On PewDiePie’s $7m…
The problem here isn’t the money this young man is making with his videos… the problem is that there are 37 million souls watching him playing games instead of spending that time playing games themselves, which to me makes no sense at all.
It might be a sign that I’m getting old, but I rather play games than watching some guy doing it while screaming hysterically.
Bah! This kids today… <waves fist>
Diggin’ In The Carts
If you’re an old school gamer like me, you’ll know that one of the key aspects of retro gaming is the music. When remembering a really good game from the good old days, one of the first things that came up is the game’s theme, that memorable melody that’s carved into our brains.
Red Bull Music Academy has released a very interesting and well made documentary about japanese video game music, that covers a lot of untold aspects of the story behind the most influential music to come out of Japan.
You can check the several released episodes here.
The Meaning of Life
Perhaps the oldest question in the history of civilization… it’s the also the one question with the most number of answers. Their validity is another issue…
I often say that life, and all its aspects are terribly subjective. Even death. It all depends on how you experience life itself and the end of it, either yours or others. It all depends on how you experience reality.
Being a parent has opened a door I long left closed. The door to fear. The door to pain. The door I’ve kept closed for a long long time. I’ve chosen to become numb to reality’s dark aspects, unfortunately when you become a father, a parent, your life isn’t yours any more.
There is this being which becomes the center of your life, the most important aspect of your reality, and suddenly the numbness dissipates. The aspects of the world you live, specially the dark ones, become gradually darker, because you know that sooner or later you’ll have to protect your children from them. War, famine, sickness, greed, violence, all the darkness, that part of life you choose to ignore becomes brutally loud. It’s there and it’s going to be part of your child’s reality as well. How to cope? Can you surpass it? Can you escape it? Can you still leave it outside?
How can I explain my son and my daughter that there are people living in the streets? How can I explain them that every day, millions die with nothing to eat? That another million dies from cancer, AIDS, leukaemia? How can I explain that we live in a society that values more sports players and pop stars than doctors who save people’s lives and scientist that make this world still escape (barely) from ignorance? That people are killed in stupid discussions about sports? That wars are waged in the name of religions and gods, that are no more than lies? And that the money that could change all this, is spent in those wars or feeding those religions?
So… What’s the meaning of life?
Aftermath – The Japanese Tsunami
Aftermath – The Japanese Tsunami from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
Powerful images from one of the biggest disasters of the 21st century…