I don’t think the dictionary really matters that much to CBS Sports commentator Tim Brando. At least not based on anything he wrote during a Twitter tirade today that lasted a few hours and, as I type this, is still going on.
Now, when I think about heroism, as I happen to do as the author of a book and co-host of a podcast on the topic, here’s the sort of thing I have in mind:
People act heroically when they make a potentially life-altering sacrifice or put themselves at some serious risk and they need not have done so. Most often, today, heroes are those whose actions are seen to benefit others; in the classical sense, however, heroism included a broader range of martial actions or feats of endurance that were not necessarily other-regarding.
There’s more to say, obviously, but that’s a quick first pass at a definition. It’s interesting and potentially very fruitful to debate particular heroes and definitions of heroic actions — and, obviously, I’m counting on it for the success of my book — but it’s noteworthy that Brando seems not to have offered a definition at all, despite claiming that his Twitter tirade was all due to his deep care for definitions.
“his deep care for definitions.” LOL!
Look out, fellow Jews; Donald Trump is on to us! We used to be able to just change our names and blend right in.
I wonder what Trump’s daughter thinks about her dad tweeting a little anti-Semitic chin music at Jon Stewart.
“Then there is voice mail, another impolite way of trying to connect with someone. Think of how long it takes to access your voice mail and listen to one of those long-winded messages. “Hi, this is so-and-so….” In text messages, you don’t have to declare who you are, or even say hello. E-mail, too, leaves something to be desired, with subject lines and “hi” and “bye,” because the communication could happen faster by text. And then there are the worst offenders of all: those who leave a voice mail message and then e-mail to tell you they left a voice mail message.”
“When I asked comedian Chelsea Peretti why, another frequent self-sharer, she jokingly responded “loneliness and desperation for attention are crucial ingredients.”
The Social Psychology of the Selfie - Mashable
“For people in their 20s, GIFs are a relic of their childhood, so it makes sense they would come back as a fashion statement — just like ’70s fashion came back in the ’90s, and the ’90s are coming back around now.”
The inspiring heroism of Aaron Swartz
Glenn Greenwald has a powerful piece on Aaron Swartz, internet freedom, and aggressive prosecution … but what really stands out is his concise and thoughtful definition of Swartz’s heroism:
Specifically, he committed himself to the causes in which he so passionately believed: internet freedom, civil liberties, making information and knowledge as available as possible. Here he is in his May, 2012 keynote address at the Freedom To Connect conference discussing the role he played in stopping SOPA, the movie-industry-demanded legislation that would have vested the government with dangerous censorship powers over the internet.
Critically, Swartz didn’t commit himself to these causes merely by talking about them or advocating for them. He repeatedly sacrificed his own interests, even his liberty, in order to defend these values and challenge and subvert the most powerful factions that were their enemies. That’s what makes him, in my view, so consummately heroic.
Sigh.
This photo — of the fine folks at Mashable HQ — popped up on my Facebook feed yesterday. And it was jarring, because… well, it made me wonder just how diverse the worlds of social media and tech are.
And how much more it needs to be.
I’m not holding anything against Mashable, because that might be a little unfair. But seeing a picture like should make you think about the lack of diversity in these Interwebz that we all inhabit.
That’s right, Stacy just got Buzzed as in Feed! Starting in May, I’ll return to the Big Apple to blog about everything that is buzzworthy on the Internet. :)
Whoa. In which our favorite pop-culture Tumblr gets a job with one of our favorite sites. Dude. DUDE. Us DC folks will have to send one of our own off! Major props to Stacy!
1 in 5 Americans Are "Internet Innocents" - CIO
Who are these Internet holdouts? According to Pew, they’re senior citizens, Spanish speakers, adults with less than a high school education, and folks in households with annual incomes of less than $30,000.
Of the adults who don’t use the Internet, almost half of them said the Net is irrelevant to them, finds the survey, which is based on interviews with more than 2200 adults 18 years old and older.
Most non-users have never used the Net before and don’t have anybody in their household who uses it either, Pew’s researchers discovered.
About 20 percent of Internet innocents say they don’t know enough about technology to use the Net, surveyors find; and about one in ten non-users say they won’t be interested in using the Internet or e-mail in the future.
Speedy?
Hey all, I upgraded to FiOS Internet 35/35 Mbps. What kind of results should I see when I check the speed. So far I’m showing 22.83 Mbps Download speed & 18.78 Mbps Upload speed. (Wireless)
Sound right?
The dark web: Guns and drugs for sale on the internet's secret black market - BBC
Out of reach of regular internet searches is the secretive online world known as the ‘dark web’ - anonymous, virtually untraceable global networks used by political activists and criminals alike.
“You have the availability of multiple dealers so you can compare products - and customers can review the dealer’s product, too.”
American student, David - not his real name - explains why he chooses to buy illegal drugs on the so-called ‘dark web’.
“You don’t have to go in front of a street dealer, where there might be a risk of violence,” he adds.
And it is not just drugs which are available on this online black market. Fake passports, guns - even child pornography.
(See above link for more)
He talked about Tyler’s senior year in high school. “I would characterize him as a child growing up,” he said. “He was getting more into being fashion-conscious. Now, this kid, he had to dress for orchestra—since he was seven, he was wearing suits and ties. But he was getting more trendy, in the last year or so.” Jane Clementi recalled that, not long before his death, Tyler had bought a spectacular new pair of glasses—bright green on the inside of the stems. His father said, “He was definitely trying to express himself.”
They never saw any sign of depression, and can’t even see it retrospectively. “As a parent, what it says to me is that what you think you know, you don’t know,” Joseph Clementi said. “And that’s a hard thing, because we all think, I know what my kid’s up to. You don’t.”
On the night Jane Clementi learned that Tyler was gay, she said, “I told him not to hurt himself.” Not long before, a girl from his school had committed suicide. “We had talked about it briefly that summer, and for some reason that thought came to mind. And all I said was ‘Don’t hurt yourself,’ and he looked me right in the eye and he laughed, and said, ‘I would never do anything like that.’ ”
- In this week’s issue, Ian Parker gives the first in-depth assessment of the Tyler Clementi case, told through a series of exclusive interviews & IM conversations: http://nyr.kr/AeSgrV
Internet Stats From 2011 - Buzzfeed
800+ million – Number of users on Facebook by the end of 2011.
200 million – Number of users added to Facebook during 2011.
2.4 billion – Social networking accounts worldwide.
2.6 billion – Worldwide IM accounts.
225 million – Number of Twitter accounts.
250 million – Number of tweets per day (October 2011).
18.1 million – People following Lady Gaga. Twitter’s most popular user.
“After Wikipedia blackrout, somewhere, a student today is doing original research and getting his/her facts straight. Perish the thought.”
(via cheatsheet)
