I began the process of commenting on ten stories, posts, etc. today. Waiting until the day of class is certainly going to impact the second part of the assignment (following the activity), but I have learned from experience that a lot can happen in one day online so hopefully I'll have at least some things to report back.
Comment #1) MassLive.com: Western Mass. road, rail projects in line for federal stimulus aid
I chose to comment on this story because I am a sucker for infrastructure projects (yeah, I know that sounds boring but just wait until this becomes something you care about, too). Personally I track the building of broadband and high-speed Internet more frequently than light rail systems, but as a Western Mass resident of almost seven years I know how badly we need updates to our public transportation options.
Comment #2) BoingBoing: LAist visits Barbie's full size Malibu house
Originally I wanted to comment on this great op-ed by Sarah Haskins in the Washington Post on Sunday, but I was suffering from a complete brain failure on what I wanted to say about it. Since a post of, "wow, Sarah. I love you. You are great" seemed like a waste of binary space, I decided to participate in the great act of connecting by posting a link to it on this BoingBoing post about a full size Barbie house. I suppose the only really interesting thing that I can find out about this is if people find a comment that is merely a link interesting or an additional waste of binary space...
Comment #3) Valley Advocate: Bardsley on the BID
Northampton is considering a BID (Business Improvement District), which is a public-private partnership that will give public funds to downtown businesses for "improvement" efforts/projects. When described by proponents of the BID, these efforts are summed up as cleaning up trash and planting flower pots. Opponents argue that this is essentially the re-creation of something like the Chamber of Commerce, except all businesses within the zone must buy-in and the results could fill streets with security cameras and additional security who will spend most of their time ushering people out of formerly public spaces (read: the sidewalks of downtown).
To put it bluntly, I am mad at the BID but haven't had a lot of time to follow its movement through city council. Here is my comment.
Can anyone post an update on where the BID is at in the legislative process?Comment #4) Boston.com: SJC to rule whether Lowell curfew violates teens' rights
The idea that downtown Northampton needs someone to clean up trash and graffiti is absurd. Has anyone who is arguing the downtown needs some sort of "clean up" ever actually been to a city whose downtown spans farther than two miles? Downtown Northampton is about as clean as they get.
This is a class issue under the gauze of some white Christmas lights.
Curfews for teenagers? I think they do more harm than good. Looks like the courts may agree with me. My advice to the comment reading world? Screw curfews and focus on giving kids a place to go.
This was a very contentious commenting-fest with a lot of inane statements and assorted banality. I resisted the urge to tell the commenter who said that the teenage girls featured in the article must have been practicing to become prostitutes ("that's a recession proof business") to go f*** him/herself. My comment:
These curfews are pointless and I look forward to seeing how the courts rule on them. Kids need places to go, that is the biggest problem. I grew up in suburban eastern Mass and I can assure you that the only public spaces that existed were parking lots and retail chains. Put some funds into public projects that build community centers (and staff them with smart and creative people, not folks who are completely out of touch) and have them stay open past 9pm.Comment #5) MassLive.com: UMass Amherst opens new $5 million traveler information center
I thought I was going to be outraged by this post, but then I realized they were talking about the new Transit building that houses all the buses for the UMass Transit Authority (a very important and neccesary bus system in the Valley). Actually, my best friend was a bus driver there for a few years. But in particular I responded to the part that had to do with the bus tracking systems they are hoping to have in place. Certainly a comment about surveillance will be provocative enough to get a reaction out of people?
Comment #6) YouTube.com: Yacht Rock (Episode 1: What a Fool Believes)
Alright, this one was a bit of a cop-out. But the commenting world of YouTube is vicious, so I figured my blasé post might still get a reaction. Mostly I just wanted an excuse to share Yacht Rock with the readers of this blog. So go enjoy it and talk about how great it is until your friends are sick of hearing about it. (That's what happened to me anyway...)
Comment #7) John Gorman's blog: Radio: RIAA v. NAB - two wrongs don't make it right
I wanted to comment on the Pitchfork article that clued me in to this debate (somehow I had missed this one), but it turns out the Pitchfork doesn't allow comments! Social media blasphemy! Not such a bad thing, though, because that led me to seek out a place online that would and I came across Gorman's blog which had an excellent rant against both the RIAA and the NAB in this debate. I look forward to following this one...
Comment #8) Slate.com: Uncivil Union
At first glance I thought that Slate didn't allow readers to comment at all. They have stashed the comments aside on a separate page, which surely impacts the tone and quantity of discussion going on around their articles. They have more of a bulletin board set-up. In this case, I was responding to someone's post about the Employee Free Choice Act. Now the my commenting tongue has warmed up a bit, I was a little more agressive than I had been.
His comment:
The employer- the one who OWNS or has been put in place by those who own to run the business- should have every right to hire, fire or otherwise manage as he or she sees fit. Thats how the overwheming number of businesses ARE run. Your attitude is precisely why unions times have passed and they need to be abolished. Yes, workers should have a safe work environment and should not work under slave conditions like those prevelent 80 years ago but thats about it. The lazy, incompetent or simplly insubordinate should be fired without any input from you. A boss should be able to hire his family and friends and cut out early on Friday- hes earned those perks by being the one in chargeMy response:
Disagree. The employer, the one who owns or has been put in place to run the business, has no business without the workers. You say that union times have passed, but the decline of unions in this country is not because they have outlived their usefulness. They have been crippled by bad public policy (i.e., the Taft-Hartley Act). Poor working conditions still exist for thousands of workers across this country. And these workers are intimidated regularly by union-busting campaigns. Your analysis that a boss has "earned the perks" by "being the one in charge" reflects an ignorance on how privilege functions.Comment #9) Slashdot.org: Young People Prefer "Sizzle Sound" of MP3 Format
Slashdot has one of the most intimidating posting environments. The readers all spend way too much time consuming information and tend to be well educated but lacking social skills. I responded to this idea with a more "cultural studies" approach. I assume I will be eaten alive. Also, I know I lost points for not registering and posting as "Anonymous Coward."
Anyhow, here it is:
It is interesting to consider this in the context of defining artistic creativity within parameters of the culture it arises from. Portability seems to be the most important thing as our audio players change over time. Technology is inextricably linked to art.Comment #10) Consumerist.com: Overpriced, All Caps Book Inspires Amazon Reviewers
In my final post of this epic day of commenting, I grew weary of forcing myself to offer substantial commentary in the online world. I've been trying to balance this assignment with finishing two chapters of my thesis and calling into meetings for work all day long. As someone who has spent a great deal of her academic and professional life aware of their digital footprint, I figured my final post to this humorous article on the Consumerist may as well be tied to my college email account instead of my personal. Looks like I screwed up on that one, though. The spam filter at Smith appears to have trapped my email verification.
Too bad. It was probably the funniest thing I had to say all week.
Someone get me a drink. That took FOREVER.
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