Tag Archive: china

Random Tuesday Thoughts: China Time!

Written on September 1st, 2009 and labelled Fun, Random Tuesday Thoughts
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randomtuesday

If you didn’t gather from my last post, a few days ago it was confirmed that my family had found my blog.  I never explained how I confirmed this.

First of all, about a week ago from today I get a visitor land on my page who had the EXACT screen resolution:  1680×1050.  Now, this isn’t a common screen resolution.  In fact, the only computer-screen type I know that does it is the screen that both we, and my brother, have.  The visitor also was using firefox and vista, both things I know he uses.

I THEN noticed that I had another visitor one minute later who had landed via an inbound link from live.com.  The ONLY person I know who has a @live.com e-mail address is my other brother.  But, you know, there are lots of people who have @live.com e-mail addresses, right?

It finally came 3 days ago (or was it 4?). Bro #1 and parents had gone to bro #2’s house for a late lunch.  During the time they were there I noticed that the person with the 1680×1050 resolution had gone on my site again.  I found this curious.  When they came back, though, I was sure.

As soon as they came back I went to unlock the door (not locking the door when you’re the only person home is heresy in our house).  Brother #1 came through the door and handed me these headphones, along with a rushed:

“Adam got you these.”

Then, in a super-sly, super-”I know your dirty little secret”, voice:

“He read somewhere that you wanted some headphones with a mic.”

Oh holy moses.

——

Now, I know that to a lot of people the idea of their family finding their blog is just an inevitable — or even slightly intriguing — event.  But for me, not so much.

I share things on this blog that I don’t share with other people.  Some of the very personal tidbits that I share on here are just that: very personal.  I share them because I know that the majority of people that visit, read or subscribe to this blog are people who I won’t meet.

And more importantly, they’re people who are likely to understand and sympathise with my feelings.  My family and sympathy?  Hmm.  Not so much.

When they found my blog, I practically shat myself.  And not one of those tiny accidental ones where you just happen to fart a bit too much and a little bit comes out.  More like an emergency-services-need-to-be-called scatological incident, type of shitting myself.

But, you know, having any sort of website which you don’t want found means that you have to take responsibility in hiding it.  And I realise now that I just wasn’t doing that.  Well, at least not enough.

So, I got on my DESTROY ALL ACCESS TO FAMILY horse.

I went a bit mad.

Because, well, I decided I had to take a page of out the People’s Republic of China book.  And so, let’s say you want to access the blog from this house (where currently my two parents and older brother live), this is the screen you’ll get:

Netgearyo

“But Matt, how are you able to write posts of awesome goodness of which I must tell all my friends?”

I access our wireless router and make it let me, of course!  The router which had its password changed by me three days ago!  *enter menacing laughter*

adminyo

“But what about your -other- brother Matt?  Won’t he be able to get on your blog?”

Not with the forbidden screen of death-ray nosey-family banishing!

forbiddenyo

Yeah! No more interfering from THEM!  Aren’tcha proud?

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"George can have his rat race, I can do without it."

Written on July 17th, 2009 and labelled Endings, Reflections
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It’s a bit hard to describe, but for the past few days I’ve been experiencing something which can only be put as my ‘touchy-feely sentimental mood’. It happens every now and again. Sometimes they’re triggered by things, sometimes they’re not. This one most definitely was.

Being one of those epically complex, introspecty-type people, I can never be sure what is really triggering this tender mood of mine. This past one though, well, I’m pretty sure it’s come from this ‘puter game I’ve been playing (well, played).


For those of you that can’t understand pictures, the game I’m referring to is Fallout 3. Now, don’t worry, this post isn’t to do with computer games, it’s to do with something that struck me heavily within the game.

You see, in Fallout 3, the game is set in post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. When your character is first exposed to this post-apocalyptic world (as you start out living underground but come to the surface chasing after your dad who mysteriously leaves), well, it’s a sight that took me aback. I was… stunned, yet silently disheartened. It struck a tiny fear deep down which I was barely aware existed in me.

(This is concept art, not a screenshot. It applies just the same, though)

It was until today, however, that all of this came to fruitation. As I’m a bit of a YouTube trawler, I sometimes download videos which are a little special. You know, videos which don’t get loads of hits and no one really finds but you and, yet, even though it’s not popular, it’s so precious. Well, having not watched my little stash for a while, I thought it would be nice

In this video, the two singers are singing to each other about how each would trade the their life for the other person’s because of how much they dislike their own. Just before they break into their little song and dance, one of them says, “George can have his rat race, I can do without it.”

It quickly appeared to me that I was deeply concerned about the state the world may be in within even the short span of 50 years. Now, I’m not trying to be doom & gloom, nor sensationalist (as I hate sensationalism), but it does make you think, doesn’t it? There are so many advancements in the world every year — and equally so many outrageous ethical abuses — and it just makes me question, in which direction is this earth going?

With countries like China steaming towards first place in the economy race of the globe, and yet more and more consumers simultaneously becoming increasingly concerned about where their products are coming from and who was screwed over to make them, I really can’t help but ask:

Where are we all headed? And, even more importantly, do we really want to go there?

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