August Musings

So it's been a while since my last post...the summer lull has hit even my interweb usage it seems.

However, the nature of keeping a blog means one must occasionally think about it - it's not like I go about my days in a blogless void, then sit in the evening for two hours and bash out some readable material for the internets.

Anyway, this month, a whole number of different thoughts have crossed my mind.

Some are thoughts born of frustration, such as why nobody has found a better solution to managing codecs on computers: I've spent countless hours installing and uninstalling crap, fiddling with the registry and all manner of shennanigans to try and make audio encoding in MP3 work on my computer, but to no avail.

I'm at my wits end with regards to this - perhaps the gods of Microsoft would only be appeased by the sacrifice of a virgin, or maybe a goat, which is a bit beyond me. Where would I find a goat?

Also, George RR Martin. On a side note, is it coincidence that great fantasy writers have two "R's" in their initials? Anyway, after having finished reading A Dance with Dragons, the latest book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, I now have to wait until the next book comes out to see what happens, but that's not what really frustrates me. See, what really makes me grind my teeth and slam shut the book, only to open it again to continue reading is his gift for writing characters which you root for, and then systematically making things go very bad for them, which as a reader, is a frustrating (albeit gripping and compelling) experience.

It does make me want to grab him by his lapels, shake him a bit, and shout "Why?! Why are you doing this to them!?". Tolkien was never half as cruel to his hobbits.

Some thoughts are ones of reflection. It's been more than a month since I graduated from University now. So I have now officially joined the Real World Club. It's a very surreal feeling, and I doubt it will sink in until I start working for real, but it's a little weird to think that ever since I started going to school (at the age of 5), this was my inevitable destination at the peak of the educational summit for the non-PhD inclined. And having reached that peak, there are no great views, only two pieces of paper.

To be honest, if University was Amazon, my feedback would go something like this:

"Paid £12000 tuition + £15000 maintenance for 1 x MEng degree. Took 4 years to deliver, came with brain damage and alcohol abuse, and wasn't even wrapped very nicely. Would not buy again."

All joking aside though, it was worth it. Probably.

Video Interlude!

In between having thoughts, I also made the time to make a little tribute video to the little sport I love, probably better known as Badminton to everyone else. The idea for the video occured when I was watching epic music montages of Formula 1 videos, which lead to other awesome music montages of football, and rugby, and tennis, and then I looked for badminton ones, and discovered that they didn't really exist. Time for me to step in to try and fill the hole.

Let me know what you think!

Anyway, back on topic - so far, I've shared some musings of frustration and reflection, other thoughts are a little more random: Why is the Star Wars line: "No, I am your father." always misquoted to "Luke, I am your father."? How late is it socially acceptable to stay in bed till (disregarding hangover days)? I managed 3pm yesterday, and I think that's my limit. Are brainy people genetically brainy, or is it only because of an attitude to learning? And on that note, why do a lot of people think being incompetent is cool? It's funny, that I'll grant, but elsewise if you're breathing the world's air, eating the world's food and looting the world's shops then you should really be putting something back into the world, instead of only your sense of entitlement and videos of you posing next to your stolen Sony Bravia.

It is known.

The above sentence might come across as a mite condescending, which it is, but the message behind it is sincere. There's been a lot of discussion everywhere by everyone about the London riots, but I think when you break it down, there's only two things we ("society") should take from this.

1. Human beings are human beings (or human beans, to hear my mother say it). It was interesting to read the profiles of those who were sentenced in court - of course there were the usual suspects - the people on the low end of the socio-economic scale, but there was also a teacher, a university graduate and others who really should know better.

2. The attitude towards achievement needs to be changed. The "everyone is a winner" and "failing is okay" approach which is being doled out in soft comforting lumps in the education system needs to change, because the real world simply isn't like that. More importantly, the expectations and aspirations of the next generation needs to be tempered with knowledge. "Must-have" items are not Blackberries, MP3 players and LCD TVs. They are food, water and shelter.

I feel that a lot of the current young generation have been deluded with deluge of marketing ads and raised in an instant gratification culture, where although the idea of having a nice pad, the car and the beautiful wife with the 2.5 kids seems great, it's a nebulous future which can only be reached by putting their noses to the grindstone, but why do that when you can get an instant dopamine kick by drinking, partying and playing video games?

And all of this is silently condoned by a ridiculous nanny state which lets us all know that it's okay to not take personal responsibility for our welfare. David Cameron will hug us, in our hoodies, and give us money so we can still have our Blackberries and LCD TV's eventually.

There are also two things the rioters and looters should take from this:

1. There are no shortcuts in life.

2. The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.