Hashtags on Facebook

Recently, I have noticed a trend of people ending their status updates with hashtags and I can't help but feel a little sorry for them. More on that later though, first, lets address exactly what a hashtag is.

The hashtag, is simply  a hash symbol (#) followed by a word or phrase combined without spaces or, in some cases, separated by full stops (e.g. #yolo, #iamswaggy, #hashtagging.is.hip). Hashtags were initially used in Internet Relay Chat as a way to categorize phrases for ease of use later when searching for that particular phrase.

The hashtag made its way to Twitter as a simple hack to group together posts under one phrase or topic until company heads noticed it catching on and wrote a nifty little software script that would recognize any time someone tweeted a phrase starting with a “#” and turn it into a link that would direct whoever clicked on it to  every other post out there containing that same hashtag. Suddenly, if you were #havingagreattime, you could click on your own hashtag link to see who else in the world was also #havingagreattime.

At its most basic level, a hashtag is simply a search- a label for a topic or a filter for a discussion.

Twitter isn’t the only site that uses hashtags though, additionally, hashtags are functional on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+ as well as few other lesser known social websites.

You know who doesn’t use hashtags? Facebook.

And that is exactly where my sympathy for the poor souls hashtagging on Facebook lies. The poor folks who don’t understand what they are doing or why they are doing it. The poor kids that think it looks cool to fail at technology. It’s like watching your parents type “h-t-t-p-:-/-/-w-w-w-.” before every url. Watching the technologically challenged try to post status updates from their email. Listening to hipsters complain why they can’t have a profile song on their instagram account.

Basically, it represents a failure to understand technology- which wouldn’t be so bad if it was kept private, but the fact that these people are broadcasting their ignorance to everyone online….

...Well, that makes me sad.

Bad Luck Brian

On the subject of memes... I totally forgot about this one:

Memes Are Fun

When most people hear the word 'Meme', the think of a funny picture with a hilarious joke- the set up on the top of the image followed by a hilarious punchline along the bottom. Memes are the things your friends text you so that you can have a laugh in the middle of work hours, the things you 'Like' on Facebook but don't actually comment on. Memes are the profile pictures of people that love to share hilarity.




However, memes are actually much older than the age of digital sharing. In fact, they are older than the Internet itself.

A little history: The phrase 'Meme' was coined in 1976 (a good thirty six years back) by Richard Dawkins as he described evolution. Dawkins concluded that evolution doesn't simply operate on a chemical level, it it also required some self replicating form of communication. In the chemical world, a gene is self replicating, it duplicates on and on and on and on. It's the reason a baby goes from a tiny thumbnail sized ball of tissue to a 6'11 NBA center. However, outside the chemical world, there are ideas or information that do the same thing. They duplicate and travel through society the way small pox travelled through the newly discovered Americas. These information packets, self replicating units of transmission, are memes.

Enter the Internet Meme we all recognise so easily. These are information packets- whether it be something as simple as using the word 'teh' instead of 'the', or 'moar' instead of 'more', these are all little packets of information that travel through huge amounts of people at incredible speed. They evolve and adapt as some genes do too- what is funny one day is parodied the next. Companies are spending thousands of dollars daily to analyse what makes them funny and what makes them spread, they are an advertisers holy grail.

And occasionally they are pretty funny.

Much funnier than genes.

Interesting and Funny

I think we could all do with a rehash here:

Interesting (Adjective)
Arousing curiosity or interest; holding or catching the attention.
It will be very interesting to see what they come up with.

Funny  (Adjective)
Causing laughter or amusement; humorous.
The play is hilariously funny.

Overreact Much?

I often overreact and I shouldn't. It's one of those things where something really irks you at the time and when you look back on it you see just how small and petty it really is.


Recently, I figured I'd try this instead: As soon as something annoys me to a point where I might transform it from a molehill into a towering mountain, I'd jump the whole 'looking in hindsight' thing and go straight to figuring out how much of an effect that one, little, teeny, tiny thing, conversation, person or opinion had on my life. It worked wonders.

For example, Bob comes into the gym and bench presses with miserable form. He packs on a lot of weight and then performs the shallowest of reps, barely bending his elbows at all. I've told Bob a thousand times to go deeper and do a full rep through a full range of motion so that he will have healthy joints that are balanced and strong and he will live a life free of injury. However, Bob has probably realised that if he does this, he wont be able to lift as much weight. If he can't lift as much weight, he wont be getting the self-esteem hit he normally does, or he wont be impressing the girls he normally does, or something else- so he doesn't do it.

For a while, this really bothered me. I'm of the philosophy (or at least I like to think I am, I'm probably not, we're all imperfect) that if you're going to do something you should do it properly. Why would Bob continue to do something counterproductive to his goals?

Then I realised. Bob will do what Bob wants and I don't need to overreact to that. In fact, I don't need to react at all. There's a wise old quote that is simple and eloquent: "Act, don't react." 

Bob still comes in to bench press and still does the same thing, now I just smile and get back to my own thing. I act on my goals and it's made me a much happier gym patron.

Act. Don't react.

Embrace Your Weirdness

Some of the most wonderful and entertaining people out there are the weird ones. It's always refreshing to find someone who doesn't act the way the programmed masses do. Everyone has the capacity to be a little weird, to wear odd socks or sing in the shower in a really high pitch voice- but the truly weird ones are the ones people are drawn too.

Even if for the only reason of seeing what it's like on the other side of normalcy. 

Embrace what makes you different. If nothing makes you different, then do something out of character- if you do, even for a moment, you'll be something unique, something new, something awesome.

Something weird.

Zombie Apocalypse, The Epic Conclusion.

Nate-Radio Presents:

THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE Part IV

Needless to say, the Zombie-Infection slowly spreads until Will Smith sacrifices himself to save a vial of blood that holds the key to curing the infection. The infection escapes the terrifying reach of the Zombie-Apocalypse long enough to reach scientists who create a vaccine capable of mass production.

The world is saved. (Dramatic Pause) Alas, too late for the stick-men at Nate-Radio.

Zombie Apocalypse Part III.

Nate-Radio Presents:

THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE Part III

To Be Concluded

Zombie Apocalypse Part II.

Nate-Radio Presents:

THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE Part II

To Be Continued

The Zombie Apocalypse has captured the imagination of artists all over the world. From filmmakers to musicians to photographers to garden enthusiasts. In fact, Zombies are such a cultural phenomenon that should you become victim to their relentless bloodlust, you can still proudly tell the world just how many little Zomblings you must pay to feed and clothe.

So, keeping that in mind, it makes sense for Nate-Radio to take on a Zombie Apocalypse and see just how long they make it. Of course they're not the most clever stick-figures on the block (this isn't XKCD) but perhaps there's more to them than meets the eye. Like a transformer. Or something, I don't know.

Nate-Radio Presents:

THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE 

To Be Continued

Nate-Radio (Origins Edition)

I was going through some of my old stuff yesterday when I discovered an old 178x222m notebook buried amongst some old Wheel of Time books. On the inside cover read the following:

All text, lyrics, poems in this booklet are copyright to me

© 2006

I had no recollection of ever writing such a thing or having such a book, so with some degree of curiosity I opened it up. It was mostly empty except for the first few pages of which I had drawn some crude stick figure comics very similar to the ones I occasionally post here. One in particular I found so fundamentally stupid that I actually laughed. Out loud. That's a genuine 'LOL' there.

The Original (enhanced slightly in photoshop)

So, being the cool cat I am, I decided to pay tribute to my 2006 self and recreate this comic digitally in vintage Nate-Radio style!

Nate Radio Anniversary Edition

Six years in a dusty box, finally digitally remastered. If paper had feelings I'm sure this notebook would be pretty pleased with the outcome of more than half a decade of patience.

How We Do

Have you ever visited a website that somebody uses as a creative outlet of some sort (whether it be art, music, tiny knitted seahorses or whatnot) and wondered how exactly they went about doing what they do?

Yeah, me neither.

But just in case you do, I put together a short screen recording of my general process when it comes to building my stickmen.



The finished masterpiece

LoLternatives

It's always refreshing when I e-chat to people nearby and I hear that their laughter coincides with their 'lol'. Nobody likes the chronic 'lol'er, especially when they are merely faking.



If you find yourself typing 'lol' without performing the act itself, consider one of these acceptable (yet silent) lolternatives: (p.s, feel free to add to this list)
"How amusing"
"Good one"
"That's clever"
"You have me rofling inside"
"TFTL - too funny to laugh"
"Genius!"
"That one made me smile"

Or if all else fails, just revert to the infallible:

"I don't get it"


Remember folks, it's never too late to start typing in an honest and responsible manner!

It doesn't taste like a Doctor, nor does it taste like Pepper!

And the people say I'M the crazy one.


On a brighter note, the NBA season started today so if I vanish for long periods of time, I'm more likely glued to the couch (as opposed to being dead).

"Don't Feel Bad for the Suicidal Cats..."

"...They've got to kill themselves nine times before they get it right."

This charming line emerged from my car speakers the other day while I was waiting in the cursed peak-hour-trying-to-get-home-from-uni traffic. It's from a song called 'West Coast Smoker' by Chicago Pop-Punk sensations Fall Out Boy and it inspired a (wholly incomprehensible) blueprint to save cats worldwide from misery. That is assuming that all cats worldwide read my blog and have access to gasoline, a boat, burning house and other things.

Disclaimer: I don't condone suicide in any shape or form, but this was a fun concept to think about.

Random Monday!!

A few weeks ago (within the late September/early October bracket) I visited my home town for just about a week. It was good to see family and friends and do my best to polish up my (already adequate) Halo 3 multiplayer skills, but one of the real highlights came during one of my last nights at home.

I was out in the garage rummaging through boxes looking for books when I found an entire box of my old stuff. Trophies, watches, little Tech-Deck skateboards and a plain, nondescript notebook.

Now, I have no memory of writing what was within this notebook, but on the inside cover it had my name, my signature and a little "©" copyright sign. It also had some (terribly) drawn comics which, although completely and utterly nonsensical, I found to be absolutely hilarious.

I left the book, but remembered the comics, one of which (in upgraded digital format) goes as follows:



Oh Young Nate, you random specimen, there are so many ideas I wish to steal from you...

Foreign Food for Chumps

Today I drove past a sign that said 'Indian Food, $7.00'... Which lead to me thinking, "could this work for countries of... limited... food supply?"

Well, I ran the idea past my girlfriend and she laughed and told me I should make it into a comic.

So that is just what I did!



I feel I should put this on my list of "Potential-Get-Rich-Quick-Schemes", but I am wary of the costs of setting up a booth and the prospect of word travelling around that I don't actually sell anything...

While we're on the subject of food, this week I've decided that I am going to clean up my eating habits (at least until Christmas). I went to a fresh-produce market and bought myself a whole buttload of fruit and vegies before visiting a butcher and getting some cheap meat. I also got myself a juicer so I could replace my abundant intake of fizz with something juicier and somewhat more nutritional.

So far, I'm feeling good. It's too early for the health benefits to kick in, but the fact that I am actually doing it seems to have given me some kind of boost on its own. If you're wallowing a sea of poor nutrition and boredom, I would recommend you try it out too, if only just so you can tell me I'm wrong!

I don't care what they say!

Toilet humor IS funny!



Interesting side note: The hole in a toilet is made out of the same stuff as the hole in a donut!

What up Techno-G?

Do you ever think back to your life, say, ten or fifteen years ago? Before the internet, before Facebook, before YouTube… Before you could Google your house and see what's in your neighbours backyard? Before you could buy everything you wanted with the click of a button?

I remember trying to get a copy of Pokémon Blue for Gameboy colour. I had to wait an entire month for my local toy store to order it in- a whole MONTH! These days I could just order it online and wait 3-5 business days. Even better, I could download the game and have it instantly!

And keeping in touch with people… I don't even remember how I did it before Facebook! I have a vague recollection of it resulting in a large phone bill, so I assume a lot of texting was involved, but it's hazy at best. Facebook has become the social norm, before that there was Myspace and before that, you could just chat on MSN. How did people stay in touch before that? I'm not sure I know.

And the pure volume of information available to everyone! I can recall being amazed when I got to play with my first software based encyclopaedia. I could type in 'Dinosaur' and KABAM, there was five or six pages of information on Dinosaurs. Compare that to what we can access now and that encyclopaedia was… crap.

So, keeping all this in mind, understanding how lucky I (and anyone reading this) is to live in a time with so much information at our fingertips, I guess there's not much else to say but this:

Your Sweetheart is not a Condiment!

I was thinking, as I often do throughout the day, and I came upon the realisation that every time I see my lovely, wonderful, amazing, significant other, I call her something stupid.

Nothing TOO stupid mind you, and nothing that anyone would normally pick up on. However, when you put it down on paper (or in this case, photoshop) you realise just how stupid it actually is.


And of course this is only enhanced with the addition of pretty colours.

Which brings me to my next point- why bother being original? Do girls get a kick out of a syllable they haven't heard before added in reference to their name? Is it really better to do something differently just for the sake of being different?



A chicken crossing a road to get to the other side accomplishes the same goal as a chicken crossing the road for any other reason. Right? (Although, for some hilarious variations to that chickens reasoning, see here)

I guess what it comes down to, for me at least, is do I want to be thoughtful, or efficient.

...

How romantic is efficiency?