Ok, my reason for not being so great on the posts in the last week is... summer homework stuff!
Basically, I have a chemistry packet due on the first day of school, so I've been working on that, leaving me with less time to make posts.
Also, I'm writing them right now so when I have a few done I'll get them out. Bear with me :)
Monday, August 6, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Me! Me! Me! Me!
This is the continuation of my previous post on egotism and selfishness in the 21st century.
Anyways, now for the causes of egotism.
This is actually fairly simple. It all started with the parents, like most problems in this world.
The beginning of it all was the "Everyone is Special" movement, combined with political correctness. These movements accentuated that "everybody is special in their own special way", focusing that everyone should be given equal opportunities and choices. However, this was later twisted by overprotective parents to mean that "everyone could achieve anything", quoting examples like Shaquille O'Neal and Babe Ruth.
What they failed to notice, however, is that not everyone can become an MLB player or a pro NBA center. We focus so much on those success stories (because they appeal more to our emotions) that we forget the thousands of kids who were given the same opportunities but failed. That's because everyone has their own potential, and for some it might be lower than others.
For example, there were days were kids once wanted to be construction workers, plumbers, mailmen, gardeners, etc. Nowadays, parents discourage that sort of behavior and make kids try to overachieve and become child prodigies. Let's face it; every parent wants their child to be the best, to be at the top, not for the child's benefit, but so that the parents can gloat about how good of a job they did on raising them.
Not only did this affect the way families and individual children behaved, but went on to affect the public school system as well. Parents demanded that their children be put ahead in "gifted" programs and "intensive" courses, and more and more emphasis was put on standardized testing because it "gave everyone the same chances". The mistake of doing that is that not everyone exceeds in 'gifted' programs, and those that failed may develop psychological problems in addition to be made believe that their "still special" by their parents.
The other mistake is that standardize testing refutes an individual's personal learning style and capacity in the effort to make everything "more fair". I have known many people who never were good at standardized testing, and yet were more intelligent than many other kids.
These are not the only problems that occurred in the education system. For a long time before the "You're special" movement, very few people went to college. Nowadays, a huge amount of pressure is put on kids to get into good colleges and universities, adding to the growing pressure to overachieve in academics, sports, and the humanities.
On the next post, I will discuss the effects that the "You're special" movement has had on this generation and the eventual consequences of its continuation.
Anyways, now for the causes of egotism.
This is actually fairly simple. It all started with the parents, like most problems in this world.
The beginning of it all was the "Everyone is Special" movement, combined with political correctness. These movements accentuated that "everybody is special in their own special way", focusing that everyone should be given equal opportunities and choices. However, this was later twisted by overprotective parents to mean that "everyone could achieve anything", quoting examples like Shaquille O'Neal and Babe Ruth.
What they failed to notice, however, is that not everyone can become an MLB player or a pro NBA center. We focus so much on those success stories (because they appeal more to our emotions) that we forget the thousands of kids who were given the same opportunities but failed. That's because everyone has their own potential, and for some it might be lower than others.
For example, there were days were kids once wanted to be construction workers, plumbers, mailmen, gardeners, etc. Nowadays, parents discourage that sort of behavior and make kids try to overachieve and become child prodigies. Let's face it; every parent wants their child to be the best, to be at the top, not for the child's benefit, but so that the parents can gloat about how good of a job they did on raising them.
Not only did this affect the way families and individual children behaved, but went on to affect the public school system as well. Parents demanded that their children be put ahead in "gifted" programs and "intensive" courses, and more and more emphasis was put on standardized testing because it "gave everyone the same chances". The mistake of doing that is that not everyone exceeds in 'gifted' programs, and those that failed may develop psychological problems in addition to be made believe that their "still special" by their parents.
The other mistake is that standardize testing refutes an individual's personal learning style and capacity in the effort to make everything "more fair". I have known many people who never were good at standardized testing, and yet were more intelligent than many other kids.
These are not the only problems that occurred in the education system. For a long time before the "You're special" movement, very few people went to college. Nowadays, a huge amount of pressure is put on kids to get into good colleges and universities, adding to the growing pressure to overachieve in academics, sports, and the humanities.
On the next post, I will discuss the effects that the "You're special" movement has had on this generation and the eventual consequences of its continuation.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Trialga: Breakfast of Champions
... or something like that.
Anyway, I'm here today to talk about Trialga's story. It's been almost eight months since we first started up, and probably more than that since we began our plans for the game.
We've gone through a lot, lost some members and gained more, and recently we achieved 5,000 posts on our new forums. The new forums are doing well, and I am glad we started over... it's really helped.
Well, now for a story-
Trialga forums were started on December 8, 2006. We registered an Invisionfree forums and started our little project. We bought Realm Crafter and got to work. We had high hopes, and found that not much was getting done.
We had our ups and downs about staff, a teensy weensy security issue, blah blah blah.
We moved to a site that I bought (and of course still run), and put the forums on an IPB 2.2 board. We had a good time there, more or less. We hired a bunch of game staff at one point.
And then came the decision to stop production on the game, which pretty much had already happened. Not much was getting done at that time. Jeremy had become part of the team, and I decided to make new forums at one point, with him as a co-admin.
We made the new forums and after about a week of work unveiled them, warning that the old ones would soon be closed. Sure enough, we shut them down and redirected them to the new ones after a little while.
A month or two later and here we are today. I think we've done a great job, and that we're here to stay for a long while. I enjoy running the site and the forums, as well as expanding them.
We've added a few new forums from interest shown in particular things, as well as suggestions. We have a great team, and are always expanding.
We also have something coming up soon that I've been programming that I think you guys will enjoy, so keep your eyes open and keep producing your stories and artwork if you catch my drift (and if you don't, that's ok because it's probably hard to think of what the heck I'm talking about, but it'll be good).
Again, great job everyone... let's keep it up!
Anyway, I'm here today to talk about Trialga's story. It's been almost eight months since we first started up, and probably more than that since we began our plans for the game.
We've gone through a lot, lost some members and gained more, and recently we achieved 5,000 posts on our new forums. The new forums are doing well, and I am glad we started over... it's really helped.
Well, now for a story-
Trialga forums were started on December 8, 2006. We registered an Invisionfree forums and started our little project. We bought Realm Crafter and got to work. We had high hopes, and found that not much was getting done.
We had our ups and downs about staff, a teensy weensy security issue, blah blah blah.
We moved to a site that I bought (and of course still run), and put the forums on an IPB 2.2 board. We had a good time there, more or less. We hired a bunch of game staff at one point.
And then came the decision to stop production on the game, which pretty much had already happened. Not much was getting done at that time. Jeremy had become part of the team, and I decided to make new forums at one point, with him as a co-admin.
We made the new forums and after about a week of work unveiled them, warning that the old ones would soon be closed. Sure enough, we shut them down and redirected them to the new ones after a little while.
A month or two later and here we are today. I think we've done a great job, and that we're here to stay for a long while. I enjoy running the site and the forums, as well as expanding them.
We've added a few new forums from interest shown in particular things, as well as suggestions. We have a great team, and are always expanding.
We also have something coming up soon that I've been programming that I think you guys will enjoy, so keep your eyes open and keep producing your stories and artwork if you catch my drift (and if you don't, that's ok because it's probably hard to think of what the heck I'm talking about, but it'll be good).
Again, great job everyone... let's keep it up!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Guess Who's Back?
No, not Ricky Balboa. I swear, I don't even know the guy. Seriously.
Yes, Pedro the, um, Mexican Jedi is back! With .... almost absolutely nothing to talk aboot...
Anyways, let's make this post worth it:
Generation Me: Self Indulgence a Vice?
Recently, many journalists have cited an increasing concern over the new egoistic orientation of Generation Y (meaning, anyone born in the 90s and mid-late 80s). They claim that such a selfish approach at life can be hazardous to the safety of the world in general, due to the supposed lack of empathy displayed by the generation.
First of all, one must decide wherever or not such egoism exists. This is relatively simple;
Notice today's popular websites? What are they like? Youtube, for example, is one of the most trafficked sites in the world. But think about the name and the site's name and motto; You-Tube, or Your Television (key word: Your), and "Broadcast Yourself". What does that tell us, subliminally? That this site was made for us individually, and that each and everyone one of us is "special".
Another example is MySpace. Again, the name is the key; My-Space. Mine, my own (my precious..... lol). The basics of the site is for individuals to create profiles showcasing themselves to the world at large, gaining "friends" and commentary on their profile.
Last but not least we have Time magazine, which nominated it's TIME person of the year for 2006; "You". This shows the growing trend away from individuals and towards the average person.
On the next post, I will discuss how this explosion of egoism occurred. Until then, goodnight everyone!
Yes, Pedro the, um, Mexican Jedi is back! With .... almost absolutely nothing to talk aboot...
Anyways, let's make this post worth it:
Generation Me: Self Indulgence a Vice?
Recently, many journalists have cited an increasing concern over the new egoistic orientation of Generation Y (meaning, anyone born in the 90s and mid-late 80s). They claim that such a selfish approach at life can be hazardous to the safety of the world in general, due to the supposed lack of empathy displayed by the generation.
First of all, one must decide wherever or not such egoism exists. This is relatively simple;
Notice today's popular websites? What are they like? Youtube, for example, is one of the most trafficked sites in the world. But think about the name and the site's name and motto; You-Tube, or Your Television (key word: Your), and "Broadcast Yourself". What does that tell us, subliminally? That this site was made for us individually, and that each and everyone one of us is "special".
Another example is MySpace. Again, the name is the key; My-Space. Mine, my own (my precious..... lol). The basics of the site is for individuals to create profiles showcasing themselves to the world at large, gaining "friends" and commentary on their profile.
Last but not least we have Time magazine, which nominated it's TIME person of the year for 2006; "You". This shows the growing trend away from individuals and towards the average person.
On the next post, I will discuss how this explosion of egoism occurred. Until then, goodnight everyone!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Computer: FIXED!
Great news! My desktop computer is fixed, and I am happy!
This means I can go back to my dual screen ownage and all that good stuff. Plus my gig of RAM. So basically nothing in terms of my online time changes, but I'm on a better computer, and I'm happy :D
Short post today, I'll think of something to write about Trialga for the next post.
This means I can go back to my dual screen ownage and all that good stuff. Plus my gig of RAM. So basically nothing in terms of my online time changes, but I'm on a better computer, and I'm happy :D
Short post today, I'll think of something to write about Trialga for the next post.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
My Posts
Well, taking a look at the list of my posts, I realized I don't really do that many posts a month. It's about one every three days, though, so I guess I'm doing ok. It's just that sometimes it's hard to talk about stuff because I would have not been doing much that day.
Anyway, it's just so hard to come up with posts sometimes. Maybe I can figure out some stuff for next month, or I'll just write entries ahead of time to make it easier for me.
Anyway, it's just so hard to come up with posts sometimes. Maybe I can figure out some stuff for next month, or I'll just write entries ahead of time to make it easier for me.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Forum Front
Hello everyone!
Today I'm here to talk about a project I've been working on with the two owners: Forum Front.
Forum Front is a website where you can create a free forum and have it hosted for free. We currently offer IPB 1.3 hosting and have plans to offer phpBB and SMF.
I am a server admin there (one notch below the top) and have done quite a bit. We should be going to beta with the IPB hosting tomorrow or so, so it's going well!
Come take a look: Forum Front
Today I'm here to talk about a project I've been working on with the two owners: Forum Front.
Forum Front is a website where you can create a free forum and have it hosted for free. We currently offer IPB 1.3 hosting and have plans to offer phpBB and SMF.
I am a server admin there (one notch below the top) and have done quite a bit. We should be going to beta with the IPB hosting tomorrow or so, so it's going well!
Come take a look: Forum Front
Saturday, July 21, 2007
News to be ProudOf!
Hello everyone!
I have news about my site, ProudOf.net today.
Recently I have been working on it quite a bit, and have almost completed the administration area, with one part left, which shouldn't take long at all.
Next up is finally the boards! I'll continue to update you as I make progress.
I have news about my site, ProudOf.net today.
Recently I have been working on it quite a bit, and have almost completed the administration area, with one part left, which shouldn't take long at all.
Next up is finally the boards! I'll continue to update you as I make progress.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Webcomics
Well this is a fun subject!
I love to read webcomics and if I find a good one I'll read all of it from the first to latest. I've been looking around and have quite a few that I read that are hilarious. I enjoy reading them whenever updated.
Recently I've been reading CTRL+ALT+DEL and Questionable Content, two that are pretty good. (Note that some content may be objectionable to younger children. Don't read it if you're a sissy)
Is there a funny comic you read? Do tell me, I'd like to check it out!
Sorry for the short post today, but I'm having trouble coming up with stuff to write about, so tell me stuff to write about as well!
I love to read webcomics and if I find a good one I'll read all of it from the first to latest. I've been looking around and have quite a few that I read that are hilarious. I enjoy reading them whenever updated.
Recently I've been reading CTRL+ALT+DEL and Questionable Content, two that are pretty good. (Note that some content may be objectionable to younger children. Don't read it if you're a sissy)
Is there a funny comic you read? Do tell me, I'd like to check it out!
Sorry for the short post today, but I'm having trouble coming up with stuff to write about, so tell me stuff to write about as well!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Time Flies
Wow... I was bored last night and thinking about the day, and realized: Trialga has been around for seven months already!
It's incredible that that much time has gone by already. We started as a small Invisionfree board, that actually had a lot of posts, though not much actual good discussion and all that. Now we have grown to a large forum with a lot of activity and good discussions.
I am very proud of what we have accomplished in this amount of time. We have grown a lot and I am glad we are still going strong.
I'd like to thank all of the members who have helped us achieve this, without you it would be nothing.
Hats off to Trialga!
It's incredible that that much time has gone by already. We started as a small Invisionfree board, that actually had a lot of posts, though not much actual good discussion and all that. Now we have grown to a large forum with a lot of activity and good discussions.
I am very proud of what we have accomplished in this amount of time. We have grown a lot and I am glad we are still going strong.
I'd like to thank all of the members who have helped us achieve this, without you it would be nothing.
Hats off to Trialga!
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