Author Archives: shadengk

Thursday’s FanX 2024 Plan of Activities 1st Look

Posted on by

As with every comic convention, scheduled panels can be rescheduled and moved in an instant. This happens for several reasons, most of which have to do with a celebrity’s livelihood. If you get a gig, you gotta go do it. As long as fans remember this when planning their comic con visit, they will be able to embrace the change. FanX 2024 will be no different. Somethings may get changed, and we’ll just have to make sure we are prepared to enjoy other aspects of the convention when that happens. That disclaimer out of the way, here’s where I think I will be going with the schedule as it stands on Sept. 7, 2024.

The Pirate Rules for FanX

The first and only rule I follow, which is more of a guideline really, is: Choose one thing every day that I would like to accomplish. When I go with someone else, we make it two things. As long as these two things get accomplished, everything else is gravy. If they don’t get accomplished because something changed, that’s okay, too. We won’t be disappointed because we are ready to face that contingency.

The FanX Multiverse

It looks like FanX 2024 features two timelines: one starts on the hour, and one starts on the half hour. That means you’ll need to be aware of those panels that start in the middle of other great choices. It also may mean waiting longer for a particular panel if you happened to have gone to a panel on the alternate timeline. (Use this time to visit the Vendor floor and seek out some local artists and creators. Support them in their endeavors and you’ll have more than just a treasure to take home for yourself.)

Thursday’s FanX 2024 Schedule

Thursday’s must-see panel is Anthony Daniels, the man who brought C-3PO to life. I’ve met Tony Dyson, who built R2-D2, at a comic on in Malta. I met Peter Mayhew, aka Chewbacca, at one of the earlier FanXes. I’ve seen Carrie Fisher on stage, so Anthony Daniels just seems to fit with what I’ve done so far. His panel is scheduled for 6pm, which means we have most of the day to do whatever else we happen to fall into.

Kicking Off FanX2024

Thursday’s FanX 2024 panels kick off with a tribute to Jack Kirby at 12:30. CelloCat is playing at 1:30pm. It’s between two and three that we have our first conflict. Sam Jones and Will Conrad of Flash Gordon fame will take the stage at 2pm. Paul Williams, who I know from the Muppet Movie and Smokey and the Bandit, as well as some of his amazing songs, and Randy Quaid, from a bunch of movies including Independence Day and the Christmas Vacations, have their respective panels at 2:30pm. For me, it’s Paul Williams. His work with the Muppets is enough for me to want to see him, but his musical contributions put him over the top. You can’t go wrong with any of the three; it’s just a question of who do you feel most connected to.

However, Williams’ panel will bleed into the 3pm hour, which means missing out on Matthew Lillard, aka live-action Shaggy among other characters. Lillard is likely comedy gold. Other panels happening at this time are “Low Observable Technology” about a real-world cloaking device and “Imagine If? Remaking Disney’s Lands.” I’ll have to think about this more, but right now, Paul Williams is still the front runner.

Thursday Afternoon

At 3:30pm, the decision is between Star Wars Villains and a Voice Actor panel, which is sure to be great. However, 4pm has panels dedicated to Little House on the Prairie, a show that still carries relevant themes, and Napoleon Dynamite. Garret Hedlund from Tron: Legacy will also be doing his own panel, but the big draw will likely be the She-Hulk panel with Jameela Jamil and Patty Gugenheim. At 4:30pm, Daniel Logan will be holding court in his own panel, and there is the intriguing “No harm ever came from reading a book” Mummy celebration of 25 years.

Thursday Evening

At 5pm, Analyzing the opening music of Anime seems like the best panel for the hour, but it does compete with the High School the Musical panel of celebrities. Jennifer Blanc will be presenting at 5:30pm. However, since these both lead up to Anthony Daniels, it is questionable as to whether I would risk missing the Star Wars star. The HstM group is in the same room as Daniels, so I may see them by default. (Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen the movies, so I know the people in the panel. It would be a joy to see them.) At 7pm, Brandon Sanderson holds court in the same room, so I may just camp out there for the three panels.

Putting It Together

Coming up with a rough schedule of panels to see would look something like this:

  • Jack Kirby at 12:30
  • Cello Cat at 1:30 with a stop for food at some point
  • Paul Willliams at 2:30
  • 4pm is a toss-up with each panel having its own draw. This might be another good time to pony up for something to eat. Sometimes, you have to go by feel. I’m leaning towards Little House or Hedlund.
  • 5pm again is a toss-up, but since my main goal for Thursday is to see Anthony Daniels, I will likely opt for High School the Musical or food.
  • 6pm Anthony Daniels
  • 7pm Brandon Sanderson or going back to the hotel to post about Thursday’s activities and rest for the next day.

FanX 2024 will be a lot of fun, but it’s important to remember that it is supposed to be fun. As a reporter, I had an entirely different view of the convention because it was my job to cover as many panels as I could. Now, however, I can take it easier, relax a little bit and find those panels that will teach me something or that I will get great joy from. I also have to remember to eat and hydrate. Last, but not least, there is always something great to be found in the vendors areas – like Tank Tolman – I’ll need to make time for that during the convention as well.

What will you being doing at Thursday’s FanX 2024? I’ve prioritized panels, but there are other things to do as well. Leave your preferred schedule, FanX pirate rules, and other tips in the comments.

The next post will look at Friday when my panel “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity” takes place. I’ll be discussing creativity tips using the Haunted Mansion’s history and structure as a guide. Get your book before FanX on Amazon or contact me at shadexaminer@gmail.com, so I can reserve you one of my copies.

Haunted Mansion Is Creativity at FanX

Posted on by

It’s official. I’m going to be presenting “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity” at FanX just in time to celebrate Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion’s 55th anniversary! My panel is scheduled for Sept. 27, 2024 in room 250A. (Dick Van Dyke will be in the Grand Ballroom at noon, so Disney fans will have to rush from his supercalifragilisticexpialidocious panel to mine. I’ll do my best to save you a seat.)

What Can You Expect?

I will take you on a guided tour of the Haunted Mansion, so bring your imagination. Along the way, we’ll meet some of the characters that made the Haunted Mansion what it is. We’ll also look at the history and structure of the attraction to give us examples of the creative process and how it works in real life. Hopefully, you’ll be able to put some of these principles to work in your life every day.

Also, fans of the Haunted Mansion can expect to recite the spiel and sing the song as we go on this tour together. Don’t worry. There will be no spooks around to tell you they want to hear the Ghost Host and not you. Creativity can be a team endeavor.

For those unfamiliar with the Haunted Mansion, it’s important to note that the attraction does deal with themes that some might find triggering. This includes death and suicide.

Books for Sale

Unfortunately, I have been unable to partner with anyone on the convention floor at FanX 2024. So, if you want books, you’ll have to order them through Amazon or contact me directly (shadexaminer@gmail.com), so I can bring them with me. Otherwise, I will have a very small number of books available for purchase directly after the panel. (If you get your books on Amazon, I’ll be happy to sign them when you bring them to FanX.

About FanX and Me

FanX is one of my favorite comic conventions because they gave me my start as a journalist covering conventions. I’ve been lucky enough to meet Lou Ferrigno, Battlestar Galactica’s Richard Hatch, and Micky Dolenz, among others. The convention runs from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28, 2024. Make final arrangements now to see the Haunted Mansion Is Creativity at FanX 2024. We’re dying to have you.

You’re Creativity Doesn’t Need Monetization or Approval

Posted on by

Creativity is core to being human. Your very humanity comes with the tools to be creative. Back when humans were living in caves, they painted, they told stories, and sometimes they painted and told stories. (That’s not a six-legged animal. It’s an animal on the cave wall that would seem to move as the firelight flickered across it.) Creative expression is just a part of who you are.

Unfortunately, we’ve come to a time when society says that everything we do needs to be productive. All our waking time needs to be monetized. If you aren’t making money from it, it isn’t worth doing. The exceptions to this rule are going to the bathroom, eating, or going someplace to spend the money your making, even if that someplace is your living room couch to watch Netflix, to which you’re paying a monthly fee while also paying the Internet and electricity fees.

Beyond this neurotic need to make money, we have to be good at something in order for it to be worthwhile. The good news is that we don’t have to be Olympic or professional level athletes to enjoy sports. However, we can’t be bad at those sports either. If we pick up a tennis racket and can’t hit the ball back over the net, we might find ourselves saying, “I’m not any good at this.” That’s not the truth. What you should say is, “I haven’t had enough practice at this.” Or you can take a cue from Goofy, even if you’ve played for years or you play like a beginner, as long as you have fun, you’re number one.

The same is true for creative works. You don’t have to be good in order to enjoy an activity. If the activity is something that helps you cope with the world, all you have to do is spend the time to do it. You are worth giving up as many hours as you need to do something you like and you don’t have to be good at it.

Abraham Piper reminded me of this in one of his reels. He paints to center himself. The results don’t matter.

Find that creative activity you love, enjoy it for what it is.

If you want more creativity tips, check out my books in the Disneyland Is Creativity series and the Penguinate! series.

Being Kind as a Measure of Success?

Posted on by

Mister Rogers told a story about a 100-yard dash at the Special Olympics: The starter’s gun went off, and the nine contestants started the race to the finish line. One of the competitors fell early and hurt his knee. He cried out, and when he did, the other runners, all of them, turned around and went back to him. They linked arms and crossed the finish line together. All of them were happy for their success. The crowd went wild. The story was popularized in a TV ad by the Foundation for a Better Life. This is based on an incident that happened in 1976. In that race, one of the runners fell and two others stopped to help him up. They finished the race together.

The implication of the story is that we are better off when we help others win and when everybody can win. In sports, we absolutely know that isn’t possible. There’s a winner and a lot of losers, especially if you believe the adage that second place is first loser. It doesn’t matter how much you train, how much effort you put in, or how much talent you have. If you don’t win, you lose. This is a hard way to live life, but it is also difficult to imagine 16 teams winning the Super Bowl. (Poor Jim Kelly, 4-time Super Bowl loser.)

How do we define success outside of sports? If it’s the cutthroat, second-place-is-first-loser philosophy, aren’t we selling our humanity short? Mister Rogers said that the three keys to success were to be kind, be kind, be kind. What happens when we start trying to outkind each other? What would it look like to be in first place at being kind? Kindness starts with being kind to yourself, and it doesn’t end there.

Sources: Life’s Journeys According to Mister Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way by Fred Rogers (2005).

Snopes: Special Olympics Linked Arms Race Finish accessed 8/11/2024.

Planning a Disney Vacation? Talk to Lynn Barron

Posted on by

Every year, I contact Lynn Barron (at Lbarron@conciears.com) to find out what a package to Disneyland costs, and every year, he asks me the appropriate questions to get me the best package price-to-benefit available. Lynn’s expertise comes from more than his extensive travel experience. He is a former custodial cast member, who has parlayed his former work site into two co-authored books on the park and a successful Disney podcast.

Books and Podcast

Along with Ken Pellman, Lynn authored Cleaning the Kingdom and its sequel. These two books expose the dirty underside of the park and how the vaunted custodial crew keeps it clean. Featuring stories from several custodial cast members, Cleaning the Kingdom is a must have for any Disney enthusiast and for those who wonder how they keep the parks so clean.

Lynn and Ken also do The Sweep Spot, a podcast that covers all the Disney topics. It provides updates about the parks and has interviews with former cast members, Disney historians and authors, including me. These two media ventures help Lynn keep his fingers on the pulse of the parks, so that he can plan incredible Disney vacations for his clients.

Honeymoon and More

Lynn has arranged park visits for both my nieces, including one honeymoon and one trip to Walt Disney World. His recommendations and hard work have made these trips easier. More importantly, he has helped make the Disney parks more fun.

Lynn didn’t ask me to write this. I just wanted to give him a shout out for the joy he’s brought to my family. Disneyland is a magical place, and Lynn has increased its magic through his various endeavors. Thanks, Lynn.

Mickey Mouse Ice Cream and Happiness

Posted on by

Every so often, our local Grocery Outlet has Mickey Mouse Ice Cream sandwiches at amazing prices, especially when compared with the ice cream sandwiches sold in the parks. The Grocery Outlet sandwiches seem smaller than the ones in the park, but that could be an illusion of memory. While the sandwiches were always my favorite, my Grahms loved the Mickey Mouse ice cream bars. She liked how hard frozen they were, and she would get at least one every trip. When the email ad from Grocery Outlet landed in my box touting the sale of Mickey Mouse ice cream bars, I knew I had to get them.

I found the ice cream bars in the frozen section with the other ice cream, which makes sense. However, I hesitated. They were a low price, but could I really afford them? How many could I afford? Wouldn’t I be better off purchasing something of real nutritional value? I looked at the packaging: one set was orange and celebrated the Mickey Mouse Club; the other was blue and celebrated Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary. I looked closer, and holding the package, it didn’t seem like they were Mickey Mouse shaped. I decided to take a trip around the store. Maybe I didn’t really need them, after all.

I got to the end of the frozen food aisle and knew I would get the ice cream. Maybe they weren’t Mickey Mouse shaped, but I could still enjoy the ice cream and the packaging. Now, I had to decide how many I could afford. I decided to see what else was available in the store. After picking up a box of Pop Tarts, I couldn’t stand the thought of someone else buying the ice cream bars, so I returned to the frozen food aisle.

I bought them all. I no longer cared about the shape or the cost. I was going to enjoy them and the memories they invoked. Twenty-one Mickey Mouse ice cream bars went into my freezer at home.

I waited 16 hours before I opened my first ice cream bar. IT WAS MICKEY MOUSE SHAPED! Grahms would be happy. I know I was, and as of writing this, still am.

Check out my books on Amazon:

For other stories about Disney.

Netflix’ ‘Damsel’: Strange Storytelling Choices

Posted on by

Netflix’ “Damsel,” starring “Stranger Things’” Millie Bobby Brown as Elodie, is about a stereotypical, at least as far as modern fantasy is concerned, princess who faces off against a dragon. “Damsel” also features Robin Wright of “Princess Bride” fame, subverting her Buttercup role, playing the queen of a nation that the dragon threatens. The story is enjoyable, and the next spoiler-filled paragraphs (if this one has possibly avoided spoilers) are not meant to diminish the mild pleasure the viewer may get from watching Millie Bobby Brown dress up, fight a dragon, and do other things the script required. Instead, they are meant to explore storytelling using two questionable choices the film made. (If you are worried about spoilers, don’t watch the trailer. I’m glad I didn’t see it before I watched the film.)

Accepted Modern Fantasy Story Trope

The princess knows how to use a sword. The whole point of the film lies in its name. “Damsel” is often the word used to denote a young woman, usually helpless. The word is often used with “in distress,” and the woman waits for her prince to rescue her. Over the course of the last 30 or 40 years, Hollywood has subverted this trope. In Disney’s “Hercules,” Meg says, “I’m a Damsel. I’m in distress. I can handle this. Have a nice day,” as she dismisses Hercules. In “Damsel,” Elodie is a damsel in distress, but she’s going to handle it because she has to. The sword use is never set up, but the audience is fine with accepting she knows how to use it.

This contrasts with horse riding. Elodi and her little sister are seen riding horses at the opening of the movie. Later, when the Elodie suggests that she and the prince she is supposed to marry go for a ride, he is taken aback. “Do you know how to ride a horse?” Why was it necessary for the story to point out she can ride a horse? I don’t know. The audience would’ve likely accepted that she could as well as they accept she knows how to use a sword. It’s fantasy. People, especially nobles, know how to ride horses.

Damsel’s Amazing Flaw

The first flaw is really just a dead end. It’s not a tragic flaw. It doesn’t impede the viewer’s joy in the story. It just doesn’t go anywhere in spite of the prominence the movie gives it. Elodie draws labyrinths. In a fantasy setting, books and paper are often difficult to come by. She’s a noble, so her family can sort of afford them. Still, to use a book to draw a labyrinth is a pretty bold statement. It lends importance to her skill, which should lead to some sort of payoff later in the story. If it were only shown once, we could forget about it. However, it comes back when she meets the prince, and he shows her the letter she wrote to him. He asks about the labyrinth she drew on top of an anatomically correct heart. She never uses the skill again. Some may claim that it helps her in the “labyrinth” of the caves, but she never uses her drawing ability there. And the caves aren’t labyrinthine.

Damsel’s Visionary Flaw

The second flaw in the storytelling of “Damsel” is a little more problematic. When Elodie finds a map and the names of princesses who went before her on the cave walls, she has a vision of those princesses doing things. In a fantasy setting, they could be real visions. Maybe she is using some sort of magic to see the past. It’s enough to throw off the audience. She never showed magic powers before; why does she have them now? The other possibility is that we are seeing what she is imagining. However, what she imagines may or may not be the truth. She has more visions later, and they absolutely affect the outcome of the movie. Still, because they are never explained as magic, the audience is left assuming that Elodie’s imagination provides the correct and true version of the past and not the product of some over-active imagination. However, in storytelling, first person perspective can be used to mislead the audience. The viewer can never be sure that the person, whose point of view the story is told from, is telling the truth or even knows what the truth is. Had the movie set up her imagination or her visions in a way that was reflected in the cave, it would have been easier to understand and more productive than the dead end of her labyrinths.

The Generational Wars on the Internet

Posted on by

Some Gen Z nitwit complained about how Gen X was being left out of the generational wars. Another asked why Gen X gets a pass, and then Pinkie Pie (not their real name; choosing their because it seems like the safest pronoun to go with) stated Gen X is the worst generation. By this time, I got my popcorn out because the Gen X I grew up in wouldn’t let this stand. We were sitting around, minding our own business, and these little dweebs call us out – Nuh-uh (Nah, bro – for those who don’t understand Gen X). However, instead of video after video of devastating personal attacks based on everything from personal appearance to speech patterns to lineage, I got a lot of Gen Xers explaining why it was a bad idea to poke the bear.

Don’t Poke the Bear

The reasons were peripherally related to Gen X skills or abilities. Our parents were never around. We rode our bikes everywhere. Our parents locked us outdoors. We drank from the garden hose. We rode Big Wheels. One or two Gen Xers mentioned that when we wanted to insult someone, we did it to their face and our problems were sorted out on the playground where lawyers and cops were never present, even after the altercation. Of course, this started to change in the mid-80s, but even in 1987, we were told that if two kids were fighting and the kid that the teachers liked the best was winning, they wouldn’t be so quick to respond. Still, the one thing that was missing and was essential to our Gen X childhoods was brought up by an early Millennial.

Getting Moded, or Insulting Friends Is Fun

The person that best summed up why leaving Gen X alone was a good idea was laurahigh5, a comedian. “We do not summon the latchkey kids unless it is our literal only last resort because we know we will have to pay a price and that price is our feelings.” In another video, she says she learned so much about Gen X from her siblings and later as a comedian. She and the Gen Z comedians would be roasting each other when a Gen X comedian would show up and send everyone away crying (happy tears because they didn’t want to show they had their feelings hurt). And this is what I remember from my childhood. In my neck of the woods, someone who was destroyed by an insult was “moded.” (The same as “burned.”)

We insulted each other for fun. The person that could deal the best insults ruled the playground. It didn’t matter how big or small you were. If you could hurt someone else’s feelings without using foul language, you were respected. We sharpened our biting wit against one another, and some few of us took that wit and used it against our elders.

Before the older generation starts crying about being disrespected, it’s important to note that we grew up believing respect was earned, not given out like participation ribbons are now. Age didn’t automatically grant you respect because we knew older people were just people, and many of them weren’t worthy of respect.

Where Are the Insults?

The Gen X videos I’ve seen responding to the call for Gen X to rise up are seriously lacking in the insults that would make the other generations cry. Instead, they are filled with warnings, nostalgia, and Gen Xers generally poking fun at themselves and their age. These are musical celebrations full of hair or mentions of hair in the case of John Kotrides, memories, and a little wisdom, or something that is disguised as wisdom by the old-timey voice of DadBod Veteran. Maybe, that’s the way it should be.

Gen X and Your Feelings

It’s possible that there are places where Gen X has resorted to its feral nature and commented so hard that some other Gen Z or later, or Baby Boomer has cried. However, there are several other reasons that Gen X may not be out there raining down the chaos that would come from a few, simply applied insults:

  • Gen X doesn’t have anything to prove anymore. We’ve already taken on the best. We know where we stand.
  • Gen X is out of practice. Insulting people in the workplace has become less acceptable than ever, and we don’t have anyplace else to practice our craft.
  • Gen X is tired. Several videos mention age and the related fatigue that comes with it. They also talk about supporting the boomers, Millennials and Gen Z financially, which is exhausting considering how many jobs Gen X must work to bring in that much money.

Slim Sherri specifically mentions that she doesn’t talk bad about other generations because that’s not her thing. That gives me hope because maybe… just maybe… we learned something out on the playground, or with Mr. Rogers, or someplace else. Maybe, we learned that hurting people’s feelings isn’t the way toward a better world.

Of course, it may be that when we were young and came face-to-face, we were insulting people we knew and loved. We cared about the people that we spent time with and used our words to bring down. We were making each other stronger to withstand what was coming in our adult lives. We knew that at some point we would have to rely on ourselves because life was so fragmentary.

Friends moved. Friends died. Parents were already telling us they wouldn’t be around forever, and they divorced. Companies fired people six months before they became vested in the retirement program; then did away with retirement altogether. We could get at the very heart of what hurt our best friend and help build that scar tissue, rubbing metaphorical dirt on the emotional wounds. We were kids, so we didn’t always get it right. Some of us were traumatized by the relentless teasing, especially when it could be laser-focused. So, when we come together on the Internet, we don’t tap into our dark side to rip someone because to do so would mean that we actually cared about that person. And the biggest tag we try to live up to is that we don’t care – about you, your feelings, or anything else. We just want to be left alone to live a life that best defines who we are as individuals and families not as a generation.

The Declaration of Independence Text

Posted on by

The following is the full text of the Declaration of Independence. I have placed the source link at the bottom of the page. The text is about 1300 words. I have changed the formatting of the list of crimes King George committed that led to the colonies declaring their independence. It is now in bullet points to make it more readable.

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

  • He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
  • He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
  • He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
  • He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
  • He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
  • He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
  • He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
  • He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
  • He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
  • He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
  • He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
  • He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
  • He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
  • For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
  • For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
  • For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
  • For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
  • For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
  • For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
  • For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
  • For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
  • For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
  • He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
  • He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
  • He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
  • He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
  • He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Source: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

How to Beat Social Media Algorithms and Save Your Feed

Posted on by
Social media icons
Beat the social media algorithm Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

To paraphrase Gandhi, “Be the Feed You Want to See in the World.” One of the things that I dislike about recipes and “help” articles on the Internet is that they require you to wade through a bunch of extraneous stuff to get to the information you want. There’s always a story, complete with large photos, that requires you to scroll for five minutes before you ever get to the solution. That’s why I paraphrased Gandhi and put the easiest solution to beat social media algorithms first. Now, if you know how to do that, you don’t have to read any further. However, it would be nice if you did continue because that’s how the algorithm works. The longer you stay on this page and the more you click on the links on my website, the higher the ranking my page and website will achieve.

Computer Algorithms

Algorithms have no decision-making capabilities. It is important to know this because it means that the algorithm can’t decide if you want to see content. It can only compute the amount of time you spend interacting with a topic and, based on its program, the type of interaction you focus on. Algorithms will also look at the key words you are using. Whatever you interact with, no matter the type of interaction, is what you will see. If posts that make you angry cause you to react on social media, those are the posts you are going to see. Algorithms may also look at what your friends and who you are following are interacting with, which means you can’t control everything you see on your feed because some of your (social media) friends are likely going to interact with stuff you don’t like.

Your Posts

The easiest things to control in your feed are your own posts. Post the type of content you want to see. If you’re posting your political views, chances are you’re not only going to the views that align with yours, but you’re also going to see the views that are directly in conflict with yours. Anger is a powerful motivator, and if Trump or Biden get you to like, comment, block, stop scrolling, repost, subscribe or other interaction, you’re going to get more of them on your feed – both good and bad (from your point of view).

If you’re reposting something, make sure it’s something you want to see more of. Keep your personal feed free of the stuff you dislike, that makes you angry, or that could incite others, and you’ll be on your way to a happier, more engaging feed.

Seek Out Friends

You’ve seen the post:

Facebook is blocking me from seeing my friends posts and showing me ads instead. Like and comment on this post, so I can see more from my friends.

Your friends interacting with your post will allow them to see more of what you are posting. You need to interact with your friends’ posts. Social media’s first priority is to keep you on the page. Interacting with your friends with a long comment that sparks a conversation will compute to the algorithm and cause it to show you more of that type of content. If you want to see more posts from your friends, it’s up to you to make that contact, like, long comment, and share (repost) their posts.

Post What’s Verifiable and True

A lot of people will post or repost something that they want to be true. Cough CPR doesn’t work, but the post makes its rounds because “if I’m alone and having a heart attack, I’m going to do what it takes even if it doesn’t work.” Flat earthers abound; conspiracy theorists, like scum, rise to the top. Some people just want to believe the lie: If you repost this the lucky penny, the four-leaf clover, screaming goat, Jesus will grant your wish. It’s the modern version of a chain letter. No matter how much you want it to be true, do not post it until you have verified it as a fact. If your opinion is not true, it is a lie.

That doesn’t mean you can’t post your opinion. (And obviously, you can post whatever you want because freedumb.) However, “aliens built the pyramids” isn’t an opinion; it’s a conspiracy theory. “This cupcake tastes amazing” is an opinion. “Who is the worst president ever” is an opinion-based question. An opinion is something that ascribes value to a subjective experience. Facts are not objective. The best way to look at it is if you don’t want to see the opposite of what you are posting, then don’t post it. For example, if you really dislike people who think that chocolate is the best flavor when you think vanilla is, don’t post your opinion on vanilla.

It’s important to remember that posting your opinion, even when based on facts, will not change anyone’s mind on social media. You won’t have the perfect comeback, the perfect link, or the perfect rapport with someone to help them see the truth or the light. Responding to a post where you have the undeniable truth on your side – i.e., the Earth is round – will only cause your feed to become inundated with people who disagree with you and no amount of evidence will convince them otherwise.

The Chaos Bullies

This is probably too cool a name for those people that enjoy poking the bear. There is a significant portion of the population that gets their jollies from poking the bear. They don’t care if what they post is true. They don’t care that their comments hurt you or the people you love. Their only pleasure in life is making others angry. If they can get a rise out of you, they will feel better about themselves. They will have gotten the attention they crave, and they will have learned how to control you. Their like toddlers who learn to control mommy and daddy by making a scene in public, throwing a tantrum in the market, shouting out “you’re not my parent” and asserting that they will call the police and claim abuse.

The best way to deal with bullies is to ignore them. By not interacting with them, you take away their power. If a bully is persistent, you can and should block them. Just remember that the algorithm is going to pick that up and file it away as an interaction. You may have to block quite a few people and bots depending on the comment. If the bully is not a social media friend, you can change your settings to post only to friends, and avoid the possibility of unwanted attention. (I posted about a person’s car being stolen, found and impounded. It was going to cost $500 to get the car out of impound. I had 60 almost identical comments about how to use an Instagram tracker to get the car back. All of the comments referred to one of two Instagram pages. I tried blocking them, but they just kept coming. I switched the post to Facebook friends, and that cleared up the problem.)

Facebook Manipulates Feelings

In 2012, Facebook manipulated the feelings of over 700,000 users subjected to the social media platform’s science experiment. They found that those who saw more positive and uplifting posts posted more uplifting words by the end of a week. Those who saw sad posts posted sadder updates by the end of the week. We know that Facebook has done at least one experiment to control people’s feelings. We don’t know what they have done with that information.

Follow the Right People

John Schneider was posting a series of amazing, heartfelt tributes to his wife who died a year ago. He talked about compassion, lifting others up, and explained how we’re all fellow travelers. These were amazing sentiments about coming together in hard times. My heart went out to him, and I was uplifted by his ability to express his emotions. It was nice to have a childhood icon explain some of the very things I was feeling and could relate to.

Schneider is also a die-hard Trump supporter. Once his year of grief was over, he posted more of his alt-right rhetoric, disrespected the president, and shouted pain from his social media platform. How could he reconcile the two positions? More importantly, for me at least, is how could I reconcile the two positions – one of uniting and one of dividing? The last post I saw from him was one where a woman complained about his political stance. Rather than engage in a dialogue, where neither would be convinced by the other’s position, but where maybe they could come to an understanding, Schneider and company just kicked her out. Good riddance. Schneider doesn’t have to be nice to people. He doesn’t have to be consistent in his beliefs, and I don’t have to follow him. I don’t want to see political posts against the American judicial or political system. I don’t want to hear from people who only believe in democracy as long as it conforms to their vote and opinions. That’s my personal thing. If you love Trump, and seeing political posts makes you happy, follow John Schneider.

If you don’t want those kinds of things in your feed, do not follow people who are posting politics. If you do follow people posting about subjects you don’t want in your feed, you will engage and your feed will be inundated by those things you don’t want.

Your Friends’ Feeds

From time to time, maybe more often than you want, one of your friends is going to post something you don’t want to see in your feed. Social media will share these posts with you because you have interacted with your friends. Ignore the posts you don’t like. Don’t comment on the post, don’t angry emoticon the post. Ignore it, especially if it’s something they copied and pasted or it’s from another page. If it’s especially bothersome, block the page (not necessarily your friend). Just remember blocking is a form of interaction.

Beat the Social Media Algorithm

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. It won’t be easy to beat the social media algorithm and save your feed, but it will be worth it. By engaging more with your friends’ original posts that you truly enjoy and only posting what you would like to see more of, you will be able to find your happy place again. Avoid the angry emoticon, interact with what and whom you love, be healthier mentally. (And if you want more of this type of content like, share, follow, comment, subscribe and interact.)