You say you want a revolution...

Well, you know we all wanna change the world. You tell me that it's evolution!

I'm here tonight with a blog that is neither up close and personal nor entertainment oriented... It's merely a few musings I've been meaning to put down on paper (so to speak). In truth, after a detour from homework which led to a bit of time on BlogTV with author Maureen Johnson (founder of the epic Blog Every Day April - see my earlier post), I was simply inspired to keep blogging!

Now, if my efforts to be a frequent blogger or the sidebar littered with social networks is any indication, I'm highly interested in technological (aka online) trends. I've participated in an online forum - The Leaky Lounge - for almost 2 years now, and I'm now on staff one of the sections of the site, in addition to being a moderator. I'm regularly on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, BlogTV and Ustream, here (Blogger), and most recently, also a fun little site called DailyBooth - in addition to my efforts with a start up company and Beta website called Sazze.com (it's a really cool site - you should check it out! ) I love finding out and keeping track of about trends like This Is Not Tom (is it really all John Green?!), all the crazy Nings, BEDA, FML.com, failblog... etc. It's such a cool part of our generation and our society.But let me backtrack. I don't have forever to rant about this tonight - this might just be part one - but I want to start with TWITTER.

Picture this: average family dinner, homemade meal (delicious, by the way, Mom), chatter about "how was your day" and "did you hear what Obama did," etc - stereotypical, if you will. Now add in a full out description of Twitter, tweets, followers, time lines, hashtag searches... the full works. This was my family's dinner tonight.

In case you don't know what twitter is, well, you're silly. I'm not about to explain - you should just go find out. Or, better yet, go set up an account and get addicted with the rest of us. Twitter is social networking at the max. It's random strangers following each other (or better yet, celebrities) in their attempts to make 140 characters of text worthwhile and interesting (or mundane, inane, frustrating... choose an adjective).

So, you might have caught a key word in that last paragraph... celebrity. In my opinion, this is one of the absolute coolest parts of Twitter. Sure, hearing little bits and pieces about your friends' days is fun (and, no, it's not all "X is going to the bathroom" as some people seem to think)... but that's not exactly, well, what's the word? - Revolutionary. No, to me, the really fantastic part of Twitter is being able to hear and see bits of lives from people like Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Stephen Fry and John Cleese, John Mayer and Hugh Jackman, Tom Felton and Matt Lewis, Greg Grunburg and Brea Grant... I could go on and on. Pick a reason - gossip, curiosity, getting back at the paparazzi, feeling special - whichever. Hearing 140 characters at a time, seeing "twitpic" photos, being linked to videos and articles, all from people that are supposedly "out of reach" and famous is just plain cool.

Now, for my next argument in favor of Twitter (not that I'm particularly arguing with anyone - although if you want to disagree with me, feel free to speak up in the comments!), I wanted to first share with you something that Ashton Kutcher recently posted:

My dad always said that "I'll believe it when I hear it from the horse's mouth." Twitter is the horse's mouth. No more "well, the news said..."

Did you know that the story about the plane landing in the Hudson river broke on Twitter? That the first photograph came not from a news network, but from someone on the scene, posting from their iPhone? Did you know that Demi Moore recently saved a woman's life when she posted about a seemingly suicidal comment the woman made and thousands of her followers responded? Did you know that the Amazon-Fail story is powered by Twitter? (If you don't know what I'm talking about with this last one, look it up - it's stupid and ridiculous!)

Twitter is the new CNN and the new nightly news. Sure, newspapers are failing and companies are busy figuring out how to boost online news reading, but what they aren't realizing is that it's not how they do it, it's the simple fact that they're being replaced. We are evolving to the next level of news-getting... of society itself, I'd even venture. We are achieving (and have achieved already) a new type of global community, including an ongoing global dialogue, in which people can talk instantly around the world. Of course, this is a basic part of the Internet as a whole and as such, this is a fact of life that is now generally accepted. But, with the invent of Facebook statuses and then, now, Twitter, this is happening in a live and constant way as it never has before.

So, still doubt me? I could go on... But, it's really best if you try it yourself to see what I'm talking about. You may be left rolling on the floor in laughter at Stephen Colbert's inane comments like "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Just make sure to stab with an upward motion;" or you might be amazed by the upclose photos from the set of Heroes, provided by makeup artist "WendyLynMakeup." Whatever puts a smile on you're face, well, frankly, you're sure to find on Twitter... 140 characters at a time.

We Take A Break From Our Usual Programming....

For today's blog, I'm going to take a moment to answer the 25 Random's Things challenge (game?) on Facebook, after I was tagged by Wendy yesterday. I couldn't resist doubling this up as a blog so I hope it still works. Here's how it goes...

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

1.) I'm a serious Anglophile. I've always thought the Brits were just kind of the best. I love their accents, their history, their Queen, their tea, their country... Yeah. I've been there twice, and I must say, it doesn't disappoint. If I could ever choose to be of another nationality (or gain citizenship in another country), it would probably be England.
2.) I'm a teenager, but I don't hate my parents. I actually get along very well with them. I've never gone through that whole, "get the hell out of my life" stage, and since I've hit 17, I think I've probably avoided that stage for the most part.
3.) I don't hate school completely, nor do I never do my homework, or resent all books we've ever been "made" to read for English. I actually do complete basically all of my homework and I even sometimes think ahead about it. I don't mind it - I'm a student and it's what we do. I am a bit tired of high school - it's starting to feel a bit redundant, but it's not the worst thing in the world. Oh, and though I haven't liked all books we've been assigned (*cough-1984-cough*), I have liked a fair few of them, The Odyssey and Pride and Prejudice coming in as books I genuinely enjoyed.
4.) I am a liberal, tree-hugging Boulderite, to the core. I eat granola and Tofu, avoid beef, care about the Ozone layer, and couldn't be happier that Obama is President.
5.) I don't really pay attention to mainstream music. For many years, my main source of auditory entertainment has been soundtracks (aka scores) to movies. I can list off a dozen composers in a heartbeat who I love, and I've never found anything more beautiful or enjoyable to listen to. Now, that's not to say I don't like Coldplay, for example, but don't expect me to know the current hit tunes or artists.
6.) I always have to know the full storyline. I cannot just watch a TV for the sake of zoning out, or just start watching in the middle of a season - or worse, a few season's in. When I watch a show, I'm committed - to the characters, the plot, the storyline. I always have to go back to the beginning and see it all. The same goes any movie or book series.
7.) I think people who don't read are stupid. I'm sorry, I'm not going to lie or tone it down on this one. There's so much richness in books, you're lame if you're not partaking in their wisdom. TV and movies are awesome, but nothing will ever trump the written word.
8.) I am hopelessly addicted to the Internet. It freaks me out if I go a day or more without checking my email, reading the news on my favorite sites, logging on to Skype or Twitter... gack. When my computer breaks, I feel like a piece of my brain is missing. So, yes *raises hand* "I am a hopeless addict when it comes to my Macbook."
9.) This list of 25 Things feels rather long, possibly because I don't often actually do things like this very often. You know all those email chains people were really obsessed with several years ago? Yeah, I deleted pretty much all of them.
10.) Now that I've subscribed to Entertainment Weekly for a while, I don't think I'll ever want to stop. I so enjoy seeing who makes the cover each week, reading the Must List, laughing at the cynical reviews, and having something tactile to page through every week. The same goes for TiVo - or DVR's in general. It's one thing that has managed to integrate itself into my life so thoroghly that I can't imagine ever letting it go.
11.) I'm almost always way too wordy. I like lists of things, I'll often use two or three words when one will do, and if left to myself, my word counts will shoot through the roof. Take me, baby, or leave me. Oh, and I care about grammar. "Funner" is not a word, people!
12.) I think vlogging is cool - and I wish I could do it, but I'm one of those people who feels so incredibly awkward in front of a camera. That's why I want to direct or produce or write... I could never act. It seems to me the most slippery slope when it comes to self-confidence... YOU, trapped on film, forever!
13.) My cat is so much more than "just" a pet. She's been my friend, my sister, and my companion for, holy carp, 11 years, going on 12, now. Going away to college - if that happens - will be oh so hard because I don't know how I'll go to not seeing her every day. Now, that might sound like the kind of sentimentality that comes from a 4-year-old, but Molly's always been special to me.
14.) I'm shamelessly obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, true obsession. I can quote it, I know the music, and I've analyzed the plot. Scary, isn't it?
15.) I have pondered the meaning of life. I've tried to figure out why I'm here, what I'm meant for, and what will happen when I'm gone. Sadly, I've reached nothing more meaningful than "42."
16.) I believe in the power of positive thinking. While I don't believe in God, per se, I do believe that willing something to happen has some effect on the outcome. So, as long as you don't mind, I'm going to keep willing there to be a snow day.
17.) I've always wanted to be fluent in a cool language that not a whole lot of people know, and then to be able to speak it with A) My mom B) My best friend or C) (in the future) my spouse.
18.) I get emails from The Universe. I know, I'm special like that. (See here for more information. They're awesome!)
19.) I firmly believe that TV peaked when it reached Friends. Nothing will ever ever been funnier, more creative, or more brilliant or timeless than that glorious 10-season show. I love other series, but Friends is the one and only.
20.) When I was little, I wasn't really allowed to watch TV. I never knew Nickelodeon or Disney. PBS was it - Arthur was my favorite. Even into middle school, I wasn't allowed to watch anything during the weekdays, so I worked out an elaborate system of video cassette tapes and recording timers (ick, the days before TiVo!). Until very recently, I've always felt something holding me back - and I'll always do homework before TV. At first, I resented my parents for it but now I see the blessing that it was. I grew up reading, not being a couch-potato.
21.) I don't really like eating out in restaurants. I can never make up my mind about what to order, it's always super expensive, there's a long wait, and I always get stuck with too much food. Although, breakfast out is an exception to the rule - THAT, I love.
22.) I used to HATE exercising with a vengeance. I was seriously a very stangant kid. I'm actually kind of surprised I didn't turn out quite fat. Nowadays, I long to get to the gym and relax whenever I have the chance, but I used to run the other way. Well, not run, but you know.
23.) I'm a total night owl. Heart and soul. I feel tired if I have to get up anywhere before 8, or at least 7:30. I usually get creative bursts late at night, so, yeah, definitely not an early bird.
24.) I could care less about anything designer. It's hard enough to find jeans that fit me, let alone jeans that fit with a nice looking label? Why spend $200 just for a word?
25.) I pay attention to celebrities. Not in the "Ohmygod, Britney, look over here!" TMZ kind of way... just in a, "Ohmygod, Johnny Depp, look over here!" kind of way. I've gotten autographs (and pictures) from four Harry Potter actors so far, and I really treasure the autographs.

So, that's me. Sorry if that was crazy long, but you did as for a heck of a lot of random things. Off to tag someone else!