Who need reality when you have video games? I still remember being in elementary school playing Diablo II over AOL with a few friends. I would sit and play for hours on end without even realizing the time that went by. One quest in the game, turned into a two or three hour adventure in which I was lost in virtual reality with no concept of time. In Reality is Broken: Why Games make us Better and How They Will Change the World by Jane McGonigal a game designer, game researchers and author; she brings up the point that kids are turning to virtual reality because it offers more than reality and it allows some to excel in a different arena then in real life.

McGonigal says, “The real world just doesn’t offer up as easily the carefully designed pleasures, the thrilling challenges, and the powerful social bonding afforded by virtual environments. Reality doesn’t motivate us as effectively. Reality isn’t engineered to maximize our potential. Reality wasn’t designed from the bottom up to make us happy.”

I think that this statement is bullshit and short sighted. Video games to further the world, they do not drive society in a forward motion. Reality is not always meant to be perfect and life is what you make of it: just like life in your virtual reality. Maybe if kids started spending 20-30 hours a week on going outside and playing pickup games like kids have done for the last century they would have a more exciting reality. People have become increasingly demanding with their desires and goals in life; the side effect is a lack of patience and determination. Life is hard work and hard work pays off but it takes time. People love virtual reality because they can get what they want right away, without any repercussions and judgment, but it also makes people more private and secretive in real life which translates to a less stable and more fragile community.

Games are great and they allow us to create and fulfill fantasy, but it is not a solution or substitute for reality. Everything is good in moderation, and gamers need to learn that; anything in excess is bad for you, even video games. A gaming reality is a reality for simple minded people; it is no different than dealing with the world by turning to drugs and using that to supplement the real world. The ups and downs in life is what makes life so wonderful and special. Only in real reality do you get to truly and wholly experience the powerful emotions that life throws your way, which no video game can ever give to its user. life should be celebrated and not thrown by the wayside for the newest trendy game. Don’t run from reality, deal with it! When life throws you lemons, make lemonade out of that sh*t!

Mario, Sonic, Halo, Half-Life, Solid Snake, Link and friends

Second Life is a virtual 3D world where people can create avatars and interact with each other and the environment. I still remember back in 1998/1999 when I joined up with a similar chat service called “The Palace”, in which you would roam an online world with a personal avatar. The idea behind Second Life is nothing new, but finally the technology is available to create an open source world that anyone can enjoy without having to pay or complete tasks and quests (Like World of Warcraft and Everquest). Second Life is essentially an adult video game. A few weeks ago I was watching MTV’s “True Life” and it was about people who spend more time in their Second Life because of everything you can be without fear of judgment and consequence.

Second Life is unique because it allows you to purchase in game credits and use those credits towards items within the Second Life world. You can buy anything from a pet, to a house, to a waterbed. You can recreate you real life or start all over and be who or whatever you want to be. (the avatars range from robots, to vampires, to people) One problem is that people can become obsessed with their Second Life’s, just how kids and teens get obsessed with playing their favorite video game. Another issue with Second Life is the fact that it is a “cyber Sex” Mecca, and a lot of the people using the service are there for that.  My first email from Second Life was welcoming me to the community and the second email was about changing my setting to 18+ so I could see and interact with explicit and erotic content….To me Second Life seems like a place for adults to play, since video games are too advanced and traditional social media too disconnected.

When I signed up, I picked a human male avatar with blonde hair. (I think I am going to switch to a robot or maybe a covered wagon… I’ve always wanted to be a covered wagon.) His name is MasterMikeDizzle and he is wearing a suit, without the undershirt, so I can show off my Second Life buff-ness.  I didn’t spend too much time with it because honestly I do not see the point. I will play a RPG or first person shooter video game before I waste time pretending on Second Life. Once the technology becomes available to project 3D, and actually put you in the environment, I will look again and see what Second Life is about.

I am not a religious person, but I consider myself very spiritual. I feel a connection with people and with the beautiful earth that encompasses us, but not necessarily with an all powerful being that lives in the sky.  Today, religion has become a major topic when it comes to global and domestic politics. To me religion has always been about control and money. In order to increase members and awareness, religions have gone to the internet in search of the new frontier. To the church this is a way to gain more followers and to allow current followers to practice where ever and whenever they can, without having to attend any official mass or ceremony. Elizabeth Drescher’s article: “Five Social Media Trends that are Reshaping Religion”, points out some interesting facts and trends that churches are undertaking in order to enter the age of technology. Drescher holds a PhD in spirituality, and currently teaches at Santa Clara University. Religion on the internet is a double edged sword as I see it. Just like how Facebook revolutionized socializing, it had its good side and bad side. It made people more available, but at the same time impersonal. With religion, it will become available to anyone, anytime; but the personal aspect of religion will be lost. Religions are about community and if people begin praying from their phones, how will one get a sense of their community. People need to go out and physically show their support, not become even more introverted and unsocial.

I consider myself internet savvy, but yesterday I had the experience of a lifetime. I was looking for a W4a to Mp3 converter for my podcast project and all hell broke loose. I did enough research and tried to pick a safe program, but as soon as it started downloading a bunch of warning windows popped up. Unfortunately, it was too late, and my computer was infected with some horrible malware Babylon, which replaces your Google search bar and takes over your homepage, all while rooting its self in whatever program it can. Two full days later, my computer is clean and finally running at speed.  Just remember that next time you go to get free software, only download from a known webpage and don’t trust anyone.

Since there are no links for a W4a to mp3 converter and most of us are using our handheld Apple products (like the directions said) here is a free download without malware that you can use to convert your podcasts to the proper format- quick and easy without the fear of garbage infiltrating your PC. So remember: Trust No One.

When it comes to California, two things come to mind: the beautiful weather and the unique and interesting culture that developed in the Bay Area.  In the podcast collection over at californialegacy.org; the radio scripts talk about everything California has to offer. The radio script I picked to blog about goes into detail about the history of California and the people that made it what it is today. Eliza Farnham settled in Santa Cruz, CA in 1856 and explains the Bay Area in detail in her memoir: California, In-doors and Out. It is interesting to note that the same stigma was attached to San Francisco and Santa Cruz as it is today- both known for their unique hippy culture and unruly coastal weather. Farnham still gives us a unique and firsthand look into 1856 and help us picture what it was like to be a Californian during its settlement.

When technology truly shines, people around the world tend to notice. With new information sharing sites and access to blogs, people of the world have taken to the World Wide Web in order to combat tyranny and fight for individual freedom. Gilad Lotan, Erhardt Graeff, Mike Ananny, Devin Gaffney, Ian Pearce and Danah Boyd all combined their resources and expertise to write “The Revolutions were Tweeted: Information Flows During the 2011 Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions” in which they point out that technology not only helped the revolution happen in the first place, but allowed people to sustain their fight and sustain a constant flow of information to the world. Today, we are faced with many over bearing and controlling governments, who make it their duty to block the flow of information and crush any revolution. It is no longer that easy, now mainstream media has taken a back seat to amateur reporting, and even with national media shutdown or controlled; we the people still have a way to report our struggles and get the world to notice and help.

I agree that Twitter and other information sites helped sustain the revolution, just as it has helped the Occupy movement. When traditional news media refused to cover the issue and tried to hush hush it, the people took to Twitter and other blog sites to tell the world that the US of Free was becoming a police state who caters to the ultra rich. One recent problem with Twitter is the fact that they recently took in a huge sum of money from the Saudi family, which is turn has influenced Twitter and now they are going to sensor tweets from certain countries. Is it the begging of the end? Only time can tell.

Here is a Washington Post article, “Five Myths about the Arab Spring” that takes the opposite stance and claims that the revolution had nothing to do with social media along with other myths. I don’t agree with it all, but it is worth a read and gives another important perspective.

Homemade anti-aircraft gun

If you haven’t heard their music already then go get the Dada Life monthly podcast. It is a monthly show where Dada spins and produces a new music set for you to enjoy with all the greatest electronic hits with the truly original Dada spin. Last year this Swedish duo broke the top 100 DJ’s list and they have no where to go but up. They have the freshest sounds, beats and noises. When it comes to Dada, nothing beats their philosophy; ” “We are Dada Life. Destroy dance music and have fun. Don’t look back in the past. Always go forward. Don’t think too much. Always follow the money. Do the Dada. The result? Big tunes, no frills.”

So in other words…. Pump up the Dada!!

When it comes to writing, whether creative or research I can always think of a few places I don’t ever want to be cooped up in: the library or the classroom. As someone who struggles with ADD, I can understand the added benefits that writing on location or just even somewhere you feel comfortable and relaxed can have on the mind. In order for me to focus on a subject and get something done, the emptiness and “hush hushness” of a library or classroom doesn’t have enough stimulation for me to focus. Most would disagree with me and still prefer the library because of its quiet nature. Prof. Olin Bjork a professor of English at Santa Clara University authored the essay “Writing in the Wild” and Bjork comes to some good conclusions about the new age of writing and how we can embrace technology to help us write with more empathy and experience. We have already witness laptops over take desktop computers and the next step is the tablets taking over laptops. All this new technology is what allows us to get our work done anywhere and anytime. While writing in the wild you have an endless supply of material to be inspired by and to jolt your thinking juices. Writing onsite allows people to fully experience the emotion and realness of the situation you are researching or observing. This technology allows all of us to attempt to be a primary source and not just realize new information though others and their secondary accounts. Another interesting fact is that, when you do work in new and innovative environments you make new mental connections which allow you to remember and store the information you are working with. Say for example if you like to write in the park; every time you see a certain type of tree or feature that reminds you of the park, you will be able to pull up that new connection with the material you researched or wrote about. Now teachers can provide more access to stimulation that in turn, help facilitate better and more empathetic writing.

Here is a sweet TED talk on the brain….