Thursday, January 31, 2008
YouTube and the Decline of the Human Race
In 2006, Time Magazine named You (meaning, the individual person) as it's Person of the Year. They attributed the year to the common person because of the Internet revolution. Time cited the ley roles of blogs, Wikipedia, MySpace, and most importantly YouTube. With millions and millions of hits everyday, YouTube has become a global past time. For some YouTube has become the portal to stardom.
Through the years, there have been several legendary videos that swept the globe. During the first years of YouTube, these included lonelygirl15, Star Wars kid, Numa Numa boy, videos of the Iraq invasion, the Urban Ninja, and my personal favorite OK Go's treadmill music video.
Through the years, more and more people posted funny, outrageous, and oftentimes crazy videos. As more people posted, even more people watched. Thus, the viral videos craze was born.
Last year, the top viral videos included Will Ferrell (and his kid) in Landlady, a kid singing in Chocolate Rain, and the inmates of Cebu in their various dance numbers. There's even a site that tracks the most viewed videos every day.
I know of people who watch YouTube to put a smile on their faces after one whole of heavy labor. Watching YouTube videos of Japanese shows is one of the best ways to put a smile on any gloomy face. Best examples of these are - Human Tetris and its sequel, the marshmallow contest, and the Police vs. Darth Vader parts one and two.
Okay, so YouTube has delighted us in many (albeit strange) ways. But there are several viral videos that have gained considerable popularity over the months that are truly disturbing. I don't mean "Blair Witch Project" kind of the disturbing but more of a "WTF are you freakin' doing?!" kind of a disturbing. For this, I have two (NSFW - Not Safe for Work) examples.
The first example is the 2 Girls, 1 Cup video. What is it about? It's pretty simple. They poop on a cup and eat their poop. Nobody in their right minds would do this (or so I thought)! This has sparked several series of videos showing the reactions of people who are watching it for the first time - now that's funny!
The second example is the BME Pain Olympics aka "Hatchet vs. Genitals" video. Many of the reaction videos claim that this is far worse than 2 Girls 1 Cup. I honestly don't know since I have yet to watch both videos, but I believe the people who actually saw them.
So what's my point here? I'm not saying that YouTube is the scourge of humanity. What I'm really saying is that there are people out there who are do things to themselves that are beyond me (or us, if you are one of me). YouTube and the Internet have collapsed the distance barrier between people of different race and creed. But ironically, the more we see different people, the more we feel alienated because we begin to see that we are part of a humanity which is really not homogeneous. We live in a fragmented world that may or may not speak to us. We may laugh at these peculiarities or we may choose to be disgusted at them (not if it's gag reflex).
After digressing about culture, I have to say my piece - I strongly believe nothing can be a good enough excuse for 2 Girls 1 Cup and Hatchet vs. Genitals. Videos such as those may herald the beginning of the end of the human race (hehehe!). Utterly disgusting!
@ 
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Stranger than Fiction
The movie Stranger than Fiction is a movie about Harold Crick (Will Ferrell). It's about the life and death of this not-so-fictional fictional character.
I love movies that have only a few characters. It's unbelievable to find a movie with Will Ferrell in it that I would actually like. But the real beauty of the film lies on the how the plot developed and its central theme. It's one of those movies that I appreciate because of the truth that it bears about my own life.
It's a welcome treat after getting my C+ long exam in Philosophy. Goodbye A.
Friday, January 25, 2008
You Don't Need MacBook Air
Everyone's going ga-ga over the new MacBook Air. But is it worth the money (and the dool)?
Gizmodo says: It turns out that, surprise surprise, you pay a premium for a tiny form factor. The MacBook Air is seriously expensive for the guts you get inside...
Personally, I think Steve Jobs is going overboard with this one.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Bulong ng Yumao
Kung sa kasalukuyan ka nabuhay, ano kaya ang gagawin mo? Nawa'y ibulong mo naman sa akin.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Hard Questions
- Is faith a requirement to become human or is it optional? If it is a requirement, are non-believers mere animals?
- Can the state be ever perfected? Regardless of the possibility, how would it look like? Is it a beacon of hope or a citadel of tyranny?
- Is the life of an academic worth living? Is there such a thing as a pure academic?
- What is an Atenean?
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Ateneo Cubers Association
The Rubik's cube is undergoing a revival around the world. There were a string of events that may have ushered this new craze such as the recently concluded World Rubik's Cube Championship 2007 in Hungary, Tyson Mao's guesting in CNN, and the use of the cube in Will Smith's The Pursuit of Happyness.
In the Philippines, there have been several competitions such as the Rubik's Cube Philippine Open 2007, the Toys 'R Us Speed Challenge, and the recently concluded Diliman Open 2008. All these events are in coordination with the Philippine Cubers Association.
Recently, I have also been seeing Ateneans playing with the Rubik's cube. There were also times when friends asked me to teach them how to solve one. I like playing with the Rubik's cube because it serves as a distraction from the rigors of studying and other concerns. It's also more environment-friendly compared to playing hand-held computer games. It's cheaper too.
It would be nice to find other Ateneans who are interested in Rubik's cubes. I hope that before I graduate, there will be a Rubik's cube competition inside Ateneo.
Join the Ateneo Cubers Association - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ateneocubers/.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Make a DIF-ference
It's so easy to join! Sponsor a dare (not expensive!!!) or do a dare (for free!!).
Monday, January 14, 2008
My Favorite Christmas Gift
Maja gave me the best Christmas gift ever!
Thank you Maja! [Belated] Happy Birthday to you!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Edge of Reason
Recent string of events have been pushing me to the edge of reason. I'm slowly losing my composure. My commitments and responsibilities are being affected. But not only that, most of all, people dear to me are also suffering the consequences of my inequities.
I have to pick up myself. Losing my temper will not solve anything, it never did.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
I'm in the World Record for Speedcubing
World Cuber Association Diliman Open 2008I ranked number 26 with my average of 31.50 seconds. The second round was only for the top 25 cubers. The 25th placer had an average of 31.48, a mere .02 difference from my own average.
I need more practice.
