Can someone help me make sense of this.

Ok, so after this whole social networking thing has come to a sort of culmination. There are still a lot of sites popping up, but its already apparent who the main contenders are in the market are. Facebook and Myspace. (I do understand that there are others such as YouTube, Last.fm, Digg, and so on, but my main concern right now is with the top two)
I had a myspace, and i have a facebook (evidently if you scroll down and look to the right). I have noticed something, something that has become more and more prevailant with the introduction of the facebook development platform (which i thought was a terrible idea from the begining). But what i have been noticing is how people want more and more ways to categorize their friends, and even worse, rank them. I dont really seem to understand this concept. I realize how we all have those friends who are either part of a group of close friends and those who are more or less casual acquaintances, but honestly, by showing it visually, its almost like saying that you cherish one's friendship over another's.
So now, as for the facebook development platform, this is what my opinion is. It allows shitty programmers to make shit applications for a website and make said site a whole lot less stable. I have come across it time and time again, applications that try to force themselves to be viral, and it never seems to work. And even worse, people get these applications, put them on their profile and then they just eat up valuable screen real estate (yes, that is a correct computer term). And the majority of them serve little to no purpose.
Now with that said, i will say that i do have some applications on my profile. But i doubt that many of them are the kind that are viral, pointless, or annoying. I have one for my digg.com account, another for last.fm, that stupid bumper sticker one that i will probably be removing, and then a few others. I do like to see my facebook profile as a way to bring together all of my other social networking adventures. I use it with digg, last.fm, and this blog. I am not stupid about what i post because i know that once you put information on the site, its not going anywhere.
So wow, two posts in two days, how bout that, its like a record for me, maybe i should say something that will piss people off and make them all make stupid comments that have nothing to do with what my point is.

I really can't think of a title right now.

How is it that we can live in a world where we are constantly suffering. Life is never easy, and yet, we get through it, day after day. But just how do we do it. Sometimes it feels like a miracle that we can get through one day where people are constantly pointing out your deficiencies or telling you that your way of life is wrong. There must be a way to escape it all. I remember during my one class in high school where we learned about the different ways people become sadists or masochists in order to escape their unfortunate existance. But sometimes it can be hard to see where people are using it. Or even worse, you can see people using it and it is hard to tell them because of how it could jeopardize a relationship. So, when faced with a problem, what do we do. Look for advice, a lot of people do that. Don't say anything and just go along, yet a lot of other people do that as well. If given advice, what are the chances that this advice will still be used, what are the chances that this advice will either help or hinder the specified situation. There is no way of telling. That is the unfortunate thing. And sometimes, when this happens, something very dear could be on the line.
I really dont know what im talking about, i have been thinking about this for a very long time. Its been up in my head everywhere i go and ive never had a chance to write it down. Maybe i read too deeply into things. Maybe i dont think enough about things. I really dont know, there is no way to tell. So now i should go to bed, as i am sure to have confused someone, because i am almost confusing myself.

So I've come to notice this...

I have recently made the decision to become a vegetarian. I know, some people (those of you who are reading this and don't already know) might think that it's crazy or something. But yes, I have made the conscious decision to no longer eat meat. There are a few simple reasons for it, as anyone might guess, killing animals, health reasons etc. This is all godo and well. But the thing I have been noticing more and more is the way people react when I tell them.
People are real assholes about it. That's all I really have to say (of course there are the few of you who are cool about it, and you know who you are). But there is the majority of people who when i tell them, they are almost thrown aback by it. They start questioning why. And even worse, they treat it like it doesn't matter. They stick it in my face that they eat meat and that they kill animals, and it almost seems like they are trying to convert me back to eating meat. I haven't yet told my parents about this decision, but I'm sure to be met with the same hostility, if not more.
This all leads me to wonder why people react this way. Who knows, maybe if I were in their situation I would react the same way as them. But then again, I have a sort of view where I don't care what other people do if it doesn't directly affect me. I don't know, it all seems petty and childish. I am making a decision, and people don't seem to want to deal with it, so they criticize it. That kind of shit happens all the time, and frankly, it's annoying as hell. Why are people like this, is it all that hard to cope with change. Change is a part of life, deal with it.

Sometimes a title reflects a subject, this time it doesnt apply

So i have been a lazy blogger recently. It doesn't seem to be any fault of my own, from what i gather, ive been quite busy, this past week at least. My class schedule itself doesnt seem that difficult, especially on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but even on those days, its been non-stop for me. The sad thing thought, when im going through my daily business, i am constantly thinking, constantly observing, and i do come up with some ideas for blogs that i could write that would be just excellent given the time and effort. I guess that is my fault.
So maybe i could just use this post to bring whoever reads this up to terms with what ive been doing the past few weeks.
Well, winter break ended, and it ended in a way which i was ready for it to be over, but i felt like i hadn't accomplished everything that i was hoping to accomplish. Take it as you will, i had some big plans laid out, and i seemed to have flaked out on almost all of them. I got back to work to a feeling of uncertainty regarding my working arrangements for next year, something which i was counting on because i am getting an apartment next year (we signed the lease this past Friday). I have been working, not very hard, but i have been working, and no, i am not slacking off, i am doing as much as i need right now. I figure its best to take it slow in the begining of the semester, and from there i will do more. My social life is very much alive (much to some people's disbelief) I spend time with friends, and its just like most encounters with friends. Disagreements can complicate things and make everything frustrating, and i don't like being frustrated, because it makes me think more than i already do. And no, i am not writing about any one situation, i am writing about a general observation ive made while being in a social situation.
One thing i seem to write about a lot (i don't even know why) is relationships. This is always an interesting subject for me, I like to be somewhat vague about it as to not reveal too much and make certain people uncomfortable if they happen to stumble upon this blog. So ill just leave it at this. I do like someone. I have no idea what will become of this. I am hopeful, i always am. The only thing that dampens my spirits is the fact that i have very little experience with the whole "dating scene" and how to pursue a potential relationship. I dont know, i guess everyone goes through it, and it doesnt really help being as shy as i am. People do offer advice (which i am always eternally greatful for) but it ultimately comes down to me and my decisions.
So now that ive gone into my "I'm a lonely loser" part of this, i guess i should bring this to a conclusion somehow. This entry didn't have much of a specific subject matter, so i cant think of any witty way to close this all, so i will just end it like i end every other sentence i write, with a period.

What ever happened to the community.

So today i created an account on ubuntuforums.org and something sparked my interest. I reallized how strongly regarded the sense of community was in this online forum. A sort of unity between all of the members and the cooperation between them for the better good. In these forums, you can go and ask simple questions, and you can discuss possible solutions to such problems with people who just might be more knowledgable than you about any one subject. Now, mind you, this is forum for Ubuntu Linux, a computer operating system, and the majority of these exchanges are computer related, But i made a sort of contrast with the music industry while exploring this newly joined community.
From what ive gathered, the music industry is nothing at all like a community. Everyone has their own agenda, and they will do whatever they can to achieve their goals. This sort of cut-throat attitude becomes a problem when the sense of unity is destroyed by it. Now, i have been in and out of bands for about 5 years now, and i have experienced quite a bit, not the most, but i have seen some things, good and bad.
I do see how some similar bands do stick together, play shows, share fans and such. Hell, i was there, ive made friends and played numerous shows with them. One situation that comes to mind was back when my old band played with Anomaly all those times (hell, i eventually joined the band), we met, became friends, stayed in touch somewhat, and played a few shows together and it was all good. We were both really small bands, but we kinda helped each other out.
I do notice where competition does get in the way of community. Especially now in the new age of the internet and the social networking revolution, all i see are bands that just want to get famous by any means possible (now where have i heard that before). But if you know anything about history, "by any means possible" never works. So its almost as if something needs to be done.
I have been thinking about this all day, and ive come to the conclusion that there should be some sort of online comunity for musicians. A place where they can go and exchange resources, collaborate on projects, and work for the betterment of the community. We already know my views on the music industry, but i think that by building something like this, it might help to make the situation better.
So that is my idea, it seems to be a great idea to me. I have no idea what other musicians might think about it. I just think that by borrowing on the ideals of community that has been so heavily emphasized in the open source world, that it can be used for the betterment of a different form of creative expression, because seriously, computers and music may be two different things, but the ways of creating both of them requires creativity and a willingness for progress.

They actually make money off of that.

So, as i look around everywhere, there is something that ive been starting to notice. More and more, people are using our feeling of nostalgia, and profiting on it. Just take a look around, movies, clothes, video games, and tv. In some way or another, its there. Ninja turtles, transformers, pokemon, power rangers, and a bunch of stuff i cant even remember.
So whats the problem with this?
Well i dont see too big of a problem, but sometimes people can take it too far, and when that happens, its almost as if they are living in the past. When the transformers movie came out, i didnt want to see it, at all. People thought this was weird, transformers were a big part of many people's youth. The problem with me was that i simply did not remember any of it. I actually didnt even remember who optimus prime was.
So now, I always say that its dumb that movie studios are profiting off of our feelings of nostalgia. I do still think this. I will say that directors and producers have done quite some creative stuff with it, but its all been very overplayed.
And now that i am downloading and watching old episodes of power rangers, does this make me look hypocritical? This may be so. But i am doing this on my own agenda. I am not doing this on the agenda of movie studios, television studios, or clothing companies. Also, the power rangers were a big part of my youth, i remember being enamored by them, unlike the transformers.
So what is my final conclusion?
Nostalgia can be a good thing. It must be used in moderation. You cant live in the past. Strive for the future, but never forget your youth.

Its that time of year again...

...its barely just started and already im frustrated with it.
Now that you are all thinking "wow what a scrooge" i guess i should explain why i detest the holiday season.
There are a few reasons, so ill try to cover as many of them as i can.
First, Christmas has become a capitalist holiday, and in this wonderful country, it has been turned into an american capitalist holiday. So these are some terms that i have made up in my head. "American Capitalist" what is that supposed to mean? Well, ill tell you. To me, american capitalism is a system in which people will use cut-throat methods to stay ahead, the main focus is to be better than the rest. And to put that in the context of christmas, just take a look around, go to the mall for more than five minutes and try not to want to kill someone. Christmas can turn come of the nicest people into complete assholes, just because they will do anything to get their shopping done, or to get that perfect present for the right person.
Second, the holiday has lost its meaning, not completely, but mostly. For me, christmas used to be a time to go and visit with family and friends, and to just enjoy their company. Now its a time where it almost becomes a competition to outbuy said family members and friends. So now, what am i, one of those people who thinks that Christmas is just one big corporate consumerist holiday. The truth is, i really dont think that, well, i do, but not to a full extent. The way i see it, most people do see the real reason for christmas, the only problem is that it seems that everyone gets so wrapped up in the consumerist end of it all. I guess my problem is that i dwell too much on the negative side of the issue, i dont see the fact that people really are in the holiday spirit, its just that it is harder to see this.