Blogging Magazine

How rude can somebody be and announce the „blogging! magazine“ as a magazine about blogs and expect people to pay for it? I will not link this magazine as it would only increase its pagerank at Google. They plan to feature blog and blogosphere related news, information, reviews, commentary, interviews, tips, tricks, business, etc. But only those who have never heard of blog and blogosphere related information would benefit from this PDF magazine. Anybody who has some kind of interest into the blogosphere will be able to find all these things up-to-date on the internet and in the RSS feeds.

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George W. Bush in Mainz

Today is a day full of controversy: One of the worlds most hated human beings resides in the city of Mainz in Germany. The press covered this show stage for political correctness in several issues, and certain blog authors from within the area and outside like myself have begun to express their thoughts on the visit of George „Dabbleju“ Bush. The magazine Der Spiegel expects a repetition of the events in 1987 as Ronald Reagan visited Germany, the FAZ considers partnership in freedom, and various other papers and magazines like Das Handelsblatt and Der Focus feature Bush intensively. Some excellent pictures can be found at Gerrit’s Weblog and flickr account. Nevertheless, MEX published an excerpt of the current prohibitions provided by the German government and police in the article Lex Bush based on Impfinity’s article on the full restriction of juristiction. This is a rough translation from the original article into english:

– Windows must be closed for the whole day and may not be tilted. Curtains and blinds may not be closed or shut, since a brownout is not allowed. A police commissioner commented that incautious movements near the windows might cause injuries.

– You may not hang things out of the windows, not even a white sheet or a peace flag. Apparently, Bush is scared off to see signs of desperation or be damped by a peace flag. Somehow.

– I had to provide information if I was going to stay in my appartment during the day or not. My passport data were added into a list to ensure clearance for entering/leaving my appartment.

– Somebody may only pay a visit if their passport data has been sent to the police of Mainz before their arrival (a period of time was not given).

– If I will leave my appartment, I will be accompanied by a police officer while returning from the barriers INTO my own appartment.

– If I want to return to my appartment while Bush remains at the Rheinstrasse/the Domplatz, I may not do so.

– Vehicles of any kind, bikes and autocycles may not be parked in garages, even if they are sealed.

This sounds alot like a mixture between police state and a war scenario, similiar to the way how Robert at MEX expresses his feelings. In order to keep the leaders satisfied, the human rights and personal freedom of the citizens are restricted, limited and sometimes taken off them. And because of what? Thanks to the leader of the „free world“ and „democracy“ George Dabbleju Bush. (Dabbleju = the simplified german of the english spoken letter ‚W‘)

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Redirection

I’ve been kept busy with University and life. Probably I’m in the need of a small break from the blogging until I’m finished with the economy simulacion for our Desarollo Regional 3 course and the entire Organizational Psychology test. Earlier today I was reading through the material for OP just to notice I was working on the wrong sheets for last semester’s course. I knew it sounded too similar and too easy to be true. Unfortunately, I noticed it too late and became sick of the whole psychology matter. I sometimes wish these subjects weren’t as important for future managers as the University suggests. In a few minutes I’m off to my sweet lady to spend the evening with her. Let’s see what both of us can make of it… since she’s going to write her Information Technology 1 test tomorrow and I’m going to learn further materials for the OP test. I’m curious on the near future’s developments of my life.

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G-Mail For Free

I have recieved 50 possible invitations this morning from G-Mail, and if anybody is interested, please comment here or drop me an email. Let’s be network-happy!

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Corporate Blogging – Minor Mistakes create an Uproar?

Corporate Blogging is a wide known aspect of sharing your company’s thoughts to the public audience. Last evening I strumbled upon an announcement of the french company Social Media Group. The company publishes several blogs including their newest additions in German: „Der Auto Blog“ and „Der Vintage Blog„. The use of the masculine article „der“ in relation to the word „Blog“ causes a minor uproar in the germanspeaking Blogosphere, as most people consider the „Blog“ as a word with a neutrum gender. To accomplish this, the article „das“ would be aligned to the word. The discussion on the correct use of „Blog“ continues here and on Loïc Le Meur. My contributions to the discussion were so far these statements mainly in response to Christophe:

Just a smaller note on the naming. Actually, the correct form of naming a blog with an article is „Das Blog“ (neutrum) and not „Der Blog“ (maskulinum). Sadly, the authors of the mentioned blogs made this mistake… :( In any case, keep in mind that „Blog“ is based on „Weblog“. Let’s focus on the word itself. As we all know, it’s German word „Weblog“ is based on „das Web“ and „das Log“ („das Logbuch“) — if you simplify the language to the roots. Nevertheless, the diary is „das Tagebuch“, and if you consider these words web, log and its combined meaning of an online diary as basic principle for creating the predestined articles in masculine, feminine or neutrum cases, you are already limited to the neutrum gender. The word „Blog“ in german is an anglicism, which is a transition from an originally english word into german language. Anglicisms are one-to-one identical transitions and translations of a word into german. To recall this – „Service-Provider“, „Recycling“, „Talk“, „Team“, „Party“ are some more common anglicisms in the german language. You would never dare to write i.e. „Riesaickling“ instead of „Recycling“, „Tiem“ instead of „Team“, or „Paartie“ instead of „Party“. If this would be the case, you had to reform „Blog“ into „Block“ (which is already the word for „block“) or „Blogg“ (which is no anglicism anymore). The word „blowg“ makes no sense to me due to the anglicism of „Blog“ – and it rather reminds me of the voice-sounds created by sheep. If ever, a „blohg“ to stress a longer o-sound is acceptable – but its no anglicism anymore. The „unbestimmter Article“ (ein, eine, ein) of the word Blog is hinting at it’s neutrum gender.

I believe it is most vital for companies to carefully inspect and evaluate „foreign countries“ and specialize in the development of their region, language, culture and society before stepping into their domain of heritage. Perhaps I am able to contribute some more useful input for Blogspirit, too. Let’s see what I can make out of it.

Tags: Anglicism, , ,

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Real Peaceful Means

From my understanding of life, I have gathered my very personal key to unlock the peace that I wish to achieve through my doings and undoing, too. To find one who meets my expectations of being able to achieve „great things“ through peace, I wish to explain briefly how I rate peace. To accomplish this, I will give an excerpt from some of my summarized work:

Peace itself is known to be a state of tranquility or quiet. The results are freedom from civil disturbance or a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom. Throughout this, peace concludes in a state or period of mutual concord between governments or a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity. But concerning a personal code, to be at peace means a state of concord or tranquility, peace may be the result of freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, and a state of harmony in personal relations.

However, peace is sometimes a departing pleasure. These departing pleasures can be appearing nightmares. While important things die out, the unimportant ones will continue to exist. Is peace important for all?

Not for all, as you have seen in the struggle of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. The Dalai Lama is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He was rewarded for his efforts through the international Nobel Peace Price. Persuaded by Chinese Forces, he went to exile in 1959. His efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to Sino-Tibetan conflict were thwarted by Beijing’s ruthless policy in Eastern Tibet, which ignited a popular uprising and resistance. This resistance movement spread to other parts of the country. Many years after, on October 9th 1991, he said the following: „I am extremely anxious that, in this explosive situation, violence may break out. I want to do what I can to prevent this…. My visit would be a new opportunity to promote understanding and create a basis for a negotiated solution.“ Even if he is considered as one of the most well-known people of our modern civilization, the Dalai Lama is only a simple Buddhist monk. He is not only, but indeed follows the life of Buddhist monk. Living in a small cottage in Dharamsala, he rises at 4 am to meditate, pursues an ongoing schedule of administrative meetings, private audiences and religious teachings and ceremonies. He concludes each day with further prayer before retiring. In explaining his greatest sources of inspiration, he often cites a favorite verse, found in the writings of the renowned eighth century Buddhist saint Shantideva:

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

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Me and my day

Before I will speak about examples on how a small glimpse of my daily life would appear to be, I want to clarify that I do not set my life within a schedule or its parameters. I certainly like to follow some order, but do not revise my daily habits or even life’s special events under such generalizing rule just to have a schedule that keeps myself a day, week or a month busy.

Instead, I live for the moment – I live for the now. But why and how can you do this in our modern world? Yes, we face the outburst of civilization all day. All of us who are here use already a part of this civilization – its digital revolution called „internet“. I do not want to emerge upon the internet itself and how it changes or affects people, but instead I will link this towards our daily life of course. So what happens with all of us?

Once you are born as a member of a society, you have to learn about it and do your best to understand the society. You grow up through an educational process while your body is being prepared naturally for breeding and reproduction. Then you will see through your intelligent mind that all of our world and certainly the society in which you live is being bend together as i.e. technology, ethics and politics or any other things merge together to create a huge apparatus that controls more or less our lives. We have to work to earn money, which we can spend on food, clothes or fuel to drive the car to our work, or buy a bike to cycle to the gym to keep our body in shape… and much more. But the key is that all things that are being bend are meant to be broken.

To abolish or defame our societies is not imperative to the subject of this escape from that reality in which we apparently see ourselves. Instead, the act of breaking a bend is not destructive, but a way of personal escape. As you break, you emerge from the situation and find your path in a new center if situation demands such act. I personally achieve a break as I allow my mind to be set free to think whatever its free will wants to think, while I subjugate still to society’s means. As I’d break apart from society, I would be left alone as an outcast, and an outcast has per nature’s rule no chance of survival – and still prefer to survive than running into the daggers of my own backstabbing.

That may explain why I allow to break out and escape in my mind. There I can live for the moment – as I can live for the now. On top of this, it is not a withdrawal from society but only an alternative path chosen by the individual. The moment itself grants me permission to think and use my free will in my mind, while we all know that the pure free will is revoked by any society that provides its members with laws and order.

This interlude shall be used as if you see through a lens while reading the following excerpt about my daily habits and my daily life. Me and my day at best:

House-Work: Once or twice in the week my time is consumed with this ravish exhaustion of my mind and body. Cleaning my home is important for me, as it will grant me a freshly renewed base to let my thoughts dwell on other things while I am here. It includes all kinds of work while I do certain things more often in a week such as doing the dishes of course. I have no hard feelings while vacuum cleaning, as I see it as a must. Same goes for cleaning the bathroom or kitchen, or any other part of my living center called home. Unfortunately, this kind of work is limited due to the amount of other work

Money-Work: Living without money is not a near possibility, I sometimes earn money through my skills and mind as a programmer and webdesigner. It is a must, as it will give me money – if ever. But I’d rather prefer to do something else than that, if money and status would not rule the world, I would rather prefer to work as a lecturer for Media-Culture.

Work in: Entertainment is a must for the mind. Through this, I read, I write – and yes, I am an artist. However, I have no difficulty to go out on a Saturday night to the clubs where I meet people, friends and new faces. Last year I went out five times a week, by now its only once or twice. Saves money, saves prestige, and it saves your health. Sometimes I walk with my dog once I take her off my parent’s house, I love to be outside in summertime and prefer to sit inside with lots of candles in the winter. All adds the welcomed spice to life – without it, its tasteless.

Resume: I do not get tired at my exhibits, instead I am eager to face the next phase of my future while I celebrate each moment of it. Anything else might be of no use to present it here as this can be summed up in two ways – twisted desire that fascinates for the moment vs. tedious habit that grew up from society’s expectations. And what would I do without this woman?

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Citizen-Media-Ethos

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The german information-technology news magazine heise.de published an interesting article in their offspring Telepolis on the rising power of bloggers and their Scorching Rage. The author Thomas Pany expresses the struggle of the classic Mainstream-Media against the blogger’s Citizen-Media by using the example of the former CNN Eason Jordan who claimed on a press conference that 12 journalists were shot by US-troops‘ friendly fire in Iraq. The classic Mainstream-Media journalists never said a word on this note, but one of the attendants of the press conference, Rony Abovitz, wrote an article in his blog. As I reported earlier, the authors of blogs are used to facts. Instead of searching for the reason behind a statement, they re-print the statement and use the most deadly weapon to crush statements in its root – their personal opinion renders facts in different lights than expected. In the end, as Pany writes, the protagonists of Citizen-Media have won an important moral victory over the journalistic methods of the Mainstream-Media: Reporting the blunt truth.

Tags: , Heise, Jordangate,

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The Daily Show on Bloggers

This is an absolutely humorous video of The Daily Show on Comedy Central – their topic was Bloggers. Even if the authors intended to make fun of the Bloggers, they brought up some interesting points concerning the made-up fight between bloggers and journalists. Among these jokes is one comment on most bloggers who are however responsible correspondents and are focussed on niche reporting fields. These niches are surely not included in the major daily newspapers or the local town newspapers, but still these bloggers are using the internet media to build their news network. The general problem of these „attack bloggers“ is found in their behaviour and news posting: „They have no credibility. All they have is facts.“ All the bloggers do is gathering, collating and publishing accurate information which is found in our daily life in respect to companies, the government, individuals, society, etc. – all of this is published to the genera public audience. (via Anke Gröner, via onegoodmovie)

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Mercedes-Benz: Mixed Tape

Who wouldn’t want to download a complete music album without paying for it? You may find the Mixed Tape as a collection of „musical diversity“ on the corporate website of Mercedes-Benz. Every eight weeks, they will offer this free download compilation created by international newcomers including a printable PDF for the CD-cover.

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