Me, MySpace and i(Tunes), Web 2.0 and You(Tube)

(C-Day minus 1, 4 edits, revisions and defence) Given that my thesis is on matters technological it requires that I keep up to date on the comings and goings of the web. As I say in my thesis though, the web now moves more and more quickly. Remember back in the (virtual) day when an internet meme (a unit of cultural information) would be funny and prominent for months? Star Wars Kid, Jackass antics, Chuck Norris. Now, a joke on the internet ceases to be funny 3 seconds after you read it. Lolcatz (?), dramatic chipmunk (?) and I am sure there are numerous other anthropomorphic animals with feelings/emotions/sitcoms and somebody to tape them. In fact, I think these memes passed through so quickly they ceased to be funny before they were even viewed. So what, the cats are English preteens? I don't get it.

In any event, I try to stay on top of the Social Web/social networking sites that crop up, as these at least last long enough to sign up (8 seconds). I blog (naturally. I MySpaced for a short time i.e. I listened to music on their site instead of my iTunes. Easy to see why that one didn't last. I Twittered for a short time. I'm followable, but I wouldn't recommend it (that was less than 140 characters). I even have a Del.icio.us account (to share bookmarks), but a) there was no one I knew to share with, and b) what bookmarks am I going to share? Del.icio.us? MySpace? I think people know about these sites, not exactly adding to the community there. Who bookmarks anymore anyways with predictive-text address bars? But I digress...

So my supervisor asked me to help him sketch out the options (and their respective benefits and detriments) for a Web 2.0 presence for his course program. Thankfully (because he is my supervisor and could crush me) I managed to provide a pretty solid answer to his query. While I am thrilled to be able to provide advice to my supervisor I think it was more satisfying to know that I had at last found an outlet for all of the knowledge I have accrued through this whole process that is not the thesis itself. Because, given the ego-fulfilling prophecy (see Glossary), it is unlikely that anyone will even read that. Hello practical application to GWW (see Glossary)! ...But what is 'practical' other than the antonym of 'useless', therefore...well you see where this is going. Told you I was good at rationalizing, though it is a bit of a stretch to claim usefulness for the thesis.

Re-reading this blog post, I think there will be 3 types of readers. 1. Tech savvy young people who think it is funny because they can relate. 2. Tech savvy people who don't think it is funny, because...well because they don't think it is funny. and 3. the non-tech savvy, who don't get it. "What's a Lolcat? Who's a Star Wars Kid? I remember when Chuck Norris was a movie star not an internet meme"

'Could be encouraging, could be prescriptive' song of the day: Use It - The New Pornographers

The Worst Friend Ever

(C Day minus 1,3,4 edits, revisions and defence)I have a companion who only has bad things to say. I have so seldom heard anything good, that I am beginning to believe it not possible. This companion, mere intimate decimetres from my sleeping head (often full metres on a bad morning) is the alarm clock: the perpetual bearer of bad news.

Having moved from an East-facing bedroom into a North-facing bedroom I have lost the luxury of being woken up by the rising sun. It was a romantic lifestyle, using the curtain to estimate my morning rise, waking lazily and slowly into full awareness. Not that it didn't have it's problems; a summer morning wake up was also accompanied by the light's BFF, the heat. But for the most part, it was enjoyable and lovely. I have, since the move, had to rely on the obnoxious yelp of that square box of pain (Little House on the Pain-rie?). Every morning that I have to work, my morning starts with bad news: it's time to get up. If I had wanted to get up, if I felt I was ready to get up, I would have done so myself. I am instead jarred out of my slumber by the naive child that believes that the world should rise and fall with their schedule. This isn't even the only reason I dislike my little "friend."

Thesis writing has put me in an odd relationship with time. There is never a good time. I'll get home around 5, and by the time I have wound down and am ready to work, it is 7...already?! Open the documents, track down a citation and reword a sentence...9?!?! Couldn't be! Even if I am productive, time seems unwelcome. I could edit a whole chapter, rework the most troubling of passages, update my bibliography AND have come to a profound conclusion about my thesis or my life, but if only 10 minutes have passed (I said 'could' not 'did') I am still left with the "It's only been 10 minutes?! I should work for another 50 at the very least before I quit for the night!" Is there ever a time that is welcome? Well, maybe 7:30. Time for Jeopardy!

'This is a patent lie' song of the day: Time is On My Side - Rolling Stones

Though if you have seen the movie 'Fallen', it is the serial killer/spirit that sings the song, in that regard, it makes more sense. Just imagine my thesis singing this song. It'll wait me out if I don't beat it first.