Raebolio.com

Happy New Year's! This will be a shorter post, because I'm trying to relax before the New Year, which will likely encompass a whole lotta shit in my life. Good shit, mostly. I hope. So, a brief overview of a few things that happened in the World in 2017: January: - Donald Trump gets sworn in as the President. I refuse to call him "President Trump" on the grounds that he is an utter disgrace on every level. - The "Women's March" creates 420 marches across the U.S., and 168 marches across several other countries worldwide, making it the largest worldwide protest in decades. The protest happens in response to Trump and others with similarly anti-progressive and/or Alt-Right stances taking power in various positions across the world. Said political figures, upon learning of this massive show of support for women's rights, simply chortled under their breath before going on about their day. February: - North Korea fires a missile straight...

Pretty much.

This image used under Fair Use laws from KnowYourMeme.com By now, you've probably heard the words "Net Neutrality" in a sentence. You've probably also heard it's going away, or that the current chairman of the FCC is a shamelessly-corrupt corporate puppet, or that Netflix is going to cost more, or some combination of the above. The story of the month is, the GOP's horrible Reagan-era tax bill made it through Congress just about effortlessly. But that's another story. The other horrible thing happening this month is, the current chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, went through with an unpopular (to say the least) vote to revote the Internet's status as a Title II public utility, which guarantees it certain protections and regulations under Federal law. But what, you may ask, is "Net Neutrality", and why should I give a shit? Well my friend, that's why I'm here - to let you in on a few crucial details about the Net Neutrality iss...

I wrote a story about a fictional speech that I feel like we all need to hear. I wrote this when I was feeling particularly depressed about the abysmal state of the USA, my home country. I've edited it heavily, but I still don't feel like it's quite finished - yet I feel like this is one of those stories I'll never be able to finish, even if I spend the next 50 years writing it. I have to admit, I'm nervous about posting this. Yet I believe that artists must take risks, and since I consider myself an artist, I must take risks. I believe that there's still some hope.             “What do you want from me?” I said. “That’s what you always say, people like you. It’s my fault that the world is fucked up. It’s my fault because I’m black. I’m female. Because of that, you assume I’m lower class. You must assume I can’t afford taking time off work, but I do it anyway because I’m ‘too emotional.’ Maybe I’m ‘on my p...

HEADS UP: images containing raw tattoos exist herein, so tread carefully if blood stuff affects you.*** Tattoos are becoming more and more common these days. I thought today I'd give my two cents about the matter. I asked my mother once how people with tattoos were regarded when she was my age. She kind of pursed her lip for a few seconds and said something along the lines of, "usually, people with tattoos were seen as...not classy people." She went on to explain that tattoos were mainly worn in the US by bikers and criminals and that it was seen more as a sign of indoctrination into some sort of unsavory community or another. It meant that you were in so deep, you didn't care how society viewed you; you proudly displayed this aspect of your identity, because you already had all the support and confidence you needed. It was a symbol of belonging to a larger community of people. I think it's interesting how tattoos have gone from symbols meant to intimidate a...

"Battlefront 2" may have just killed EA. People who consider themselves "hardcore gamers" may be familiar with Electronic Arts, one of the giants of the gaming industry. They're known for "Fifa", "Madden", and aggressive in-game moneymaking strategies. They literally try to get you to pay extra money to unlock content for a game you already purchased. They're called "microtransactions." In the early days in which microtransactions first started being utilized, the companies that included microtransactions used them for what could be considered "extra" or "bonus" content. Those who chose a more "vanilla" form of the game wouldn't necessarily miss out on the vast majority of the game's content, especially content advertised as a primary selling point of the game. Some games, like "Team Fortress 2", continue to use this strategy in such a way; players can pay real money to unlock ...

If you're reading this, you've found my new blog. Huzzah! I can't think of much to say, this post being essentially a placeholder marking my new blog's address. Fun facts: I actually started writing this post the same night I posted my "Updates 11/28/17" post on my old blog. Including, but not limited to, these very words! "Raebolio" is what a buddy of mine by the name of Alex Gorsky used to call me in college. I can't believe it's taken me this long to realize that word sounds like the perfect name for a blog that I run. I'm going to start branching out from here on out. I'm still going to be writing, but I also want to do a lot more podcasting. I'm also working on creating a Youtube channel. I used to have a widget on my old site called "Daily Puppies", which would randomly generate stock photos of cute puppies. Getting rid of it was one of the biggest mistakes Google has ever made. I'm still going to...