Procrastination

I have a French midterm tomorrow and the day after (two parts of the same midterm).  I have an organic chemistry lab tomorrow night and a philosophy midterm on Thursday.  I really should be working on those, but I can't seem to concentrate.  I'm doing everything except working on what I should be working on.  Lovely.

Project 365 // Photo 1

I got this flyer in the mail.  Basically the best McDonald's flyer EVER.

Project 365

Project 365 is basically a project in which you take one picture every single day for...365 days.  I had decided a while back to do it, but I never got around to it.  But now I decided hat I really do want to do it.  Better late then never, right?

"Do Unto Others As You Want Them to Do Unto You"

From childhood and continuing through life beyond that, we have the tendency to follow the crowd - often without really thinking about it.  It feels so good to be included that we don't think about what happens to those people who aren't.  (Maybe other than fear, this was one of the factors behind the Salem Witch Trials?)  

It's so easy for one person to be victimized and for others to go along with it.  We enjoy feeling like we're a part of something and we don't want to be next on the list.

When I write this, I'm not not pointing fingers at anyone.  Actually, I'm talking about myself.  I never started ostracizing or making fun of people.  Even when they were being ostracized, I didn't say or do anything.  I turned a blind eye and melted back into the crowd, allowing it to happen.  The worst part is, sometimes these people had been my friends.  Yet, when they started to be victimized, I turned away.  What kind of friend does that?

I can blame it on ignorance or a childish inability to see from another person's perspective.  Or maybe it was just cowardice, plain and simple.  I couldn't stand up for people who needed someone to stand up for them.  Either that, or I just didn't understand they needed this.  

When I think back to a nice guy from my class in fifth grade and how people treated him, it was like it was a game.  That's honestly how it felt.  I clearly remember the look on his face, how he would just smile with his mouth full of braces.  Thinking about it now makes me want to cry.  What was going on through his mind as this was going on?  How did he feel as this was happening?  How did he feel when I, his supposed friend, did nothing to stop him or to help him?

I've always known that my cousin is pretty quiet, not outspoken at all, but I've always adored him for the simple fact that he's my cousin and a really nice guy.  It has never mattered that he doesn't say much.  I found out - just today, actually - that he was teased in school and that that may have adversely affected his social development.

Then my mom's best friend in North Carolina, apparently her son doesn't want to go to school because he's being bullied.  His mom complained to the school and the school said they can't do anything about it.  What?  Excuse me?  First of all, the U.S. government teaches that children should tell an adult when they are being bullied, with teachers ranking high on the list.  Secondly, after this and that, you would think schools would take bullying more seriously.

Something else that disturbed me is that my mom's best friend said to her, "He needs to toughen up."  Bullshit.  Bullying is not something that most people can just get over.  Many of the psychological effects persist into adulthood.  This is not something that just goes away - it leaves a lasting emotional scar.

I can't take back what I did in the past, but I can change the future.  I will treat everyone with the respect they deserve, just for being fellow human beings.  I will stand up for what's right.  I'll teach my six-year-old and two-year-olds cousins about bullying, by showing them these fun webisodes.

Bullying is something that needs to stop.  As the U.S. government's anti-bullying website's motto says:  "Take a Stand, Lend a Hand."

Recap: Chapter Seven is DONE!

All righty, here are the highlights of last week:

• I finished yet another chem lab (I really, really don't like those)
• I started working out before going to class in the morning.  It's much harder than it sounds :P
• I finally bought my Super Con ticket.  I really can't wait!!!
• I finished writing Chapter Seven on Thursday night!!!!!!!!!!  That's probably the biggest highlight.  Unfortunately, Chapter Eight will be on a very, very brief hiatus because I have two midterms this week - one in philosophy, one in French (in two parts - Grammaire et Litterature)

The Sixth Sense

This isn't about the movie about the kid who can see dead people.  This post is actually about an MIT Innovation, that, as far as I can figure, they're calling "the Sixth Sense."

This is basically a gadget that would allow you to get any information you need no matter where you are.  You can turn virtually any surface into a computer screen.  When you're shopping, information about your products will be projected right onto that product when you pick it up.  This is supposed to help you pick out the perfect product, based on criteria you've decided, etc.

It's undeniably incredible that technology has come to the point where we have objects such as this.  However, I can't help but feel wary about the idea.  If we rely on machines to make decisions for us, what will we be doing to our own minds?  Will we still be able to retain our decision-making capabilities?  Will we become so lazy from no longer having to make our own decisions for us that humans in the future will evolve to have no decision-making ability?

That might be a stretch, but I really do think it's a valid point.  We already rely on technology to do most of the work for us.  After all, very few people would pick up a dictionary and sift through it to find a word rather than just going to Dictionary.com or Merriam-Webster Online or something.  And who picks up a research book these days when Wikipedia is so readily available?

I just don't believe that we should make everything in our lives virtual.  Somethings should stay sacred.

[As an unrelated side note, this one of my major problems with Amazon's Kindle.]

For more information on the Sixth Sense, go here.

FMA vs. Brotherhood

I love FullMetal Alchemist (as if my last name weren't indication enough).  That's why when FUNimation started to air FullMetal Alchemist:  Brotherhood, I started to watch it.  I've kept up with it, every week since it's began (of course it's only been a month).  

At this point, I'm thinking that I prefer the original anime.  In Brotherhood, everything seems a little rushed.  Maybe this is because they're including more of the story than the original anime did.  Nevertheless, it is entertaining and I'll continue to watch it as long as it continues to have Edward Elric...and I really doubt they'll ever get rid of the title character ;)