SECOND LIFE + CSS

On Second Life:

My first experience with Second Life was through my ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, it seemed, all of his free time was spent playing this game. I don't understand the fascination. The only opinion I have on it now is that people who spend so much time on it probably don't like their "first" life very much. That's why he's my "ex" boyfriend. :)

But really, you can be whoever or whatever you want in not only Second Life, but in the entire online community as a whole. In the game, you can look like, dress like, act like whatever you want. Many times, people with low self-confidence in real life are the ones with all the friends on games like these, because they can open up to strangers who won't judge them, and also because they'll never have to face these people in real life. I really hate that.

On the flip side, I was a little excited to play it, if only to see what all the hype is about. I've never really gotten into RPGs.

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On CSS:

I'm pretty excited to learn about CSS. Other than HTML, I really have no other experience with web development, but I would like to. But I can't really look at the assigned pages and figure it out well enough to make a great page. I'll need some classroom instruction for this one!

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Lol, get it?

Webpage for Class

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I "FTP"ed my html file, so it's accessible on the web. In case anyone is interested (and I understand this is doubtful), here it is!

http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~smh05h/dontputaspaceinit.html

I'll be fixing it up this weekend. Stay tuned.

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Placing My Allegiance...Sorry, Dr. Gants =)

That's right, Mike Nelson!!


(And by the way, Mr. B Natural is the funniest thing I've ever seen in my entire life.)

Post Secret

Frank Warren, creator of Post Secret, came to speak at FSU tonight. Post Secret is "an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard". The blog is updated weekly, with about 20 new postcards every week, and there have been three books published - the fourth is due in October - of various postcards.

I first encountered this project during a trip to Borders. I came across a book that looked like it was a parcel - an address, postage, and even the postal barcode. Interested, I opened it up, and began to read the secrets of strangers. I ended up reading the entire book that night, sitting in Borders. There is something fascinating about reading the secrets of others.

In short, I was the first person to arrive; I was there even before the production staff! After waiting for three hours, the presentation started. Frank was great. He was personable, witty, and sincere. During his talk, he showed some of the postcards he's received - the actual postcards, not just the ones in the slideshow. It was amazing to actually see a postcard that had been mailed to him, to see it in person instead of on the blog or in a video. He stayed well over an hour later to make sure everyone in line to get his autograph got what they wanted.

I got a picture with him, and he signed both of the books I bought (the 2nd and 3rd in the series). He was extraordinarily nice. Even though I went by myself, I had a great time. Took lots of pictures, too!

"Free your secrets and become who you are" - Stamped into my books by Frank

x-posted to Fitter, Happier, More Productive

People and [or perhaps "vs."] Computers

Hypothetical Question #1: If a tree fell in a forest and no one was around, would it make a noise?

Hypothetical Question #2: If humans stopped using computers, would computers cease to, well, compute? Or in a less hypothetical view, can computers exist and operate without the need of human interaction? Do we need computers, or do they need us?

Most people would agree that yes, if a tree fell in a forest, it would make a sound. Whether or not there is anyone there to hear it is irrelevant. Conversely, if we were to stop using computers ["if a tree fell..."], they would cease to operate ["it would make a sound, regardless"]. This seems obvious, right?

Well, not necessarily. One could argue that computers have their own minds, and in many ways, they do. They are capable of performing complex equations, and in turn, outputting information that is readily available to the user in minutes, sometimes seconds. If you left a computer running on its own, it would still go about its computer-way, figuring out things and being smart. But eventually it will run out of gas, run out of reason to perform. Computers need a guide, someone to tell them what to do and when.

Our own minds and computers have very much in common. People, too, are capable of complex thinking, capable of solving multi-dimensional equations, and capable of storing mass amounts of information. But, our brains are still far superior; we can store thousands of times more information than a super-computer ever could, and we are even more complex than computers, because we have the ability to think and reason.

Computers are tools. They need an outside force to control them. Generally speaking, they enhance our lives. But we shouldn't forget that they are man-made objects. They need us. We don't need them. Just like noises in a forest.

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LOL