Google: Dictator of the Internet?

Google is a site that I believe plays a decent role in the average person's internet use. It is the most powerful search engine on the internet and it gets millions and millions of hits everyday. This company has expanded so much over the years. Since the start they've added more algorithms in order to get you the search results that you want. They use factors such as where you are or what you have searched for in the past in order to get you the links that you want to see. There is a lot more personalization of Google than there was in the past and in order to get this personalization, Google has been collecting information from numerous sources about you.

The question is, is Google some power hungry dictator of the internet? My answer to that question is no. How much control does Google really have? Do they force you to use google to search for what you want? No, but since its such an easy to use search engine that gives you the most results out of any other search engine than its kind of hard to not use it. Google sometimes blocks out certain links because it believes that we have no interest in them based on our search history. Some might say this is blasphemy but honestly if you really wanted to find things based on exactly what you searched then you could choose another search engine, its not that hard.

The addiction to Google is very real. I use Google multiple times a day to find certain things like how to cook certain foods or anything really. Now with smart phones you can literally find information about anything anywhere you go. People say that this is making society stupid but I don't qualify memorizing facts as being smart. Google is just making it easier to find out certain information so you don't have to struggle at memorizing it, therefor you can focus on memorizing the more important things. Nowadays, people need Google. Scratch that, people need a search engine to get through the day.

People love their privacy, is Google taking that away from people? Essentially, yes they are, but in the grand scheme of thing the sort of privacy that Google is violating really does not matter. Sure Google knows what kind of clothes you wear or what kind of pet you have and things like that but anyone who sees you walking your dog can see that. Does Google send personalized emails to you making fun of the things you searched on Google? If they did that would be kind of funny. Does Google have an ulterior motive that eventually they will only show you results that they want you to see and then they will brainwash society and take over the world? Possible, but highly unlikely. Google knows a lot about you as a person but all in all, the things they know about you aren't being used against you.

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Trophy Scars, a truly under-appreciated band

I’ll start out by saying that I am a sucker for concept albums, although most of the time I am generally disappointed because of the lack of coherence and diversity in the tracks.  A band needs to make all the tracks work well and make each one creative and unique without breaking the theme or sound of the album. With their album Holy Vacants, Trophy Scars have done just this; they have created a truly remarkable concept album that is great from start to finish.

The idea behind this album was originally going to be a short screenplay by the vocalist/songwriter Jerry Jones.  The album takes more of a fantasy/fiction approach to the story it is trying to tell but a lot of the elements can be connected to real life issues.  Holy Vacants is about a man and woman who are madly in love and they find out that angels blood hold the answers to eternal life, with this information they start to murder angels in order to never grow old.  Jones has this to say about the album, “The album was about being so in love with somebody that they literally destroy you,” he explains. “I had to write the album as a way of exorcising this person from my mind and soul. I wanted a Bonnie and Clyde-type story, because I’ve always loved that. There’s something beautiful about the idea of rebelling together against something and losing yourself in the rebellion to the extent that it destroys your life. It’s the doomed romanticism thing.”

Putting the rich story aside; musically, this album is a home run.  It is one of those albums that keeps you engaged throughout because of the rich story elements and their perfected classic rock style with a touch of some blues.  In a genre that is heavy in overdone guitar solos, Trophy Scars seem to have perfected this without going over the top and being too much.  Jones’ raspy vocals are perfect for the tone of the album, there is a few times where he escalates to a scream which may turn some listeners away but each scream is done with purpose and really shows his emotion behind each track.  Their ability to change up their styles on each song but keep the flow of each track intact is phenomenal.  This band has an impressive knowledge of how to truly compose a song.  The album is filled with all sorts of different instruments such as the cello, violin, organ, trombone, trumpet, and piano accompanying the guitars, bass, and drums.  There is never a point where the extra instruments seem tossed into the song, they always flow with the tone of the song.  Adam Fisher delivers a wonderful vocal performance on Chicago Typewriter where his voice gives variety to the male vocals on the album and he captures the emotion of the story perfectly.  One thing that stuck out for me is their use of female guest vocals.  Their voices fit perfectly into the tone of the album and they deliver a top-notch performance matching the vocal styles of Jones.   This is an album that keeps you engaged through every song and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a driven bluesy classic rock album for a relaxing day off.

9/10

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Convergence of Media

Media convergence is a rather simple thing to understand.  In a nutshell, media convergence is the

combining of different types of media into different media systems.  A computer is a good example of this because a computer can essentially do what a television can do, or a typewriter, game console, phone, etc.  The fact that all these different types of media can converge onto certain media systems gives us, as humans, more of an ability to connect and participate in these types of media.

Media convergence has the ability to empower us as consumers to get our voice out there.  Before all the smartphones, computers, and televisions, people got most of their news from the actual newspapers.  People would buy the newspapers and read up on all latest news happening in the world and then they would form their own opinions and discuss it amongst their friends.  There wasn't really a way for people to get their opinions out to the leaders of country or certain businesses besides by writing letters, which really didn't get them anywhere, or by protesting.  Now with media convergence, it makes it easier for consumers to voice their opinion.  Now the leaders can see the overall opinions of the population and make decisions based on the people as well as what they think will work.  Media convergence has created a more community-centered world rather than a strictly leader-centered world.

Another way media convergence can get consumers involved is the use of consumer input.  People who create the movies, television shows, video games, etc that we enjoy now can receive input from their fans on how to improve certain aspects of their work.  With the use of social media people can voice their opinions about certain television shows and the creators can use these suggestions in order to make their shows even better.  With the creation of smartphones, now people have pretty much every source of media at their fingertips, this gives the consumers the power to get involved with media even if they have a busy schedule.  They could comment on an article while riding the train to work or they could read up on a news story while they wait in line to get their coffee.  Media convergence has provided people with easier access to media which in turn creates more opportunity to be involved.

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Fred First's Blog Interview

Rebecca Blood interviewed Fred First about his blog Fragments from Floyd.  I think this blogger
takes a non-stereotypical approach to a blog.  I feel like when you think of someone blogging, you think about someone posting passionate opinions about certain word events or things happening in their lives and the lives of others.  Fred takes the approach of just writing things that are touching to his mind and heart.  He mostly writes about place and nature and steers away from trying to be controversial or voicing his one-sided opinion about a certain aspect of life.  He tries to remain neutral and passive in his posts which I believe allows the readers to focus more on the content and their own lives rather than the lives of the blogger.  When a person is just rambling about their opinions then that provokes readers to evaluate the blogger as a person rather than truly thinking about the content in the post.  People will lash out when they see an opinion that goes against theirs and sometimes they will only focus on their viewpoint.  This allows them to take certain opinions personally, as an attack to their viewpoints. This ultimately leads to less focusing on the content of the post and more focus on proving the other person wrong.  The way Fred writes eliminates this aspect and his blog allows for a place where people can just focus on what is being presented to them and interpreting it in their own way rather than arguing with the blogger.  He posts about touching stories and nature, his blog is like a peaceful place for viewers to go.  He has written about a few things such as global warming and the avian flu which provoked some people to argue with him but for the most part his blog remains passive.

As a blogger, Fred First does not seem very dedicated but that does not make him an unmotivated blogger.  He has his priorities which seem to be work but he still makes time to post things onto his blog.  His blog is a non-profit side project.  This shows that he must enjoy what he is doing and good things usually come from people who enjoy what they are doing.

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