Tag Archives: science

FCC Overloaded, Rough Road to College, Red Velvet Mites of Love, Genderless, and Slenderman Delusions

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This entry is part 39 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

One of the strangest bits of news that came through today (amid a crazy work schedule and some really annoying Facebook problems), was the story of two 12-year-old girls who stabbed another 12-year-old “friend” of theirs in an attempted murder.

They did it, the article said, to gain the favor of the Slender Man and earn the comfort of getting to hang out with him in his mystical mansion in the woods.

In a word, that’s crazy.

For those who don’t know, Slender Man is a meme that kind of got out of control. Started in a “make something creepy” flavored thread on an online message board. He’s kind of taken on a life of it’s own, growing far beyond the confines of that one thread and making appearances in videos, art, and even computer games.

Apparently now he’s a focus for human sacrifice, too.

And that’s just sad.

Delusional is as delusional does, but at least most delusions in the past have been based on things that aren’t as easily dismiss-able (or searchable) as being, well, genuine fakes. Angels, demons, aliens, even most other urban legends, all have their origins buried in generations of ambiguity. Slenderman’s creation is documented on a Wikipedia page that’s one of the first things that comes up when you search for him.

If these kids can’t make the distinction between something that obviously made up and reality, it’s no wonder they have no problem with the idea of killing someone they called a friend.

There’s no connection to reality, let alone real-world cause and effect or empathy, to be found here.

At least not yet.

Maybe something more… human… will emerge if the case proceeds and the media covers it with any sensibility.

The one vaguely positive thing here is that it’s not the media fishing for a cause… this whole Slender Man motivation is apparently what the girls explained when they were caught.

More Than a Weekend’s Worth of Stuff

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This entry is part 38 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

Missed another Friday of posting the (week)daily feed. Ended up out and about late into the night catching the “best of” showings of the 48 Hour Film Project films. Some very, very impressive things were made in that weekend. (And, hey!, I even know some people who made one of them! You can find that in the feed below.)

The rest of the weekend was ridiculously low-key. Mostly spent catching up on some shows, a backlog of email (lots of YouTube video notifications), and playing a few too many hours of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat (both nostalgia-fueled Steam purchases, since they were on sale when I bought them… I’ve been reminded why I stopped wasting quarters at the arcade).

The quiet weekend was shaken out by another high-stress day at the office, thanks to near-impossible deadlines and technology seemingly conspiring against me at every turn. And totally capped off by the bus I normally catch not even showing up and the second one on the route running just slow enough to make me miss my connecting bus to home by about three minutes (gotta love it when you can see the bus pull out of the pickup area and onto the main road).

Oh, and my sunglasses broke. (And, apparently, they were my backup pair… I usually have two pairs hanging around, just in case… seems I forgot to restock last time.)

It hasn’t been that great of a day.

https://www.facebook.com/kierduros/activity/10152073399765981

Community News, Wolverine, a lot of Culture Talk, Some Science, a Little Food, and The Wonder Years Reunion

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This entry is part 37 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

I was asked in a comment stream today why I post (or, technically, share… since other people have found most of them first) the articles I do, especially about the whole misogynist culture stuff that’s really being talked about a lot right now.

The answer is simple: Awareness needs to grow.

I know far too many people–myself included–who either are or were blind to how their actions impact the lives of others.

You can’t consciously change things you don’t know you’re doing.

I can’t make anyone improve themselves. But I can at least, maybe, give them some insight into their own actions. (I know, long ago, I was utterly shocked at many of the things I was doing without realizing it.)

We can’t make anyone do anything… not without a whole lot of negatives that outstrip the positives. Plus, unless there’s a critical mass of awareness and will to begin with, forced change never sticks.

This is part of the build up to that critical mass of awareness and will to change.

If just one or two people are shaken awake, realize what they’re doing isn’t what they think they’re doing, and make personal change, then there is progress.

There’s always more than one or two people who are shaken awake.

In the particular case of this issue of entrenched male privileged and misogynist culture, we’re talking about something that is even more entrenched than racism or homophobia. It goes back thousands of years and is built into political discourse and religion like nothing else.

But just because we’ve never known a time that was different, doesn’t mean we can’t try to be better than we (as a species) have ever been before when it comes to equality.

That right there is the beauty of free will and not being trapped and controlled by our biology alone.

So, yeah, I think it’s kind of important.

Tell His Mom, Conspiracy Closure, Environmental Pope, Helium, Slow-mo Nature, and Raccoons

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This entry is part 34 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

Not too long after I got home form work on Friday, I turned right back around and went out. Then didn’t come back until nearly sunrise.

The only Memorial Day type thing I did this past long weekend was that barbecue on Friday night. Saturday and Monday were spent mostly just zoning out, letting my subconscious decompress and work through everything it’s been tasked with dealing with while I keep on keeping on with some semblance of a normal life.

The big break between bouts of couch sitting was to hit Spellbound for the first time since August. I used to be there every weekend. I should probably start going there more often, but without a car, I’m at the mercy of public transportation and feel trapped. No quick and definitive way to make an exit if I need to, no opportunity to stay out late and grab crepes with people down the street if I want to. I used to metro there all the time… then I got spoiled (and got used to numerous other aspects of going out there).

But, on Saturday night, I closed the place down, lasing a bit after most of the other people I knew had left.

And then it was back to the couch and A/C in the apartment. A setup that is much more indicative of how the rest of my life will likely be at this point.

Can’t really complain about the weekend. Kind of dreading how crazy tomorrow at work may be. But looking forward to the local premiere of a film a bunch of people I know made (and I chipped in to help pay for) after work tomorrow.

Anyway… here’s a long list off the feed going back to Friday morning.

Body Image, Movies on the Horizon, Brain Science, Gut Science, Net Neutrality, Photo Etiquette, and Paranoia

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This entry is part 29 of 100 in the series Today's Tidbits

I love a good conspiracy theory as much as the next guy, but even I agree that things are getting a little out of hand.

Once upon a time, you had to either already be looking for them or meet someone who was a little “off” in order to really get a line on a conspiracy theory. Then they really started getting used on TV shows (like The X-Files) a lot more. Then along came the Internet and, suddenly, even the most outlandish, poorly conceptualized conspiracy theory had a place where it could find a vehement audience.

It’s only grown from there.

Right now, we have thousands of people who genuinely buy into the most unsubstantiated claims of conspiracy (usually against their personal interests) by either the government, corporations, or some mysterious foreign power. And these people are loud and proud about it. They slow down, if not completely derail a number of legitimate discussions when they get involved by refusing to adhere to even the most basic rules of logic. The only good news is, it’s easy to spot them so you can dismiss them.

One step down from them are the really dangerous group, though. The wingnuts who have just enough actual information in their theories to sway the opinion of people who are on the fence. In small doses, they don’t sound crazy… but after prolonged exposure to them and their arguments, the holes in their logic (usually at the basic premise level) become evident. By that point, though, there’s a high chance a number of people have already bought into and acted on the ideas. This is how we see measles make a comeback after being virtually wiped out in the U.S.–through people buying into the idea that vaccines are somehow worse than the diseases they prevent.

Down in the stream report, there’s an article that goes into a whole lot more detail. I highly recommend it. I’m left wondering how much further it will all go. We’re already seeing public discourse that’s more polarized than we’ve seen in generations… and it already swings with a heavy set of conspiracy theories. How much more can the argument for sensible discussion take before it’s rendered completely non-viable?