Christmas was great for me. My family and I had an awesome time together, and I got a PSP! Wow. Not once did I forget the true meaning of CHRISTmas, which is, of course, Jesus. :)
Right now I'm going to head over to a friend's house and make a video with them for Youtube. We go under the name Ownage9418. Enjoy the videos if you get a look.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Being "Nice" isn't so rewarding sometimes
On Thursday, New England got pounded by snow. The highest amount in some cities in my state were 10 inches. Pretty bad, right? Well, my parents anticipated that the snow was going to begin in the middle of the day, so I told her how long you have to be in school to not be taken out and considered absent, and she picked up me, my siblings, and my brother's friend up at exactly that time. Guess what? The snow had begun to fall about ten minutes before my mother got us, so the snow was piling up, and fast. Why'd we bring my brother's friend with us? Because we're nice people and we like to do nice things. We were going to bring him home for his mother. So instead of going straight to our house and hang out there, we headed down to his place. At the longest, that should have been about a seven minute drive. Well, because people were panicking over the snow in their vehicles, "Oh man, where the hell are the plows!?" the roads were packed. And I don't mean the highway, we didn't take the highway. So do you know how long it took for us to bring the friend home? ONE. HOUR. That's how long it took. Now, I'm not saying it's the friend's fault or his mother's. We volunteered to do this, the nice people that we are. So we brought him home, and now we had to get home ourselves. That took, um, let's see... ANOTHER HOUR. So let's do some math, boys and girls! How long were we stuck in that car? At least two hours. So what I am trying to say here is that being nice can blow up in your face. Sure, you feel like a good person, and your karma probably rises a bit, but you end up feeling irritated and above all, stupid for doing a kind act. Now, it wasn't my mother that was supremely annoyed. She was happy to drive my brother's friend home. It was me. So next time, before you do something nice, just have a little spot in your head to remind you of this article, and think what bad could actually come out of this.
Friday, December 14, 2007
I now know what it feels like to be a reporter
You know something? I really need to make my mind stop thinking about something weird I came across lately, because now it's making me sick to think about the same thing over and over. It's not that I want to keep thinking about it. It's just that my brain won't let me stop. And I know how to fix this. I really honestly do not want to post this, but it's the only way to make my mind just shut the hell up so I can get on with my life. Before you begin reading, keep in mind four things: I only found out about this thing by accident, I don't want anyone who reads this to be offended, I have carefully studied this issue from the haters and the lovers, and no, no, no, I AM NOT ONE OF THEM! So, now you've got those guidelines in your head, you can start reading.
If you had asked me about three months ago what a furry was, I would have stared you down and asked you if you’ve recently taken a fall down a stairway. You would have sounded crazy to me. A furry? What is that? Some sort of new stuffed animal crazy? Perhaps you don’t even know. Well, I was in the same boat until recently. I’ve been following a movie named Cloverfield for a long time, and after sharing my movie theories with several other movie fans on a news site one day, I headed over to Youtube to see if anyone had put any connections together between the movie and the viral marketing campaign in a video. After watching one or two videos, I scrolled through a list of seemingly related videos. I came to a stop when I noticed something weird - a picture I couldn’t quite make out in my head. So I clicked the video. It was some sort of tribute to a cartoon called Princess Sally Acorn. After watching several artists’ renderings of Sally, I had no idea who she was. So I looked it up on Wikipedia. Sally was an anthropomorphic character, meaning she was an animal with human characteristics. But at the time, I didn’t know the meaning of the word anthropomorphism, so I looked that up to, and it led me to a page called Furry Fandom. I read the page, and now, after much research on the topic of furries, I have finally come to an opinion on the issue.
The Furry Fandom, apparently, is a group made up of people who have named themselves "furries". I was given a link by wikipedia to WikiFur, a wikia for furries, explaining who they were. Furries are people who have a great love for anthropomorphic characters. But that’s barely a slice of what furries are about. Furriness varies in each furry. Some just really like characters like Bugs Bunny. Some associate themselves with an animal, wishing they were such an animal. Others have a sexual attraction to anthropomorphic characters. They like to make art featuring these creatures, and start creating stories with an anthropomorphic character that they consider their alter ego. Some like to go to furry conventions to meet others like them, and dress as animals. Then there are the furries that believe they are actually animals trapped in human bodies. These are called Otherkin.
To put it lightly, I was surprised that these type of people existed. And irritated that I hadn’t known about their existence before. To me, the furries were a unique, interesting bunch who loved the person they were. But then I accidently closed down the window. So I brought it back up, and typed "furry" in google. I saw the site I had just been looking at, and then noticed another site. For my own religious purposes, I’ll let you type "furry" in google and see the site’s name for yourself. I thought to better understand the concept of furries, I’d better look at this from both sides of the mirror. It was only fair, true? So I clicked the link, and... wow. My perception of furries has just been bombed, I thought. It was furry hate site, committed to exposing furries as the most evil, disgusting, disturbed people on the planet. The despise poured from the web site like fifty - foot waterfalls. It shocked me at first, and as I read more and more, their opinions began to sink in. The furries’ perfect world had just been incredibly de - glorified. What I previously had thought was just another of the world’s unique groups had been turned into something evil, putrid, and disturbing. E-mails from furries sent to the web master was displayed and torn apart verbally by the web master. After going to several other hate sites I thought it was enough. I felt pretty disturbed, to wrap it all in a nutshell. And after closing down the hate sites, I sat and thought for a long period of time about the furries. Misunderstood or evil? Happy and unique or breeders of a new disturbing religion? After much battle between the two sides within my own mind, I have reached a conclusion.
Furries aren’t evil. And I have only one reason to support that statement: Furries don’t choose to be furries. I have read enough stories about furries "finding their tail" to firmly say that furries are born the way they are or are made that way by life - altering experiences; furries do not choose to be different. I personally believe many of the world’s furries wish that they were just like any regular human, like you or like myself. It’s not that they aren’t proud or have low self -esteem. Furries have seen their opposition, and the hate that flows from them, their harsh words and opinions like whips across their backs. They are just scared to be revealed and hated for being something they never asked to be. Furries are a small and despised group, so they hide away and hold secret lives, only sharing that life with other furries. It seems pretty sad that they are hated so much. Despite the efforts, the hate sites didn’t make me a furry hater. I actually have a lot of sympathy for furries now, even though I’m not a furry myself.
I never did see furry haters explain why they despised these people on their web sites. Perhaps they have had life - scarring experiences at the hands of furries, and a grudge built up over the years. Maybe their closest friends revealed themselves as furries, and they felt betrayed. Or they could just be Hitler clones in the making. I do not know. What I do know is that history has repeated itself. And guess what, world? It’s happening as I type. Did the African Americans not fight for their rights? Did they not win? Who do we know that have been fighting for equal rights recently? Homosexuals. And they’re winning their war. So who’s to say the furries aren’t next in line to rise up and make their presence known? Who can say that within the next twenty years furries won’t be treated as equal as African Americans and homosexuals?
As my final thoughts, I share a discovery that crept into my head while thinking about this entire issue. I am not a furry, I know that for sure. But things that possible have made furries who they are have been hiding in all places, and I found those things in my own life, shockingly. Books, to start. In my own library, I have discovered 36 books made up of only anthropomorphic creatures. It’s a complete shock that furry literature has been rolling around in my head since I learned to read. When it finally made me realize what’s been happening, I felt empty, then I almost threw up in shock. As I said, I am not a furry. I am a straight human. But now I see the things that breeds furries is ever present. And with literature comprised of just animal characters being so popular, I must except the fact that such breeding tools are here to stay. Disney, believe it or not, is creating furries, even if they do not know it. Anthropomorphic creatures are Disney’s movie gold mine. And naturally, the mascots of the food we put in our mouths. Tony the Tiger, the Trix rabbit, the crazy bird that promotes Coco Puffs. It may sound foolish, but it’s the truth.
When I went to wikipedia and looked up anthropomorphic animals, I had no clue what I was getting into. I am glad I looked at that page now. Ignorance is bliss? When it comes to furries, ignorance is unacceptable. And despising them because you don’t understand them is unacceptable also. These people are everywhere, and they are growing. And now, should I ever find myself associated with someone who I discover is a furry, I am armed with knowledge. Unlike the hate breeders, I will just accept that the person is a furry and move on with my life. Who am I to judge that person? That is God’s call, not mine. So now, I can finally put my mind to rest about this whole furry situation. The furries aren’t a bad people, and though I’m not one of them or particularly like them, they are God’s people too (animal or human). I’ll be watching the furries in their fight for equality when it happens. I say "when" because I know it’s going to happen. In 5 to 10 years, it may not be the homosexuals you see on the world news fighting for equality. It may be furries. So keep that in mind the next time you suddenly discover someone you know is a furry or see them out buying suits for their conventions. And chew on this as you go to sleep tonight: what if you were the furry being judged by the world?
If you had asked me about three months ago what a furry was, I would have stared you down and asked you if you’ve recently taken a fall down a stairway. You would have sounded crazy to me. A furry? What is that? Some sort of new stuffed animal crazy? Perhaps you don’t even know. Well, I was in the same boat until recently. I’ve been following a movie named Cloverfield for a long time, and after sharing my movie theories with several other movie fans on a news site one day, I headed over to Youtube to see if anyone had put any connections together between the movie and the viral marketing campaign in a video. After watching one or two videos, I scrolled through a list of seemingly related videos. I came to a stop when I noticed something weird - a picture I couldn’t quite make out in my head. So I clicked the video. It was some sort of tribute to a cartoon called Princess Sally Acorn. After watching several artists’ renderings of Sally, I had no idea who she was. So I looked it up on Wikipedia. Sally was an anthropomorphic character, meaning she was an animal with human characteristics. But at the time, I didn’t know the meaning of the word anthropomorphism, so I looked that up to, and it led me to a page called Furry Fandom. I read the page, and now, after much research on the topic of furries, I have finally come to an opinion on the issue.
The Furry Fandom, apparently, is a group made up of people who have named themselves "furries". I was given a link by wikipedia to WikiFur, a wikia for furries, explaining who they were. Furries are people who have a great love for anthropomorphic characters. But that’s barely a slice of what furries are about. Furriness varies in each furry. Some just really like characters like Bugs Bunny. Some associate themselves with an animal, wishing they were such an animal. Others have a sexual attraction to anthropomorphic characters. They like to make art featuring these creatures, and start creating stories with an anthropomorphic character that they consider their alter ego. Some like to go to furry conventions to meet others like them, and dress as animals. Then there are the furries that believe they are actually animals trapped in human bodies. These are called Otherkin.
To put it lightly, I was surprised that these type of people existed. And irritated that I hadn’t known about their existence before. To me, the furries were a unique, interesting bunch who loved the person they were. But then I accidently closed down the window. So I brought it back up, and typed "furry" in google. I saw the site I had just been looking at, and then noticed another site. For my own religious purposes, I’ll let you type "furry" in google and see the site’s name for yourself. I thought to better understand the concept of furries, I’d better look at this from both sides of the mirror. It was only fair, true? So I clicked the link, and... wow. My perception of furries has just been bombed, I thought. It was furry hate site, committed to exposing furries as the most evil, disgusting, disturbed people on the planet. The despise poured from the web site like fifty - foot waterfalls. It shocked me at first, and as I read more and more, their opinions began to sink in. The furries’ perfect world had just been incredibly de - glorified. What I previously had thought was just another of the world’s unique groups had been turned into something evil, putrid, and disturbing. E-mails from furries sent to the web master was displayed and torn apart verbally by the web master. After going to several other hate sites I thought it was enough. I felt pretty disturbed, to wrap it all in a nutshell. And after closing down the hate sites, I sat and thought for a long period of time about the furries. Misunderstood or evil? Happy and unique or breeders of a new disturbing religion? After much battle between the two sides within my own mind, I have reached a conclusion.
Furries aren’t evil. And I have only one reason to support that statement: Furries don’t choose to be furries. I have read enough stories about furries "finding their tail" to firmly say that furries are born the way they are or are made that way by life - altering experiences; furries do not choose to be different. I personally believe many of the world’s furries wish that they were just like any regular human, like you or like myself. It’s not that they aren’t proud or have low self -esteem. Furries have seen their opposition, and the hate that flows from them, their harsh words and opinions like whips across their backs. They are just scared to be revealed and hated for being something they never asked to be. Furries are a small and despised group, so they hide away and hold secret lives, only sharing that life with other furries. It seems pretty sad that they are hated so much. Despite the efforts, the hate sites didn’t make me a furry hater. I actually have a lot of sympathy for furries now, even though I’m not a furry myself.
I never did see furry haters explain why they despised these people on their web sites. Perhaps they have had life - scarring experiences at the hands of furries, and a grudge built up over the years. Maybe their closest friends revealed themselves as furries, and they felt betrayed. Or they could just be Hitler clones in the making. I do not know. What I do know is that history has repeated itself. And guess what, world? It’s happening as I type. Did the African Americans not fight for their rights? Did they not win? Who do we know that have been fighting for equal rights recently? Homosexuals. And they’re winning their war. So who’s to say the furries aren’t next in line to rise up and make their presence known? Who can say that within the next twenty years furries won’t be treated as equal as African Americans and homosexuals?
As my final thoughts, I share a discovery that crept into my head while thinking about this entire issue. I am not a furry, I know that for sure. But things that possible have made furries who they are have been hiding in all places, and I found those things in my own life, shockingly. Books, to start. In my own library, I have discovered 36 books made up of only anthropomorphic creatures. It’s a complete shock that furry literature has been rolling around in my head since I learned to read. When it finally made me realize what’s been happening, I felt empty, then I almost threw up in shock. As I said, I am not a furry. I am a straight human. But now I see the things that breeds furries is ever present. And with literature comprised of just animal characters being so popular, I must except the fact that such breeding tools are here to stay. Disney, believe it or not, is creating furries, even if they do not know it. Anthropomorphic creatures are Disney’s movie gold mine. And naturally, the mascots of the food we put in our mouths. Tony the Tiger, the Trix rabbit, the crazy bird that promotes Coco Puffs. It may sound foolish, but it’s the truth.
When I went to wikipedia and looked up anthropomorphic animals, I had no clue what I was getting into. I am glad I looked at that page now. Ignorance is bliss? When it comes to furries, ignorance is unacceptable. And despising them because you don’t understand them is unacceptable also. These people are everywhere, and they are growing. And now, should I ever find myself associated with someone who I discover is a furry, I am armed with knowledge. Unlike the hate breeders, I will just accept that the person is a furry and move on with my life. Who am I to judge that person? That is God’s call, not mine. So now, I can finally put my mind to rest about this whole furry situation. The furries aren’t a bad people, and though I’m not one of them or particularly like them, they are God’s people too (animal or human). I’ll be watching the furries in their fight for equality when it happens. I say "when" because I know it’s going to happen. In 5 to 10 years, it may not be the homosexuals you see on the world news fighting for equality. It may be furries. So keep that in mind the next time you suddenly discover someone you know is a furry or see them out buying suits for their conventions. And chew on this as you go to sleep tonight: what if you were the furry being judged by the world?
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Million Dollar Bill
Honestly, I don't know what posesses people to do such foolish things like this. A man forges a million dollar bill and tries to cash in on it? Well, either this man thinks everyone at the bank is incredibly stupid or he has a lot of free time and a lot of marijuana. Why would anyone believe there is such a thing as a million dollar bill? Do they think that Americans made a million dollar bill just for the conveniance of not having to spend several hours counting hundred dollar bills? Perhaps it's because of the numerous game shows offering a jackpot of $1 million. Which reminds me of something I saw on tv the other day. Apparently, Fox has purchased the rights to a Columbian game show that drew an astronomical number of viewers in. It's a show called Nothing But The Truth. Why? Because its contestants are hooked up to lie detectors and asked questions for money. If they tell the truth for 21 rounds, they earn a jackpot of 500,00 dollars. At first, the questions are pretty innocent, but as the amount of money they can earn increases, the questions get really personal, forcing the contestants to reveal their darkest secrets - in front of their family and friends, who are all present in the audience.
Now, Fox is brilliant for picking up a show like this. Who wouldn't watch this show? I mean, you're witnessing a person destroy their reputation for money. It's a great draw-in. But I think that what they're doing is absolutely disgusting. Fox is actually paying people to commit social suicide in front of millions of viewers and reveal their hideous sides pushed on by greed. Sure, money is nice, but what is its true worth when you've lost the trust and warmth of family and friends? I can honestly see people losing their jobs and dearest friendships over being on this show, if Fox asks the right questions. Their marriages too, considering some of the questions are things like "Do you like your Mother-in-law?" and "Have you ever cheated on your spouse?". I'm not sure what to say about the contestants, other than they're either amazingly brave or they're foolish and greedy. There is no doubt in my mind that Fox's ratings will skyrocket when this debuts. The only way a show like this will die is if the contestant stream runs out. No person that goes on that show will be a 100% genuine individual and not hurt relationships by being a contestant. Every person has their secrets. And once those secrets are out, it's damaging, to say the least. And there probably isn't any limit to what Fox will ask. So now, tell me: what do you think of this new show?
Now, Fox is brilliant for picking up a show like this. Who wouldn't watch this show? I mean, you're witnessing a person destroy their reputation for money. It's a great draw-in. But I think that what they're doing is absolutely disgusting. Fox is actually paying people to commit social suicide in front of millions of viewers and reveal their hideous sides pushed on by greed. Sure, money is nice, but what is its true worth when you've lost the trust and warmth of family and friends? I can honestly see people losing their jobs and dearest friendships over being on this show, if Fox asks the right questions. Their marriages too, considering some of the questions are things like "Do you like your Mother-in-law?" and "Have you ever cheated on your spouse?". I'm not sure what to say about the contestants, other than they're either amazingly brave or they're foolish and greedy. There is no doubt in my mind that Fox's ratings will skyrocket when this debuts. The only way a show like this will die is if the contestant stream runs out. No person that goes on that show will be a 100% genuine individual and not hurt relationships by being a contestant. Every person has their secrets. And once those secrets are out, it's damaging, to say the least. And there probably isn't any limit to what Fox will ask. So now, tell me: what do you think of this new show?
Introduction
You know, I discovered something recently: when something is bothering me, talking about it really helps me understand my issue and clear my head. I also love to discuss different topics with people of varying opinions. So, I thought, why not do what everyone else seems to be doing and create a blog? I know a certain New England radio station DJ that does such a thing and actually reads his blogs on the air. It seemed like a good idea, so this is my test run. If my blog doesn't go so well, then at least I tried, didn't I? So now, let's get started:
I call this blog Human Mind: Most Dangerous Place on Earth, because, well, it's true. Imagine for a second this: what if you were able to take one physical person and place them in your mind? There are absolutely no limits to what you'd be able to do. You could put them through things that are absolutely insane and incredible. That person could become king of a new planet. Or, they could become the most infamous criminal in history. You'd decide their fate. Don't agree with me yet? Well, most humans are only operating at around 11% of brain use. What would happen if we used, say, 15%? It's an exciting and scary thought, isn't it? How about 20%? Hmm? What if we unlocked the ultimate secret to using the entire brain? Well, the first time we tried, our brains would probably catch on fire with the effort. I really don't know what would happen if humans used 90 to 100% of their brains, because only working at 11% isn't letting me create many theories. If our brains worked that well, then we'd think up millions of new colors. Right now, for about 10 seconds, I challenge you to invent a color that isn't too similar to any other color on earth.
Can't do it, can you? Thought not. But now I'm getting sidetracked. Those are my reasons that our minds are the most dangerous things on earth. I'm not saying agree with me, just giving you something to think of. And now, after that little intro, into the blog!
I call this blog Human Mind: Most Dangerous Place on Earth, because, well, it's true. Imagine for a second this: what if you were able to take one physical person and place them in your mind? There are absolutely no limits to what you'd be able to do. You could put them through things that are absolutely insane and incredible. That person could become king of a new planet. Or, they could become the most infamous criminal in history. You'd decide their fate. Don't agree with me yet? Well, most humans are only operating at around 11% of brain use. What would happen if we used, say, 15%? It's an exciting and scary thought, isn't it? How about 20%? Hmm? What if we unlocked the ultimate secret to using the entire brain? Well, the first time we tried, our brains would probably catch on fire with the effort. I really don't know what would happen if humans used 90 to 100% of their brains, because only working at 11% isn't letting me create many theories. If our brains worked that well, then we'd think up millions of new colors. Right now, for about 10 seconds, I challenge you to invent a color that isn't too similar to any other color on earth.
Can't do it, can you? Thought not. But now I'm getting sidetracked. Those are my reasons that our minds are the most dangerous things on earth. I'm not saying agree with me, just giving you something to think of. And now, after that little intro, into the blog!
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