a mercurial mind digitized
What people don’t know or if they already know, don’t seem to fully get: i don’t like phone calls. Not any. Well, okay, let me explain that a little bit: i don’t like unsolicited phone calls. I prefer phone calls treated as if they were emails: i want to know the subject beforehand. I want to know what i’m getting into before i get on the phone. It’s like reading a book without glancing at… Read more of: i don’t like phone calls
Somewhere along my journeys i heard the spiritual theory that birthmarks signify how many lives one has lived—actual indicators of where one was killed previously. I would think, then, that if one was not murdered, but say had lung cancer or passed because of an heart attack, they would show up on the relative spot on the skin where said afflicted body part resided. But, that’s not important. I’m not truly sold on the violent… Read more of: my future reflected in birthmarks
Sometime during the beginning of March (when i originally started this piece), i got kicked in the ass—by my Father, with words. I’m not a degenerate. I’m no lackey. I’m not a youngin (relative, of course) who needs (or likes to) be told what i should or should not to do. My friends and family all know that. However, pep talks and sermons from a parental are what i need at times—even when i dislike believing… Read more of: Achilles’ Last Stand
During my continual galavanting across the Interwebs in search of cool shit, i’ve yet to come across a WordPress theme (or plugin!) that is both aesthetically conducive and appealing to a particular lot (such as Manifest), as well as possessing functionality of traditional standalone software that could be used by writers, editors, or librarians; basically those of the educational-minded ilk. Even before gestation and birth, i’ve dubbed it Scholar. I’m thinking that Scholar should be… Read more of: Filling a need (i hope): i’m creating a WordPress theme & plugin for scholars
There is an awakened consciousness allowed to holler from the rooftops when we engage in the practice of stream-of-consciousness writing. Our most uncelebrated thoughts are given a parade; we hand them the keys to the city; we rename City Hall after them. To jettison the guards and trappings of calculated thought by putting pen to paper, scribbling down anything that comes to mind—for four straight minutes—is to enhance the understanding of self. No inhibitions. It’s… Read more of: letting go of the reins
Dear Macario James, Thanks for being a valued Mozy subscriber. For the first time since 2006, we’re adjusting the price of our MozyHome service and wanted to give you a heads up. As part of this change, we’re replacing our MozyHome Unlimited backup plan and introducing the following tiered storage plans: 50 GB for $5.99 per month (includes backup for 1 computer) 125 GB for $9.99 per month (includes backup for up to 3 computers)… Read more of: no more unlimited online backups w/ Mozy smh
This will be a very short piece only because i want it to reach the 2:22pm slot for today. It’s already 2:21pm lol. I saw this randomly on my Facebook news feed from WikiLeaks, which doesn’t have anything to do w/ the trailer below. Anyway, this is film for a cause that i wholeheartedly support: transparency and anti-censorhip. I don’t believe in a large government and even less the continued cloak and dagger politics that… Read more of: revolution truth (trailer for WikiLeaks movie)
A few months ago, a question was posed to someone on my Twitter timeline: which would you choose?—to be blind or deaf. Allowing myself to step into existentialist and hypothetical clothing and footwear, the latter pairing of which i’d rather not do normally, i decided that if i was given the proverbial poison choice, it’d be to deafen the cacophany of reality rather than cover the visions of lives. In a quick expanse of the… Read more of: i choose deaf
Besides ESPN, Twitter and Facebook, i read the NY Times Technology section several times a day because there’s always some new service or interesting happenings that will influence my digital life. One such thing is finding out about Filmaster. Started in 2008, Filmaster is a burgeoning community of filmmakers and reviewers (and fellow tyros like myself), dedicated to all things flim. The interesting part is that they are preparing the release of a FourSquare like… Read more of: i will become a filmaster
So, this post is at the request of good friend, @ChadJMarchong. He’s jumping into the Android world, and he asked me for a post with app recommendations being that i’m a former G1 owner, proclaiming it the best phone OS. I figured, though, why not do a write-up of kick-ass Android apps? I still know the ones i loved, and i’m sure with a quick search, i can find out their latest versions and new features.… Read more of: apps i loved when i had an android phone
The Web is all about sharing links, sharing information. It’s typical on any given day to view dozens of websites and share just as many news articles or gossip or music with family and friends on Facebook, Twitter or via email. What’s also typical, is a lack of search dedicated to links we share. Often, i will vaguely recall where i stumbled upon some tidbit of information weeks (or even days) before. Google isn’t always… Read more of: with trunk.ly, “never forget a link again!”
After looking into Kiva (motto being “Loans that Change Lives”) for several months before deciding to assist those in foreign nations, I am torn. I am torn because it occurred to me that i was not doing enough to help fellow citizens. Although i do support organizations here in America (EFF, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and Liberator Magazine), i still need to do more. I don’t have the wealth of Gates or Zuckerberg,… Read more of: looking into U.S. microfinancing
This feeling has nothing to do with raging hormones or acne-riddled skin (lol); but, rather, the detailed search for colleges and universities that fit my academic desires. Always looking ahead, i’m currently gathering my options for a new school to attend in a few years. Once i’m done with my BA and MFA at Hofstra University, i plan on moving outside of NY. The list is open, but currently includes Texas, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, so i’m… Read more of: i feel like a high school junior all over again
I’ve found it interesting when people are surprised that i blog. A few folks only know that i’m a designer and/or a computer technician. They aren’t aware that i’ve been writing for years, published while in high school, and am finishing up my Creative Writing BA. This is actually the second iteration of Mental Ephemera. I took a break for a little over a year, recently starting fresh. So, i guess this post came out… Read more of: why i blog
Facebook has been an integral part of my life since Oct 2004—back when only a hundred or so colleges and their constituency were part of the social networking site. It has since grown from a fledgling, exclusive college-only website of many interconnected networks, into an Internet behemoth that rivals Google and Microsoft with its web ubiquity. A lot has changed. And not all of it for the better. The sticking point here is privacy. Or… Read more of: age of privacy over? the (unsolicited) transparency agenda of Zuckerberg
Alcohol: many (of age) college students’ favorite buddy. Caffeine: college students’ other best friend. Combine the two friends and the partying jumps a few notches. I’m not for ending the party. Not at all. Although i am not a fan of the beverage—i think it tastes horrible no matter what flavor and its influence on my psyche and body are unsettling, a true, quick caffeine high and inebriation—i don’t believe it should be prematurely banned… Read more of: my issue with the Four Loko ban
(Originally published on Aug 8, 2010; updated since then.) There is a growing spirit manifesting amongst the American people, one with a voice resounding with trepidation, fear and anger of and towards the Muslim population in this country—drowning out their prayers for peace. Ignorant crescendo has become raucous uproar: the proposed mosque at the 9/11 Memorial site has all walks of life and political backgrounds sharing their opinions, the loudest being rejection. Of all things… Read more of: the importance of “MOOZ-Lum” The Movie
Conventions of naming: You’ll notice that anytime i write in the first person or refer to myself, it is a lowercase ‘i’ and not the normal ‘I’ that everyone (in English speaking countries, at least) is accustomed to—unless, of course, the word starts a sentence, in which case i adhere to the standard orthography. Why do i do this? Originally, it stemmed from not indulging in the English culture of putting the self above others… Read more of: thoughts of self: conventions of naming