Plato on Blogging I

If the internet was Plato’s cavern, then a blogger is the person chained inside, facing a blank wall.

Imagine the typical user walking past the shadows, hearing a cacophony of voices (websites). The people chained to the wall who want to be heard talk loudly and frequently (new updates, twitter). Search engines are designed to report the most frequently linked or loudest site.

That is to say, new and frequent posts get attention. Remember how many blogs, twitter feeds, and facebook statuses reminded us that Michael Jackson was dead? Frequency is then reinforced by search engines (keywords), creating a huge overlap of information that dilutes itself by volume.

Is it human nature to listen to the loudest shouts even if it is as irrelevant as the latest Gawker post? I don’t think so. Eventually, the cacophony of voices on the internet will be tuned out like ads on TiVo. Aggregators will create virtual bookshelves, and the “web 3.0” user will collect content based on its value, and not how loud or frequent it occurs.

The reality behind the illusion is that ideas are what will move and shake on the internet.

Unless, of course, the illusion is thinking that a quiet, infrequent voice will get anyone’s attention.

Governor Quinn Delivers the Spin

Watch this and you'll see the neuroses of a typical Illinois democrat. At 2:30 Quinns spins a question about the budget into "taking car of veterans"--there is no relationship between government spending and where taxes come from--it does not exist in the nomenclature of a statist.

Bobby Q&A - July 9th

What: A chance to ask the Congressional candidate Bobby Schilling a question
Where: The Moline Public Library
When: Thursday, July 9th @ 6PM.

Have a question you'd like to ask? Post it here! A few questions will be chosen from here and Campaign for Liberty.com

Some current questions:
"How will you combat the socialist regime that we are seeing from the Pelosi controlled Congress?" Mike M., grad student

"How would you go about auditing the federal reserve?" Mike M., grad student

"How are you different from Phil Hare?" L. Bay, community organizer

"How would you have voted on the cap-and-trade bill?" L. Bay, community organizer

"Our Constitution specifies NO details for the oath of office for Congress. Article 6 merely states that our legislators shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support our Constitution. In their wisdom, the first Congress developed this requirement into a simple, 14 word oath:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States."

Our Founders believed that the single most important question ANY elected official should ask themselves is "is this bill Constitutional"? Will (you) vote with the Constitution EVERY time, even if it goes against popular opinion, including the possible opinion of Republican colleagues in Congress?" - Heather Danielowski, C4L State Coordinator

"Why do special interests matter more to congress than the people and the Constitution?" - "Fu Manchu"