spades
December 19, 2005lately i've been filling voids in my evening by playing internet spades, which on most new pc's can be accessed from the games folder on the start menu. it's such an entertaining card game, and actually quite a sobering activity at 2pm after getting home from the bar. anyone who enjoys card games and has an attention span should really learn to play. it's a thinking game. needs more actual skill than luck, most of the time, which makes it quite rewarding when you're doing well. anyway, i was playing just now (i lost miserably because my partner didn't know his shin from his shoulder blade), and i got to thinking how weird the internet is. it's not the first time that i've ever thought about it... actually i recently had a conversation with two ladies who's names begin with J and A, touching on our embarassing internet flings in early high school (before it actually became "the thing to do")... it's just weird how reliant our society is on this sort of communication. and i'm not just talking about cell phones with our constant "texting" and emails or even myspace for that matter. i'm talking about the strange clinging neediness the general public has for the cute :)'s, giggling lol's and hysterically retarded lmfao's. sure...sure it makes it easier to express what you're trying to say to someone you just met in a teen chat room who's same is coolfox69 or hottjane2847214, someone who probably lives four thousand miles away and enjoys lmfao for five hours a night just to feel somewhat connected to the rest of the world. it has been said that the www has provided people with a unlimited network of information and maybe we're all supposed to be smarter and more informed, which is true in many aspects for people who actually go on the internet to read the news and learn about shit like wiccan religion or the laws of gravity, but for too many people it has clotted the true nature of individuality which is seriously detrimental to our functioning society. so it's possible that kids, who totally grew up with ability to do this shit, might end up being more stupid (read: stupider) in the long run. not only because many of their human interactions with meeting people and dating are based upon text on a screen, but because they are not learning or experiencing the many things they should by actual trial and error. it's like the www is helping to open their cocoon far before they are really ready to emerge strong as they should be. the internet may be desensitizing life for kids, so much so that it may effect their entire social lives, which effects everything. i don't know. of course this is a vague generalization and i have no facts to back it up, but i've always been a strong believer that life really isn't much without having an individual face, a belief of who you are and what you stand for, and raw emotion that you can't find anywhere else but being able to take chances and learn from your experiences. i'm also a firm believer that if there was a way to rid the world of all weapons but swords, and wars were fought honorably like back in the good old days, we'd all be better off. ha! proof that technology isn't always a good thing. now we can destroy an entire country with the drop of a bomb. how honorable does that sound? wow...that was a digress. so back to spades, it's a good game. you should try it. speaking of spades, i have a gash in my hand from falling on ice the other night (to which i owe someone a debt of gratitude, hahalmfaolol:) that kind of resembles a spade. it also kind of resembles a rocket ship too. hmmmmm.
(Comment:)
Where did you fall?
It can be argued that the internet is just an extension of technology, that the ability to simulate experience is not unique to the internet. Follow the line from the internet into video games, film/TV, radio, books, even just story-telling. People are always telling me the right way to do things, and what not to do, like my parents, but I never really understand until I actually do it live in person. Nothing can prepare you for the true horror of life's experiences.
That Elliott Smith album is so awesome. I think it's his best. I listen to it like every day.
(Reply:)
you're totally right, but the difference between books, movies, video games and the internet is that the internet is actually connected to other live beings who all influence each other based on their own experiences whether they be right or wrong. with books and story-telling there is an understanding that what you are being told is like a universal account of something that has to be physically explored in order for it to make sense. with the internet, people are telling people what they should think or do, and when questioned, talk back and insist or deny. when was the last time you asked a book if it was a good idea to try heroin and it responded one way or another? you have to actually seek the experience for yourself in a natural way. as for video games, that's a completely different matter... i hate to think about how these things have completely screwed up the reality of the world for many people. but in a similar way, video games and the internet are gateways for people to live without actually living. and although it's a great feeling to live vicariously through some sort of altered universe, by the time it's realized that you must make the social transition into what's real, you've already missed out on a lot of crucial social experiences. does that make any sense or is there a bunch of bullshit coming out of my ears?
oh, and i fell on the sidewalk near lilys.
posted by H. Hopkins @ 9:45 AM
Comments: 0
