Blogging Progress

Statistics: If you check out your blog's "Stats" page to follow your readership, what information do you learn about your audience? What posts have gotten the most/least views—and what does that suggest to you?

Writer's block: What have you learned from your struggles with writer's block? Why do you tend to get stuck? How do you tend to get unstuck? Notice any patterns?

 Feedback you gave: In what ways do writing response posts to classmates' blogs help you become a better writer, reader, or thinker? Are there other ways in which your classmates' blogs help you learn?

                Change, let alone improvement, is a very hard thing to notice while still in the motions. Stepping away from yourself to reflect is an out of body experience. Posting blogs is a way for me to express who I am to anyone who is interested, but at the root it’s really for myself. Who I am is constantly changing, evolving, learning. At times it can be hard to keep up with myself. My journey through senior year English thus far has brought me a new feature to gawk at, face to face with an old enemy, writers block, and the complicated obligation to socialize over an internet medium.

Blogger’s new, at least to me, stats page has definitely made me more aware of the kind of material I would submit to the world. Back in the day, I was only aware of the people immediately around me so I would ramble on about everything and nothing. However, being aware of my newly found audience I try to keep an open mind to the vast amount of cultures that are out there. According to my stats my Unwind post has received the most views at 69(All time). The post turned out to be interesting because I was genuinely in love with the book. That showed itself in the quality of the post and naturally gained views. My other popular posts (40-17views) have been mainly about events outside the US. When people go online they are taking a break(usually) from their real world issues, which unfortunately a lot of people blame on the US. I know I probably wouldn’t actively search out US related posts when I would hear the exact same thing on the news in a bit. Perhaps people look at my blog, or any of ours really, to try to see things through our shoes, and to see what the youth of the US are interested in. Then again I have no idea what the “bounce” rate of views are, which would relay the “juiciness” of our posts.   The Netherlands and Germany are my most frequented foreign visitors with 80 and 53 views respectively. Seeing this has made me really think about the grade of writer I am. I’ve always felt comfortable expressing my opinions, but when people from other countries are genuinely(assumed) interested in your posts it becomes extremely flattering. Which we all could use.

Ah my old nemesis, Writer’s Block. We’ve been in this perpetual dance since my academic life began to bloom. We have a rather confusing relationship with one another. At times Writer’s Block can be so distant, not paying me any mind, but other times Writer’s Block can really get in your face. It is peculiar how Writer’s Block comes in extremes, and never(for me) in the betweens of not around and stalking. Something that helped me shoo it away was simply looking at it. Writer’s Block. I own that Block, it is under my command. I either allow it to funk up my writing, or I can plow right on until it’s far far away, harassing some other poor student, no doubt. Taking a quick scan of my blog it became easy to determine whether or not I was suffering from Writer’s Block. Posts that were the bare minimum, had more grammar/spelling errors then usual, or had suddenly jumped back and forth between tops are clear indicators of my struggles with Writer’s Block. If I accidently stray into a topic I’m not too familiar with(such as foreign countries and what they’ re up to) I will start trying to make any sort of connection between the familiar and the unfamiliar. Writer’s Block is usually warded off by choosing topics in which you have genuine interest in, as it tends to flow better.  In reflection, I tend to get the block when I was in a foul mood before the writing ever happened. The big picture I have gotten from dealing with Writer’s Block, and advice I give to other people, is that a majority of it comes from your own mindset. If you tell yourself writing will be tedious, then that clever mind of yours will make the work tedious.

                Being forced to comment on someone’s blog unnerved me the first few weeks it was instituted. I could not bring myself to comment on any random post, it had to be of an interesting nature. Which made me read more people’s posts, and at the same time made me think about their subject in more depth than I would have under any other circumstance. Taking comments very seriously definitely had an impact on the way I wrote my blog posts. It was a challenge for myself to get some good comments to start an informal discussion over blogger. I wanted to write about interesting things to spark some sort of back and forth. While some conversations did spark, their flame lasted only until the next blog was due. Then the chase began anew. The comment system made me more of a critical reader, rather than an indifferent one. Without fully comprehending my peer’s posts I would make a fool of myself if I were to try to chime in with my own two cents. Comments made me get the facts before I would be willing to put myself out there. That is something I deem valuable, research has always been a bit of a hurdle for me.

Uplifted restrictions

With Mr. Sutherland no longer leading our english class, the chains on our blogs have been lifted. Which means I can say whatever the fuck I want to, thanks Mr. Bill o' Rights. That was harsh, and intended towards my school's administrative personnel. You see they had forced our teacher to no longer allow us to post on our blogs(as a school assignment) leaving me fuming with rage, as I felt my constitutional rights were being violated. However, it was explained to me that since it was for school, school had a right to regulate what it is that we put out there in the public...since we represent them(kinda).  Well no more, no we have the power to blog as we wish.

Now I want to clarify that my posts aren't going to be negative like that last tidbit, I just felt I needed to get that off my chest. 

Today I have decided to start my own personal diary/journal/log call it what you will they are all the same to me. In doing so I really hope to organize my life more and focus on what is important to me. I've also heard that keeping a log of dreams (mine will be of everything) really helps you remember dreams overall more clearly. I'm going to take this big fat notebook with me everywhere. At this point I'm relatively confident that I want to keep my journal private, but things may change as the future comes around.

To begin my life's new organization I am cleaning my room, after all it's where I spend the majority of my time(home) and it should reflect me. Right now it's a mess, so I'm going to change that.

Good night internet.
~Adam

[RE] ermm Germs.

Reading Haley Toot's blog I came across her Germs post, and it just made me want to comment on a few things that she brought up.

"   Viruses, bacteria, germs. Those are the real creepy crawlies that go bump in the night. They hold all the power in the world. They can decimate populations, cure diseases, and ruin someone's week.[...] They are an impartial organism, only doing what they are meant to do, but what they are meant to do can be very good, or very bad."

I love the fact that Haley did not fail to mention that germs, while usually cast in a bad light, are in fact extremely helpful to humanity. So many things that people consider germs, and try to get rid of, are often times just microbial beings that have no known intentions, but pure instinct. I thin kit is vital for people to understand that germs can be just as good to humans as we automatically think they are bad for us.

I am not a person to back cleaning your hands every 5 minutes with some weird alcohol fluid(hand sanitizer). Those fluids kill 99% of ALL germs, it does not discriminate towards which germs it exterminates. It kills the good guys as well as the bad guys. Well what happens if you have no good guys or bad guys, then you touch something bad... then your skin is exposed to only the bad guys with no counters available. We need our good germs!

People who don't expose themselves to germs are more suspect-able to become infected at a later stage of life, and in a more severe way. By running around with germs you are making your body adapt and create anti bodies of those bad ones, so once they come by again your body is already prepared to kill off a second offender with more speed and more efficiency.

In all, embrace germs! Make your body resilient. Or spend a good portion of your life plotting every moment to make sure exposure is at minimum level for the rest of your life.

[free] Just a mom

Just A Mom Protesting Wall Street - Imgur

Hmm people like this that sway my fence sitting butt over to the side of taking action rather then observe. My initial thoughts to the Occupy movement was, " Oh no here comes another quick spike of young political involvement. I wonder how long it will take for their parents to take back their allowance and for them to give up." Now as time has passed, organization becoming more existent, and accompanied with a population of people who are actually committing themselves to this cause with a background that holds significance I believe that this whole thing is carrying much more momentum.

Popular sovereignty is what the United States claims to support. The simple idea that the majority of people are more likely to be correct over the minority of people. That the combined knowledge votes in favor of progressing current society and the ideas they hold. Then if you replace human with money, but keep the popular sovereignty idea our current situation makes so much sense. The people with the most money decide what happens to everyone. Hmm high chance I am over simplifying this...  But this is how I am translating this situation and how it came to be without much fuss... until now.

United the people stand, divided we crumble. This was something I saw in early Occupy movements. Too many people had different voices praising this or condemning that. It could have been 12 mini movements that happened to gather in one spot and yell the loudest. Now, from what I've heard, meetings are being more scheduled and focused, partys are dieing down (You cant liv in an area with constant party), and overall seriousness is being awakened.


I am going to have to visit, soon.

[CE] Indo democrasi

While looking through the articles form Al Jazeera I cam across a link of Indonesian troops attacking  pro-independence activists in Eastern Papau.

Being form Indonesia I felt weird reading this. What I remember from my brief trips to Indonesia is a young democracy that had just gotten rid of a dictatorship, and was now following the footsteps of young United States. Perhaps Indonesia is following in the US's footsteps too closely as the Indonesian gov't is restraining pro independence protestors in Papau. Wait, America has never taken over a land held by people who were there first and wish to be independent right? Oh right.. Native Americans and Hawaii.

Is popular sovereignty accompanied with democracy and the capitalistic mindset a justification to take over another group of people who wish to govern themselves off of their own belief? Of course it is. As long as whatever territory you are taking over has resources for you to exploit. Papau deserves to reap the profits from their own lands, or even to conserve them if they choose to.

Papau is not a very well developed... state/province. I'm not so sure many people have been exposed to what Papau wants, independence. This happens because it's hard to promote a cause when you're already working, protesting, and taking care of a family... it gets hard to send videos to major/trust-able news companies with low tech and such. Many residents of Papau choose to stay away from modern technology and ideas, and I say let them live their lives as they wish.

[biweek] The Look

   Cohen brings up right away that he's in competition with other companies in the challenge of capturing our attention as a people. Saying very subtly that we are no smarter than sheep; using one person dress in a certain way will ultimately lead the rest of the herd to dress in the similar fashion. Cohen is arguing that using the attractiveness of a person is crucial in conveying the message of a particular brand. Cohen is saying sex sells, and that it does. In Cohen’s argument, guys will follow attractive women, and with them, their wallets will follow. While Cohen's statement does hold some merit, most people go to stores to get a product, rather than socialize with the employees. People can unintentionally favor certain people over another, but when people catch themselves doing this they are more than likely rather try and improve their behaviour; unlike Cohen’s manipulation over the feelings.

   While I do not support Cohen’s argument, I do agree with it. People just find it extremely hard to get over their inadvertent tendencies for superficial attitudes.When people look at art they would rather look at something that is appealing for the eyes instead of something that is poorly drawn, yet holds very dense content. People will gravitate towards people whom they find attractive rather than take the required effort and talk to someone with an amazing background or ideas. Even with myself I can find fault with ease. If I am within a class and we’re assigned groups I catch myself acting extremely superficial. I tend to be more open and chatty towards people I deem attractive compared to those of which I don’t find all that attractive. I am a prime example of what Cohen is trying to staple society today as. I acknowledge this problem I have, but I am trying to change it so I am a more rounded person. Well rounded people are more approachable, and that is something i aim for in life. Cohen is after a profit, and in that mindset it is easy to get lost in shortcuts to gain positive advertisement. I do not really care for clothing stores, so I’m only exempt from this particular case, but not to the concept as a whole.

   I am completely against using attractive people, or people in general,  as a mobile billboard. The way Cohen so easily objectified people as moving advertisements can suggest an easy correlation that he believes humans are just bags of meat to ogle at. I am unaware of any human beings who are okay with being subjected to that sort of treatment. If people were to really like a product then they would naturally promote the brand by talking about it, it's unnecessary to hire attractive people solely if your product is good. This sort of action may backfire on you, hopefully all of this negative press is doing just that, and is a very risky gamble. To make your vital decisions on the basis of human ignorance is a heavy bet, especially when your targeted audience becomes aware of what it is exactly that drags them to your product. When you can get your brand or product mentioned in every day conversation, that's where efficiency and morality meet. I can't be behind a product that doesn't sell itself.

   What people really want from employees at a store is the confidence that they know how to get their job done at a professional level. I would never return to any kind of establishment that has really attractive employees, yet when I ask for help they end up being completely useless. “I tell employees that their main focus needs to be hiring somebody who can get the job done. When they want to hire a project a certain image, that’s when things can get screwy.”- Stephen J Roppolo. The process of using, or in this case selling something goes along the lines like this: First you have a good product you want to sell. Secondly you make sure the product is of quality and passes any inspections that are placed upon it. Lastly you add aesthetics onto said product to make it pretty. Hiring an attractive employee over a person who is more qualified is similar to having an item that is beautiful beyond belief, but with no function. If they can’t do anything to push products out of the door the employees themselves may be more of a distraction then an effective means of selling an item. The entire social aspect of Cohen’s argument may backfire just because the “boys who come the store to only look at pretty girls” may end up going to the store to just look at pretty girls without ever buying anything. When you have your employee being occupied by one person whose intentions are purely social you lose out on a customer who may be willing to pay money, but does not get any attention or help and ends up leaving.

   We, the people, have the power in our wallets as to whether or not we ALLOW a company to thrive or die. Many people are unable to grasp this concept that we are the ones responsible for the success of many shitty companies. Many people feel that as a single person they have no control over what profits a big company will receive, but their active choice of not wearing, or even talking negatively about said company will have enormous effects on how people will perceive that brand in their own social bubble. While many people can't be subjective, no matter how hard we try, the important thing is that you've tried and admitted that this is actually happening. Other people, such as Cohen, will take advantage of their realization of how we act and in turn will try to make a profit off of what we inadvertently do. While I do believe that Cohen makes a valid argument, we the people, are progressing in a way to force Cohen's statement to become invalid.

[CE] Rainbow Warrior III

So as I am trying to spread the word of the protest that Brandon Ng is holding on Wednesday (Im assisting) I came across a GreenPeace video. While the goals are not common, the organization is what where we are sending the results of next Wednesdays protest.



The Rainbow Warrior III. Quite the name.. hard to not think of a couple mean things to say about it...

GreenPeace is somewhat known to be a bit radical and act in extreme ways, some of you may have seen or heard of the show Whale Wars. To get a result you have to put in a effort of just as much value. The fact that they were attacked after poking around a nuclear testing site shows that GreenPeace will not shy away from any problem that is potentially disastrous towards our home, Earth.

My own personality would probably be a lot of notches more conservative than the actions used by the organization. I'd prefer the spoiled treatment of not risking my life, yet I want to see major changes in the way we collectively treat our planet. Now these changes require a not so timid approach. While my I am naturally more timid, I do want to do something to make a difference. Hence the protest Wednesday.

I'm finding it hard to find the legality of the radical measures taken by certain members of GreenPeace. I think that many of the people the ships like the Rainbow Warrior III are provoking have permits or have other legal documents saying that they are allowed to be there, form their respective governments. So I'm a bit uneasy as to them attacking people who feel like they took the proper legal steps in their activities.

But I also can see what the people aboard the Rainbow Warrior III are thinking. That we are all guests on this planet, and their are unwritten rules on how one should behave towards their host. To respect and care for our host is something that should be of significant importance. And no human should disregard our planet, in a fashion as we are now.

I'm a bit torn on argument I hold more merit towards. I do love the planet, but Im also in favor of more... peaceful measures.