Time: Mickey Mouse says we still have it
In Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night, the protagonist Viola is seen to say,
Oh Time, thou must untangle this, not
I.
It is too hard a knot for me t' untie! (Viola, 2.2.40-41)
Viola has gotten herself into a serious entanglement, and she believes that only time will tell whether she will be saved at the end. When I came across these lines in the play I was struck by how these exact thoughts can be applied so beautifully to all of us. As college students we are all being prepared for the future, but that future itself is uncertain. Oddly enough I remembered the famous Georgia Tech Mickey Mouse clock which can be found on campus, on the eastern side of the Skiles building.
Covered by dense foliage on all sides, the Mickey Mouse clock has over the years attained legend status as most Georgia Tech students go their entire college lives without ever seeing it. However this is exactly the opposite of what the clock stands for. It is placed such, that had the foliage not existed it would have been the first thing thousands of students would have seen when they trailed up freshman hill in the early hours of the morning. What better way to start the day then with the great Mickey Mouse smiling at you telling you everything will be all right. They would have started the day on a happy note and their whole day would have been better as a result.
The message must have been so simple. Time however has not stolen any of its beauty. Times may be trying, and our futures may be uncertain but at least we will always know that Mickey Mouse will be there for us, egging us on to face the future undaunted.
SOPA and PIPA
You may have heard of the recent controversies surrounding the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). These acts were introduced into the Congress in January and May, 2011, respectively. The purpose of these acts was to give the government the power to shut down foreign domains that infringed copyright laws. The congressmen who supported to bill believed that it would help decrease piracy which has recently become rampant. I am not going to dispute whether these acts are morally right or wrong here. What interested me was the way domains and websites all over the world banded together to voice and show their disapproval for what they believe to harmful to the free nature of the world wide web as it exists today.
Here are a just a few of the things that were done world wide to prevent the passing of these 2 acts. -
1. An open letter to Washington speaking out against the legislation was signed by founders of Craigslist, eBay, Google, Mozilla, Twitter, and Wikipedia, among others.
2. On the 18th of January, 2012, Wikipedia organized a 24 hour worldwide blackout. They were joined by Reditt as well as many as 7000 other domains. In excess of 160 million people have to been said to have witnessed Wikipedias banner.
3. Even google displayed a doodle voicing out against the acts. The doodle was blackened to show how they believed that these acts would restrict freedom on the internet. Estimations stated that Google collected about 7 million signatures supporting their cause.
4. Rallies were held all over the U.S., most notably in New York.
All these motions were successful. President Obama denounce SOPA, and neither of them were passed.
Would this work?
The other day I came across the youtube video below.
If you watched the video, you now know that it is about former melanoma cancer patients try to send a message to all young teenagers warning them about this deadly disease. The video is emotional and well made. The only thing that bothers is that if a sixteen year old were to see this video, would he or she really be so affected that they would do what was suggested? Would they actually begin and continue to check their skin for signs month in and month over the next few years. Somehow I doubt it. They would probably just continue onto the next youtube video on their playlist. For those who'd take it seriously, they'd check initially no doubt. As time progressed however, they would soon begin to forget. My question thus is not actually related to melanoma cancer. It is a simple question: what would one have to do to broadcast such a message to my generation and the ones following it, without that message being disregarded by most who it was meant for. If this issue interests you, please comment and express your own views. I look forward to reading them.
Caffeine Pills Freak Me Out
Caffeine pills freak me out. I’m serious. Essentially a caffeine pill delivers the same amount of caffeine that a cup of coffee does, just without the coffee. They are harmless and often useful. Yet whenever one of my friends says that he has had them, I look at him as if he has admitted to being a drug addict. I myself like to drink coffee. Before my early morning classes I usually need a cup to keep me awake. Thus what these guys are doing is not really that different. They to wish to use the advantages of caffeine and they don't feel the need to hide behind an illusion which I guess I must be doing. What about you? Do you agree with my views or my conclusions or disagree with me in entirety? Feel free to comment and post your own views.
Science: From the Perspective of the Scientists
Last semester, I was lucky enough to read Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything." This book is a very popular book about general science and has been written from the perspective of the scientists who made the discoveries themselves. The language is very simple and lucid and no prior knowledge is required to read the book. I enjoyed it immensely as other then being written well it had the wonderful effect of showing the human side of scientists like Newton and Einstein. If you wish to read the book yourself, click on the link below and you will be redirected to a pdf version. I hope you read this book and that you enjoy it.
Becoming Smarter Requires Effort
In an effort to improve my own general knowledge, I have recently taken to watching the World News with Diane Sawyer on abc.com. This has stemmed from the fact that I am far too lazy to read through lengthy articles from online publications. Of all the websites I searched through, the news on abc.com is probably the best presented and easiest to access. I hope that I am able to continue watching it and in time become a more knowledgeable and smart person. If by any chance, you are like me and you to wish to watch the world news, then I heartily advise clicking the link below. Also, if any of you believe there to be better news sources out there, and wish to share them, you are free to comment and say so. I will be glad to watch them , learn from them and share my own views as well.
In Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night, the protagonist Viola is seen to say,
It is too hard a knot for me t' untie! (Viola, 2.2.40-41)
Viola has gotten herself into a serious entanglement, and she believes that only time will tell whether she will be saved at the end. When I came across these lines in the play I was struck by how these exact thoughts can be applied so beautifully to all of us. As college students we are all being prepared for the future, but that future itself is uncertain. Oddly enough I remembered the famous Georgia Tech Mickey Mouse clock which can be found on campus, on the eastern side of the Skiles building.
Covered by dense foliage on all sides, the Mickey Mouse clock has over the years attained legend status as most Georgia Tech students go their entire college lives without ever seeing it. However this is exactly the opposite of what the clock stands for. It is placed such, that had the foliage not existed it would have been the first thing thousands of students would have seen when they trailed up freshman hill in the early hours of the morning. What better way to start the day then with the great Mickey Mouse smiling at you telling you everything will be all right. They would have started the day on a happy note and their whole day would have been better as a result.
The message must have been so simple. Time however has not stolen any of its beauty. Times may be trying, and our futures may be uncertain but at least we will always know that Mickey Mouse will be there for us, egging us on to face the future undaunted.
SOPA and PIPA
You may have heard of the recent controversies surrounding the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). These acts were introduced into the Congress in January and May, 2011, respectively. The purpose of these acts was to give the government the power to shut down foreign domains that infringed copyright laws. The congressmen who supported to bill believed that it would help decrease piracy which has recently become rampant. I am not going to dispute whether these acts are morally right or wrong here. What interested me was the way domains and websites all over the world banded together to voice and show their disapproval for what they believe to harmful to the free nature of the world wide web as it exists today.
Here are a just a few of the things that were done world wide to prevent the passing of these 2 acts. -
1. An open letter to Washington speaking out against the legislation was signed by founders of Craigslist, eBay, Google, Mozilla, Twitter, and Wikipedia, among others.
2. On the 18th of January, 2012, Wikipedia organized a 24 hour worldwide blackout. They were joined by Reditt as well as many as 7000 other domains. In excess of 160 million people have to been said to have witnessed Wikipedias banner.
3. Even google displayed a doodle voicing out against the acts. The doodle was blackened to show how they believed that these acts would restrict freedom on the internet. Estimations stated that Google collected about 7 million signatures supporting their cause.
4. Rallies were held all over the U.S., most notably in New York.
All these motions were successful. President Obama denounce SOPA, and neither of them were passed.
Would this work?
The other day I came across the youtube video below.
If you watched the video, you now know that it is about former melanoma cancer patients try to send a message to all young teenagers warning them about this deadly disease. The video is emotional and well made. The only thing that bothers is that if a sixteen year old were to see this video, would he or she really be so affected that they would do what was suggested? Would they actually begin and continue to check their skin for signs month in and month over the next few years. Somehow I doubt it. They would probably just continue onto the next youtube video on their playlist. For those who'd take it seriously, they'd check initially no doubt. As time progressed however, they would soon begin to forget. My question thus is not actually related to melanoma cancer. It is a simple question: what would one have to do to broadcast such a message to my generation and the ones following it, without that message being disregarded by most who it was meant for. If this issue interests you, please comment and express your own views. I look forward to reading them.
Caffeine Pills Freak Me Out
Caffeine pills freak me out. I’m serious. Essentially a caffeine pill delivers the same amount of caffeine that a cup of coffee does, just without the coffee. They are harmless and often useful. Yet whenever one of my friends says that he has had them, I look at him as if he has admitted to being a drug addict. I myself like to drink coffee. Before my early morning classes I usually need a cup to keep me awake. Thus what these guys are doing is not really that different. They to wish to use the advantages of caffeine and they don't feel the need to hide behind an illusion which I guess I must be doing. What about you? Do you agree with my views or my conclusions or disagree with me in entirety? Feel free to comment and post your own views.
Science: From the Perspective of the Scientists
Last semester, I was lucky enough to read Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything." This book is a very popular book about general science and has been written from the perspective of the scientists who made the discoveries themselves. The language is very simple and lucid and no prior knowledge is required to read the book. I enjoyed it immensely as other then being written well it had the wonderful effect of showing the human side of scientists like Newton and Einstein. If you wish to read the book yourself, click on the link below and you will be redirected to a pdf version. I hope you read this book and that you enjoy it.
 |
| http://www.huzheng.org/bookstore/AShortHistoryofNearlyEverything.pdf |
Becoming Smarter Requires Effort
In an effort to improve my own general knowledge, I have recently taken to watching the World News with Diane Sawyer on abc.com. This has stemmed from the fact that I am far too lazy to read through lengthy articles from online publications. Of all the websites I searched through, the news on abc.com is probably the best presented and easiest to access. I hope that I am able to continue watching it and in time become a more knowledgeable and smart person. If by any chance, you are like me and you to wish to watch the world news, then I heartily advise clicking the link below. Also, if any of you believe there to be better news sources out there, and wish to share them, you are free to comment and say so. I will be glad to watch them , learn from them and share my own views as well.
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