Don’t forget to spread the word. Every little bit helps. :-)★

Be sure to check it out and spread the word!★

I’m a dreamer. Always have been. And though I have achieved some of my dreams, the bigger they get the more distant from reality they seem. Because of this, the act of dreaming of something has now become unpalatable. This is largely due to the fact that no matter how much I want something, it doesn’t seem to come any closer to becoming a reality–highly frustrating.

And then there was light.

Dreams, I’ve come to realize, are a means to an end and not the end themselves. This may seem like a no-brainer to you non-dreamer types, but it was a hell of a revelation to me. To dream of a thing your whole life and never lift a finger to cause it to become a reality is truly a waste. It’s a waste of time and by extension it’s quite arguably a waste of a life. Why? Because it accomplishes absolutely nothing. After a lifetime of dreaming you’ll have nothing to show for it. The hard lesson is that achieving one’s dreams requires hard work. What’s worse, doing the work is in every way the opposite sensation of dreaming of the result.

That being said, I’ve tasted the fruit of said labour and it is good. Achieving ones dreams through hard work is infinitely more satisfying than sitting around hoping to fall ass-backwards into whatever it is you’re hoping for. It’s also a lot more likely to happen.★

In stark contrast to its valiant and laudable history, today’s America is toothless and apathetic. How else can one explain the echoing silence that met George W. Bush’s eight years of openly criminal buffoonery? Spying on Americans? Suspending habeas corpus? Lying about a war? Really? Instead of marches and riots there was silence. Instead of impeachment, there were “four more years.” When Katrina burst the levies and over a thousand people died and countless more were displaced where was the outrage? When the government went out of its way to royally screw up its response, the people of this once great country did… absolutely nothing. No one was held accountable.

Please, don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about the handful of people who do the right thing in these circumstances. I’m talking about the general apathy of a country that should have mobilized against these outrages. Without a unified voice, no amount of fragmented response will truly make a difference–especially when politicians are concerned.

Today, as I write this, millions of gallons of oil are pouring into the Gulf, decimating all life within it. And instead of a country unified in its anger there’s that maddening silence again. To think that BP can so much as utter a word of denial when it comes to the existence of oil plumes, for example, is infuriating. As soon as this thing happened you should have put them in their place, America. You should have sent a message to them and every other profit-driven multinational around the world that “you’re guests here, you make money so long as you behave.” Instead, the message that’s being sent out the world over is, “in America, you can get away with murder.”

You should be holding your politicians accountable for their conduct during this mess. In case you forgot, they work for you! Not the other way around. Hold their feet to the fire and make them do their jobs. Don’t let them put their careers ahead of saying and doing the right thing. Make them hold BP accountable and don’t settle for half-measures.

Wake up America! Wake up!★

How’s that for odd?

And yes, I did submit this nugget for addition to his IMDB bio page under “trivia.” I’m a geek like that.

Update: My submission to IMDB has been accepted and is now online. w00t!★

The mag will go beyond the standard fare of how-to tech articles and cover any and everything that is of interest to people in the field. This includes conferences, travel, gear, food & drink, entertainment, health, etc. After all, web professionals are people too, and we have interests that go beyond the latest JavaScript optimization technique. So now, there’s a publication that will cover those interests.

We’re actively looking for contributors as we line up content for future issues. If you’re at all interested in contributing, by all means, let us know by writing to:
m a i l b a g   [ a t ]   w e b s t y l e m a g   [ d o t ]   c o m.

And like any publication, we’re keen on gaining readership, so come on by, follow us on twitter (@webstylemag) and spread the word!★

It is therefore the writer’s responsibility to present a story that makes sense, even if only within the context if its own universe. I’m all for suspending disbelief, but only if the writer(s) play by the rules they themselves set out.

With fiction that’s made up on the fly, like Lost, I can guess and posit till the cows come home, I won’t actually be any closer to an answer because the writer hasn’t thought of one yet.

So when Lost ended and they didn’t give the viewers any semblance of a decent explanation for why things were the way they were, it became painfully clear that they were just making it up as they went and just dug themselves into a creative hole which they couldn’t get out of. The entire 6-year run instantly became a shallow, ratings motivated creative brain-fart without an inkling of forethought–the stuff that’s most necessary for mysteries. It was clear now, it was a sham.

In other words there was never any point in trying to figure things out because there was nothing to figure out. The writers hadn’t thought that far. They just threw another “tune in next time” hook out their for viewers. Read Sherlock Holmes if you want an example of well thought out mysteries. It keeps you guessing because you know that the author thought the story through and things aren’t just randomly happening to keep you hooked long enogh to watch the next commercial.

Pretending that Lost was an intellectual exercise is to insult the already insulted, intelligent, viewer.

Update: College Humor has released a video summing up all of the unanswered questions left by the Lost producers and writers. It just goes to reinforce my point about their making it up as they went.

★

Social media is a subset of the web. It defines the types of sites that allow people to socially interact with one another. And just like at a party with friends, the same social etiquette applies online. The guy pushing his fantastic pyramid scheme isn’t welcome.

On the flip-side, a lot of business can get done among friends and acquaintances–even strangers, at a social gathering. You could be sitting with a bunch of people and find out that the person next to you makes websites, and “hey, I need a website, let’s talk!”

I also hate “viral marketing” because it too is fake. You don’t walk into a room and say, “hey guys, you have to hear this joke, it’s the best joke you’ve ever heard! It’s so awesome you’re going to tell all your friends about it, and they’re going to tell their friends, until my whole target demo… err… everyone hears it!” If you’ve ever found yourself in that awkward situation you’ll know that the joke usually sucks.

On the other hand, if you tell someone a joke just because you find it funny–and it makes sense to do so in the social setting you find yourself in–and they find it funny, they immediately want to tell their friends. That’s natural. That’s viral.

So basically, I hate social media and viral marketing because it’s fake, it’s forced and it’s usually perpetrated by people who wouldn’t spend more than a minute of their personal time on the sites their invading.★

Dear Ara Pehlivanian,

We are writing to inform you of two changes to your Bell TV programming package. First, its monthly rate will increase by $5 as of July 2010. Second, as one of our older packages, it will no longer be available starting February 2011.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to choose one of our new programming packages now. In addition to getting a greater selection of channels, these packages may provide you with new ways to save. The new Bell TV programming packages offer:

• A greater selection of channels, including more than 100 in stunning HD
• Access to five major U.S. networks, now part of our basic package
• Lower system access fee and no additional receiver charges
• Bundle savings if you get more of your services from Bell

Plus, get a limited-time $75 credit on the purchase of an HD PVR or HD receiver.1

If you have any questions about this change or wish to choose one of our new packages, simply call us today at 1 877 348-0391.

Thank you for choosing Bell.

Sincerely,

Jim Myers
Senior Vice-President
Customer Service

(1) Offer ends October 30, 2010. Available to recipient of this letter iwth an account in good standing. Subject to change without notice; not combinable with other offers unless specified. While supplies last. Applied as a $75 credit on the account upon activation of the HD PVR or HD receiver before taxes; please allow 6-8 weeks. Other conditions apply.

All I get from reading it is:

Dear stupid customer,

You’ve been with us forever and to reward your loyalty, we’re going to make you pay more, change your package without consulting you and try to make an upsell to HD products look like we’re giving you something.

Screw you,
Bell

I don’t have an HD TV. I don’t plan on buying one any time soon, and I’m perfectly happy with my existing package thankyouverymuch. So really, all this email amounts to is, a) I need to pay $5 more a month for the privilege of … nothing, and b) I have to go waste time picking a new package. Gee, if they’d do away with these stupid packages and let me pick my own channels in the first place, this wouldn’t even be a problem.

I wonder if Videotron serves the new location we’re moving to in July.★

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us;
It’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

(A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”, Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3])★