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More Reflections On ‘Social Networking’ and a Shameless Plug

A couple of posts back I went on one of my semi-annual rants about “social networking” and the fact that the New Media Douchebag contingent that most promotes “social” technology is the group that least gets it. The group of friends that I mentioned in that previous post is a great example of people using “social networking” (in their case MySpace) to enhance, rather than replace actual relationships. For us, MySpace is basically nothing more than a community message board, where we can post pointless little messages or coordinate a happy hour. The real relationships are based in the real world.

There is another group of friends that I have that are utilizing “social networking” (again in the form of MySpace). This group is orthogonal to the first group I mentioned, but they illustrate the other way that services like MySpace and Facebook can actually act to bring people closer rather than act as a way for marketers to gather vast audiences. This group is comprised of people whom I have know, who I still consider friends, but who have drifted out of my life for one reason or another. MySpace is giving us a fairly simple

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Happy Birthday to Me.

Another year without being institutionalized.  Yay me.

Shit Weekend

Well, this weekend was utter shit. Let’s keep the preamble short and get on to the bitchin’ ###Part The First, Wherein The Angry Drunk Is Fucked By Bureaucratic Fuckwittery The first hit came Saturday morning at the Motor Vehicle Department. To provide some background, I do not have a driver’s license. There are reasons for this, which I won’t go into now, but the bottom line is that I don’t have a license. Now, after a year of twice daily twenty mile bus rides I’ve decided to rectify the situation. So, after much wrangling to set up a time when someone with a working vehicle can accompany me on my quest, I schlepp my weary ass to the MDV Saturday morning.

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Invocation of the Light

Even in the darkest night there is a Light that shines. A Light that guides us and keeps us and illuminates that which is Good and Worthy in ourselves. It is the Light that dispels fear, and hate, and sorrow. The Light may sometimes seem dim; it may even seem to fail entirely; but that is only a failure in our perception. The Light is always there, it cannot be extinguished.