Richard Grannon

The Data Collectors’ Book (The Face That Drove You Mad)

~ Donna Emerald ~ Leave a comment

Mark Zuckerberg is a guy that puts a lot of work into how the company he founded is perceived. His version and other people’s versions tend to diverge on some rather relevant issues, and now at least some of the horrible truth is becoming more obvious to the general user of the Facebook, and Facebook are having to scramble to re-invent the services they offer, as well as alter the demographic they target for their attentions, in an effort to keep the sinking ship afloat. Social media giants like Facebook have all sorts of dirty tricks up their sleeves to keep users on board, and the psychology of marketing isn’t the only source of their power, as they hold such huge sway over our behaviour, so it stands to reason that they have many friends in high places too. How can we ever truly be free, if we don’t really take a hard look at what these platforms’ purposes are (and like all my posts, I must point out that I don’t endorse uncritically everything that’s proposed in the following video, as I’m an individual, with my own views, and not a demographic, but I do think the video frames the discussion points, which could be explored further by users of social media)?

Remember the official story of how Facebook started? It all sounded so cosy and friendly, didn’t it? People coming together, and sharing, with Mark the bright spark helping us all to shine.

Sorry Zucky, but your lies suck, and you blow. This isn’t real life, as we know it, and you ain’t the captain of our ship. More and more long time users of Facebook have jumped ship, and are swimming for shore.

We hoping you sink with the ship, and all the rats below deck drown with you. We see you, trying to bail the ship out with buckets, and we hope your true toxic face becomes more obvious to the new users you are trying to drive mad, by pretending to be their bestest friend ever, arranging to meet them in other places at a convenient time, a helpful app, providing a hug in the form of a thumbs up. Well, it’s a Thumbs Down to you, with no hug, from us. We’re so sorry Mark. Honest.

What the World Needs Now ~ Spartan Meditations

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~ Donna Emerald ~ Leave a comment

I came across a YouTube channel I really liked lately, and thought I’d share it, ‘cos this guy has some interesting thoughts about meditation, and if you’ve read my blog before you’ll know I like the auld bit of no-thinkiness myself. But how on earth do you calm your mind, if you aren’t feeling a baseline of calmness, and can’t seem to get calm enough to even be able to focus enough on sitting, let alone sitting in meditation? Richard Grannon talks about styles of meditation suitable for the chronically stressed out person to choose, and points out in a humorous way  how modern media is more effective in training us to work off our emotions than our logic, and why this isn’t such a great thing when we want to get into a calmer, more focused state of mind. Sound advice which I reckon is well worth a listen.

Here’s a video I made on my YouTube channel, about the same topic, and how it related to my own experiences on the Tube.