Protests in Wisconsin

Did the power of the people in Egypt at their peaceful protest earlier this month spark a fire here in America. The people of Wisconsin are standing up to defend their union labor right. The bill at hand will limit "collective bargaining" otherwise known as the voice of the people. Well as it seems, it is not that easy to keep these people quiet. Over six hundred people are protesting inside the capital building, including off duty cops! Thats right, the police is on the side of the people not the government (Click here to see a clip off the chief police officer taking to the protesters inside the capital building). Now that is reassuring if you ask me. Just like in Egypt, this is a peaceful protest because it wouldn't work any other way. The outcome of this protest is likely to affect the people in the surrounding Midwest, who's governments are also putting together collective bargaining laws. In addition, the outcome may hold a large row in the election taking place this winter. The previous election ended in all of the Midwest turning "red" after being notably democratic. To read more on the subject click here.

Internet Censorship

Does the internet have too much censorship? There are arguments on for both sides. This link raises a few questions about the topic. Who is censoring the internet? What is being censored on the internet? How is the internet being censored? and maybe most importantly, why is the internet being censored? These are all good questions which I think we should all consider. I personally believe the internet shouldn't have to be censored, but I also think that some other things might have to change before that is possible.

My Generation

Is the most recent generation too reliant on the internet and media? That is a good question, and one that I don't think is black and white. While some people are able to use the internet as a tool for productivity, I fear this is a small group. The majority of this generation gets it's news from the Colbert Report, and wouldn't know how to spell if a little red line didn't come up every time they get it wrong. The main reason that I believe people are too reliant on the internet and media is because they don't know how to function without it. If one day the internet got "turned off," the world would be running around like a chicken with it's head chopped off. People don't know how to do simple functions or even go day to day without the internet. What happened to the simple things in life? I don't entirely blame the generation for their addiction. This is what they grew up knowing, a world where this is the norm. It is the previous generation that has paved the road for us, and put the systems in place. What did you think would happen? But life moves to fast to consider the future, what is more important is how much money we can make now. Maybe I'm just ranting, but if something doesn't change, I'm scared for the next generation.

Zeitgeist: Moving Forward

If you were moved by Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth," than you need to watch this film. If you believe issues including the riots in Egypt, and the bankruptcy in Greece are not going away anytime soon, than you need to watch this film. Not only are they not going away, but these issues are only getting worse and more frequent. It is time to stop ignoring our national and global problems, and confront them head on in a logical way. We have the knowledge and the power to save our planet and it is time to make a change.

"Zeitgeist: Moving Forward" is the third and final film in the zeitgeist series directed by Peter Joseph. The films are part of a larger movement to bring social change and reorganize world system. A world not run by corrupt politics, or radical religions, but in logical and proven science. A world in which our systems are put to the test, and if they fail then they are fixed, not avoided. And most importantly, a world in which science would eliminate the need for tedious jobs and money. This may sound like crazy talk to some of you who are reading this, but take the time to watch the film and then let me know if you think it is crazier than the world we live in now.

"Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)

Music playlist link

I recently came across this website that allows people to make short playlists, and post them for others to listen to. I enjoy listening to music where ever I go and often will make cd's or playlists to listen to. I like this site because it lets you hear what others are listening to, and what they think sounds good together. Many of the playlists have a theme for why they were made which is also the playlist title, such as "good music for morning classes" or "lazy day dubstep." So if you like finding out what others are listening to, finding new and obscure music, or think you can make a good playlist then check out this site.

Net Neutrality

Internet Service Providers want to treat your phone, cable, and internet as different services so that they can divide and conquer. They want to be able to charge us for the things we use the most, thus limiting our power by hitting us where it hurts the most. The glory of the internet is in its power to widen our eyes to the world around us by blurring the lines and closing the distance that used to divide us. The internet allows anyone to say what ever they want. It allows people to video chat with the other side of the world in real time. And it is an infinite storage unit for knowledge, with links leaving the perfect paper trail. We need to make sure that the internet stays free and open. For a diagram explanation of net neutrality visit this link.

Opinion on Google

I don't know about the rest of you, but for me Google is a one stop shop to find whatever I want online. I'm one of the many people who has Google set as the home page for their browser. I currently use the Mozilla Firefox browser and not Google Chrome, but I have been interested in trying it out. I also use a yahoo email account and not Gmail, but that is mostly because I have had it since middle school. I am using Google's blog editor right now, and I use Google search more than any other website. Google pretty much has its hands in everything, but is that a good thing or a bad thing? Are they just our friendly neighborhood billion dollar advertising conglomerate, or are they trying to monopolize the way we live? So what is my opinion on Google? I like all of the functions that Google provides for me, but I don't like having all of my eggs in one basket. Especially when we have no reason to believe that Google is acting in our best interest. This video helps to further explain some of my feelings regarding Google.

Kottke.org

Jason Kottke founded kottke.org back in March of 98. His blog has continually gained popularity over the years and in 06 had between 600,000-700,000 unique viewers per month. kottke.org covers any theme that Jason is interested in, such as; technology, photography, food, design, economics, science, etc. Jason also said that “ Instead of covering what’s happening with the Web, I focus on what people on the Web have to say about the world.” The site is updates around 10-12 times every weekday, consisting mostly of links with a few larger posts here and there. Jason currently blogs full time and receives income from ad space that he sells on his site. Prior to selling ad space Jason received funding from his reader via donations. When asked how his site has changed over the years he said that selling ad space aloud him to be himself more without having to worry about what his sponsors thought of his content. When asked where he finds the links to post, Jason responded with "I link to whatever I find interesting. But that's not strictly true...as in design and editing, I find the process of blogging is more about what you take away than what you leave." He also mentioned that the best links come from off the beaten path. So if you are interested in finding some unique links, or getting to know Jason Kottke make sure to visit his blog.

Time Perspective

While stumbling through the internet, I came across a very interesting video that discussed whether different cultures have different perspectives on time. This video is very informative and entertaining to watch. The narrator, Phillip Zimbardo, sketches out on a dry erase board the content he is discussing. Zimbardo states that different areas of the world move at different paces, and the pace is determined by whether you are past, present, or future oriented. Future oriented cultures keep a quick pace and were statistically proven to have more heart problems. Zimbardo also states that the cyber revolution has caused the current generation of kids to want a fast pace in which they are in control. This in tern leads to kids not wanting to attend school because it is too passive and they are not in control. What do you think? do we all move at the same speed or do some people's hearts tick faster than the others? Watch the video and let me know what you think.

New Picture

Decided to update my profile picture. I'm lookin pretty snazzy for Homecoming '10. This picture is from before I grew my beard out so its not the most accurate, but I'm still lookin good (if I do say so myself).

New Blog

Hello internet! I, Kevin Murphy, now have a blog! This is where you will find all of the exciting and interesting updates on daily life. I hope you enjoy my thoughts.