Introverts, you are OK.

An introvert being erm... introverted!

After the TED talk I posted a few days ago, this is the second article I find this week about introverts. This time The Guardian discovers that being quiet, shy and a "what if" thinker is not all bad.

We live with a value system that I call the Extrovert Ideal – the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha and comfortable in the spotlight.

Don't say!

Introversion – along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness, and shyness – is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment and a pathology.

QUICK! Pass one of those extroversion pills before it's too late!

Velocity of speech counts as well as volume: we rank fast talkers as more competent and likable than slow ones.

"And then he was like 'Uh...' and I was like 'Duh!'"

Without introverts, the world would be devoid of Newton's theory of gravity, Einstein's theory of relativity, WB Yeats's The Second Coming, Chopin's nocturnes, Proust's In Search of Lost Time, Peter Pan, Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Cat in the Hat, Charlie Brown, the films of Steven Spielberg, Google (co-founded by introvert Larry Page) and Harry Potter.

"Wassup with this list?! Steven makes cool movies, yeah? But the others didn't go to gigs not even nearly often enough. Specially that Chopin dude!"

"The glory of the disposition that stops to consider stimuli rather than rushing to engage with them is its long association with intellectual and artistic achievement. Neither E=mc² nor Paradise Lost was dashed off by a party animal."

"Booooriiing!!!"

A few things introverts are not: the word introvert is not a synonym for hermit or misanthrope. Introverts can be these things, but most are perfectly friendly.

Oh really?! Disturb my blog-ing time and you'll see.


In conclusion, we can all breathe a breath of relief - it's ok to be introverted as introverts are not sick people after all. Phew! I'll cancel my operation then.

Read the full article: Why the world needs introverts

Are you an introvert, extrovert or do you swing both ways? Do the Quiz: are you an introvert?

Censorship: Internet vs "Real life"

Internet censorship and privacy by SMBC Comics

RAP NEWS X - #Occupy2012

Rap News strikes the Zeitgeist once more, this time with the endorsement of Noam Chomsky and Anonymous.

Growing down

In 2010, four friend students concerned with the lack privacy of online social networks, such as Facebook, set out to create a decentralized, open source network, called Diaspora*. They quickly gathered enough support and donations to dedicate themselves to its full-time development. In November 2010 the first version of Diaspora* was released to the public.

In the evening of 12 of November 2011, one of the talented developers, 22 years old Ilya Zhitomirskiy was found dead at home! The following is one of the last posts that he shared on his Diaspora* profile... Rest in peace Ilya.

Us when?

Once a week, for the past few weeks, I've been hosting a documentary evening with friends and anyone interested in non-fictional "edutainment"... or a nap (you know who you are :). For a few hours we watch the movie, share food, have a catch up and sometimes a healthy debate about the issue at hand.

Decided by majority vote, this week's documentary was Us Now, which you can watch below. This one hour long, fast passed, picture from 2009, analyses online social networking and how this unprecedented amount of non-hierarchical collaboration threatens the millennia old pyramid shaped power structures still so prevalent today.

The movie goes on to explore the still untapped potential of this relatively new capability, such as to allow citizens to be more involved in their government's policy and decision making, by creating a system of direct democracy.

The audience of 8 agreed that the documentary put across an interesting argument but there was some scepticism as to the practicalities and the safeness of such direct democracy system. Some said they don't trust the general public with decision making, while others seemed to agree that a transparent and decentralised power structure is less corruptible and preferable to the current system. What do you think.

After a short discussion we ended the evening with a bit of classic George Carlin stand up comedy... or rather a wake up call disguised as comedy.


For more information, extra clips and reviews please go to usnowfilm.com

Watch Us Now in other languages here.

Buy the DVD here.

Capitalism humour by Calvin & Hoobes

This 20 year old Calvin and Hobbes comic, made by Bill Watterson, explains in simple terms the roots of the current economic crisis and the injustices concerning the ever growing Occupy movement. Click the image for larger version.

Calvin & Hobbes

O Linux nosso de cada dia

Esta é p'rós "geeks" ; )

Logotipos do Linux e varias distribuições

O Linux Nosso

"Linux nosso que estais no PC
Bem compilado seja o vosso Kernel
Venha a nós o vosso código
Seja feita a vossa tarball
Assim em casa como no trabalho
O bit nosso de cada dia seja escovado
Apagai com rm -rf
Para nunca mais recuperar o que foi perdido
Não nos deixeis errar a compilação
E livrai a todos da M$, Amém."
~ Autor desconhecido

Anonymous can has humour?

Continues at anonnews.org

The downside of the end of deception

The Big Bang Theory S04E14 easter egg

Grocery Store Wars (2005)

Star Wars parody of the war between Organics vs Conventional food taking place in a supermarket near you. Obi One Cannoli, TofuD2 (lol) and friends come to the rescue... a serious subject turned into a hilarious watch!

(Com legendas em Português.)

TED: Ken Robinson's humourous talks on education

TED talks have become famous all over the world. The following videos have been around the internet quite a bit but it's not everyday we come across something funny and worth hearing so here it is one of my favourite speakers, Ken Robinson. Enjoy the following two talks, the first from 2006 and the second from 2010, as Ken discusses and proposes changes to the education system.

("Clicka" em View Subtitles para selecionar legendas em Português.)

Happy winter holidays everyone

More videos at the official Simmon's cat website.

Wikileaks' Cablegate: the truth is out there

MP3/Lyrics and information about Rap News:
Website: http://thejuicemedia.com
Lyrics: http://www.reverbnation.com/rapnews
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robertfoster.rapnews
All art and design in this episode by: http://www.visualtonic.com.au
You can download some of the great artwork from this episode here: http://courageiscontagious.net

SUPPORT Rap News to keep broadcasting rhyme and reason on the only remaining free frequency: http://thejuicemedia.com/donate

Chuck Lorre's spiritual insight

The Big Bang Theory - Easter egg S01E15

Forgetting

Maybe instead of forgetting it's easier to... oh, look a bird!

George Carlin Educating the Public

Here's the American stand up comedian, George Carlin telling it like it is.

Bill Hicks Talks About Life

Short clip from Zeitgeist, The Movie featuring the mixed voices of Bill Hicks and David Icke talking about the meaning of life.

"It's just a ride." ~ Bill Hicks (1961-1994) RIP



And here's the original Bill Hicks clip from one of his stand-up performances. This clip contains a few more points at the end, which aren't included in the edited version above.

Mark Thomas - UK Arms Trade

This is an excerpt from Mark Thomas Comedy Product series 3 episode 2 aired by Channel 4 in 1999. In this clip Mark Thomas comments on the state of the UK arms industry and trade. It's not a pretty picture but Mark still manages to make it humorous.



I wonder how much things have changed since this was broadcasted 8 years ago. Knowing governments, probably not much.

Politics - "boring"

If you think that politics are boring, just remember - "the ruling class... loooves you".