Category: Random Musings

Just random musings on random stuff.

Desensitized By Twitter

So we’re in the middle of a very serious, very unsettling period in our world.

We have a rapidly spreading pandemic that has claimed the lives of thousands and have infected a hundred thousand more. Our way of life have been disrupted as a result with the closures of major public institutions, the cancellations of live events, and in sweeping lockdowns. And with news of panic buying and concerns over the slightest of symptoms… things are pretty grim.
Over on the Twitter world, there’s a thing going on urging people to stay at home. It’s a thing that’s trending at the moment. Most notably, people are amazed that this serious thing that’s been claiming lives isn’t being taken more seriously by the general public.

I’m not surprised that people aren’t taking something being pushed as urgent on Twitter seriously… partly because it’s Twitter and more often than not, it’s populated by idiots… but also, something else comes to mind… maybe we’re just desensitized by Twitter and the social media bubble.

Think about it… something relatively minor turns up; whether it’d be a critical viewpoint of something beloved or a naughty thing that someone said years ago suddenly popping up – it usually results in a Twitter uproar. Things of sociological and political natures – no matter how minor – result in protests and online petitions and stuff that in the grand scheme of things, don’t matter or are approached in a way that a lot of noise is made over nothing.

It seems like every other day, there is a big controversial nature that starts trending on Twitter and everyone jumps on the bandwagon in agreement, all for the sake of more likes. So when something like this comes along and it’s something that you need to take really seriously, but you ultimately don’t because every blow-up that came before was over something so trivial and pointless that this ends up being something that’s trivial and pointless.

And this is not me saying that treating others equally regardless of sex, race, or orientation is trivial – I’d love to live in a world where everyone is treated as humans and not branded with labels – but rather, this is a plea to the so-called social groups who cause outrage because of a single word in a piece of fiction that doesn’t matter to tone it down a little. This is a plea to the folks who live their lives on social media platforms to show a little restraint and thought into your posts that doesn’t come across as something that’s posted for the sake of a few likes.

What I’m trying to say is… don’t treat every minor piece of business like it’s a big colossal disaster. Because when a real big colossal disaster comes along, nobody is going to care.

Use social media to keep track of your loved ones, the news as it happens, to keep informed on this pandemic that’s going, and basically not to be an ass. There’ll be plenty of times down the road where being an ass will be fine for a lark, but this isn’t it.

And while you’re at it, try not be an ass in the real world, either. My faith in humanity chips away each time I see obese women fight over toilet paper that they shouldn’t be hording in the first place.

That’s all I got for today… I’ll see about getting another video up sooner or later.

Taking Its Toll On The World

So the NBA and NHL have suspended the remainder of their seasons until further notice. Major League Baseball has also postponed their season kick-off. E3 has been cancelled. A lot of little wrestling shows are postponing or outright cancelling their events until further notice. Some major corporations are having their employees work from home. Broadways are cancelled until further notice. Movies are being pushed back to later dates. Some sporting events are going ahead with empty arena shows. And the United States has instituted a 30-day travel ban to and from Europe and its denizens. Even some folks are calling in sick for the sake of self-isolating themselves from the rest of the world.

If this isn’t a sign that what we’re witnessing is to be taken seriously, then I don’t know what is.

Meanwhile, you have dumb shits panic buying supplies by the dozen, leaving nothing but empty space and shit, all the while defeating the purpose of closing down public centers and cancelling events that might bring in more than a couple hundred people.

Look, I don’t have the words to properly convey or comfort anyone facing this latest obstacle in life. Either you’re off the hook, you’re infected, or you know someone who may have contracted this virus.

All I can say is be careful out there, take good care of yourselves, wash your hands, avoid unnecessary prolonged contact or crowded spaces, and most of all, don’t give in to panic and mass hysteria. Stay informed, stay safe, and wash your hands.

Also, stay away from Twitter. Twitter is shit. Especially now.

An Empty House

So, I’ve done my back-up of all the old DTM Blog Classic posts (or rather, most of them that were worth keeping around) and slowly deleted them from the page. A day or so later, the blog was completely deleted from the Tripod space, along with everything else contained within. In fact, the only thing that’s still active on the space is the index.html page asking people to come to this website instead.

For what it’s worth, I’m not getting rid of the Tripod account. While it’s not in use at the moment, the possibility exists that I could use it for something else. After all, I did install a really old copy of Microsoft Frontpage to throw together some quick little webpages, along with some other material of worth.

As the post stated above, it’s been a fun ride. But it’s time to move on. Lots of great memories, lots of great moments, some of which might once again see the light of day in some form or fashion, but other than that, the ol’ DTM Blog is but a distant memory; never to return.

Goodbye, old friend. And godspeed.

A Thing That Happens

I’m forgoing the usual PRR spiel for next week… and want to talk about something else for a change if you don’t mind.

More often than not, whenever you go through the various written musings and blog posts scattered about, you’ll no doubt come across instances where something would be described as a thing that happened… or in some cases, a thing that exists. It is the purest, most factual statement that could be said about something where no words could properly convey one’s feelings or critical thought processes regarding this thing that has happened or exists.

Why this statement is a thing depends on the person. Sometimes, it’s something that is said whenever one cannot think of anything better to say that might add more substance to the discussion. In my case, saying something is a thing that happens or exists is often the nicest thing that I have to say about something that yields very few highlights worth remembering. For example, there’s a weekly sports entertainment show that airs on Mondays that lasts ten years and all I have to say about that is that it’s a thing that exists. Mind you, I might have plenty more to say about the show in general, but since I haven’t watched a full episode in years, “this is a thing that happened” is perhaps the most apt descriptor I could apply that particular program.

As I watch more of these older wrestling shows and play some of these less older video games among other things, there are many things that I could perhaps best describe as “things that happened” or “things that exist.” It’s not something said in malice or contempt; it’s just something that’s said in terms of something that doesn’t do much for me on any deep level. Don’t get me wrong; there are things that I enjoy more often than not and I’ve seen and played some pretty great stuff while also digging into some truly wretched stuff… but most of this stuff is average fare to me. Neither good or bad; they’re just there.

And then I wonder why I feel this way… maybe it’s this shit weather. Nothing but rain and cold winds.

It’s probably all Charlotte’s fault anyway.

New review coming up in a little while.

I Have A Cold. It’s Probably Charlotte’s Fault.

Whenever life throws a curve ball at you, it’s probably Charlotte’s fault.

Spring is a hell of a time to suffer from a nasty cold. To hell with all them germs and stuff.

So yeah, I’ve been suffering from a nasty cold of sorts this past Easter weekend. I’ve got some stuff recorded in the somewhat drowsy voiceover… but at the moment, with all the snot and leaking, my laurels are best laid to rest at the moment.

In all honesty, that was part of the deal behind the whole “Earth Week/Earth Day Thing” of recycled reviews; it was a quick and easy way of getting some new content on there while making use of “old” content. (It also made for an interesting experiment… but I’ll touch on that some other time.)

On the bright side, there’s some stuff coming this weekend, including a couple write-ups, a cold-fused DTM-Cast, and a Sunday Gimmick Table on a broken device. WONDERFUL!

Our Lady…

So I just heard the news as soon as I got back late last night.

For those who haven’t heard, a fire broke out at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The fire had been contained, but not before causing considerable damage that resulted in the spire and roof collapsing in on itself. At the moment, there have been no fatalities; although one fire fighter was injured in the fire control.

It’s difficult to put into words what one feels when they hear something like this happen. It’s not just a fire taking out a building, but something that has existed for hundreds of years. It’s not an iconic structure, but a piece of history lost to the whims of nature. And while the main structure has been saved and there will undoubtedly be efforts to rebuild the structure, the sad reality is that you cannot replace what has been lost.

The Notre Dame Cathedral will survive, but it has been drastically changed from this terrible tragedy. Whatever they rebuild in the place of what’s been lost might look similar to what came before or it might even be completely different, but it will not be the same as what was once there. It can never be that.

We mourn what is lost… but then we get together, we grow stronger, and we continue onwards. Life goes on.

So, that was my sad attempt at being inspirational. I’ll resume the usual senseless ramblings tomorrow.

The End Of Google Plus

On March 31st, Google Plus comes to an end and with it, all your goodies. Therefore, if there’s any stuff you want to keep around, you might as well start downloading your archive of Google Plus stuff. This includes your +1s, your Youtube search history, your Google Photo things, and whatever else comes to mind that might seem important.

I made a point to download my archive of stuff and this means getting all the photos that I have uploaded up to this point. I’ve also switched the “user” account on this blog back to the old dtm666 account, which bares a silly face of NWA World’s champion Nick Aldis as a placeholder of sorts. Truth is that I’m not sure how affected everything will be by the Google Plus purge, but I guess we’ll find out next week.