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Wikipedia and Self-Induced Nightmares

One of my favourite webcomics, xkcd, is exactly right about the problem is Wikipedia. I can’t be the only one who has lost hours when clicking through random pages about Brazilian soda brands and oil reserves after looking up Queen Ranavalona I.

Sometimes, I’ll end up reading up on all the really grisly things that scare the hell out of me. Such as plane crashes. I’ve figured out a way I could manage to visit every single country on the planet, should I want (and be able to afford) to, without ever having to step foot on a plane.

You have no idea how happy this makes me. I like my forms of transportation firmly attached to Earth in one way or another.

Sure, sure, I’ve heard all the arguments. The number one most quoted is you’re more likely to die in a traffic accident than in an plane crash. That means nothing to me because 1) I never learned to drive, 2) I’m not particularly fond of cars anyway, 3) I’m betting a lot more people drive every day than get on a plane, and 4) it happens to somebody–so why not me?

Then sometimes I end up reading about the most prolific serial killers in history.

And other times I’ll just end up reading about The Ring. The American version¹ scared me. It probably didn’t help that I first heard about it because they filmed some it at a (Christian!) summer camp I used to go to as a kid in a cabin that already had various murderous stories associated with it. Plus, that child frightens me. Once, several years ago on my ancient Dell laptop², everything I was typing into my computer was appearing backwards (siht ekil tsuj) and I was convinced Samara was going to pop out of my screen and kill me.

My fears are completely irrational, I know.

I really know how to induce nightmares in myself which is why it’s good I’ve recently learned that I Can Has Cheezburger is a cure for nightmares. True facts.

Now if only I knew how to tear myself away from Wikipedia.

1. Actually, I find Sadako in Ringu to be more terrifying than Samara. The look in her eyes is particularly terrifying. ↩
2. This was pre-OS X conversion, clearly–though I was lusting after PowerBooks at the time, but when you have a crap Dell laptop with broken hinges and a 400 MHz processor, anything above 1.0 GHz looks so sexy it becomes difficult to breathe. ↩

Layout Block

I’ve been meaning to change my layout for ages, but I just can’t seem to come up with any good or even mediocre ideas!

Usually, a shiny colour scheme I’m dying to play with starts beating me around the head, but now? Nothing.

I’m thinking I should read some good Photoshop tutorials, look for some more design resources, and try out something new. Trouble is, these days, I’m not even sure where to find good, informative, or inspiring Photoshop tutorials. Sure, you can Google for them, but, as with most things, 95% of what Google pulls up is total crap.

This layout block has me so ensnared that I have two perfectly good posts written¹, but instead of editing/adding/rethinking bits or even just posting as-is, I’ve been stressing over layout ideas. It’s verging on the point of ridiculous.

How do you get past layout block? What are your favorite design resources?

1. One I wrote a week ago in which I rant about how I recently had an epiphany that I have to be a teacher, but I’ll probably get shot! ↩

MySpace Eats Brains for Breakfast

Yes, I’ve been busy and sick since my last post, but mostly I’ve been lazy. And busy. But also lazy. This is my problem. I lack long-term focus and am easily side-tracked. I was diagnosed with ADD ages ago, but I hate taking medication unless I absolutely need it to, say, keep me living or from ripping my own skull off.

Anyway, I’ve been trying to condense the multitude of reasons I hate MySpace so much (and yet use it anyway) and managed to limit it to four. This is amazing since I generally lack the ability to condense anything into under a 200 item list.

1. The shit that people do to their pages. If you think hot pink text on a sparkling green background is readable, you should be sent to aesthetics hell.

2. A lot of my offline friends are idiots on the internet. My friends can’t type, don’t understand about spam, and are emo on the internet. It’s embarrassing to be associated with these people.

Why do you care if you’re not in my Top 4?

Oh, yes. I do not have a Top 8. I don’t like my friends enough when they’re online to keep most of them on there. In fact, I have Barack Obama and Dexter Morgan in my Top 4 because MySpace wouldn’t allow me to have a Top 2.

3. MySpace is now a verb. The first time a friend said “I’ll MySpace you later”, I nearly wept. It sounds dirty, but not in a happy way. :(

4. Now I use MySpace as a verb with certain friends who need to contact me. It’s terrible, really.

And yet I have a MySpace purely to keep up with people I might not have otherwise. I’ve found people I’ve not talked to for five to twelve years. I’ve found a girl I went to high school with only to find out he’s not a girl anymore which was handy to know up front the next time I saw him.

Months ago I had a dream about a girl I knew in primary school. She was a cool kid so I figured she may have grown up to be awesome. And, as a sidenote, I was sure she was gay.

Oh, how gaydar and cool-kid-detector failed me.

I decided to look her up on MySpace only to find out she’s now stupid, skanky, greasy, blonde¹, alcoholic, and the kind of straight girl that makes out with other girls just so she can post pictures on the internet.

What are other problems with MySpace? And are any other social networking sites necessarily better? Or are there other aspects that make them just as annoying?

1. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. ;) ↩

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