Surveillance drives me crazy...and not in the way that you might guess. I am a total internet stalker! It's bad. Especially when I date.
Once I dated this guy, we will leave him unnamed. He was very good looking and it made me very insecure (not about myself, about the guys looking at him). This led to a lot of distrust in our relationship. It got so bad that one time I went on the internet and tried to buy his phone records. This may paint a bad picture of me, but if it was only because the opportunity was there.
I didn't buy his phone records...in case anyone is wondering.
I charted my surveillance habits recently. Lately I use facebook to keep tabs on what the people around me are doing. I go on facebook about 10 times a day for about 10 to 20 minutes at a time. I usually surf the pages of those who are significant to me, like those I'm in a relationship with. My friend Erin and I actually joke about how much of a stalker I am.
Peace, Love
Evan
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Evan on Google
Earlier today I decided to Google myself. All of the results were of me personally and not of possible "Googlegangers," people who I share the same name with. The vast majority of the sites that popped up under my name dealt with my swimming career, from very early to very recent news. Other results displayed work from my blog. In general, I would say that I google quite well.
The digital impression available of me over the internet, in my personal opinion, is rather good. I have a very unique name so all the results pertain to me personally and almost all the results display highlights of my academic and athletic careers. I am quite happy to have such a unique digital profile. I believe that most employers would be impressed with the results they would find should they Google my name.
Having such a unique profile could potentially raise a threat to my potential career path should bad information trickle onto it. For example, an ABC News article came up under news results form this summer. It was about a drowning that occurred at the UMBC pool of which I was the guard on duty. The article stated I was complacent. Information such as this could pose a threat; however, I am mostly pleased with my digital profile.
Peace, Love
Evan
The digital impression available of me over the internet, in my personal opinion, is rather good. I have a very unique name so all the results pertain to me personally and almost all the results display highlights of my academic and athletic careers. I am quite happy to have such a unique digital profile. I believe that most employers would be impressed with the results they would find should they Google my name.
Having such a unique profile could potentially raise a threat to my potential career path should bad information trickle onto it. For example, an ABC News article came up under news results form this summer. It was about a drowning that occurred at the UMBC pool of which I was the guard on duty. The article stated I was complacent. Information such as this could pose a threat; however, I am mostly pleased with my digital profile.
Peace, Love
Evan
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Keen vs. Lessig
In his book The Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen presents an elitist argument against the democratization of the internet. He firmly believes that Web 2.0 is a fatal flaw in our society and will eventually lead to our downfall. His language is strong and his opinions are quite extreme. In his book he makes rebuts arguments made by Lawrence Lessig, a professor of law at Stanford University. Lessig in turn created a blog and wiki site to rebut Keen's arguments. He points out major fallacies in his arguments and further accuses Keen of creating an ignorant and sloppy work.
If I was asked to choose a more convincing argument I would definitely side with Lessig. Lessig rebuts arguments intelligently and his use of crude sarcasm ironically makes his argument endearing. Keen's use of overly strong language left me extremely turned off. I was further put off by his elitist attitude. As Lessig notes, "Who is Keen to define what 'taste' is?"
What I found most appealling about Lessig's argument was his final fallacy, the Amateur Fallacy. He notes Keen's traditional definition of an amateur and points out his disgust by the rise of amateurism. Lessig counters this by citing John Phillip Sousa in his lament for the disappearance of the amateur. He notes "What Keen misses is the value to a culture that comes from developing the capacity to create -- independent of the quality created."
Peace, Love
Evan
If I was asked to choose a more convincing argument I would definitely side with Lessig. Lessig rebuts arguments intelligently and his use of crude sarcasm ironically makes his argument endearing. Keen's use of overly strong language left me extremely turned off. I was further put off by his elitist attitude. As Lessig notes, "Who is Keen to define what 'taste' is?"
What I found most appealling about Lessig's argument was his final fallacy, the Amateur Fallacy. He notes Keen's traditional definition of an amateur and points out his disgust by the rise of amateurism. Lessig counters this by citing John Phillip Sousa in his lament for the disappearance of the amateur. He notes "What Keen misses is the value to a culture that comes from developing the capacity to create -- independent of the quality created."
Peace, Love
Evan
For the Love of It
Approaching adult life, we as college students are forced to make a decision: follow a passion or walk down the path of practicality. The answer may be quite obvious to some, but for others it is not always so easy.
I've always considered myself the "artistic" type. I absolutely love singing, writing, drawing...you get the idea; however, being a gifted math student, my parents were constantly pushing me down that path. Engineering was the future my parents sought for me, but I wanted nothing to do with that. I hated math and I will continue to hate math as long as I live; it's simply far too structured for my liking. So as I began my college career I decided that it was imperative that I follow a true passion of mine, writing.
Now, the question to be asked is "Do I consider myself an amateur writer?" and the answer is "Absolutely." Writing is most certainly not what I'm most gifted in, (though I do believe I'm able to put together a few decent sentences) but it is something I feel extremely passionate about. I firmly believe that if you love what you do then the work done will be far more valuable than any work for a meaningless obligation. Your career should be your passion. It should be a vocation not a job.
Peace, Love
Evan
I've always considered myself the "artistic" type. I absolutely love singing, writing, drawing...you get the idea; however, being a gifted math student, my parents were constantly pushing me down that path. Engineering was the future my parents sought for me, but I wanted nothing to do with that. I hated math and I will continue to hate math as long as I live; it's simply far too structured for my liking. So as I began my college career I decided that it was imperative that I follow a true passion of mine, writing.
Now, the question to be asked is "Do I consider myself an amateur writer?" and the answer is "Absolutely." Writing is most certainly not what I'm most gifted in, (though I do believe I'm able to put together a few decent sentences) but it is something I feel extremely passionate about. I firmly believe that if you love what you do then the work done will be far more valuable than any work for a meaningless obligation. Your career should be your passion. It should be a vocation not a job.
Peace, Love
Evan
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