Addicted to the internet?

[Alexandra V. Tobias], 22, was arrested after the January death of 3-month-old Dylan Lee Edmondson. A shame any person would kill anyone, let alone a 3 month old. What I haven't told you is why, and it just so happens that it ties into the topic of this post today.

So this Alexandra apparently killed her child and has plead guilty to shaking the baby profusely for crying, and even may have hit its head against something during the process. Why? Over interrupting her FARMVILLE game on Facebook. FARMVILLE. Are you kidding me?! While they should put a gun to her head for being a complete moron, I'm happy she's going to at least have the joy of spending 25 to 50 years, if not a life sentence for second degree murder, in prison as a baby killer. And a baby killer over something as stupid as a Facebook flash game. This story is a huge outlier from the normal of course, but it shows a prime example of how pervasive Facebook, or even the internet as a whole, has become in our lives.


Apparently research has been done on what they like to call "Internet Anxiety." Internet addiction has now become a serious mental malady that has gained acceptance from the scientific community, according to Ars Technica, a technological news and information website created in 1998. A large portion of the US population feels what they're calling 'disconnect anxiety' when away from either a computer or a cell phone with internet connection. The Solutions Research Group has headed the research project on this.

27% of Americans feel acute anxiety during a long break, while 41% feel it only on occasion. Unsurprisingly, age plays a large role in these percentages. The youth of today has been inundated with various mediums of technology, whether it be a hand held game, console, computer, or cell phone. Everyone has at least one way to connect to the internet while most of us have several methods. People over the age of 50 are less likely to experience this anxiety.

Did you know the average person spends up to 90 minutes a day on Facebook alone? Each day, there are more than 500 million active users at any given time, and 50% of all accounts on Facebook are active at least once per day, averaging over 700 billion minutes spent per month on Facebook. That's a large amount of time, and a majority of the people aren't addicts, which bring the average way down. But don't worry ,there are plenty of people who spend more than 90 minutes a day. Another little fun fact about Facebook? in July of 2008, there were 27.8 million accounts in the US. In 2010, there are over 125 million, in the US alone.

For you Internet addicts (including me I guess!), [Net Addiction Recovery] is here to rescue you from your addiction to the internet. To the tune of $14,000 a month, they will house you, and teach you the ways of 'returning to the real world.' Oh, if you're poor, I guess you're S.O.L.; not that most of people who are addicted want to quit in the first place. There is a lot of counter arguments, stating that it isn't even a problem to begin with... But of course there is; it's politics after all.

To leave you with a little food for thought, here are the 5 signs according to psychologists, that you're addicted to Facebook, or the internet:

• Losing sleep: If you're tired every morning because of late-night-friending, take a break, a UCLA psychologist advises: "You shouldn't be neglecting yourself because of Facebook."
• You spend more than an hour a day on Facebook: "Probably no one needs more than 30 minutes," one therapist said.
• Reigniting old flames: Here's where the divorce comes in. "Facebook is a fun, pleasant, happy, beautiful world," a psychologist said. But it's not real, and people are watching.
• You're not working: Obviously, "if you're not doing your job in order to sneak time on Facebook, you could have a real problem."
• Withdrawal: "Try going a day without Facebook. If you find it causes you a lot of stress and anxiety, you really need to get some help."

Today's playlist, three more great songs for you to enjoy!
[The Catalyst - Linkin Park]
[Runaway - Hail the Villain]
[Monster - Skillet]

Music. The rush of emotion from a good beat, and an even better message.

If you're feeling some way, even if you don't publicize it, there is a song written by someone that will make this feeling stronger tenfold. Music has the power to move you, calm you, stimulate you, and do things like set moods for a whole room or party. It's because of music that bars and parties are so much fun. It creates the environment.

You listen to a lot of music, as I do, and often time we like the songs beat, or lip sync to them; and it has become an integral part of our lives. It is my escape; my place where I push forward when I'm down, or the thing I go to when I need inspiration. Music makes me create; and without it I don't know what I'd do. Everyone has a "song" or two that they feel best describes themselves, or a very strong emotion they feel on a regular basis. When that song plays, I feel like I'm released from a self imposed cage, if only for the few minutes it plays.

It's hard to describe the sensation music brings me. I'm literally never without it. Where ever I go, you'll probably find me with headphones and an mp3 player to listen to my play lists i sit around all day and make. I almost feel naked without the ability to listen to my music whenever I want. If I'm thinking creatively, a single song can inspire a whole idea, whether it be a Photoshop manipulation, blog, or fantasy character. When my music is on, the ideas start flowing, and I can't explain to you why. Maybe you'll try it one day and figure it out, or maybe you understand what I mean already.

Life to music is far more powerful.

Today's playlist headers:
[The Sound - Switchfoot]
[Naive - The Kooks]
[All Over Me - Default]

Radio stations at your fingertips

Radio in your car is great. It allows us to listen to upcoming music while we are on our way to some destination, or maybe while you're at your desk you also have the radio playing. But what if that radio station played only music you wanted it to play, and could remove songs you didn't like?



This is more of a reality than you may think. For those who aren't familiar, websites like [Pandora] and [Last.FM] have taken the music streaming business to the next level. They allow you to create custom radio stations, using keywords like your favorite band, song, or even genre type. You're not limited to one of these keywords, as each radio station can use multiple tags to refine your music tastes even further. Although i can't speak for Last.FM, Pandora allows you to skip 6 songs per hour, and has minimal advertising, (unless you pay for the premium version, which is only $36/year!) You can thumbs down songs you don't like, in which case you'll never hear them again, and thumbs up songs to tell the song parser to play that song more often, as well as find more songs that have similar qualities to that song.



Of course this radio station is limited to a computer... just kidding.
[Microsoft SYNC] announced not too long ago that any car equipped with their SYNC system will have Pandora in their car! If I had the opportunity, I don't care what car I'd need; it'd be in my car. In addition, virtually all smart phones have a Pandora app created specially for them, so no matter where you are in the world, you have the same access to your personal radio stations as if you were listening to them on your computer or in your car

If you're curious on how to get started, just go to either [Pandora's] or [Last.FM's] website and sign up! In the meanwhile, if you'd like to have an example of a Pandora radio station, here's one that I've been customizing for years, enjoy!