The end of an Era.

Not really. But it certainly seems like it.

Next week marks the final week of my year-long adventure as a Diploma-level student of media and communications. It's insane. I feel as though I've been here for a lifetime and have gotten so used to my environment at school: my teachers, classmates, our 'chill' table during lunch. It seems impossible to let it all go. Despite my day-to-day raging on how I don't ever want to look at another camera again or touch anything that has the word 'Adobe' in it - I feel like I'm leaving home.

My experience at TAFE has been an interesting one. I've evolved in so many ways and what I value most is how the course has changed my outlook on not just the media, but life as a whole. I was lucky enough to have a teacher who not only put all of her effort into shaping us to be the best that we possibly can in our chosen industry, but moulded us to be better people. Better humans. Through everything that I have learnt to do with communications, I also learnt about world issues - about governments, politics, laws and ethics. About things that are wrong with our world today, and things that we have the power to change. Things that matter, reaching far beyond the glorified piece of paper I will be getting in the mail in a couple of weeks as a gratis to my hard work.

On top of everything, I've made life-long friends. And no matter where my path leads me next, whether that be sound design, directing, photography, journalism or some 9-5 PR office job, I'll be glad that I can always look to these individuals who have gone through this journey with me, and call them my buddies.

It is the end of an Era for me, but it is also the beginning of many things to come. For one, the only reason I started this blog is for an assignment. But it's somewhat turned me into a word-hog. I bloody love blogging and I will keep doing it. A prime example of how education can leave you with something invaluable. Stay in school, kids!

I truly have enjoyed my year as a media student, and I hope to keep updating you guys on the direction which my life takes me next.

Adios, TAFE!

-Dahlia

EB Games Expo 2012

The circus of gaming is coming to town. And up to 30,000 people are expected.

The EB Games Expo is making its second return to the public this year as Australia's biggest gaming event. If you're like me and love anything to do with gaming, sci-fi or technology then you should strongly consider making an appearance. Or you'll most probably be kicking yourself for a long time afterwards. A really, really long time.

The Expo started off as an industry only retailers event and last year, its gates opened to the public for the first time on sunny Gold Coast where it was welcomed with huge success.

This year, EB Games Expo will be migrating down south to us Sydney-ers, where it will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park - usually the home to a number of music festivals such as Big Day Out and Stereosonic. I've been to both festivals several times, and let me tell you - that area is huge. 

The Expo will host an impressive array of exhibitors - with last year's lineup featuring representatives from Activision, Bethesda, EA, Konami, Logitech, Nintendo and Ubisoft to name a few. According to the official website, the exhibition floor will be the life of the event and feature a euphoric atmosphere. Dark lighting, DJs and games. Sexy.

If you're not chilling at Kez and Sergio's Gamepad, excreting all of your energy and adrenaline at the Arena Spectacular or taking advantage of your Express Gamers Pass to head all of the queues - then I certainly hope you're cosplaying. And glomping someone. Or something.

Whatever you chose to do on the day, it's definitely a day that you do not want to miss. I hope to see you there. 

EB Expo Exhibition!!!

-Dahlia

How 'News Feed' feeds on us.

Ads have always been around. But lately - gradually - they've taken over the World Wide Web. I remember a time when I glorified Facebook due to it's simplistic, ad-free, almost painfully clean layout.

Luckily, it remained like that for a while. But lately - discreet as it may be - Facebook has dedicated the right side of its site to other brands. Okay - sponsored ads I'm used to. The vast majority of the social media world are bloody used to them. What choice do we have? We can't watch a 10 second YouTube clip these days without being forced to watch a 30 second pre-video ad for Libra Pads or something.

But what really makes my pet peeve growl is how specific these ads are becoming, especially on Facebook. I log on, as I do every day, and notice that these ads are freakishly appealing to me. 'Pledge to Quit!' - well okay, Facebook seems to somehow know that I'm trying. 'Sacred Witch's Heart Den'. Well, that seems interesting. Especially because my religious status on Facebook is listed as 'Wiccan'. And then I get an ad from Commonwealth - 'Can your bank keep your savings flexible? CommBank can.' Hang on a minute. Just the other day I left a comment on my friend's wall. Something about being broke, and constantly having to dip into my savings account.

Call me paranoid, but I'm seeing a pattern here. Facebook appears to be tracking people's individual details - whether it be from page likes, status updates, photos or general profile information.

Lately I've read a number of articles on the topic of how social media giants, such as Facebook, are exploiting their power within the industry to produce marketing material for their clients. This year, we are seeing more and more advertising content and commercials appear on many of these sites as companies move more and more into the world of advertising and marketing through social media. Sites such as Twitter are actually revamping their website in order to suit the needs of advertisers. Twitter is making deals with big names such as Pepsi and offering them promotions such as self-serve ads and banners which will display across the entire Twittersphere. Oh, and they're also offering our right to privacy  by seemingly exploiting a very specific demographic about their users. Well done, guys. I'm sure the big guys must really love you now.

So continue liking things, Tweeting away and posting interesting photographs of your cereals onto Instagram or whatever cool social media website you're using. Just keep in mind that it's not necessarily your own status that's being updated, but an entire army of advertisers who are burning to feed on your news - literally. Ah, you gotta love the puns.

-Dahlia

Tron: Evolution review.

I do love my games. If this was not a general blog dedicated (mostly) to media vent, then I would be doing full-time game reviews.

I picked up Tron: Evolution just a few days ago, and I have been playing it non-stop. Despite the fact that I have about gazillion things due in...err...about a day.

Let me just tell you, this game is highly addictive. I am a huge leather and neon fan, and therefore I am a massive Tron fan - I love both the 1982 and 2010 films. Tron: Evolution is based on the latest movie: it features characters modelled after their true actors, voices and all, and an environment that is as digitally immersing as that of the movie. But, most importantly, it features the full Daft Punk official score from the film. Need I say more?

Upon settling into my couch, powering up my Xbox, starting Tron: Evolution and playing for about five minutes - the first thought I had about game was 'parkour'. Space parkour, with disks. My mind was blown!

The game was a little hard to figure out, but after much jumping around and mashing buttons together (and falling into an abyss of nothingness - death), I finally started getting the hang of it. 

You play Anon, a completely mute (his name is not Gordon, nor does he wear a HEV suit) but resilient system monitor designed by Flynn - the creator-God of this computer world. You are smooth, propelling yourself through risky chasms, leaping from wall to wall and running across vertical surfaces. Gravity is your worst enemy, so you defy it.

Basically, your mission as Anon is to run through this collapsing computer world, slicing baddies with your light disk in hopes of destroying the villain Abraxas - who purposefully introduced a virus into the system. What an asshole.

The controls, though a little difficult to understand at first, are pretty compelling once you get the touch. As Anon, you are basically an acrobat - and you control his every move. Everything has to be timed. If you're doing a dangerous wall run above a bottomless chasm, and fall to your true death, you will feel like a fool. Every move is tied in with the controls. When you master this, you will know how to achieve every jump - every roll, backflip and airflip humanly - err, robotically - possible. The fighting possibilities are endless, with dozens of combos dictating how your disk will be thrown and what it will do. When you're slicing people up with your disk, it genuinely feels like you're doing ballet. There are also levels where your race on your light cycle, and blow things to bits with your light tank.

Overall, I rate this game a hefty 8/10. Its somewhat repetitiveness is justified by the general nature of most beat-em-ups. If you like that sort of stuff, set in the visually stunning world of Tron, then you'll probably like this game. And if you've ever played either Spiderman or Prince of Persia games and loved them, then Tron: Evolution might just ring home to you.


-Dahlia

Be a Hero - GoPro HD Hero 2 review.

Last week, I came across something life-changing. Oh yes, and I am referring to my professional career as a film/video maker.

I came across the GoPro Hero. And no, that's not some superhero from a movie. It's actually better.

It's a camera. And the dudes that created this thing refer to it as 'the world's most versatile HD camera.'

It is fully wearable, mountable action camera. Wearable, waterproof, shockproof. It is targeted at adventure. And I'm talking MotoGP and V8 type adventure. If you've ever watched any type of sports championship or race on television, you'll know what I'm talking about. Those sweet, sweet camera angles. Top of the helmet, side of the helmet, from the cockpit, rear facing. And have you ever actually stopped and wondered how they get these angles?

Well, the GoPro Hero (and now in its second edition - the Hero 2) is capable of providing these angles. And more. Really, it is limited by your imagination (and by gravity, of course).

The GoPro Hero works by being mounted on different, well, mounts. There is tripod, helmet, head, handlebar and chest mounts, among others. Perhaps the most interesting of these is the suction cup mount, which features an industrial strength suction cup. I've heard that professionals have done tests with this, attaching it to the wing of a Boeing, and the camera remained firmly attached through the entire flight. In fact, I don't think they managed to pull it off for a while after the plane landed.  

So you can see how the GoPro Hero is intended for outdoorsy shots. It is used by base jumpers, skiers, surfers and many, many action-seekers. The Hero gives outstanding HD shots that would otherwise be impossible to get. It is the daredevil's camera.

Internally and externally, The GoPro Hero looks good. Hero 2 features full 1080p High Definition video on up to 120FPS.The lens is extremely wide-angle, with a full 170 degree field of view. The camera also features time-lapse options, fish-eye lens view and 10-shot-per-second bursts. Users have the option of integrating a full-colour LCD screen when they buy the cam to view their daredevil shots on the go. All of this, and the camera is so tiny that it can fit within your palm.

This camera might be a little pricey - especially if you're a poor student, much like myself. It sells between $300 and $400, and that's without all the mounts and accessories. But let me tell you, it is damn worth it. If you're a budding film-maker, amateur YouTube vlogger, insane daredevil or just like keeping a visual record of your life's adventures, then check out the Go Pro. No matter your religious background, the daredevil is present in everybody. It's just a matter of unleashing him.

-Dahlia

Thou shalt not...not draw.

It seems that there has been an influx of young artistes all over the world in the past month or so.

Yes folks, there has been an art revolution all around the world. It seems that people have started to live in the spirit of Da Vinci and Picasso once again.

And to think that I was predicting the 'death' of art - a result of the disinterest and rejection of art culture by our newer generations.

Strangely enough, it is the new generation which have created the latest fad craze over an app called 'Draw Something' - making it into a social media sensation. 

Draw Something is a social drawing and guessing game and currently holds the places of #1 free app, #1 Paid App and #1 Word Game. It is the fastest growing app of all time. 

Sorry little green piggies of Angry Birds, it seems that your 'true death' has finally arrived. 

Draw Something functions on a player-to-player basis. Basically, anyone can start a game with anyone. Because the game is linked to Facebook, you can specifically play with people you have on your friends list. 

One person will be given three words worth either 1, 2 and 3 coins - 1 being the easiest to draw and 3 being hardest. The person will pick one of these three to draw - and draw they will. When they're done playing Dali, they send the masterpiece off to the other player who will then have to guess what the drawing is. Rinse and repeat. 

In all its simplicity, and perhaps because of its simplicity, the world has taken an absolutely massive interest in the game.

Perhaps it's in the nature of people to draw. After all, our earliest ancestors communicated primarily through drawings and paintings. And can you really blame anyone for wanting to release their inner artist and create absolutely...err...

bautiful things?

-Dahlia

Are you the same age your entire life?

According to my senior year advanced English teacher, you certainly are. One afternoon in class, he said just that to me. I do not remember for what purpose, or if it had anything to do with that week's analysis of Act I, Scene III of Julius Caesar. The fact was that, I was around 16 or 17 when he said it - and it has stuck with me ever since.

"You are the same age your entire life."

Philosophy has always been a major part of what defines me as an individual. And when someone says something to me of a philosophical nature, I will analyse it to the core. It's just the way I have always found meaning for myself, and was able to understand certain things.

Now, when you analyse age scientifically, it is a process (or a series of processes) based on the effects of time on a person and is defined by chronological psychological, physical and social change.

And of course, these are facts. They are true, and there is no denying facts in their scientific nature. We see ageing every day. We see lives being born, and lives dying. We see baby's first teeth appear, and grandma's face disappear within a bed of wrinkles. This is only the natural, factual cycle of life.

But then - you also see peculiar things. Peculiar things which are brushed off by science as psychology or behavioural patterns.

I'm talking abut a child of five talking with an air about him of an eighty-five year old, for example. Or an eighty-five year old playing some childlike game such as hide-and-seek as if he had seen the world for the first time - a face full of young, youthful joy beyond the crinkles.

Scientific factors aside, I can see how the quote "You are the same age your whole life" comes into play.

That genius child who sees the world with the eyes of an analytical adult will most likely keep this characteristic through his whole life. In fact, it will probably be a major defining aspect of his personality. On the other hand, the eighty-five year old was probably youthful through the entirety of his life. Though he obviously would have had to mature, I am willing to bet that he enjoyed the childish things in life all the way through adulthood.

And perhaps science is accurate. Maybe these are just psychological factors, and people adapting to their environment, etc.

But to me, it goes a little deeper than that. These are examples which define human characteristics - human personality. And, in my opinion, they are what define age. Not an age based on physical numbers - but an age that is deeper than that.

I'm not trying to prove anything, or go against science. All I'm saying here is that everyone should consider what 'age' really means to them and define it for themselves. Though science is fact, it is not always meaningful for everybody. True meaning can only be created by you FOR you, and I definitely encourage all of you to take on the role of creator.

-Dahlia

Has Jason Russell lost his marbles?

It seems that Invisible Children's Jason Russell has been arrested for exposng his 'Invisible Children' to the world. If you get what I'm saying.

To be honest, I was a little shocked to hear of Invisible Children's frontman Jason Russell being arrested for indecent exposure and public disturbance. After all, my last blog was - if anything - glorifying his campaign, even if it pointed out a number of small criticisms about him.

Russell, 33, was taken into custody earlier in the week after reports reached the police, suggesting that he was 'pounding his fists on the sidewalk and shouting incoherently.' Other reports claimed that he had removed his underwear and...well, I'm not going to go into detail. He is now in a health institution on the road to recovery.

It seems that Russell -who was allegeddly interfering with traffic, screaming, yelling incoherently and prancing around the sidewalk in the dunny - has finally suffered some type of major breakdown. Perhaps he missed the natural lifestyle he had while in Africa.

The official statement from Russell's wife rode the incident off as a direct result of 'reactive psychosis' - a result of 'exhaustion' and 'dehydration'.

The statement read:
"Though new to us, the doctors say this is a common experience given the great mental, emotional and physical shock his body has gone through in these last two weeks."

To clarify, this is the type of behaviour that the majority of us here at TAFE excert when under overwhelming amounts of stress.

In fact, just last week I ran around the school grounds stark naked, pounding my fists on the sidewalk and shouting incoherently. This was a direct result of doing two week's worth of assignments in one night, chucking an all nighter - of course. The next day, I got scolded...and, well, there you go.

In all seriousnesses though, the entire episode seems a little excessive to me. I have heard of AND witnessed both dehydration cases and exhaustion cases - neither of them resulting in similar results as those Russell excerted. On the contrary, the primary symptoms of both dehydration and exhaustion include physical/mental weakness, excessive fatigue and lack of energy.

It just makes me wonder whether or not there is more to the problem than the media - or Jason's family, for that matter - are letting on. It is not our personal business to know what Russell does in his spare time, however with fame come consequences - and a direct responsibility to the public. This would especially apply to Russell, who has gained a massive following for the cause which he is responsible for.

Whether or not Invisible Children and Jason Russell are genuine is another question. But the fact remains that the entire thing is turning into somewhat of a joke (as most over-popularized events do - eventually) and  events such as Russell's public display are not helping.

-Dahlia

Joseph Kony is NOT a hamburger.

For those of you who might have been ignorant to the campaign, like myself, and thinking that Joseph Kony was in fact a new type of hamburger at McDonald's - please watch this video for proof.

Joseph Kony is, in fact, a Ugandan warlord and leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) responsible for abducting and indicting approximately 60000 young children to use as soldiers and sex-slaves.

KONY with his army, the LRA

According to Invisible Children's official YouTube channel, "KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice."

And boy, have they succeeded in making Kony's name famous.

That name has not left my eyes or evaded my ears for the past few week.

I came home from TAFE just the other day to check my Facebook as per usual and saw KONY 2012 plastered everywhere. Most people had the words 'support Kony 2012' written as their statues while others had more in-depth analytical accusations such as 'issues like this have been going on since forever - you must be ignorant if you're supporting Kony 2012 just because it's viral.'

Or something like that (you'll have to excuse my bad paraphrasing).

Now, upon seeing these initial statements I did not give the words 'Kony 2012' a second thought. But little did I know that I would be seeing it for the entirety of the rest of the night; on every YouTube video I tried to watch (that were mind you, completely unrelated to politics or campaigns of any sort); on every news channel  I switched on - on every blog I was following.

So naturally, I became interested. I hated the feeling of the world knowing something that I was completely unaware of. And this was worse: it was much like being left behind in a supermassive black hole while the entirety of the mass media world was participating in some type of digital revolution.

So the question I began to ask was - What the f*** is Kony 2012?

Well, I finally found my way to the official film and watched it for myself. And you should, too.

The film as a whole really is something extraordinary. From a filmmakers perspective, the documentary has a slick Hollywood production feel to it and I could tell instantly that it is targeted towards young souls. I was reminded of a Woodstock type event as the film celebrated young people of the world standing together - proud - for the one cause. Modern indie music makes this film very 'in,' featuring songs from Kiwi hipster band The Naked and Famous and dubstep producer Flux Pavillion. And I can almost guarantee that, because of these reasons, the film was as successful as it is. 

The fact is, our young generation aren't going to find Michael Moore interesting anymore (I still dig your style, Michael!) They don't want old issues presented in an old way. They want old issues presented in a new way. They want new, and they want modern. Many of them want only that which encapsulates their own, young, free and rebellious souls - which is perfectly portrayed in Invisible Children's documentary. And I'll give Invisible Children 100% props for that.

Now, artistic analysis aside I was blown away by the documentary. To think that something like this has been going on in another country for 25 years (under Kony - and for way longer before him) and only was it now surfacing in a movement directly attributed to the people of the world. Ironically, it really made me think about how ignorant those of us living in western countries are. Before the explosion of this campaign just last week, I bet you less than 1% of the young population could tell me who Kony is. And that's not accusatory either - I would be a definite part of that 1%.

World issues are everywhere. They have always been happening, and they always will be happening. However, if this documentary exemplifies anything it is the fact that there is power left in people. Whether or not the government listens and responds is another story - but if the people care, and they show that they care there is an almost 99% chance that the government will NOTICE. And that means something.

The thing is, for almost every situation there is going to be people gunning down the integrity of its purpose - no matter what the intentions.

There is an online blog that exists called 'Visible Children'.

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/

This blog was started as a response by Grant Oyston after initially publishing an article entitled 'Kony 2012: Why I'm opposed to the campaign.'  

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.sabotagetimes.com/life/kony-2012-why-im-opposed-to-the-campaign/

Basically, he criticizes the Invisible Children campaign 'Kony 2012' - and not the actual issue. He suggests that the answer to the Kony problem lies not with the campaign, but with more direct means of taking action. He claims that 'Last year, the (controversial) organization spent $8,676,614. Only 32% went to direct services...with much of the rest going to staff salaries, travel and transport, and film production.'

Oyston assails to the fact that Invisible Children are working with the Ugandan military who themselves have committed crimes which may equate to that of Joseph Kony.

The founders of Invisible Children posing with weapons and personnel of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army

Oyston mentions an array of problems with a campaign like this. One of them is that there has been repeated efforts of the U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) to capture Kony over the years - each of them failing and encouraging retaliation on Kony's side. His issue is that many of Kony's bodyguards are children themselves, and to get to Kony could result in mass slaughter of children.

Oyston writes that while awareness is good, people should be aware of exactly what they're supporting. He writes that 'these problems are highly complex, not one-dimensional and, frankly, aren’t of the nature that can be solved by postering, film-making and changing your Facebook profile picture, as hard as that is to swallow.'

And yet, the movement of Invisible Children remains so big, so global and viral. This campaign must be one of the most celebrated and widespread ever in human history - up at the top with 9/11 and Osama Bin Laden.

Invisible Children's campaign will culminate on one day which they have labelled as 'Cover the Night' - when those who are aware will stay up until the sunrise, working discreetly to plaster Kony's face in every street corner they manage to reach.

On April 20th, the sleeping world will wake up to hundreds of thousands of posters demanding justice in every part of the world.

So keep an eye out for this date. If you're slightly sceptical, then just think of it as a human experiment.

If this campaign succeeds: if it means that the entire world will witness the result of Kony 2012 on April 20th, this will finally prove that there is power in the people. We will be able to say that we have control, and that we can make an issue known and, more importantly, make it matter. This can be applied to countless issues in the future. Thanks to the incredible power of social media and the Internet, we have finally been able to come together for one purpose and stand together - transcending physical borders  and the necessity to travel.

I encourage everyone reading this to do your own research on the issue and come to your own conclusion. After all,a knowledgeable world with the right intentions can only ever do good and it helps to know exactly what you're supporting and why. So to activists and sceptics alike - let's keep this about world peace and a better future. And in Oyston's words, let's keep this about Kony, not necessarily KONY 2012. Perhaps then we can all find common ground. 

You can visit the Invisible Children Kony 2012 website at
www.Kony2012.com

-Dahlia

It's never too early for a bucket list.

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine told me he had made a bucket list. I was a little shocked and, naturally, thought that something was gravely wrong with him. My panic was settled when he assured me his health was 100% and that the list was just something he made to live his life by.

So, essentially, what he made was a bucket list based on no time limitations. What an awesome, awesome idea.

People today are so caught up in their busy, round-the-clock lives of work work work. When asked the question - 'what's the one thing you want to do before you die?' a lot of us have trouble answering it. The fact is, we should all know the answer. We should all know what we want out of life.

And I'm not talking about religion here. I'm talking about us here, as humans, living in this massive world. It is our world, and we have the gift of free will and a right to do what we want (I hope I'm not encouraging a mass-murder rampage here - please keep it safe).

My friend's bucket list comprised of the simple things in life. Taking a walk at the beach at night, skinny dipping at the beach at night and gazing at the stars at the beach at night. Well, okay, there was more than just the beach at night but I don't want to embarrass him.

Following in his example, I decided to make my own. I found a handy little Android app called The Bucket List which you can find at this link:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.metosphere.bucket&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5tZXRvc3BoZXJlLmJ1Y2tldCJd

My bucket list ended up being slightly more extravagant than my friend's. It involved such things as:
1. Visit space
2. Visit space with aliens
3. Visit space with aliens and time travel

Well okay, the first one is true. Space travel is becoming a possibility in our modern world and, with the rate at which our technology is advancing, it may just take off in our lifetime. If I were to accomplish such a thing in my life, then I could truly say that I found meaning in my life and lived a happy life.

So, ultimately, the bucket list for the living is a simple yet deeply significant idea. It allows us to put in words what we really want to achieve out of life and to aim at ticking these things off and accomplishing them, one by one, while we can. It brings us that one step closer to making our dreams exist, and making them happen. And you are the only person who can do that - so I encourage you strongly to do so.

In other words, don't wait until you are literally kicking the bucket to make a bucket list.

So why not write up a list? It can only benefit you. Please feel free to share your number one idea with me. Or your craziest or something.

Thanks for reading, and I'm off to watch - you guessed it - The Bucket List.

-Dahlia

Please, Google, stop cramping my style.

I mean it.

Why must Google feel the need to constantly - to continuously update and 'modernise' their sites? 

I logged onto YouTube today and did not know how to find the comments on a user's channel. In fact, I did not even know how to find the list of their videos. 

What's the difference between 'Video', 'Feed' and 'Featured' anyway? This is where the videos are located - but what is the necessity of categorising them into three sub-menus? Isn't it enough to have one Videos tab, and put all the videos in the one place like the old YouTube? What was wrong with the old YouTube?

It seems these social media giants feel a nagging pressure on the backs of their necks to consistently 'stay with the times' and make their sites look fancy-schmancy with millions of different features. Perhaps it's one big competition on whose got the most technology. And brains.

And I'm not trying to be slanderous here. I'm simply making known the frustrations of a social networking user to be continuously adapting to these types of changes. Websites should fulfil the purpose for which they were created. Leave Google as a search engine. Leave YouTube as a video-sharing site and leave Facebook as a social networking site. 

Now, I may be wrong, but surely the simplicity of these sites when they first started out was what made them so globally successful.

Does anyone remember Myspace?

8 out of 10 could easily say we had one some four or five years ago. And what about now?

Myspace has 30 million users worldwide.

Facebook has 845 million users worldwide. 

Back when Myspace was at its height, Facebook didn't even exist. In fact, when it came about only a couple of people that I knew had gotten it. And I refused to make the switch. Why should I, when Myspace was so awesome? And simple.

It only took a year or so for everyone to abandon their Myspace accounts and jump to the new fad which was Facebook. Facebook became like a virtual human magnet.

Now, the reasons for this have been widely argued by professionals and business-people alike time and time again. Many of them cannot answer their own questions and come to the conclusion that Facebook is simply the 'in' thing to have.

As a personal user of both Myspace and Facebook, I can add some analyses into this equation.

Just as Facebook began beating Myspace in the march to the finish line of popularity, I noticed that Myspace began changing rather radically. The entire site got an overhaul, and your profile was now able to be customized in an array of ways - from personalization of theme, to personalization of the song you had displayed to personalization of core layout principles which made up your page.

Facebook, at the time, was basically a piece of ugly white canvas through which people could communicate.

If you ask me, no friggin wonder Facebook overshot Myspace by almost 100%.

Myspace later went on to add sub-Myspace sites which included Myspace Celebrity, Myspace Fashion, Myspace Movies, Myspace Television, Myspace Games, Myspace Twats, etc. That last one was a joke if you hadn't noticed.

Myspace used to be known as the prime social networking site, and is now known as a 'social entertainment destination'.

On that note, Facebook's piece of ugly white canvas is not so ugly anymore. They, too, began adding features of astronomical purpose to their site. And I don't blame them; advancement is advancement. Facebook now has many features, the most significant of which may be the new Timeline. This feature allows posts to be categorized by time and date, much like blogging sites. It also allows users to personalize the theme of their page, and how it looks. Sound familiar?

I am in no way opposed to the idea of advancing social networking sites to keep up with technology. I think it shows great innovation and allows us all to move forward in the digital age.

But for God's sake, keep it simple. Not all of us are computer engineers. 

Perhaps we should be thinking in Leonardo da Vinci's words,

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."


It goes something like this:

-Dahlia

Greetings, Earthlings.

I've never had a blog before.


I've always wanted to make one, but up until now lacked major guts to do so. To be specific, I've never felt that I was 'expert' enough on any one topic to actually be able to blog about it without coming off as unknowledgeable. Or a tool.


But a newborn blogger's gotta start somewhere, and this is my start.


I'm a 19-year-old Media and Communications student with a specialisation in filmmaking and sound design. I am a massive technology nerd and love anything digital. I enjoy documentary film, philosophy, politics, classical music, English literature, video gaming and science. And I love alien-talk and ufology.  


So why, you ask, have I chosen the name 'The Déclassé Life' for my blog?


Well, the answer is simple. The above interests have made me an outcast among many people my age today. While the things that I enjoy appeal to some, they do not align with the interests of the majority from my age group. And instead of hating my life-long stereotype of 'nerd', 'geek', or 'social outcast' I have learnt to embrace these terms and have really grown into them. It took me a lifetime to learn that there is nothing wrong with liking things which are seen as 'outdated' or boring.


I'm going to be blogging about the things that matter to me and the issues that I care about, whilst hopefully appealing to an audience of some sort. I hope others can see my example in utilizing the blog as a free tool to enhance and encourage free speech - or what's left of it in our mirage of a society.


I absolutely love the idea of being able to have people responding to your posts and sharing their views with you. It's the digital age, and it's about time humanity made one very large network of free speech and togetherness..ness..I think that's a word. 

So I'm officially 'cutting the ribbon' as they say. I could ramble on about myself in this post but I'd rather have my readers learn about me as I go instead of cramming it all into one post. Because that post would be never-ending. 


So please, take a seat and get comfy. I welcome you to the blog of a proud outsider. 


I hope you all enjoy The Déclassé Life.

-Dahlia