The Internet? Sweet media!

Here's some things I'm looking forward to: Christmas, playing piano for tips at my local grocery store all month, SCHOOL in January, and Christmas.
Something else I'm excited for? The Internet. What? Yeah. I'm so excited for the Internet! Sure it's been around for a while, but these days it's really coming into its own right. Before I talk about the Internet, let me give you a quick timeline of

The History of Media

The Stuff before the Internet

• 1440 - Printing press is developed by Johannes Gutenberg, which brings books into the common people's homes. Now the peasants can think for themselves (here comes revolution) because of widespread education! Great works from the past are able to be experienced within the home.
• 1605 - Johann Carolus publishes what is considered to be the first newspaper in Strasbourg. Everyone is able to receive frequent updates about current events, opinion articles, and Sunday comics. Initial excitement dies down when Family Circus hits the pages. Works from current authors and illustrators are brought into the home.
• 1909 - Charles David Herrold becomes the first radio broadcaster from the station "San Jose Calling", which is now KCBS in San Francisco. This innovation welcomes music, radio shows and radio personalities to the world of mass media. The public is able to hear the voice of the president and other important people while sitting next to the fireplace with the family.
• 1927 - Philo T. Farnsworth (a man from Beaver, UT and one of my distant relatives) invents the first working television system. Say hello to I Love Lucy, Star Trek, Seinfeld, and endless "Seen on TV" ads! The public feels closer than ever to celebrities because they can see them, hear them and laugh with them.
• 1988 - The Internet becomes open for commercial use and begins to gain popularity in the 90's. EVERYTHING gets its own website (I actually remember looking up www.fart.com with my siblings when we first got the Internet). In the early 2000's, the Internet evolves to include "social media", something that allows people from all over to communicate with people from all over.

The exciting part is that anyone can be published online! This is obvious because I am published online. The awesome part is that my blog can be read by anyone. Anyone? Anyone. Seriously the Queen of England could sit down at her royal laptop and read this blog. She may even be reading it right now...

Before social media, mass media was focused in Los Angeles, New York City, and few other places. Now media can be found from everywhere in the world. Currently, I'm subscribed to YouTube channels produced in London (England), Sydney (Australia), two in Philadelphia (US), Cedar City, UT (US), New York City (US), Chicago (US), Eagle Mountain, UT (US), and many other locations. How cool is that? Although it can be hard to become an Internet celebrity because of the huge amount of users out there, it's possible and has been done..

Take a look at one of my heroes, Charlie McDonnell, aka charlieissocoollike. This guy is the same age as me, but is also one of the most well-known YouTubers out there. His videos are simple, authentic, and extremely entertaining. Charlie produces videos from his home in Bath, England and has done so since he was 17 years old. He's made a difference in the world by setting a quality precedent of vlogging (video-blogging) and getting involved in different collaborations and causes (including ChartJackers, which you should look at). Charlie is the quintessential celebrity of social media because he is young, genuine, quirky, and extremely connected. And he's got a "socool" username.

Dear reader, what do you think of the Internet? Are you as excited as me to see where else this entity takes us or do you think it's simply a flash in the pan? Will Internet celebs someday become as tabloid-worthy as Hollywood celebs? If you feel overwhelmed in the world of online media, take a look at the links I provided to get an idea of what's on YouTube. After that, check out Facebook, Twitter, etc. I am glad to be alive and mature (ish) these days to see the Internet blossom and flourish. I hope you also appreciate the 'net a little bit more now. Remember to comment and keep the discussion going-- here and in real life. See ya!

Mickey Mouse Morals

Blog Blog Blog Bloggy time! Hey guys! Fun facts: 1. I'm going back to school next semester 2. I'm going to the Regina Spektor concert this week and 3. I got new glasses! Alright let's get to the topic quick, okay?


Brothas and Sistas! As upstanding, church-going folk it is our duty to regulate what is being shown on our televisions and computers! Seriously though, can you believe how fast standards in the media are slipping? I don't mean standards in terms of quality or amount of entertainment (though that could also be argued), but in terms of morals. Publications on the TV, movie, and computer screens are, on average, of less moral virtue than ever before. Here is a short list of instances I've noticed that led me to that conclusion:

• Characters on networks aimed at children (Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, etc.) are taking the Lord's name in vain and dressing more scandalously than they did ten years ago. (Think Lizzie Maguire vs. Hannah Montana) (If you've got a strong stomach)
• Most of the recent PG-13 films that have come out include at least one time saying the f-word. (Even Julie & Julia?!?!?!)
• The MPAA (people who provide ratings on movies like R, PG, etc.) has changed the wording on some previews from "approved for all audiences" to "approved for appropriate audiences." This means that previews aren't necessarily rated G, like they used to be. Read about the unannounced change
• YouTube has protections so that someone under the age of 18 doesn't see a pornographic video, but nothing to warn or to protect children from seeing a video that includes lewd or profane language
• Beautiful music has the f-word! Seriously I've been listening to Belle and Sebastian lately and am appalled by how often they swear in otherwise delightful songs. Besides bands, there are some awesome musicals that swear way too much. I wish I could listen to the soundtrack from Next to Normal or RENT without worrying about which songs swear and which don't

That list turned out a bit long. Sorry. If you don't think that this is a problem, then don't bother reading the rest of this entry. I wonder who made the decisions to make so much vulgar and profane material so accessible-- especially to children. Yes I understand the issue of censorship and freedom of art. But one aspect of parenting that I'm dreading is the necessity to always know exactly what my children are watching and what material they will be exposed to. 
"Isn't there something we can do, Scott?" Yes there is! Thanks for asking. You can go to this website to contact networks about the content they are showing on TV. To say something to YouTube about the content that is shown without warning or content-rating go here. 
I hope this blog hasn't been too preachy, but I did warn you. Please seriously consider what standards are important to you and make them known to the people in charge. It's our role as the viewers and consumers of the media to let them know what we like and don't like about what is being produced. Please comment and tell me if you agree, disagree or are undecided and why. Let's get the discussion rolling. My next blog will be more uplifting and entertaining, I promise! Catch you next time right here, Internet-explorers.

     Hey all! I think I need to give a quick update of my life. I'm working at Jamba Juice, which is great! I'm so glad I was able to get this job because it is pretty fun and I'm friends with all my new coworkers. I'm actually excited to go into work each day! Imagine that. Besides work, I'm taking a yoga class that is one evening a week. I've only been once so far, but I really enjoyed it! It was surprising to me how unbalanced and inflexible I am... It's a little unnerving when women in their 50's or 60's can hold a pose for longer than me, a healthy young whippersnapper!
     There's one more thing I'm SO EXCITED FOR! I visited my old elementary school today and I'm going to help teach the 6th graders a few things about Ballroom dancing! I really can't wait! It's a little scary because I'm going to have to have some sort of lesson plan and be able to take control and teach a large number of 11 and 12 year olds, but I think it's possible. I'll let you know how it goes! I should be able to start teaching them in a week or so.
     I promised I would talk about this so here it is:

2010 vs 2010: The Debate of a Millenium

     Ever since the 1990's I've been wondering how people would talk about the years of this new century. Would we say "the year twenty-oh-one" or "two thousand one"? After the first year the word "thousand" was stuck in people's heads because of "the year two thousand", so we continued to say the word "thousand." In two months we will be entering a new decade where it would make syllabic sense to switch to saying "twenty-ten" and so forth. I will not be joining this movement, however. I plan on saying "two thousand ten", "two thousand eleven", "two thousand thirty eight" and so on until "two thousand ninety nine." Why have I decided this? There are a few reasons. Firstly, it has not been a viable option since the year 1099 to say the word "thousand" in a date and I need to take advantage of this opportunity that only comes around every 901 years. Secondly I feel as if it is my responsibility to say it this way as a way of preserving my generation. Imagine me as an 80 year-old who says "two thousand seventy" instead of "twenty seventy." The kids may think I'm crazy, but I'll be a living reminder of those alive during the turn of the century. A little strange? Yes. But this is something I've had decided for a while and I can't wait until January when I can take the words for a spin and see how the rest of the world decides to say the year. This is something of great importance! Think long and hard of how you will react to the new decade! (Seriously, this is the kind of stuff I think about?)

     Thanks for reading! Leave any comments, questions, or answers below. Keep an eye out for my next post- it's sure to be a doozy!

Remember the Calamity that Defined a Decade

I've been thinking about what to put in this post all day, and it's only 11:31 PM so it's still September 11th. Although most of you won't see this until the 12th or later, it might be more appropriate that way because I'm going to talk about what happened after 9-11-2001.

 


























I was eleven years old when the Twin Towers came down and didn't quite understand what was happening. I was off-track so I got to watch the news all day. I knew that it was the biggest attack on America since Pearl Harbor, and I knew that some towers that I hadn't heard of crashed down in New York City. Although I was a bit disturbed by the images, I wasn't able to put feelings to the event. I didn't cry about September 11th until high school. 


Since 2001, I have been able to understand more and more about what happened that day and how it affected our country and my generation. The attack happened relatively near the turn of the century, and the first decade of the 21st Century is just about over. What will people remember about this decade? What will people look at in twenty years and say "That is sooooo 2000's!" My friends and I talked about this a few weeks ago and we came up with a short list:
-9/11
-Pres. Bush and the shift to Pres. Obama
-Emos
-YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Google, etc.
-iPods and other mp3 players
-Huge shift in fashion industry to more covering (but tighter) clothes
-The explosion of the media
-Society's attitude shift to "Think Green"


I'm not an anthropologist or a historian, so I can't say with an expert opinion what 9/11 had to do with those things, but I have a guess. 9/11 reignited the discussion about religion, spirituality, and emotions. Whereas the 20th century was about getting things done, so far the 21st century has been about seeing how we feel about things. For instance, the music, movie and other art industries became less about spectacle and more about connecting to people's emotions. Scientology became a "trendy" religion in Hollywood. When has that ever happened before? This trend was not confined to the entertainment field; spiritual and emotional therapy is becoming a bigger part of mainstream medical and athletic practices. Remember when yoga became popular? People remembered that people have emotions. I think 9/11 reminded America that we are not invincible and that we need to take measures to take care of ourselves. The War on Terrorism, which was started after 9/11, became focused in Iraq. The war in Iraq, however not connected to the 9/11 attacks it was, it was connected to the attacks in people's minds, which is what ended up counting. 


All in all,  Looking back, I can see a few things that came about as a direct result of the 9/11 attacks. And I think those are mostly good things! This has been a great decade to grow up in. I want to know what you all think will be remembered about our decade and what was influenced by what happened on September 11th.  I wanted this blog to more of a forum and less about me talking about what's happening to me and what I think about it. So shoot me some comments! I want to start discussions! 


Coming up soon: Should we call next year "two thousand ten" or "twenty ten"? I'll tell you what I think and why.

Color me College Ruled

So in the World of Today (formerly known as the World of Tomorrow) there is a big push for things to go "paperless". Of course there are many advantages to this method of transaction and communication:
1. Documents can be saved forever on the vast landscape of the Internet, ready for retrieval in case the original is lost.
2. This decreases the need for paper (Thanks Captain Obvious. How's the weather?). So less rain forests getting cut down and less homeless baby monkeys.
3. Communication is INSTANT. I remember back around the turn of the century when everyone was freaking out about this. Do you remember? "E-mail is amazing! I can send a letter to my sister in Washington and she will receive it INSTANTLY!" It wasn't until e-mail came around that people started calling the US Postal Service "snail mail."

The Internet has already converted the shopping process to paperless. The credit system converted long ago. The healthcare system is making the transition at this moment! And other companies like banks and other money-changers are also sending bills over the internet rather than in paper.

I was reminded of this because my mom received a note (in our snail-mailbox) from her cell phone provider reminding her that if she was still receiving her bills in paper form, there would be a $1.50 charge from now on. Now that's cool with me. I receive my bills over the Internet and it's fine with me. I love it that I can subscribe to tons of different periodicals from professional and amateur writers for free through the Internet. I love being able to read an article from any national newspaper. I love receiving emails and Facebook messages from my friends and family. But something about everything going paperless scares me!

There is value in receiving love in paper form. I currently write letters to four people pretty regularly, and I cherish their letters so much! I've saved all the personal letters and cards I've received since I was a very young boy! I can't wait until I'm on a mission and receive letters from friends and family because I will be able to pick them up anytime and know that it was penned by someone's own hand. I will hold the same envelope that was placed in the mailbox by someone I love. I will open the seal that was glued by the spit of someone I hold dear! Yeah that last one was a bit gross. But still. For centuries, people have collected and saved these documents and passed them down to their children. Letters have changed the world! Would you believe that twenty two of the twenty seven books in the New Testament are epistles, or letters? Personally I can't imagine any emails changing the world in such a way.

So my point is this:
Please go paperless! Save those monkeys in the rain forest by receiving and paying your bills online. Subscribe to blogs and take full advantage of our newspapers' archives. But PLEASE don't let our culture replace meaningful letters with emails. It's worth it to own some hard copies of our epistles and missives. When you are dead, do you think your children will print off the emails you sent them and place them in a special box? I don't. That's why sending letters is so important! A letter is something that someone sat down to write, something that took time, and something that took a bit of effort. Even though they're not instant, they are worth the wait. If you have something important to say, say it in ink.

Back to school

Hey guys! How's it goin'? Guess what?! Tomorrow school starts at SUU!!! Holy smokes that's awesome!!! Except I won't be there...

For the first time since I was three years old, I will be finishing this August without starting a new school year. When time came to register and reapply for scholarships at the start of this year, I thought I'd be on a mission by now. Honestly, if I'd known that I'd still be waiting here at home I would have signed on for one more semester at SUU.

So here I am at home and not sure what to do. Where is the task of figuring out a schedule and the excitement in imagining what my classes and teachers will be like? The thrill of seeing all my old friends and wondering who I will befriend this year? It's not here! (Yes I am that nerdy so shut up about it)

I really don't know how to react! I've never been one to know how to handle change. I guess I'll keep you all posted on how I'm dealing with it all.

In other news:

- I've been in a very musical mood. Today I played Memory (from Cats) on the piano and I swear that my soul was illustrated perfectly in those notes!

-I ate an Uncrustables sandwich today that smelled like coffee and reminded me of the airport. Try figuring that one out.

-I also attended the temple dedication of the Oquirrh Mountain temple today and it was amazing! I love the Hosanna shout because it's the only time you can shout in a chapel. But seriously, it was great to experience this relatively rare ceremony.

Still trying to live the life! Please comment because it makes me feel like people care about what I say...

7/9 RIPMJ, yReSpektRox, and something about Royksopp

Hello and welcome to Music Thursday!!! I keep meaning to write about these three things, and they are all music-related.

First of all, a topic you've probably already overdosed on: Michael Jackson. If you will get angry or nauseous reading any more about him, go to the next paragraph. Obviously, the news and media have been going MJ crazy. Some hate it, some love it. whatever. All this coverage does not surprise me. Michael Jackson truly did change pop music as we know it. His music reached people from every walk of life and every culture, and the album Thriller is the bestselling album of all time! That's what Michael Jackson gave to us. He also gave us crazy deeds and some misled decisions, which fed the image of "Wacko Jacko." With his ever-changing face, childish misdemeanor, and exotic lifestyle he made it easy to make fun of him and to forget that he was a human being. I agree with what Rev. Al Sharpton said (a first I think)-- speaking to MJ's daughter: "Your daddy wasn't strange-- what he had to deal with was strange." I don't remember who said it, but some news anchor said something very wise. The gist of it was that now that Michael Jackson is dead and the story is closed, MJ's music can be looked at and enjoyed without being stigmatized by the man behind it, which is what Michael Jackson wanted all along. His music, his art, was what Michael wanted to give to the world, and now that he is gone, that can truly happen.

In other music news, Regina Spektor released her third major album: Far on June 23rd. I've always like Regina, but wow this album is SWEET! This CD has everything that Regina does best. Her songs are always very honest to the point of indulging sometimes embarrassing secrets or details. She says things how they are while creating beautiful, funny, sometimes creepy music. The piano in Far is beautiful. Regina's vocal riffs, runs, and strange tricks are (as always) delightful. This CD seems to contain more songs of the "poppy" style e.g. Hotel Song, Fidelity, etc. from her previous albums. The best review I can give this CD is this: I have put a heart next to all but two of these songs in my Zune player. That's 11 out of 13 songs that passed my "Heart Test". With that being said, I hope you will at the very least look up some of these songs on the net and give a listen. But trust me-- this CD is worth buying.

On one last (short hopefully) note: I have recently discovered the band Röyksopp. If you haven't heard of them, they are basically an Indie Electronic-Rock band. I know, that sounds like it could be easily mediocre, which is what I thought. But each time I listen to their stuff, I am surprised by the beautiful harmonies, chord progressions and lyrics. Please give them a listen.

So my life is going okay right now. There's been some sadness recently, but nothing that I won't learn to deal with eventually. Nothing major planned anytime soon. Comment below about what you think about the topics discussed! I really would enjoy some feedback and discussion. See ya lataz!

6-27: Still a Bit New

Hi. I'm sorry I don't have much to say. I started typing a blog entry up, but it was very rant-y and it's late at night so my judgment can't really be trusted. Keeping it short and sweet tonight. I'll just tell you that I had a GREAT time in New York City!! I loved spending time with Edwin out there and enjoying every day to the fullest. I'll have something more interesting to say in a few days. I would put some pics up, but there are a lot on my Facebook page already. and I don't know how to put pictures in a blog post.

So I hope everyone is doing well! I'll talk to you again soon!

Hellooooooooooo~!

Hellloooooooooooooooooo! First item of business: I try to compose personal writing how it would sound if I was talking to you. So this post and all subsequent posts would be best read aloud if at all possible. I'm going to update this blog when I have something to say that I think the world needs to hear! My life is fun and good, but it has its ups and downs. Keep checking this and I may talk about some personallll things.... And I might not. Who knooooooows?? Really the multiple repeated letters will happen a lot so get used to it. Right now I'm most excited for my trip to NEW YORK CITY! Wahoo! Shweeto. Cool.

Let me know if you're subscribing to this blog because it's kinda creepy if you do and don't tell me. Right? I don't know.

K bye!