This-or-That Tuesday

1) DVD or VHS? Hmm... For me, this is actually a tougher decision than it may seem. For one, not all my favourites are available on D.V.D. yet, so V.H.S. has an obvious advantage there. On the other hand, though, D.V.D. has--by and large--the better sound/picture quality and I'm a sucker for the featurettes! The jury's still out on this one...

2) Best Literary/Movie Villan: Voldemort (Harry Potter) or Sauron (LoTR)? Sauron! TOTALLY! I mean, the guy's the Maiar who not only threatened to destroy Middle Earth twice, but whose malicious counsel sped the destruction of Numenor/Westernesse/Elenna and the downfall of the Edain. True, Sauron's not the first Dark Lord--Melkor (a.k.a. Morgoth) has that distinction; however, he's still quite the baddie. Tolkien said that the only reason Sauron was not considered a greater evil than Melkor is because he once served good before Melkor swayed him. Now, I ask you, "Could Voldemort be all that?!"

Wow, I'm a nerd.

3) Meat: rare or well-done? Well-done.

4) High Speed Internet-Cable or DSL? Cable.

5) Women: 1-piece bathing suit or Bikini? For me, a one-piece. It allows you to move (ie. swim, play beach volleyball) more without the risk of exposing things you don't mean to show. Yet...

6) To be fair--Men: Boxers or briefs? I prefer boxers on guys. They're sexier. They leave something to the imagination.

7) Beer or Liquor/Wine? Both!

8) Coke or Mountain Dew? Eeewww...! Neither! Ginger ale or root beer please.

9) In honor of my 10/18/03 nuptials: Morning or Afternoon/Night Wedding? Afternoon/night.

10) Carpet or Hardwood Floors? Hardwood floors. I love the look of them. More importantly, I love the feel of them--so nice and cool to the touch...

11) American cars or foreign? Whatever is fuel-efficient. S.U.V.s need not apply.

12) Cutest TV Twin: Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen? Eeewww...! Neither! Why couldn't "Jeremy or Jason London" have been the question?

13) Coffee: Caffeinated or Decaf? Caffeinated. I like my vices to be vices, thank you very much.

14) Thought-Provoking Question of the Week: Computers: Do they make life better or worse? Why? I'm not so sure that this is a question suited for an either-or answer. Technology is never a black and white issue. While computers have certainly made everything from our home lives to manufacturing processes more efficient, they've also contributed to the alienation of the individual.

For one, the individual, as he or she begins to relate more to machines and less to other human beings, often becomes so computer reliant that he or she either entirely forgets how to relate to other individuals, or forgets how to relate to them without a machine as a mediator (witness the popularity of I.C.Q., M.S.N. Messenger, cell texting and the like.) (Bear with me here. This is a blog, not an essay, so I won't get into all my supporting evidence.)

What's more, though, is that computer technologies as used in mass-production have allowed us to be alienated from people in the way that Rebecca Solnit notes in the article I posted below. Everywhere we see products for consumption, instead of processes, parts of human lives. We become complacent. "If it doesn't affect us directly, then it's not worth bothering over," seems to be the logic.

Well, I find that logic flawed.