Live as it were your last

It is hard to picture myself at ninety. I don't even know if I want to live until then. I am one of those people who does things spontaneously regardless of whether I will be happy with it one year, ten years, or 30 years from now. I know people probably think this is careless but it is me. If I had to live to be ninety years old, I would hope that my free-spirited personality stays with me the whole way. I was watching Rob and Big a couple months ago (I know you are wondering what this has to do with it but i have a point) and they went to a nursing home to give back to the community. They were all talking and there was this lady wearing this ridiculous sparkley hat and colorful outfit and over everyone talking she was screaming the song "Glory, Glory Hallelujah" at the top of her lungs. My friend looked at me and said, "I now know what you are going to be like when you get old." I laughed because it was one of the funniest things i have ever seen but the more i think about it, its probably true. I know I did not follow Pink's exercise directly because I don't really want to think about my regrets that i might make in the next 60 years, and as far as Viktor Frankl's quote I think it is ridiculous. If you are content in what you are doing when you are doing it you aren't living wrong, you might be living differently in the eyes of someone else but not wrong.

Sex Offenders

My parents are divorced and growing up they live in the same county and same city, they were about 10 minutes about. however, they do live in different zip codes. I decided to go on and look at the sex offenders in Cobb County, Marietta, Georgia (where I grew up). After going on I noticed a significant more amount of sex offenders in my dad's zip code than my mom's. I would like to be able to say I am surprised, but I am not. My dad's are even though only ten minutes from my mom's house is not nearly as nice. The houses surrounding my mom's house are on average about 200,000 dollars more expensive than in my dad's area. I know this is judgmental to say that sex offenders live in not as wealthy areas, but it is a stereotype that seems to be true in this case. In conclusion, I am glad to know that I do not know any one on the sex offender list for my area.

http://www.georgia-sex-offenders.com/Marietta-Sex-Offenders.html

Random Facts

In search of something to blog about I typed in "random things" into google it then brought up at the top of the page random facts so I clicked on it and hit the first website. It was this website http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bingbin. The website is full of fun, interesting facts that are completely random. I went through and some of them I knew like that Mohammad is the most common name in the world, but most of them were new to me.
The funniest one i think is: Kansas state law requires pedestrians crossing the highways at night to wear tail lights.

The most random: On average, there are 178 sesame seeds on each McDonalds BigMac bun.

Y'all should check it out there is some cool stuff!

PREAKNESS

So yesterday I went to Preakness. It has nothing to do with our class but it was so unreal I feel I have to blog about it. First off, bagged wine for an all day drinking event is a bad idea, point blank. Secondly, white/off white dress at a horse race with infield seats, once again bad idea. These two are just the beginning of bad ideas that took place during the day. I am now sunburnt from my lack of sunscreen, I almost missed the bus i took 15 dollars to take, I payed three men 10 dollars to pee in their driveway, I bought 3 Preakness t-shirts, I got home and almost flooded my house because i left the shower running for 6 hours straight and passed out with muddy feet in my bed which ruined my white sheets. Pimlico is supposed to be this prestigious horse race, and a bunch of kids pay 45 dollars to sit in a field and get obliterated. The whole concept just doesn't make sense to me. I didn't even see a horse. Lets just say I will probably not be going back to Preakness any time soon.

Calling All Addicts.

Since I procrastinated the last couple of months and i haven't had a computer I've had the pleasure of sitting in the library for the last 4 hours blogging. I have realized just how addicting facebook really is. I was simply trying to log on to get to the group page for this class and before I even realized it I was looking through some random girl's pictures. I have not seen this girl in months nor do I care what she is up to but i thought she got a new haircut and I wanted to check it out. I then left that girl's page to one of the friends we had in common and I got so caught up in it that 20 minutes had gone by and I had yet to reach the group page. I have never been diagnosed with ADD, but I feel like when I have access to facebook I suddenly develop this learning disability. I am thinking about checking myself into facebook therapy if they even have that. I didn't go on for about a week and I was sitting on my friends computer and a message from my friend John popped up and I was like "what the hell is this?" My friend was like its facebook messenger like I should have known what it was but I was so blown away. Like the messenge sender and the 3 bajillion other applications they already have isn't enough they have to add this as well. Facebook is getting a little out of control. BUT I LIKE IT!

Cato-@-Liberty

I explored the blog Cato@Liberty, and I found out some interesting things. The people who blog on Cato are experts in their fields. They come from different backgrounds and all write on different political topics. The blog seems to be more liberal than conservative. Ironically, a blogger Justin Logan, blogged about an interview between presidential candidate McCain and author of one of our books Matt Bai. This blog and interview i found intriguing. I do not support McCain and the way he feels on most issues especially the one of war. I love the quote at the end, "while most politicians looked at injustice in a foreign land and asked, 'Why intervene?' McCain seemed to look at that same injustice and ask himself, 'Why not?'" The blog is somewhat sarcastic which makes the issues talked about humorous and entertaining. When blogging about something that has potential for absolute boredom adding humor makes the information less dry and easier to read.

Ex- Phi Sig

I would like to start this blog off by saying, I am not trying to bash my old sorority, any sorority or Greek life in any way.

I was once a member of Phi Sigma Sigma. I am choosing to write about this over other communities I am a part of because it has played the most significant role in my life to date. I joined the sorority my freshman year in college when my wants and needs were much different than they are now. I was coming from a different state and finding friends was on the top of my priority list. one of Phi Sig's core values is inclusiveness though i never really felt included much of the time i was in. I felt more pressured to go to events than actually wanting to go to them because of this. They encourage good grades, studying, and campus involvement, but they struggle when it comes to letting lose and having fun. It is supposed to be a sisterhood but it is more like a business. I was sent to judicial board almost every Sunday and was kicked out of meeting once. most of the time the things I was brought to Jboard about were petty. I continuously heard about people talking about me and the things i was doing but they were overly nice to my face. I talk to more sisters now than I was in Phi Sigma Sigma. The sorority taught me a lot of things which i am grateful for, but after 3 years of BS I finally took the step to get out.

To Vote Or Not To Vote... that is the question

After revealing to the class that I have never voted in any kind of United States election, I really started to question myself as a citizen. I am not even registered to vote, but I do have reasoning for why I haven't voted. I go to school out of state and I am in my home state about one month out of the year max. So what happens in that state doesn't really affect me. I also don't take the time to look at the candidates for these minor elections because once again the things they do have no affect on my life right now. So why take the time to go to the voting place and fill out a ballot for candidates that I know nothing about and won't phase my immediate life.

I will more than likely vote in this up coming presidential election because it is the first presidential election I am old enough to vote in. I do think voting is important especially in the presidential election and i think it is sad that more people don't vote. I think the low voting percentage and the amount of people who are dissatisfied with the United States government go hand and hand. When people are unsatisfied with what the role the government is playing in society it makes them less willing to take the to vote. Especially if they have voted in many other elections and the person they voted for didn't win. it's like trying out for a team and getting cut over and over and over again. It's discouraging.

I would consider myself a individual issue voter because i would consider myself an independent. I find issues on both sides of the political spectrum important. My mom is a conservative and my dad is an independent and told me he wrote his own name on the ballot in the last election (he is kinda a jokester).

ISpy more like ISuck

From class discussion I have gathered that the book ISpy is not on everyones top 10 favorite book list. His points would be better accepted by more readers if they weren't so heavily pessimistic and negative. There is a way to get your point across even if it is arguing against something without being overly downbeat. I think this is the only book you might want to consider changing for next semester. my two favorites were obviously, Kids Rule! and Why right brainers will rule the future. These books are positive about the future of the internet and they are easy to read. Books like the argument and ISpy are just long and tedious. I know it is somewhat hard to find scholarly things to read online, but since it is a class about the future of the internet more online readings might be an option. I know I would rather read an internet reading then a book.

Google me and you will see

I typed my name in to google and to my surprise, nothing about me came up on the first page. After browsing some more I noticed on the third page a title that said Alexis Bell/Facebook. I clicked on it and there my picture was. Along with the ability to see all of my Facebook friends. There was 558,000 links with some form of my name in it and I went through about three hundred of them and this is the only one i found. I do have many other googlegangers, one in particular that googles very well. There is a man, YES A MAN, by the name of Alexis T. Bell who has a research group at the University of California at Berkley who seems to be a little more prestigious than I. His name takes up a majority of the links out of the 558,000. I am just glad there is not a crazy mass murderer with my name!

Life with no computer

I wanted to take the time to use one of my ten personal blogs to explain some of my behavior this semester. I am normally not this disconnected with a class as some of you are aware of from previous classes. Half way through the semester my computer broke and I no longer have one at my apartment. Blogging is something i find to be somewhat personal and I like to do them in the comfort of my own home (or bed). With no laptop I have to go to the library at school to use the computer which is kind of a burden living off campus if y'all can imagine. I would like to apologize to all of you who felt i did not participate as much as you would have like. I enjoy blogging in addition to class time because it shows me a different side to people that is hard to see in a classroom setting.

Test Yourself

I tested my Empathy Quoient with Simon Baron-Cohen's test. I scored a 36 out of 80 when most women score a 47 and a male scores an average 42. I found this unusal because i don't find myself to be an unempathetic. I am a very blunt and honest but I don't think i lack empathy. I think these characteristics are positive. I find myself to be a good listener and an even better advice giver because of them. They make me more real and i look at life and situations with a clear, realistic point of view. The questions asked on the test seem somewhat superficial and unrealistic to what measures empathy. I feel empathy is a trait that is hard to measure especially through an online questionaire. A better way to measure empathy would be real life situations and how a person deals with them. empathy comes from the heart and reading a computer screen and and answering a question comes from the head. There is no emotion wheen empathy is executed through the rising of one's emotions. I don't doubt the scientific method behind the test but i don't think it accurately evaluates me.

Play Photo Finish

Out of Daniel Pink's book I choose to experiment with Play Photo Finish. If you can't tell by my facebook profile (more specifically "My Photos") I love taking pictures and being in pictures. I love capturing the moments that my life encompasses. I choose a picture that came from this winter when i visited Chile. I studied abroad for 4 weeks studying Spanish and Chilean culture. I got the pleasure of visiting and seeing some of the most beautiful places I will probably ever experience. This picture was one of the first days I was in Chile and it holds a special place in my heart because of the emotions and memories it evokes when i see it. When i look at it i can't help but smile. The day was filled with sandboarding down dunes that over looked the ocean. After that, We went horse back riding on the beach and through the water.

This photo is with one of my best friends and roommate Renata who also went to South America with me. Also in the photo is Betsy who was from South Dakota and in the ISA program with Renata and I. The trip was life changing and extremely humbling when i saw the life style that Chilean people lived. I lived with an amazing family that lived in a one story apartment that housed nine people. When I look at this photo I not only relive this day in my head but it makes me think about the experience as a whole.

Here is a link to the photo:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=38239150&op=16&o=all&view=all&subj=15206893&id=10031569

Facebook- My Guilty Pleasure

This will probably come as no shock to most of you reading this because you are probably one of the millions that are the same way. My most frequently visited website is the infamous Facebook. It is mine and a lot of other individual’s “guilty pleasure.” Every time I sit down at a computer it is more than likely the first website I visit. I feel connected with the people around me especially my friends at college that I know are checking it as frequently as I am. Facebook started off as a strictly college site to keep friends connected that go to different colleges around the nation. With sites like MySpace popularizing because anyone can join Facebook had to make some changes. I preferred Facebook when it was strictly college students because it was exclusive and I felt connected with people that shared something in common with me. Regardless of these changes I still enjoy being able to communicate with people via Facebook. The advertising on Facebook, found on the left hand site of the screen, changes with every click I make. It ranges from housing to beauty products but it is aimed at a younger, teenage demographic which comes of no surprise because of the age range of Facebook being about 17-23. I have not really fallen into the advertisement on Facebook because most of the time I am more interested in what is going on with mine or other’s profiles and not looking at the side, but that is just me. In conclusion, Add me as your friend on Facebook!

Me as a consumer citizen

I am the consumer citizen that every company wants to have. I am faithful to particular brands not because they are necessary the best quality but they best represent me and the image I like to display. I know it sounds superficial and that is something that I have learned to ignore, because I am content with the consumer citizen I have learned to be. I spend my money on clothes, shoes, and going out to dinner. These are all things that make me feel content and give me comfort. I feel that there are different stages in consumerism and this is the one I am in now. Now that I am approaching graduation in the next couple years I have started to think more along the lines of my future when I think about my role as a consumer. Right now, I am in college and my parents help me with rent and my car and stuff like that, but after graduation and I hopefully get a job these helpful fund from my parents are going to stop and my spending habits have to change. When this dreaded day comes my money will no longer go towards the things that I want to have it will go towards the things I need to have. As of now, I do enjoy the ability to do what I want with the money that I have but I know that in the near future life is not going to be the same.

Internet Regulation

Firstly, I don’t think the government should regulate the radio or television as heavily as it does, but that is not the issue at hand. Going off that, I feel that regulation can contribute positive aspects to media outlets such as television, radio, and internet, but the government is taking it too far. I feel that because media is heavily relied on for a source of information world wide, the content should be regulated for accuracy and not on obscenity but this is a sticky issue because there are no clear qualifications for what is obscene. I think age restrictions for particular sights and content found on the internet is a good for of regulation in regards to the upbringing of our youth, but the internet is a relatively new media and has an unimaginable amount of information to offer that regulating it the same way television and radio would be impossible.
I think after reading Reefer Madness we can all say undoubtedly that we are not a true democratic nation when it comes to media and what is being displayed for the masses. But since media has been prevalent in the United States, there have been people on both sides arguing for and against regulation, and this will never change. I think that if the internet becomes regulated by the government, it will lose a tremendous amount of individuality. Many people use the internet to express themselves in ways they can not or do not feel comfortable and by regulating this, it will lose this aspect it brings to many individuals lives. Government has taken over books, television, radio, but these three are all much easier to regulate than the internet would be especially if the standards for the internet are comparable to the standards they have for television.

Some Links:
The Practical Professor on internet regulation

Save Internet Freedom