Monday, May 11, 2009

Triple Post: Mind Explosion


And, now the thrilling conclusion to my three part series, Triple Post. So, this article isn't exactly the most dugg but I think it is pretty cool anyway..............................Yooouuutuuube Puts Youtube on LSD.

This website is just too cool. It takes any youtube video and puts it in a new an often amazing format. Some the videos that I have seen have been mesmerizing, and I have left them too lopp on my computer for hours.

I see this as one of the things small scale developers and content producers can do on the web that could have a huge impact. These developers used the resource of youtube's huge bank of videos and ease of accessibility to make a website that improves on youtube's content in a way that most people would not even think of doing.

If other developers and content providers were to follow the lead of the makers of Yooouuutuuube then who knows what other sorts of filters for interacting with the information of other wll known large sites. Imagine surfing through the digital library of wikipedia, and having it look like your travelling through an actual library. The possibilities are endless.

Double Post: Internet Super Heroes


So its the second installment of my three part series: Triple Post. In this post I'm going to talk about one of my favorite internet institutions, The Flame War. A flame war consists of two or more people hating on each other over the internet, and is characterized by impotent rage, and racial slurs. I could explain it all day, but I feel it would be better explained by this cheery little tune.........................We Didn't Start The Flame War

Flame Wars are one the things that worry me most about the internet, because they speak to the fact that even though people know they can't win a fight on the internet, they still constantly try to anyway. The very nature of the internet makes it nearly impossible to convince someone that they are wrong and then get them to admit it, its simply too anonymous.

Also, I fear that is reveals a coming trend in internet usage. I can only assume that the people posting in these flame wars are under 12 years old or total imbeciles. We can statistically ignore the imbecile, but the under 12 year old crowd presents a bigger problem.

As technology grows it naturally becomes more popular with the youngest generations at the greatest rate. Huge droves of 12 year olds and under are just starting to get their feet wet in the deep end of the internet, and there is nobody there to guide them. They are going through an internet trial by fire, and thousands are falling for trolls or getting locked into unwinnable battles with each other.

I feel there needs to be a group of people to shepard these sorry individuals and show them how to use the internet properly, a group of Internet Super Heroes. But then again, people would probably just flame the crap out of them.

My Eyes Just Exploded


I just could not help but share this link with the world, it is pretty popular on dig at the moment but its not the most popular. It is however so frightening that I can't help but write about it. So without further ado, this weeks sort of most popular digg article is..................The Most Intense Website Intro Ever!

I thought the flash intro had died along with dial-up modems, but I am now starting to see them with increasing frequency. This is only an extreme example of the horrors that can be found on an increasing number of websites. Horrifying, seizure causing, jaw dropping, over the top flash intros.

The thing that gets me the most is that flash intros serve no purpose whatsoever. If a site can't excite you on its own, then it doesn't have exciting content. It would be like getting a presents for Christmas that is the shape of a dirt bike when its wrapped, but when you open it up its just a sweater. In fact, the only reason I can think that a flash intro is appropriate to instruct people in the use of the site, but even then, if the site is so complicated as to require instructions then it is a poorly designed website.

I feel as though the growth of this new trend is purely driven by the idea that people, like crows, are instinctively attracted to shiny things, and I think it has no place in any effective webpage.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Internet Music

Well I know you have all (not) been waiting on the edges of your seats for this blogs next post. And here it is, the most dugg story this week is..........................Best Video I've Seen Today Will Make You Smile.(aka Worst Grammar I've Seen Today Will Make You Cringe)

So, I've never been a huge fan of the quality of music that the internet spawns. It helps me share great songs by real artists , but most of the user generated content consists of stuff like "Chocolate Rain" (see above) or "What, What, In the Butt" (don't youtube that).

Then comes along a song that was made with the internet, so I should hate it. Unfortunately for my sense of comedy I actually love it, it moves you and promotes a sense of connectivity with the rest of the world (through a means other than Swine Flu). The only reason I can think that I like it is because actually a cover of a real song, and because I love blind singers (Ray Charles FTW).

Stuff like this reminds me that within the mountain of disgusting Oyster slime that is the internet, you can find the occasional pearl.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

All the Loot, None of the Scurvy!


So the big news all around the web this week is that some guys in Sweden are in some trouble with the worlds (America's) Music and Movie companies. It is no surprise then that this weeks most dugg article is..................The Official Pirate Bay Trial Verdict: Guilty

So I understand that as most people get older they begin to see things from a slightly different point of view, and that these Rose Colored Glasses (Blindfolds and Earplugs) can leave them unaware of the true reality of a situation that the younger generation can plainly see.

This verdict took months to reach and most likely wasted Hundreds of Thousands of dollars, and achieved absolutely nothing. The Pirate Bay is still operational, and I can use it just like I always have. Even if these numbskulls in the RIAA and the MIAA managed to shut down every torrent Tracking website on the internet, which is impossible, and managed to get jail sentences for all their creators so they could not create again, which is also impossible, then they still wouldn't have stopped piracy on the internet. The problem that these people don't see is there is a huge piracy culture that survives without torrent trackers, the only thing you need to get any torrent you want is just bittorrent and Google or Yahoo or any other common search engine.

I'd like to see these buffoons go after Google in any court of law and watch them get counter sued for millions in court fees, it wouldn't even be a trial it would be the equivalent to a parent spanking its annoying and pompous child.

You can't stop piracy on the net, you can't even slow it down. Unless you change your business middle to make me want to pirate less then you'll never be able to stop me.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

How Do You Defend Yourself Against 2 Dildos?

*SPECIAL EDITION*

So its a break from the normal routine, but I just had to talk about the one movie i'm actually excited to see this year. BRUNO

This movie is incredible! It's funny, and clever and all the things a comedy should be. However, it has a crucial factor that most shows don't, it's real. This is a show that would only be excepted by the youtube generation.

It doesn't matter how vulgar it is, people will eat it up because of its format. It's a series of short clips with very little plot, just like the original Borat. It does its best to pack as many laughs as possible into every scene. All of these scenes could hit millions of views on youtube in a few weeks, but together they form a movie that will make millions of dollars.

I'm not sure if this is the beginning of a whole new style of film that old school film makers will adopt, or if youtubers will attempt to produce large scale projects like this too turn a profit, but I'm sure that the success of these movies will be a big eye opener for Hollywood.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Pop-Down

Ok, i'm not so excited about this weeks most dugg article. Maybe it's because my family doesn't really understand how April Fool's day works. Let's just say that "You were a mistake" isn't the best lead in too an amusing practical joke. Well anyway....... Digg's April Fool's day Pop-up Shenanigans

This one wasn't even that funny for me because I use Firefox, so I don't get Pop-ups. But this brings up an interesting question. Why the F*** are Pop-ups even used anymore, I can understand that maybe the granny market loves to click on whateve appears on the screen, but in this day and age it should be hard to trick a trained chimpanzee into clicking a pop-up ad or some flashing banner add that looks like it should give people seizures.

When was the last time someone was surfing the net and a pop-up flashed up, and that person looked at the pop-up and said to themselves, "I've been meaning to enlarge my penis size lately, this looks like a totally legit way to do it! Thanks Internet." I would propose that that scenario occurs as often as someone who is under 18 clicking that they are under 18 when looking porn, that is too say never.

They must certainly be spening money to program and host these ads, and must certainly pay for the space that it takes to allow me to pie the clown for a free PS3. My question is how do they make that money back, their has to be some sort of return profit for them to keep doing it. Well, I guess if the question is, "Is the internet really dumb enough to fall for that?" The answer is always, "Yes."