Blog Entry 3: Status Update

Hey, everyone. I hope all's well with the class and that everyone experienced some reaction to right about in this blog entry. In the the American Life episode, it was reinstated with the girls being interviewed, or chatted with as it was very informal, that it is social media is all too relevant to the feelings of frequent social media users. The feelings I was speaking of  are the vindication of oneself through the social media and the levels that are appropriate within the social media hierarchy. If you are familiar or trying to get familiar with someone you have to comment, if you are a friend of a friend you like it, and if you are a close friend you must comment. Why? Why is it so important to see a notification pop up that someone you know liked your comment or image. Especially, when that person is apparent in your life today and when you would know the opinion and mind of the people that are close to you already, but still they must comment.

To me, this makes the online world superficial. That me juxtaposing with many others peoples view of the social media, but the idea that a comment from someone that is close to you on a picture you are proud of is more important than simply talking with them is astounding. That being said, I am not debasing social media as a means of connecting with other people. That I understand. What I am calling for is a change in the validity of the concept that a like equals value from someone that you do not know on a day-to-day basis. Where should the opinion of a stranger mean more than that, a stranger's opinion? The documentary also talks about people not understanding the two girls, their families included. Perhaps those people are on to something. If you don't get enough likes from people that you may not even know then the post was a failure. Why? Opting to put oneself under the microscope of a detached skulker of the internet world sounds terrifying, mostly because what the skulker says matters. The people that don't understand the like obsession from the podcast  may be on to something.
I hope my thoughts are to disparaged as I'll not disparage anyone else. Thanks for reading my opinion upon the subject of likes and social media.

Blog Entry 2: Hipster Files

Hey, guys and gals. I think we can all agree that to one degree or another...we are hipsters. Whether it be how our music is new and upcoming with its total one hundred searches, only performing at the local level, or the new Thai-Korean fusion barbecue joint, we all have something that we hold dear to us and only share with others that are on the same level.

The big question now "Is being a hipster overrated?"
The hipster portrayal is of someone who is above it all and is defined by Google as "a person who follows the latest trends and fashions, especially those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream." To me, that seems like a lot of work. Hypothetically speaking, let's say I was trying to enter the hipster class. Calculating the time it would take to make something known, then to find another something to make it known and abandon the previously found item is a cycle that cannot be sated with an ending. But it is okay because the I was there first. Sure it took an hour of random Google searches into the more and more obscure but now that I spent that time I am within the realm of the hipster.
To a normal individual, that may seem redundant. Why not just let good music or food or clothing filter through normal media streams? And to this, I say ha, and ha again. To be a hipster, normal streams are detestable why would I wait any period of time that is functional in its capacity to share information. I am a full-blooded hipster, above such things.
To look like a full blooded hipster, one must dress like none other. There must be so much disorder within an outfit that it becomes a new style. Needless to say, vintage goes with everything in any situation whether it be a fondue on the roof extravaganza or a class on twirly mustache upkeep, one must always look like they do not belong in normal society. To look like this I do all my low key, soon to be everywhere shopping on Zalando, but I will shop somewhere else after this post goes up. I'm a hipster.

I conclusion, being a hipster seems like a lot of work. The personality, attire, and above it all atmosphere take a bit of effort to maintain it. I think it would be chill if we were just zen with who you are and the people around. Share ideas and fun finds the usual way. There is no need for this new label "Hipster" as in inside we are all a little hip. Pun, nudge, nudge.

Blog Entry 1: Blogs and Base Interest

Blogs are still new and upcoming things, but they seem to be a positive, interest-sharing idea. Blogging is more like a virtual club by my point of view. People who like a topic, google the topic, and may be led to a blog where many people with the same interests congregate virtually. Meeting people who share a common interest is almost never a bad thing. It provides idea sharing across a state, country, or even across oceans.

Even though blogs are great, some blogs are done better than others. The Sartorialist, for example, is a blog focusing on fashion and the variants of such, yet it feels almost as if photos are being spat out on a web page to me. Fashion itself is widely varying and coexists everywhere, and yet this blog makes it hard from the front page for someone to feel connected and like they are a part of the fashion scope of the world. On the other hand, it is well organized if the front page does not throw any interest one had out the window. Other blogs focus on connecting more to the reader and creating an atmosphere that is both comfortable and offering interesting snippets of information. In the science blog, Watts Up With That? the very title is comfortable as it expresses a humorous play on words. Upon further exploration of the blog, it shows many different topics all with the same level of comfort. The article  How Climate Change is Fubar offers researched and supported information about climate change and a title that peeks anyone's interest. Some blogs, such as The Norse Mythology Blog, do a decent job of catering to their audience but fail to attract new people. If you were to follow this one or a blog like it, you would have to know a good chunk of information going to be able to participate. Even if you do know your Noric Mythology, moving about  the blog can be difficult. I am not sure if good information balances this out or not as that is for the veteran audience to decide.

Practice Entry: The Who and the Whatsits

Hello again. This is once again, perhaps the third time for a few of you, Dylan Haftings. I'm a Husker from Omaha, Nebraska who has had the privilege to live in many states in the country. For example, I'm moving here from Manhattan, Kansas, a small city, for Kansas, that has the K-State campus as the star attraction. I'm here to get an English credit out of the way in hopes of never taking another English course again.
I really find math interesting and fun to work through as well as history, but I'll never be caught reading nonfiction if I can help it. That being said, I am a huge fan of fiction, specifically epic fantasy series, and even more specifically The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson. Reading is a common hobby of mine that I'll try to do at least an hour everyday. Right now I'm partial to the Game of Thrones series as of now, and I hope to see the all the Lannisters failing.
I have a ton of pet peeves, but I can only recall a good portion when someone is doing something. Though you shouldn't worry, I can recall a few. I dislike when people have the sound on on their phone keyboard to max and feel the need to send a long-winded text message. I dislike when someone feels the need to rearrange words to suit what they would say better, losing the original purpose of said words. I dislike when there is not enough time in a day for me to finish a project that I procrastinated on to the very last day. As you get to know me, you may pick up on more, but I'm pretty easy to get along with, and I'm actually not as niggardly as I sound.
I hope to get a degree of a masters or better in a field in mathematics at a college I choose. If you couldn't tell my futures up in the air a bit. Something that makes me unique is the fact that I am actually a senior in high school who is dual enrolled due to having too many credits.
I hope everyone enjoys this class as well as the tidbit about me. I hope you are as willing to get through this as I am.