"Dumbing of Age" and parenting

I'm a firm believer that the best comic strips are the best because of their writing more so than their art... "Dumbing of Age" is a web comic that's been around since September 2010. I like this strip because it reminds me a lot of my own experiences leaving home and high school and starting out on my own at college.

I've been reading this since earlier this summer and am getting close to being caught up. Today, one of the strips really made me feel good, and may become my favourite “Dumbing of Age” strips - http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/02-that-perfect-girl/humility/ (minor spolier alert).

Backstory:
Joyce (the girl in the strip) was home schooled as a devout, creationist Christian. First year away at college, she has learned much about the world. Her best friend from childhood, Becky, grew up with the same teachings as her. She ran away to be with Joyce, revealing herself as gay and in love with Joyce. Joyce has struggled against her teachings to accept Becky and many other things, and is succeeding. This is her first trip home after the “reveal”, and she’s been terrified of how her parents will receive her new outlook and beliefs.

In this strip, Joyce's dad nails parenting!

I could wax poetic on how this directly relates to my current time in life, but I think I'll just let it stand on its own.

SOPA, Piracy and the New World

I feel I need to weigh in on the SOPA issue that has flared up in the last few weeks, even though it has existed for a lot longer.

SOPA is a US bill aimed at stopping online piracy. It is being pushed by large commercial content providers, primarily in the music and movie industries, as a solution to unapproved, unlicensed distribution of their property.

The stated intent is to allow legal bodies to take action against known pirate sources on the Internet, by blocking their transmission through technical actions. But here's where the problem starts.

As written, the bill is vague. It would allow any site to be shutdown (blocked) based on the unsubstantiated complaints of any corporation. Worse still, these complaints could apply to a user posted comment to a site. So, as an example, a 14 year old's Facebook status containing a link to an image of Mickey Mouse, not sanctioned by Disney, could provide grounds for the Disney Corporation to shutdown Facebook.

Would it happen? Probably not. But why pass a law that could allow that?

At stake, is the freedom of information and exchange of knowledge and creativity that the Internet promises and delivers. This is worth protecting.

The other reality, and I hate to use this argument, is that this type of law will not stop piracy. It will make it more difficult, but piracy will happen. Piracy of this type happens because there is no suitable business model to replace it.

Our challenge is to design and deliver the new business models. Find new ways to distribute the content and media that the public wants, in the way they want, with a working business model attached.
These models exist: last.fm, Netflix, Hulu and iTunes to name a few. But they need refinement and better distribution. And the media giants who don't get this need to change. They need to realize the opportunities they are missing. History shows you cannot stop change by force. You need to be part of the change to succeed.

Life is Beautiful

I've had a very difficult time trying to figure out what to write about the recent tragedies that have affected people I care about deeply. I've searched for all the right things to say; to offer the perfect words of wisdom to make people think, “Thanks, that's what I needed, I feel better”. But the reality is, I don't have those words.

We all build our lives around the people we love, with no plans for drastic change. We want the people we love and care about to always be where we want them to be. We hope that no tragedy will affect us, and more importantly, those we care about.

But, no matter how hard we try, we can't control those events. We can't escape death; we can't escape tragedy. They are inevitable.

What makes us human is how we deal with it. We are needed and we must carry on. Our lives are all we have and we must treasure them. “Live and love” is more than lip service, it is real. Let those you care about always know that you care about them.

Some pain will never fade; some wounds are too deep. We can't help heal them. Instead, make the scars your personal memorial to the greatness that is gone, and find more greatness – not as a replacement but as an addition.

Death is unfair, not life. Life is beautiful. We know that. Remember that. Celebrate that. Embrace that.

“If you can't be with the one you love, then love the one you're with.”