must buy an online access code to participate in the class, and if they do not purchase it then their grade is lowered. Makes you wonder why Gen Y believes that a degree is something you pay for and the means don't matter as long as the end result is that piece of paper, eh?
This is similar to the entire for-profit college experience where schools screw their athletes, screw their employees and most importantly screw the students. Societal norms however state that in order to become a success, a college degree is necessary and since these schools are "enlightening" the students, it is less likely they will ever be called out on their shit. To make sure that this post isn't just me bitching about the state of higher-education in America, I wanted to offer some good advice on how to get textbooks for nothing or next to nothing without resulting to piracy. Don't get me wrong, piracy of the textbook industry's product makes me very happy but rumor has it this archaic country still has stupid laws that must be followed.
So since we don't want to break any laws, here are some legal ways to fuck the textbook publishing industry and save yourself potentially hundreds of dollars:
1. Buy Older Editions
This is by far the most preferred of the suggestions, it has never failed me and most likely saved me at least $2000. As I mentioned before publishers are notorious for releasing updates every year with next to no changes, because apparently Accounting changes so much from year to year that this is a necessity. Well the trick is to buy a used book of a previous edition, which you can usually find on Amazon.com for next to nothing. An example I will use this Accounting Textbook that is the 14th edition and an extremely affordable $195.92 to purchase new (WHY THE FUCK DOES IT COST MORE THAN AN XBOX 360!?!?!). If you were to purchase the 13th edition of the same textbook on Amazon.com used it would cost $11.21! The changes between editions are so minimal that it is unnoticeable and the extra software they often bundle in is rarely, if ever used. Plus there is the satisfaction that the little money you do spend is going toward someone who was fucked by the publishers.
2. Use Your School Library
Almost all school libraries keep at least one copy of a textbook on hand from each class it offers, these are usually free for students to use for a certain period of time. It's fairly simple to copy any of the information and often the only information needed that can't be found online are questions for homework or assignments.
3. Pool Your Money With Friends
If you are lucky enough to have multiple friends in a class, it's simple to just throw your money together and purchase a textbook which can be passed around as needed. This isn't the most convenient but it beats wasting money on an unnecessary book.
4. Just Don't Buy A Book
The content of about 60% of the courses I had in college were entirely based on the teacher's notes and lectures, with the book being unused. Whatever you do, don't buy the book before the first class! Wait until a few weeks go by and see if you really need it, because oftentimes you don't. Effective Google search techniques found any information I ever needed.
Remember, our unethical Government is mostly on the side of "Big Education" and often will create or modify legislation to protect whatever shady business dealings the industry participates in. When can someone from the Pearson or McGraw-Hill give an honest answer as to why the fuck a book costs $100+ in 2012? The answer is never because there isn't one. The industry is taking advantage of students and most of these students have no idea there are legal methods to avoid them.
In case you have ever pirated a textbook in the past (something we would never recommend here) don't feel too bad because it only cost the publisher about $4 to print, bind and ship. Of course publishers will state that this doesn't include the $15,000 spent on creating the "Professional PowerPoint" included with the book, the untold fortune spent on bland clip-art licensing and the costs of sending free sample books to every professor in the free world, all of which are completely necessary in order to create a textbook of course.
When spending money to support this corrupt industry, remember that Pearson is not just the largest textbook publisher but also the largest publisher period with revenue of over $9 billion dollars in 2011. The amount of money they are making and wasting is staggering, and that money is coming directly out of your pocket when you buy one of their products.
It's important to note that "Big Education" is the true culprit behind all of this and the blame is actually more on their shoulders than anyone else. The Open Textbook concept is one that should be integrated and utilized by every reputable educational institution in the world, yet it is finding resistance from professors, school administration and of course from their out of touch and greedy competition themselves.
I guess academia's misguided and naive opinion of Wikipedia is emblematic of why something like open textbooks have not grown. Throughout college professors would lambaste and ridicule Wikipedia, repeatedly claiming that it is not reputable and "anyone can edit it!" so it must not be any good. Well EDUCATORS, tell me a better, cheaper and more thorough resource than Wikipedia that currently or ever has existed? Every single paper I completed in school was done so using Wikipedia as my main resource, of course citing it would have caused World War 3 but it's funny that I used the sources provided by Wikipedia as my sources and all of a sudden I have a finely researched paper.
Wikipedia and Open Source Education in general are a bit similar to Economics, in that aspects of human behavior create an unknown balance resulting in an efficient system. When an article is edited incorrectly, it is usually fixed quickly and when a fact is provided that is not cited, it is made clear to the reader. This along with leaving the ability to add information open creates a virtually unlimited knowledge base it is possible to tap into. Open Source Textbooks have been criticized for quality by many and this is a valid criticism, but it is one that will be remedied in the near future as the knowledge base grows. There is no way a new work can compete with a 13th edition that has been refined for anywhere from 10 to 40 years. If you explain all the points I stated above to the average University Professor or Dean they would be completely unable to understand the concept because they are clueless to the shift in economic value of data.
I find it funny that Joseph Henry Vogel who filed the patent mentioned earlier is an Economics professor in Puerto Rico with a Doctorate in the field. While browsing his website I noticed that he values the spreading of information and also the fair market value of the work in providing that information. Unfortunately, Mr. Vogel fails to realize that the market value of that information is quickly dwindling and the medium to convey it is now free. The fact that this blog posting by a rather anonymous 27 year old will probably get more views than much of his work is a great (and terrifying) illustration of this point.
It also appears that Mr. Vogel views piracy of textbooks as a crime that has so far been unpunished, which comes across to me as arrogant, self-righteous and once again, naive. Joseph Henry Vogel has authored or co-authored 4 works listed on Amazon.com, since these are geared toward academia the cost of a new copy range from average to ridiculous ($110 for Genes For Sale) and while the high prices may be to an institution or publishing company owning the rights to the work, it is still an example of the issue at hand. There is absolutely no reason educational materials should be this expensive for the public to access, none. With all due respect to Mr. Vogel, in 2012 your ideas are simply not worth anywhere near the actual cost.
I guess our biggest difference is that you come from an era where the perception of college is the noble and upstanding pursuit of knowledge, which at that time it was. This credibility and perception, the view of someone with an advanced degree has not changed and that is where the problem lies. I and others consider myself more well read and informed than many "experts" in various fields of interest. But because I chose to not waste money and teach myself, I lack that line on my resume that says I'm an expert. Which in 2012 is what a degree means, a line on a resume.
The part of the college experience that is (seemingly) a necessity at every level is a textbook. Inside this book is tons of information that you can find on the Internet for free, it's a good thing these books are very reasonably priced and usually ONLY cost between $100 and $200 each. In order to ensure maximum profits the textbook publishers make sure to release a new edition every year so that used booksellers can no longer sell the previous edition, therefore eliminating reselling. There is also the unspoken fact that the publishers often pay teachers to ensure that their books are used, this is all purely speculation of course.
Well all of this is known and it annoys/rips off anyone who has ever taken a college class. So while making ridiculous (how much money goes into a $200 16th edition of a Biology textbook?) profits on each new edition, the textbook guys realized that they weren't making enough money and thought that it's about time we make sure NO ONE is able to learn for free. The idea is students must buy an online access code to participate in the class, and if they do not purchase it then their grade is lowered. Makes you wonder why Gen Y believes that a degree is something you pay for and the means don't matter as long as the end result is that piece of paper, eh?
This is similar to the entire for-profit college experience where schools screw their athletes, screw their employees and most importantly screw the students. Societal norms however state that in order to become a success, a college degree is necessary and since these schools are "enlightening" the students, it is less likely they will ever be called out on their shit. To make sure that this post isn't just me bitching about the state of higher-education in America, I wanted to offer some good advice on how to get textbooks for nothing or next to nothing without resulting to piracy. Don't get me wrong, piracy of the textbook industry's product makes me very happy but rumor has it this archaic country still has stupid laws that must be followed.
So since we don't want to break any laws, here are some legal ways to fuck the textbook publishing industry and save yourself potentially hundreds of dollars:
1. Buy Older Editions
This is by far the most preferred of the suggestions, it has never failed me and most likely saved me at least $2000. As I mentioned before publishers are notorious for releasing updates every year with next to no changes, because apparently Accounting changes so much from year to year that this is a necessity. Well the trick is to buy a used book of a previous edition, which you can usually find on Amazon.com for next to nothing. An example I will use this Accounting Textbook that is the 14th edition and an extremely affordable $195.92 to purchase new (WHY THE FUCK DOES IT COST MORE THAN AN XBOX 360!?!?!). If you were to purchase the 13th edition of the same textbook on Amazon.com used it would cost $11.21! The changes between editions are so minimal that it is unnoticeable and the extra software they often bundle in is rarely, if ever used. Plus there is the satisfaction that the little money you do spend is going toward someone who was fucked by the publishers.
2. Use Your School Library
Almost all school libraries keep at least one copy of a textbook on hand from each class it offers, these are usually free for students to use for a certain period of time. It's fairly simple to copy any of the information and often the only information needed that can't be found online are questions for homework or assignments.
3. Pool Your Money With Friends
If you are lucky enough to have multiple friends in a class, it's simple to just throw your money together and purchase a textbook which can be passed around as needed. This isn't the most convenient but it beats wasting money on an unnecessary book.
4. Just Don't Buy A Book
The content of about 60% of the courses I had in college were entirely based on the teacher's notes and lectures, with the book being unused. Whatever you do, don't buy the book before the first class! Wait until a few weeks go by and see if you really need it, because oftentimes you don't. Effective Google search techniques found any information I ever needed.
Remember, our unethical Government is mostly on the side of "Big Education" and often will create or modify legislation to protect whatever shady business dealings the industry participates in. When can someone from the Pearson or McGraw-Hill give an honest answer as to why the fuck a book costs $100+ in 2012? The answer is never because there isn't one. The industry is taking advantage of students and most of these students have no idea there are legal methods to avoid them.
In case you have ever pirated a textbook in the past (something we would never recommend here) don't feel too bad because it only cost the publisher about $4 to print, bind and ship. Of course publishers will state that this doesn't include the $15,000 spent on creating the "Professional PowerPoint" included with the book, the untold fortune spent on bland clip-art licensing and the costs of sending free sample books to every professor in the free world, all of which are completely necessary in order to create a textbook of course.
When spending money to support this corrupt industry, remember that Pearson is not just the largest textbook publisher but also the largest publisher period with revenue of over $9 billion dollars in 2011. The amount of money they are making and wasting is staggering, and that money is coming directly out of your pocket when you buy one of their products.
It's important to note that "Big Education" is the true culprit behind all of this and the blame is actually more on their shoulders than anyone else. The Open Textbook concept is one that should be integrated and utilized by every reputable educational institution in the world, yet it is finding resistance from professors, school administration and of course from their out of touch and greedy competition themselves.
I guess academia's misguided and naive opinion of Wikipedia is emblematic of why something like open textbooks have not grown. Throughout college professors would lambaste and ridicule Wikipedia, repeatedly claiming that it is not reputable and "anyone can edit it!" so it must not be any good. Well EDUCATORS, tell me a better, cheaper and more thorough resource than Wikipedia that currently or ever has existed? Every single paper I completed in school was done so using Wikipedia as my main resource, of course citing it would have caused World War 3 but it's funny that I used the sources provided by Wikipedia as my sources and all of a sudden I have a finely researched paper.
Wikipedia and Open Source Education in general are a bit similar to Economics, in that aspects of human behavior create an unknown balance resulting in an efficient system. When an article is edited incorrectly, it is usually fixed quickly and when a fact is provided that is not cited, it is made clear to the reader. This along with leaving the ability to add information open creates a virtually unlimited knowledge base it is possible to tap into. Open Source Textbooks have been criticized for quality by many and this is a valid criticism, but it is one that will be remedied in the near future as the knowledge base grows. There is no way a new work can compete with a 13th edition that has been refined for anywhere from 10 to 40 years. If you explain all the points I stated above to the average University Professor or Dean they would be completely unable to understand the concept because they are clueless to the shift in economic value of data.
I find it funny that Joseph Henry Vogel who filed the patent mentioned earlier is an Economics professor in Puerto Rico with a Doctorate in the field. While browsing his website I noticed that he values the spreading of information and also the fair market value of the work in providing that information. Unfortunately, Mr. Vogel fails to realize that the market value of that information is quickly dwindling and the medium to convey it is now free. The fact that this blog posting by a rather anonymous 27 year old will probably get more views than much of his work is a great (and terrifying) illustration of this point.
It also appears that Mr. Vogel views piracy of textbooks as a crime that has so far been unpunished, which comes across to me as arrogant, self-righteous and once again, naive. Joseph Henry Vogel has authored or co-authored 4 works listed on Amazon.com, since these are geared toward academia the cost of a new copy range from average to ridiculous ($110 for Genes For Sale) and while the high prices may be to an institution or publishing company owning the rights to the work, it is still an example of the issue at hand. There is absolutely no reason educational materials should be this expensive for the public to access, none. With all due respect to Mr. Vogel, in 2012 your ideas are simply not worth anywhere near the actual cost.
I guess our biggest difference is that you come from an era where the perception of college is the noble and upstanding pursuit of knowledge, which at that time it was. This credibility and perception, the view of someone with an advanced degree has not changed and that is where the problem lies. I and others consider myself more well read and informed than many "experts" in various fields of interest. But because I chose to not waste money and teach myself, I lack that line on my resume that says I'm an expert. Which in 2012 is what a degree means, a line on a resume.
Friday, July 13, 2012
I know what I like, and I know what I hate
Often folks get the idea that I'm always mad or depressed, this isn't the case at all. The truth is there are a severely limited few things that make me happy, a few things that piss me off and a TON of things I could care less about it. As I have aged it seemed obvious to cut out the things I hate and the things I don't care about from my life, therefore there are only about 4 or 5 things that truly make me happy.
I also know that pretty much every friend I have had in my life has fucked me over, some more than others. It seems that when people meet someone different from them (like me) they immediately want to change them into something they are not. I really don't care for most people, I fake it to get along in life but I am much happier alone.
I also know that pretty much every friend I have had in my life has fucked me over, some more than others. It seems that when people meet someone different from them (like me) they immediately want to change them into something they are not. I really don't care for most people, I fake it to get along in life but I am much happier alone.
There is also the added fact that if you don't allow anyone to become your friend you will take away their ability to hurt you in the end. I recently made the mistake of allowing someone new to be a friend, I will NOT make this mistake again.
I will die alone, and that is EXACTLY how I want it :-)
I will die alone, and that is EXACTLY how I want it :-)
Friday, June 29, 2012
So there's this girl....
Personally this has been a tough week for me for reasons I don't wish to go into here. Compounding this issue is one of realizing who gives a shit and who doesn't. There is this girl that I have been friends with for months, she became my best friend and it was obvious there was something there...although neither one of us could pinpoint it.
Well after a stressful week she proved that she did not care about me at all, all she cared about was getting fucked by some guy who will treat her like shit. Maybe this is the "nice guy syndrome" but fuck that, that's who I am and I don't give a shit if someone likes it or not. So I finally give someone a chance at my friendship and they completely fuck me over.
I can't think any less of you right now, I think you are a terrible person who takes advantage of people when they are low. I wish I could tell you this all to your face but it is for the best if I do not speak to you, so instead I will sit here lamenting losing my best friend during a trying time.
Well after a stressful week she proved that she did not care about me at all, all she cared about was getting fucked by some guy who will treat her like shit. Maybe this is the "nice guy syndrome" but fuck that, that's who I am and I don't give a shit if someone likes it or not. So I finally give someone a chance at my friendship and they completely fuck me over.
I can't think any less of you right now, I think you are a terrible person who takes advantage of people when they are low. I wish I could tell you this all to your face but it is for the best if I do not speak to you, so instead I will sit here lamenting losing my best friend during a trying time.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Baby Boomers & Millennials, and Mitch Albom is Terrible
After a very successful comment to one of Mitch Albom's horrible articles, a discussion started that I felt important to share my portion here:
Yeah the Baby Boomers are screwing over my generation, but they are also allowing us to live in their houses while times are tough for our generation....so at least it evens out somewhat. It's just too bad that the media (traditionally the type that skews older) LOVES to destroy the "millennial" generation without understanding the problems or issues. I also work in an office where I am by far the youngest person, and almost all of my co-workers and I get along great (it turned out to be a huge benefit to have significantly older parents) but there are some things I noticed throughout my organization...
To make a ridiculous sweeping generation like Mr. Albom does, many of the 50+ set who make a lot of money are TERRIBLE employees and aren't very smart. It's disheartening explaining how to use Microsoft Word to someone who makes $50,000+ a year and you are making $20,000, it's also disheartening being the only person in the office who can answer a question within seconds yet still being looked down upon because you are young. I have been told and I feel that I'm better at business writing, public speaking, computer assistance of all sorts, customer service and even at things like math and spelling than almost ALL of the 50+ year old employees who believe their skills are still relevant to do today's work.
From ridiculous stereotypes I have made these generalizations about the issues between generations:
Older Generations (50+ is about right):
- Believe they are "due respect" just because they have managed not to die yet.
- HATES that young people have the balls to wear what they want to work, moreso that the young folks will QUIT rather than follow their stupid dress codes and other useless rules
- Most are the kindest, nicest and warm hearted people you have met and working with these sort of folks is amazing. One of the 50+ ladies in the office has taught me more than anyone else in the organization and did it in a humble and sweet way. There is no way a millenial could be this nice consistently.
- Lack of basic understanding about many aspects of life for younger generations, this lack of understanding leads to perceptions that aren't true (is the employee on the phone texting or sending a work e-mail? is he taking notes on his phone in the meeting or playing angry birds?)
- Get extremely mad when things aren't done "their way" because they are not used to having their authority checked.
- Believe that processes and policies should be followed 100% regardless of how it is violated and if the end result is successful.
- Many will not speak with you if you say you are an Atheist, young folks do this too but nowhere near to the degree as the older generations.
Younger Generations (About 32 and under):
- Lack the ability to have a traditional face-to-face conversation in the same manner that the 50+ set so much loves. THIS ISN'T BAD! It's just different.
- Far too nice, our politeness (mine included) is what is hurting us the most. We are smarter than most of the people in charge of us but we are too polite and humble to say that. If we would start being more insistent maybe things would change for the better.
- Too idealistic and we find declaring specific goals to be difficult (Just look at Occupy). This has a lot to do with us being too "nice" as well.
- Accepting of other cultures, sexuality, nationalities and religions. This is good and bad, the bad part being we have been taught to be accepting for so long that we forgot there are some people we CANNOT accept (pedophiles, rapists, murderers, thieves, evil politicians)
- Some of us resent the older generations dismissal of things as "not important" when in reality it's extremely important to a good part of the population.
FINAL POINT:
My final point is this, Old people are overwhelmingly against gay marriage, ending the war on drugs, "free" internet culture, lowering taxes, global warming and a billion other things that will actually progress society. It is this reason that my connotation of old people has always been a negative one, it's not our fault that we are better educated and have access to better tools than you did. Yes your generation helped us get these, and I know this will be an example of how we are "entitled" but it also is an example of how your generation needs to grow the hell up and quick.
Yeah the Baby Boomers are screwing over my generation, but they are also allowing us to live in their houses while times are tough for our generation....so at least it evens out somewhat. It's just too bad that the media (traditionally the type that skews older) LOVES to destroy the "millennial" generation without understanding the problems or issues. I also work in an office where I am by far the youngest person, and almost all of my co-workers and I get along great (it turned out to be a huge benefit to have significantly older parents) but there are some things I noticed throughout my organization...
To make a ridiculous sweeping generation like Mr. Albom does, many of the 50+ set who make a lot of money are TERRIBLE employees and aren't very smart. It's disheartening explaining how to use Microsoft Word to someone who makes $50,000+ a year and you are making $20,000, it's also disheartening being the only person in the office who can answer a question within seconds yet still being looked down upon because you are young. I have been told and I feel that I'm better at business writing, public speaking, computer assistance of all sorts, customer service and even at things like math and spelling than almost ALL of the 50+ year old employees who believe their skills are still relevant to do today's work.
From ridiculous stereotypes I have made these generalizations about the issues between generations:
Older Generations (50+ is about right):
- Believe they are "due respect" just because they have managed not to die yet.
- HATES that young people have the balls to wear what they want to work, moreso that the young folks will QUIT rather than follow their stupid dress codes and other useless rules
- Most are the kindest, nicest and warm hearted people you have met and working with these sort of folks is amazing. One of the 50+ ladies in the office has taught me more than anyone else in the organization and did it in a humble and sweet way. There is no way a millenial could be this nice consistently.
- Lack of basic understanding about many aspects of life for younger generations, this lack of understanding leads to perceptions that aren't true (is the employee on the phone texting or sending a work e-mail? is he taking notes on his phone in the meeting or playing angry birds?)
- Get extremely mad when things aren't done "their way" because they are not used to having their authority checked.
- Believe that processes and policies should be followed 100% regardless of how it is violated and if the end result is successful.
- Many will not speak with you if you say you are an Atheist, young folks do this too but nowhere near to the degree as the older generations.
Younger Generations (About 32 and under):
- Lack the ability to have a traditional face-to-face conversation in the same manner that the 50+ set so much loves. THIS ISN'T BAD! It's just different.
- Far too nice, our politeness (mine included) is what is hurting us the most. We are smarter than most of the people in charge of us but we are too polite and humble to say that. If we would start being more insistent maybe things would change for the better.
- Too idealistic and we find declaring specific goals to be difficult (Just look at Occupy). This has a lot to do with us being too "nice" as well.
- Accepting of other cultures, sexuality, nationalities and religions. This is good and bad, the bad part being we have been taught to be accepting for so long that we forgot there are some people we CANNOT accept (pedophiles, rapists, murderers, thieves, evil politicians)
- Some of us resent the older generations dismissal of things as "not important" when in reality it's extremely important to a good part of the population.
FINAL POINT:
My final point is this, Old people are overwhelmingly against gay marriage, ending the war on drugs, "free" internet culture, lowering taxes, global warming and a billion other things that will actually progress society. It is this reason that my connotation of old people has always been a negative one, it's not our fault that we are better educated and have access to better tools than you did. Yes your generation helped us get these, and I know this will be an example of how we are "entitled" but it also is an example of how your generation needs to grow the hell up and quick.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Why Men Don't Want A Relationship
I'm 27 and the longest relationship I have ever been in was about 6 months, the reason for this is that I was (and probably still am) completely unable at having one. The easy to describe reason for this is that I'm really really into myself, not in a narcissistic shallow way, but in a "I want to do what I want, when I want" kind of way. The older I get the more I realize that wasting my life doing unenjoyable things is not fun, therefore why do it?
This mindset has been one I've questioned a lot recently because of someone I met. I am notorious for only considering a relationshp after I've been friends with a girl for a long time, this always ends me up in the "friend zone" for better or worse. For me it was always a matter of actually enjoying spending time with a girl, so adding sex to the equation too soon will prohibit me from getting to know her better. Since most guys are into finding a hole as quickly as possible to bang, this leaves women with the perception that since I havent tried to sleep with you yet, I'm interested.
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