Why Technology Sucks

Don’t get me wrong, I think most technology is great and super helpful. I wouldn’t be writing this without it. But it’s also destroying our lives and relationships.

No one talks to each other anymore. More technology has made it easier for us to bypass talking entirely and just send each other electrical signals. No one’s talking to the people around them, just texting other people or whatever. And I’m guilty of this too, I hate talking to people, I’d much rather send an email or a text.

But the fact stands that we aren’t interacting anymore, just looking at the screen in our lap! We are losing contact with the world beyond our cell phones! And I think that there’s something sad about that.

It’s taking away jobs as well, who needs a waiter when you can email your order in.

I think that’s causing us to lose the valuable skill of talking to people in front of you. Sure, we gain the ability to keep in contact with those far away, but it’s coming at the price of those around us. And are we really keeping in contact with those people? Sure, you get Facebook updates, but how often do you have a heart-to-heart chat with them? You don’t, and that probably ties in to not talking to the people around you.

We’re losing a valuable form of communication, everything is getting shorter and less heartfelt. This is what Einstein feared, technology replacing human contact. I know it’s had a bad effect on my life, but how long is this going to go on before we get our faces out of our phones and do something??

The Enduring Poem: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

“Prufrock” has been my favorite poem since I read it senior year of high school. T.S. Eliot just manages to capture everything that I feel about life. Here I am going to try to explain why this poem, written almost a hundred years ago, appeals to so many people.

For starters, here’s a link to the poem. Go ahead and read it if you haven’t, I’m not going anywhere. Just appreciate the poem for what it is.

Have you read it a few times? Then let’s start!

You might not have noticed, but I think that the words themselves that are being used are simply beautiful. The rhyme scheme just pulls you along, I often forget that I’m supposed to be analyzing and just read the poem again. Or phrases like “insidious intent” or “hundred visions and revisions” just sound nice. It’s a beautifully crafted poem.

It starts off by including the reader in the song. “Let us go then, you and I” suggests that the speaker and the reader will travel together. This isn’t a story or an argument, it’s a journey that everyone takes. I think that instinctively appeals to a lot of people. Helps to make it universal.

Eliot also throws in a lot of references to everyday life. “Measured out my life with coffee spoons” brings to mind someone drinking coffee every morning without fail; something a lot of people do. Or references to scenes like “restless night in one-night cheap hotels” isn’t too unfamiliar to most audiences. Then there’s the mentioning of growing old and bald, a knowledge that is very real for everyone.

Then there is my suspicion that this poem was partially written for its audience, that is, readers. When Prufrock exclaims “No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be” any reader can identify with that. If you think you are meant to be a Hamlet, then you probably don’t spend your free time reading poetry. If these people are anything like me, they also spend time thinking that they “should have been a pair of ragged claws.” Readers are usually shy, quiet people who easily identify with Prufrock’s plight. Of course, this also is associated a lot with women for Prufrock, but if you are a generally quiet person, the opposite gender probably makes you nervous as well. And the continual thoughts about what other people think about you such as “they will say…” is a sensation that is very familiar to me, at least. Eliot himself was a reader, and I think that helps this poem's appeal for people like him.

And finally this poem is about a generally universal fear. The fear of dying and not feeling fulfilled, having missed every opportunity that came your way because you were too scared and thought that there would be time for that later. “That overwhelming question” that secretly scares us all, to the extent that hardly anyone talks about it. We are so scared of getting it wrong, of people misinterpreting us and leaving us saying “that is not it at all” that no one takes that risk. Everyone thinks that there is time to “descend the stair” but there really isn’t.

I could go on and on about this poem, I really could. But I’m just going to leave this opener here for now, maybe I’ll tackle a different aspect of it (“that overwhelming question” maybe... or not) later.

2006 Robin Hood BBC TV Series

So this is one of my favorite adaptations of Robin Hood. My personal story with how I got into it is a little strange too, but I’ll tell that at the end.

This is a 3 season series, the first two are good and the last sucks. It starts off with Robin, Earl of Huntingdon and Lord of Locksley, returning from the crusade in the Hold Land (where he was in King Richard’s private guard) with his servant Much. Once he has returned to Locksley, he finds out that Guy of Guisbourne has taken over his lands, and a new sheriff is bullying the people. So he becomes an outlaw, and along with his men Much, Allan a Dale, Will Scarlett, John Little, and Djaq he robs the rich and helps the poor. John was actually in the forest already, he ambushed their camp and that’s how they met. Djaq is a Saracen girl who joins them a little later. Marian is the daughter of the old sheriff, and also doubles as the Nightwatchman, who has been helping the poor since Robin left.

Season 2 introduces the Black Knights, a group of nobles who want to kill the king. Of course, Robin and co do everything they can to stop them. Allan also becomes a spy for Guisbourne, which brings dissent into the outlaw’s ranks.

Season 3 is where everything falls to shit, basically. A few characters leave, so Tuck, Kate, and Isabella are introduced. Tuck is a warrior monk who believes in the legend of Robin Hood a little too much, Kate is a whiny little bitch, and Isabella is the vengeful ex. Yeah don’t expect too much.

As far as the legends go, I’m really glad that they kept most of the bare facts like the place names (there’s even a Kirklee’s Abbey, where Robin supposedly died) and Robin’s original title, Earl of Huntingdon. And a few of the old legends are adapted, for example, the archery contest (as usual). And Little John remains a sort of rival to Robin at the beginning. Much is given a very large role, as Robin’s servant he is usually the right-hand man. Allan is usually a minstrel, here he is just a sneaky guy. Will Scarlett doesn’t actually wear scarlet, it’s just his last name. And the addition of Djaq is a great touch. The later appearing Tuck is a historically accurate monk, they didn’t have friars back then. There are a bunch of modernizations, especially in the lingo, but I never go in expecting this to be historically accurate. Because these people are going to screw up.

What I really like about this series is that Robin’s gang is a small, manageable group. You don’t have swarms of men, just around six. This allows you to get to know them all really well, and there aren’t any ridiculous ambushes where the guards are outnumbered 10 to 1. And the characters are all really well done (excluding S3). There is a love triangle between Djaq, Will, and Allan and what’s great about this one is the subtly of it. The way the three of them interact doesn’t make it obvious, but that’s the way that I prefer it. The writing is actually pretty decent, once again, up until S3. Then you want to shoot everyone involved.

The way I got into this series is by stumbling across the third season on TV. (I know, I know, why am I insulting it so much then?) I had no idea what was going on or why, but I knew it was Robin Hood and therefore was hooked. It ended after the third season, and then a few years ago I watched the first two. I have been rewatching the series every summer since then. And I have also realized just how shit the last season is.

So this is a good series, for what it’s worth. I’ve been in love with it for years. It was way too short for me.

Wanting to Teleport as a Sign of Growing Up

It makes more sense than you think it does.

Wanting to teleport means several things: that you want to get to your destination, that your world has expanded, that you can’t rely on other people to get you there, and that you are feeling rushed.

So if you really want to get to your destination, that usually means that where you are going is a place of your choosing. Which means that you are old enough to know that you really like your piano lessons or whatever it is. No little kid wants to teleport to that, they usually don’t want to be there at all. Or it is a sign of maturity in that you know you have an appointment and want to be there on time, even if you don’t really want to go.

And it also means that your world has expanded beyond the area of getting places instantly. When you’re little, when you want to be somewhere, you go. And it’s that simple. As you make friends across the neighborhood, that distance lengthens a little. Then it might expand to other towns. Then you go to college and suddenly your friends are all over the continent! Or you become aware of events outside of your town that you want to go to. Either way, your world expands and it takes longer to traverse it.

You also probably aren’t counting on your parents to bring you there on time. Maybe you were supposed to get yourself there on time. Or maybe it’s the public transportation (again). Either way, you are either old enough to get yourself places, or mature enough to realize that your parents/the bus are not superhuman and can’t get you there on time magically.

The feeling rushed I think is the thinnest point here, but thought I’d put it down anyway. It expands to a little more than just “feeling rushed.” You must have had society’s etiquette imprinted on you if you want to get somewhere on time. You also see the limits of the speed you can take while travelling. You probably realize how much time travel time takes up and want to eliminate it. They all require a pretty good understanding of how things work physically and within society. And they all require a little growing up.

So it’s really not as outlandish as it seems at first, speaking as someone who has wanted to teleport for ages, I know that I never wanted to do that as a child and think that it definitely is a sign of getting older.

“Hood” by Stephen Lawhead (the book not the milk)

So I have been looking for the novel Hood for years and could never find it anywhere (I have a problem, I’m aware of it) (also bookstores must have a problem if I couldn’t find this anywhere). I recently finished it, and it’s pretty different from any other adaptation of Robin Hood that I’ve read.

Obviously, the whole thing is not in Sherwood Forest, but in Wales. And everyone’s names and everything are different. They usually get nicknames that correspond to the legend (like Iwan being John), but everything feels very different. (King Raven on the other hand… What, a robin wasn’t impressive enough?)

Lawhead appears to have done his research, at the end he explains his reasoning behind the setting and the characters and everything that seems a little off. What it basically boils down to is that he wanted to recreate the source of the legend, and he thinks it started in Wales and from there minstrels spread it until it was adopted by the English. An interesting theory.

The idea itself I quite like, Bran does retain enough characteristics of Robin Hood to please his fans, but also the scene he’s placed in makes it feel more plausible. And like I said, it isn’t a work lacking in research.

The writing, however, is often pretentious and a little out there. Bran’s vision is clouded in red enough to make it annoying, and the old lady who takes care of him ruins the historical feel with her witchy/otherworldly ways. And the men in the woods already are never really explained. It makes a decent story, but I was hoping for a more historical feel instead of the supernatural.

If nothing else, read it for an interesting story. And a fresh take on the old legend. Because I am quite excited to move on to the sequels now.

The Pros and Cons of Boston

So I’m not the biggest Boston fan. I like the city, it’s more historical and laid back than NYC. But there are also a few things that I don’t really like about it.

First, there’s the sports fans. If you are a Yankees fan like me, you are basically massacred (heh) anytime you voice your viewpoint. I’m sure it’s the same in New York if you’re a Sox fan. But as I’m a Yankees fan, that’s definitely going to sway my opinion.

In a similar vein, the drivers in Boston are pretty bad. And it’s usually the people with the zillions of sports stickers. Use your blinker idiot!

Then there’s the city itself. Whoever planned it out had no idea what they were doing, you come to intersections where 5 streets converge and they’re all at 30 degree angles (I can math I swear) and it just makes no sense whatsoever. And there are one way streets at inconvenient spots that really need to not be there. I just don’t get it.

Similarly, the T isn’t the best. I ended up waiting for around 10 minutes every time I had to switch to a different line. And apparently the Government Circle stop is closed for the next 2 years? I had no idea. They tend to get delayed a lot, not the best system in place.

Now the good stuff.

The city is beautiful, it has a different feel from New York where it’s high skyscrapers and blaring lights.  Depending on where you are, there are nice old buildings that just look good. And there are modern ones that look funky as well.

The history behind it is really nice. There’s the freedom trail and several other options for learning about it. It’s very cool, and important to know your history!

There are tons of museums around! There’s the Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Gardner Museum, and the Aquarium among others. So there is always something to do that’s good for everyone.

I can’t remember the statistic, but the population increases dramatically when schools start. There are so many schools around, it’s a great place to be a student!

So that’s my take on Boston. It’s a good place to visit, but I don’t think I would want to live there.

Music History Crash Course: From Armstrong to Bieber

How on earth did the trash coming from the radio today get started? That’s a question that I often ask myself. Of course, being someone who really likes music, I know the answer perfectly well. I just can’t believe that the world has come to the point where these people are famous.

Ok so, popular music really started back in the 1800s with the slave trade. They brought their native African beats over, and that started to shake things up a little. Musicians in America started to hear these funky rhythms, and jazz was developed. The inventor of jazz was supposedly Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton, a pianist with the Red Hot Peppers (what a nickname!), but really everyone played a part in it. Society was also racist as hell, so jazz musicians (often black) were segregated, paid less, and had to play in less respectable venues (as in nightclubs and brothels).

Jump to the roaring 20s, these tunes started to get played in dance halls with swing big bands! What a party! Think Gershwin music! The racism had led many black musician to the Great Migration north, where things weren’t much better, but also contributed to the Harlem Renaissance.

Until the Great Depression shut it down. Not as much as you would think though. But this mood change did bring in the blues, and started the use of electric instruments. Thanks to FDR’s Works Progress Administration, musicians were paid to play, so the big bands managed to continue through this period. This was the era that Cole Porter really got going in!

What really killed the swing parade was WWII. During then, several things happened to contribute to this. Shellac started to be rationed, unfortunately it was an important material in making records. Also, the swing big bands became too expensive, there were too many players, it wasn’t affordable anymore. And the national mood plummeted. Big bands only played slow music, like whole notes with too much vibrato. Ugh.

So what appeared was bebop. Thanks to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, small combos started playing really fast! This saved money, and transformed into something new and original! Of course the fast pace meant that dancers couldn’t keep up, so jazz became a musicians-only gig for the most part. This never became popular enough to replace swing, so R&B really got going out of the blues genre.

Around that time, Louis Armstrong (according to legend) came across another innovation. Supposedly, his band was recording, and the lyrics blew off of Louis’ stand. So he kept singing, and scatting was born!

Then something really big came across the puddle. BRITISH INVASION! Cue the Beatles. For the first time, everyone across the nation was listening to the same music (Elvis also contributed to this). This was the start of pop (hold the Bieber for a moment). More people began joining the pop scene, but as everyone was still racist, black musicians were delegated to R&B instead of pop. This was the era of Motown.

Should probably mention Woodstock. That was the 60s, peace, love, and music. Everyone getting all anti-war up in here. This rebellion started as a response to the conformity of the 50s, where Congress was restricting musicians and dance moves and generally being an uptight pain in the ass.

Dance music became popular again, as discos started. Yup, so dancing beats and stuff.

Not much has really changed since then, it’s mostly the same general area of popular music.

Of course, this isn’t extensive, it’s just the main music that everyone was listening to at the time. So Bieber was really caused by the slave trade, thanks people. But we wouldn’t have gotten many other great kinds of music if it wasn’t for that, so I guess I can live with it.

(In case you are wondering about sources, I mostly know all of this stuff from a research paper on music reflecting society and the economy that I did a while ago. I can provide more specific stuff on request. But I got a 99 on the paper, so it’s all legit. J)