Twitter...the end of life as we know it

So, lately I read a statement from this man, antique expert Martin Miller....

...lambasting Stephen Fry for his use of Twitter, and the effect of this on young people. Without publishing the statement in full for fear of making this blog, well, boring, Miller basically states that young people should be deterred from using sites such as Twitter, and possibly the internet altogether. Apparently, "The radiation [off the net] can’t be dealt with by young brains. It’s grip is too intense. It has the effect of drawing them in and locking them psychologically in a type of foetal deadlock where nothing is linear, everything is lateral and globular." In Miller's view, "The young generation have the attention span of gnats. Less emphasis should be placed on the maddening drive up the pixilated superhighway - more emphasis on slowing down, simplifying, trying, realising, smelling, reality.“

Let us try and get to grips with this idea that young people can't cope with the internet, if we may. I have lost counts of the number of friends and family members over the aged of 40 who I have had to teach about computers, the internet etc., and I am by no means what you would call technologically 'savvy'. Every time something new crops up on this blog, such as embedding video or editing HTML code, you can rest assured that I've probably spent an hour or two scouring Blogspot's Help page to learn from the expertise of others who are much better at it than I. I'm still having trouble adding music clips, to tell you the truth. However, I'd be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that a cross-section of youngsters would be able to handle much more new-fangled computer 'sorcery' than the older generation - it is only logical that we who have grown up with it in our lives can utilise it better than our elders.

I will agree with Mr. Miller that younger people do perhaps lack the attention to certain things that our elders display. For example, we do not merely sit still and watch advert breaks - rather, we channel hop in the hope of finding something good on to last for those few minutes. Would someone please explain to me why this example is a bad thing? You could argue that it makes it harder for advertisers to target us, and forces them to come up with harder-hitting advertising strategies. Better ad campaigns mean more people will be affected by them, and probably more people will buy the products than before, causing the economy to rise up out of the credit crunch once and for all. All from not paying attention. So go, children of the world, and ignore everything around you - you're country depends on it. Ok, I'm stretching the point here a fair way, but there is a method to my madness.

Mr. Miller just seems to be one more crusty old relic who would rather stand, arms folded, at the bottom of the staircase looking up and glowering menacingly at the modern world while the elevator carries everyone else up to the roof, where a nice little garden party is waiting for them. And it's a party where blue birds carry nice little messages for you on string. Good old Twitter.

Daley - BBC Proms

I like this guy, and not just for the haircut.

Truly the Governor

Surely the best use of the internet since it was created.

What would Uncle Phil say?

This is what happens when someone takes your life's work and makes it about 100 times better. I bet Isaac Asimov didn't feel that way when he watched I Robot.

Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith Medley from Goddamn Cobras Collective on Vimeo.

Simple pleasures........

Ah, the joys of serenely beautiful childhood animation

Twisted Opinions

I'm sure we have all been saddened and shocked by the untimely death of Stephen Gately from Boyzone. For those who don't know the full details, the gay pop star (I make a point of mentioning his sexuality here as it is of huge importance in the context of the story) died unexpectedly in the night during his holiday in Majorca. He was a young man, and by all accounts was fit and healthy. Postmortem reports suggest that he was killed by an undiagnosed heart condition that was apparently prevalent in his family. You may think that the story ends on this tragic note, or at least should do. However, certain additional circumstances surrounding his death have provided a flimsy excuse for some in the public eye to level unfounded sweeping statements and accusations against all homosexual people. Apparently Stephen had gone on a long drinking session the day before his death, and had also smoked some cannabis, if you can believe that. But the most unsavoury detail for some is that Stephen and his husband met with a gay Bulgarian backpacker on the night of his death and took him home with them, for whatever private reasons they had.

The comments that have been made about gay people from the back of this revelation stretch from the laughable to the downright abhorrent. Jan Moir's now infamous article in The Daily Mail, written as a clear attempt to enflame the already prevalent prejudices of the paper's readership, has been the most publicised. Her statement that "healthy and fit 33-year-old men do not just climb into their pyjamas and go to sleep on the sofa, never to wake up again" clearly shows her own ignorance, as in fact 12 or so cases of death in this matter are reported every week. However, it is another piece that I want to draw your attention to. This comes from a press release, no less, from the Christian organisation Christian Voice, where its director, Stephen Green, vocalises his own opinions on the singer's death.

To be honest, the Christian Voice piece makes Jan Moir look like a spokesperson for Stonewall. Mr Green talks about how the incident "speaks volumes about the lack of true feelings homosexual men can have for each other", and that "such activities are routine in the homosexual world". Apparently, "in the sordid homosexual world it in mainstream for pairs of gays or lesbians to invite others into their corruption and even to be involved in orgies". I for one can't wait for the day that "Western society will wake up to the fact that the supposed equality [...] between heterosexual and homosexual activity is null and void". And which of us doesn't hope that "he was praying in repentance when he died, praying for God to forgive him his sins by the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ, asking for release from his tortured mind and fellowship with the God who alone has the power to forgive and restore"? You can read the full extraordinary statement at http://tinyurl.com/ykaxeqh.

I am someone who has been agnostic for most of his life, although recently I have spent some time trying to get to grips with Christianity. I still would not quite fully call myself a Christian, but I have at least done some 'research' into the religion. I have been to Church, I have partially studied the Bible, and I have even been to the odd prayer meeting or two. I can honestly say that I have never met any Christians who share Mr. Green's perverted and twisted view. As the old axiom states, a few rotten apples are giving the rest of the bunch a bad name. Most Christians I know base their lives on trying to live by certain principles such as love, honour and respect for each other and for Jesus. I find it remarkable that Mr. Green is willing to destroy the reputation of literally millions of people with his biased remarks and uneducated viewpoints. I'm sure Mr. Green has his followers who completely agree with every corrupted, self-serving word he says, but then so does Nick Griffin. Even Satan had an angel or two.

I write this post mainly because of a recent conversation with a gay friend of mine who had read Mr. Green's statement, which led him to divulge that he "hates Christians, who are all like this". I can only hope that the majority of people realise that this is not true. Most Christians are free-thinking, intelligent and fair people, who would never condone such comments. Hopefully, the Christian Voice organisation removes Mr. Green and his abominable followers post-haste, although I doubt it after a quick look at their website, which seems to be against homosexuality in the police force, against building mosques, and against Jerry Springer: The Musical. These people give Christianity, and indeed humanity, a bad name, and deserve nothing less than absolute contempt.

Do estate agents go to Heaven?

So, recently I have been scammed out of £1100 by a dodgy estate agent. I won't bore you with the details - suffice it to say that when I went to pick up the keys, they'd buggered well and truly off, with my and a lot of other people's cash. The police, true to form as ever, were less than useless, with one sergeant that I spoke to at the local station actually visibly getting angry that I suggested that it was a case of fraud, and so something they deal with, rather than a civil matter. I have all the bank details of accounts that I paid in to, but no one will either tell me any information about the holder, or take on the issue themselves. It really is no wonder why so many people turn to crime - the chances of getting caught seem to be minimal.

The worst part is, now I am constantly calling my own sense of judgement, which before I thought was pretty good, into question.