In any case, happy happy New Year’s Eve! And because I don’t think we’re all quite as infatuated with ZD and JGL as we ought to be, this:

Like most social media users, I’ve come to terms by now with the fact that they’re constantly redesigning and updating and adding new features in attempt to keep their product from stagnating. Maybe it’s unnecessary; I kind of feel like Facebook is a well-established staple in our lives at this point. Most of us are self-proclaimed addicts. And once the initial sting from adapting to a redesign wears off and we become accustomed to the changes, I find it difficult to recall what the interface was like previously. Honestly, I don’t remember at all what Facebook was like circa 2006 when I joined the site. That’s pretty weird, right? Especially since most of the changes seemed so drastic at the time.

But Timeline, which I’ve recently swapped over to willingly to prevent the shock from having my profile forcibly updated, is an altogether new monster of the Internet. And I believe that the implications it presents set the stage for another digital shift in the way people share and interact online, especially for parents and their children. Because Timeline is programmed to document and display your entire life from birth, it seems as though parents now have the option to jumpstart their child’s online presence. I personally feel no need to go back on my Timeline and add milestones because it seems a daunting and unnecessary task. But, with the opportunity to start from the beginning, it would really be effortless to keep up. And when the child reaches an appropriate age, parents could pass the profile onto their child for moderation, like a digital rite of passage.

What would be the bigger deal to a child in the 21st century? A big party like a bar mitzvah or quinceañera or having control of your online presence?

And if parents really embrace this idea, as I suspect in the future they will given how each generation becomes increasingly plugged in to the digitized world, how is this going to change the landscape of human interaction? Studies already suggest that kids are affected, both positively and negatively, by social media. On one hand, sites like Facebook promote virtual empathy and can boost self esteem. Every time someone likes your photo or responds compassionately to a downer status update, there’s an uplifting response for both parties. These sites also help introverted individuals better their social skills through practice and peer feedback. But on the other hand, excessive social media use is linked to exacerbating narcissism, anxiety and depression. There are also pros and cons concerning multitasking and engaging learning versus distraction.

But Facebook has only been around for seven years. In the grand scheme of things, that’s no time at all, not substantial enough to observe the longterm effects. I wonder, then, what we’ll learn about ourselves after 20, 30 or 50 years of using social media. I also wonder if Facebook will endure to become a legacy company. The Internet landscape changes so rapidly, that we don’t really see a lot of websites sticking around and remaining relevant.

In any case, we certainly do live in interesting times. It’ll be fun (hopefully) to watch the global status update over the next few decades.

I’m stupid excited about this, folks. I loved reading the Hobbit. I remember the whole ordeal vividly. I was in 7th grade. It was Christmas break. The buzz about the Lord of the Rings movies was getting pretty loud. I wanted to read the Hobbit first, because I had heard that was chronologically correct. I had a low-lighted lamp on the side table next to my bed and an inflatable chair with flowers on it. I stayed up all night and read hundreds of pages and fell in love with Bilbo Baggins and his unexpected journey. It’s one of my most-loved adolescent experiences.

But then I started the actual trilogy. I read the first book and half of the second one before I was bored to tears and disappointed like you wouldn’t believe. Seriously. After 50 pages of wandering in a forest looking for hobbit tracks and nothing else, I gave up. Don’t get me wrong, I love the action-packed movies. They’re deeply imbedded in some of my fondest memories. I saw each one at my hometown theater a few times. My sisters and I had long debates about which male character was the sexiest (My sisters pined after Orlando Bloom, of whom which I’m not a fan. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I had the hots for Elijah Wood with his chocolatey curls and big blue eyes. If only he were taller!). Shortly after my high school sweetheart and I started dating, and not long after he had recovered from a collapsed lung that nearly killed him, he told me he acknowledged two regrets in his life during the ambulance ride to the hospital. The first was never asking me out. The second was that he wouldn’t get to see The Return of the King. It was almost bittersweet then when he, his brother, my sister and I went to see the movie together. He had accomplished all that he intended to do in his lifetime. This is another one of my fondest memories. But, my love for the tome certainly didn’t end with the last available showing at the box office. I’ve since participated in those epic 12-hour marathons where you lock yourself in a room with a bunch of beer, several bags of Doritos, a couple plates full of pizza rolls and some donuts and watch the extended versions of each movie with only a bathroom break between DVD swaps. It’s only a matter of time before someone gets them all on Blu-Ray and we do it again in HD. But to this day, I’ve not even once considered finishing reading those books.

And finally, 9 years later, the much lighter hearted Hobbit’s tale is going to the big screen.

“A: Oh my god! Can we go to the midnight premiere?
B: Yeah, for sure.
A: Can we wear capes?!
B: No, I don’t own a cape.
A: I meant robes, not capes.
B: I don’t have a robe, either.
A: We can find some robes.
B: Actually, not having these items was going to be my excuse for not wearing a costume. So I’d rather not acquire them.”

I don’t think John is as excited as I am.

B: “And then you come in, stompin’ around on babies. ‘Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna stomp babies for a few hours.’”

A: “Yeah, no big deal. It’s what I do, just stompin’ babies.”

"Do you think someone MAKES those? No way. Surely not. I bet they just cut a hole in a babydoll."

Photo credit: Ashley Sailors

If you don’t believe it to be true, you obviously aren’t a Texan.

And because I had tons of extra photos (such is the way of digital photography), I made a gif of Scott, the subject of my project, doing a post-project victory dance! Really, he was trying to get mud off of his shoes. But, hey, looks like dancing to me.

(I think you have to click on it for it to work.)

Filed under: Music ]]> http://brittaniwray.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/a-shot-to-the-stars/feed/ 0 brittaniwray http://brittaniwray.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/the-legend-of-zelda-quest-for-the-1/ http://brittaniwray.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/the-legend-of-zelda-quest-for-the-1/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:50:44 +0000 brittaniwray http://brittaniwray.wordpress.com/?p=1988 ]]> Fabric: $20
Beads: $6
Plastic sword: $3
Vodka: $Idunno?
Drew’s net worth: Infinite
Swashbuckling on the bridge across the pool at Pauline’s apartment complex: Priceless

Drew's form is impeccable.

I had a very happy Halloween, y’all. Our Link and Zelda costumes were probably the best couple’s idea ever. And for once, we actually planned to make costumes and then did it. Seriously. I’ve been “planning” my Short Skirt/Long Jacket costume since I was in high school, and that has yet to happen (and it’s so easy!). Probably won’t happen next year either, because I’m already scheming about a Mia Wallace/Vincent Vega duo. Since Halloween is our anniversary, it’s all too appropriate that we have couple’s costumes until death do we part, or whatever. And let’s face it, cute though he may be, John probably can’t grow a John McCrea beard. But yes, if my Pulp Fiction plans come to life I am going to make John do the twist with me. Drew and Jordyn’s “We are the 1%” costumes were second best. Of course, my opinion is biased.

And for those of you concerned, Drew defeated me in an epic two-minute-or-so battle.