Are you spellbound by a media induced trance? Am I? I know it's easy for me to spend hours sifting through my Facebook feed, clicking off into unexpected tangents and reading article upon article, opinion after opinion. It's sure a heck of a lot easier to do that than to fill a page on this blog or take the dog for a walk.
I'm the sort of person who, if it weren't for personal computers, would fill most of my day with sedentary activities anyway, so it's not as though I feel social media is pulling me away from what would be an otherwise active sort of lifestyle. Of course, I'm also a curious minded person who appreciates a multifaceted approach to the familiar.
For example, I might say to myself something like, "Facebook is a customizable platform I find useful for bringing a blend of current affairs, opinions, and humour to my attention in a convenient fashion. It's easy to use, and it allows me to connect with friends or other ordinary people."
Does this not ring true? It does for me. I also realize however that Facebook is highly advanced and complex system that uses artificially intelligent constructs to steer targeted advertising to the end user. I suspect it also tracks and tabulates every link a user clicks, and every word they type. Why wouldn't it? Does it bother me? Not yet! I posted this lame video on Facebook after punching around in OpenOffice Impress. It's an impressive piece of software that I managed to use in a very unimpressive way,
I could drive myself bonkers thinking about what sorts of data-based profiling initiatives may or may not exist in relation to my writing. Twitter's the same-same but different. It has a more linear feel to it. Recently I've gotten into some other websites like Stack Overflow and W3 Schools in my quest to learn how to effectively write code and get more out of my computing experience.
Another way to get news is through RSS feeds. I've always been aware of them, but only just recently have I begun to employ them as a way to browse headlines. I find that Mozilla Thunderbird, an email client, is great for processing the news feeds of my favorite media channels.
Or how about the Lynx web browser?
It can all be a little overwhelming as there's really no limitations to the ways in which one can cross-utilize different applications to filter and manipulate internet traffic.
Kicking back with a piping hot cup of coffee and taking-in a videotaped introductory university lecture can open regions of your brain you never knew existed. Although I was a bit of a laggard in high school maths, I've always found numbers and their geometry fascinating. Yesterday, while looking into using the Octave programming language, it reoccurred to me how deficient I am when it comes to more advanced mathematical concepts, and I happened upon one of professor Edward Frenkel's classes after nosing around with Google. He's really good:
I'm the sort of person who, if it weren't for personal computers, would fill most of my day with sedentary activities anyway, so it's not as though I feel social media is pulling me away from what would be an otherwise active sort of lifestyle. Of course, I'm also a curious minded person who appreciates a multifaceted approach to the familiar.
For example, I might say to myself something like, "Facebook is a customizable platform I find useful for bringing a blend of current affairs, opinions, and humour to my attention in a convenient fashion. It's easy to use, and it allows me to connect with friends or other ordinary people."
Does this not ring true? It does for me. I also realize however that Facebook is highly advanced and complex system that uses artificially intelligent constructs to steer targeted advertising to the end user. I suspect it also tracks and tabulates every link a user clicks, and every word they type. Why wouldn't it? Does it bother me? Not yet! I posted this lame video on Facebook after punching around in OpenOffice Impress. It's an impressive piece of software that I managed to use in a very unimpressive way,
I could drive myself bonkers thinking about what sorts of data-based profiling initiatives may or may not exist in relation to my writing. Twitter's the same-same but different. It has a more linear feel to it. Recently I've gotten into some other websites like Stack Overflow and W3 Schools in my quest to learn how to effectively write code and get more out of my computing experience.
Another way to get news is through RSS feeds. I've always been aware of them, but only just recently have I begun to employ them as a way to browse headlines. I find that Mozilla Thunderbird, an email client, is great for processing the news feeds of my favorite media channels.
Or how about the Lynx web browser?
 |
| A GIF screen capture of The Lynx browser channeling the CBC website on my Windows 7 desktop. |
It can all be a little overwhelming as there's really no limitations to the ways in which one can cross-utilize different applications to filter and manipulate internet traffic.
Kicking back with a piping hot cup of coffee and taking-in a videotaped introductory university lecture can open regions of your brain you never knew existed. Although I was a bit of a laggard in high school maths, I've always found numbers and their geometry fascinating. Yesterday, while looking into using the Octave programming language, it reoccurred to me how deficient I am when it comes to more advanced mathematical concepts, and I happened upon one of professor Edward Frenkel's classes after nosing around with Google. He's really good:
No comments:
Post a Comment