A Musical Education

Whenever we hang out with friends who we haven't seen in a while, we usually have to have 'the music talk'. This involves going through new albums or artists we have discovered since last talking. Many times, we end up in an iTunes or occasionally youtube showdown, back and forth showing new songs and videos. Today we got to educate my cousin on some great local groups: Katie Dellenbach, Mudbison (Spencer Russell) and The Archer's Apple. (Conveniently, all three of those played at a concert that was our second date.)

Miss Representation

In class we watched a documentary about the representation of women in the media. This is one of my favorite topics to discuss, so I was thrilled to have more insight on the issue. I thought it was really interesting how they focused so heavily on the issue of women in politics. It isn't something that I have ever thought much about, because I know several women who are involved in politics on a city or state level and they don't seem to be all that abnormal. It gave an interesting perspective on the grand scheme of women in politics. Now all I need is for David to see it, so we can talk about it even more!

Suture

Have you ever been watching a movie/reading a book/listening to music and the content completely absorbs you so much that you don't realize time has passed and you forget the room around you? For me, this is a sign of a good movie/book/music. Film theorist Daniel Dayan created the idea of suture, where the audience is pulled and 'stitched in' to the story or experience. I would argue that this happens in areas aside from film, such as music. This weekend I had the opportunity to hear one of my good friends perform a concert at a local venue. We go listen to him play somewhat regularly and I always enjoy the chance to hear other experience and find more music that I like. There have been multiple occasions when I am watching the concert and find myself completely absorbed in the music, the rest of the world doesn't exist and I am just in awe of what is happening in front of me. I love it!

When have you found yourself sutured into the media you are experiencing? Do you like giving that much control to another person?

Spam and Hackers

I do not understand why some people feel that it is necessary to flood the internet with garbage. It does them no good to spam/hack someone, and it just makes everyone else. I am trying to understand the mentality of someone who creates a virus and releases it on a relatively innocent site, such as Pinterest. I do not see what their gain is in trying to get everyone else frustrated.

What do you think? Why do people do this?