Archive for the Category »Technology «
Hi Internets! This month I’m a guest at the I Hate/Love Remakes podcast!
We discuss the wonderful 1954 movie Sabrina, starring Audrey Hepburn Humphrey Bogart and its 1995 remake.
Part one is now up! Part two will be out in a couple of weeks or so. I’ll let you know. Hope you enjoy!
This is a very important blog post.
A couple of days a go, my friend Linn sent me an e-mail, being very frustrated: Amazon just closed her account and wiped her Kindle. Without notice. Without explanation. This is DRM at it’s worst.
If you have a Kindle, I urge you to read this!
ETA: His blog is getting hammered with visitors so will be down at times.
I’m currently enjoying playing a Druid Night Elf whose professions are herbalism and alchemy. Gathering herbs is on the agenda for me today – the self made agenda, that is. And I’ve been at it for ages, running around Teldrassil trying to find some herb.
I complained to my husbandwife, heather, on aim.
[7:30 PM] self: trying desperately to get to level 120 with herbalism
[7:30 PM] heather: i love herbing
[7:30 PM] heather: but since i usually play hunters, it’s nearly impossible
[7:31 PM] self: but it takes soooooooo long
[7:31 PM] heather: cause i have all the types of enemies i can get flagged on my minimap
[7:31 PM] heather: so i never see where herbs are.
[7:31 PM] heather: cause i’m like IS THAT A THING TO KILL OR A FLOWER
[7:32 PM] self: …you just hover over over to see?
[7:32 PM] heather: yeah, but you can turn on herbs in your minimap
[7:32 PM] heather: and they show up as a yellow dot
[7:33 PM] self: is that an add-on
[7:33 PM] heather: but then, so do all non-aggro creatures.
[7:33 PM] heather: no, click the magnifying glass
[7:33 PM] heather: and click whatever in there says something about herbs.
[7:33 PM] self: MOTHERFUCKER
[7:33 PM] heather: hahahaha
I really should read my strategy guide or something.
Internets, I have to get this off my chest. I’ve been following the Assange rape allegation story with great interest for a number of reasons, and I have said plenty about this on my twitter already. I’m not going to go into a discussion about the charges, the victims, what I think or any of this, because we’ll be here all night and I have knitting to do.
But there’s something I keep seeing that I can’t let slide, internets. I’ve seen it more than one place, and now even repeated by Keth Olbermann. Here’s a screenshot from his twitter account:
Let’s repeat that: “The term rape in Sweden includes consensual sex without a condom.” There isn’t a font size in the world large enough for my response to this:
This Is Not A Thing.
It is beyond shocking to me that people are actually buying this rumour. Consensual sex without a condom is rape in Sweden? Are you all high? That would mean that every single time two Swedish people attempt to concieve a child, it is rape. The implication again is that making babies is rape. Are you KIDDING ME? And people believe this is fact? How do these people not stop and go “wait a minute, that makes no sense. I’d better check that.”
I have also seen it said that this is the same as “sex by surprise”. Newsflash, world: Sex by surprise is Swedish slang for rape. It’s terminology used to trivialise rape.
Oh My God, internets. I have seen a lot of stupid shit over the 15+ years I’ve been online but this is surely one of the dumbest things I’ve ever come across. It’s, I don’t even, I give up. I’m out. You broke me, my brain has exploded, there’s brain matter all over the wall.
Say whatever you want about the specific case, the charges, the conspiracy theories and whatnot, but come the f on. Say it with me: THIS IS NOT A THING. Consensual sex without a condom is not rape in Sweden. And that a reporter/commentator with MSNBC isn’t able to see how utterly ludicrious that is, that is beyond baffling. Wow, Olbermann. You have officially outed yourself as a moron, good luck with that.
This story was upsetting and troubling on many levels, now it’s crossed completely into the realm of farce. I think I need a fluffy funny movie or something. Or chocolate. A lot of chocolate. I’m going to get both guinea pigs for a soothing cuddle first, because OMG internet. Please stop.
Eta: In case you need to see it for yourself: Actual Swedish Rape Law. In English.
Do you remember back in the day, when we told each other everything and social media didn’t exist? When our journals were public and no one knew where to look for them? Where entries were frequent, and long, and we read them?
Do you remember how we used to write, before the limitations of status updates and 140 characters? Do you remember when we were younger and sharing wasn’t so scary? When the Internet wasn’t somewhere your boss would look for you? And the Internet was a different place entirely, separate from the Real World? Do you remember how free it felt? Do you remember finding each other, complete strangers, and creating bonds that by now have lasted 5, 10, 12 years?
Do you remember when it was all new and exciting? It’s not that Internet any longer. It’s information overload and comments – comments everywhere that make me lose faith in humanity’s ability to not only comprehend the written word, but more importantly the lack of empathy leaves me cold and worried. The Internet – which I loved for the joy and adventure we shared, more than ever it’s gut reaction and taking great pleasure in condemning complete strangers who may have made a mistake. The Internet takes the worst of humanity and combines it with news articles, as if allowing the Great Public to lower the tone is furthering the conversation.
Maybe it was always like this. Maybe I’m becoming bitter and old. Maybe I’ve changed more than the Internet. But it’s not my Internet any longer, it’s not my playground like it used to be. And it feels like I’ve lost something.