2007 April

Declining Online Chats, Me or Them?

Years ago, I had a lot of online “buddies” on my buddy list, whether it’s for AIM, Yahoo, or MSN (I used Trillian to use all 3 service at the same time.) As the years gone by, the list has dwindled, and today there’s only 3 people I talk to on a regular basis. I’ve always wondered why; have I become anti-social online, or shied away from making new contacts?

It could be a number of factors, one of them being that I can’t stand the original, bloated interfaces for AIM, Yahoo Messenger, or MSN Messenger. All 3 suffer from feature-creep, use too much resources for such simple tasks, and sport terrible user interfaces. Which is why I used Trillian, until version 3 came out, and it suffered from a lot of the problems the other IM clients had. I ended up going back to version 2, which was minimalistic, easy to use, and use little resources.

Another reason is that I’ve discovered that a lot of people are willing to lie online, more so than if you were in person. I’ve had a number of friends and associates blocked and ignored because I found out things they had told me was a lie. I imagine a psychologist would have his hands full studying this phenomenon; there’s already research material on it already. Because it is harder to detect lies during textual interaction compared to face-to-face, and the consequences are less severe, people are as likely to lie than not. So there’s the lack of trust on my part with new friends.

The other reason is that most old friends have gotten busy as the years gone on, and I’ve changed my habits, so we see each other online less and less. Eventually we would just stop talking, and after 2 years, I’d remove them from my buddy list. There’s nothing wrong with this, we all have to live our lives.

If I did have a lot of friends online to talk to, I wish they’d all use Google Talk, which is my ideal instant messenger client. It’s simple, easy to use, uses little resources, and quality software. I’m sick of Trillian, AIM, Yahoo, and MSN Messenger, and anyone using the MySpace messenger should be shot on sight.

Why Do I Even Blog?

As the years gone by, I still am uncomfortable with having a blog. Occasionally I’ll want to post something, usually because I want to share something great, or to appease the 3 women that actually visit this site asking why I don’t post much (hi ex-lover, hi stalker, hi mom.)

The truth of the matter is that I just don’t lead a very interesting life. My interests tend to be niche; like sci-fi television show, computer gaming, web design, hardware, and other geek stuff. Hell, even my taste in music isn’t popular. Anytime I talk about any of these subjects to friends and family at parties or family events, their eyes gloss over and they go into an automatic polite nod mode. Some of them even manage a fake smile.

I think one of the bigger reasons why I have a blog is that occasionally I get the itch to do some web design, and it acts as my playground to be creative every once in a while. That’s the only reason I can come up with at this time.

Perhaps at one time I was deluded into thinking that I had a voice, and people out there are interested in what I have to say, but everyone and his mother has a blog these days. Except my mother, she can barely afford a phone. Now my voice is drowned out by more popular people with far more interesting lives. People that would find my life interesting are the kind that think watching paint dry should be a sport.

Perhaps the other reason is that I’m just not a talker. I’m a listener, I like seeing and hearing what other people have to say. What am I trying to say? What I’m trying to say is, why do I even blog?

Song To Play At Your Funeral

Someone asked what song I’d like to have playing at my funeral. I thought I was going to sit long and hard, thinking about it. Nope, immediately I knew what I’d like at my funeral. Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It; put it up to eleven. Norman Greenbaum’s Spirit in the Sky is a close second.

Leading Ladies - Playlist

Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve made at Finetune, consisting of leading ladies with beautiful, soothing voices that I always enjoy. When I’m feeling miserable and depressed, these are the artists I turn to get me relaxed.

Florida Gators Basketball Champs - Again!

Wow, 3 championships won in the past two years by the University of Florida Gators. Two by the basketball team, back-to-back, and one by the football team. I tell you, as a life-long Gators fan, I am truly becoming spoiled with all this winning of championships. They’re going to have to make bigger cases to display all the trophies in Gainesville! My poor aunt and uncle buying me championship gears (t-shirts, mugs, pictures, books, dvd’s) are going to go broke if this keeps up.

Congratulations, Florida Gators for winning the 2007 NCAA basketball championship! The icing on the cake was that they beat Ohio State … again, after having beat them in the 2007 BCS football championship earlier this year, 41-14. I consider myself truly blessed to see this team in action for two years. My sister, who will be graduating from University of Florida this August, will once again be in the midst of Partytown Central. I say it’s good to be a Gator!

2007 NCAA Basketball Championship

Tonight the Florida Gators play against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the NCAA basketball championship. Earlier this year in January, the Gators and Buckeyes faced each other in the championship in football with the Gators winning 41-14. This is the first time in history two teams faced in each other in championships of both sports in the same time, which should make the game even more exciting. For me, as a lifelong Gators fan, I hope they win a 3rd championship in 2 years (incredible!)

Whether the Gators win or lose tonight, I cannot stress enough how impressed and honored I am to have seen this team play for the past two years. After winning the basketball championship last year, this team passed up millions in the NBA to try again, and here they are. Many analysts and experts say this is one of the greatest teams assembled in all time, some even comparing them to the ‘91-’92 Duke team, who won back-to-back championship. Which is something the Gators hope to do tonight.

With all that said, go Gators! Bring home another championship!