Hello, Mr. Spuddy Face

Been reading Pratchett's Jingo during the week - it's turning out to be one of my favourite Discworld books so far :) Rain of rain, anyone? Or would you prefer splashed elephant? Nobby Nobbs is steadily becoming one of the, er, people who grow on me.

So...anyways.

This post by Sharon Bakar got me thinking - does the Internet really change our attention spans? Shorten them, until we can't focus as well as we used to while reading? I know the Internet is drastically reducing my attention span while studying anyway...but as for leisure reading - nope, not yet. (Probably because I used to read books like how I surf the Net - I skip parts when I'm bored and come back to them later.) Or maybe it's because I have already cultivated the - ah - habit of reading for fun online.

Fanfiction, doncherno. You write a 4000 plus-word fic and think it's long, and then you post it online. Lo and behold - yours is a relatively "short" fanfic after all. Hats off to the fanfic writers who can continue the story for chapters till the end. I think up all sorts of weird ideas and then forget about them because I can't face working on the same story for...more than two months. *sniff*

Does this mean that I've always had a short attention span? Dang.

But the Internet has made me lazier though. I just Google whatever I need these days. Sometimes just for fun. (Do you know how easy it is for people to find you when you have a blog? =/ even easier than looking for you on Facebook, etc.)

Anyway - back to short attention spans.

Yes - the Internet has reduced my attention span in some ways, especially when I have to do research for assignments. And it's made me lazy to think things through, especially about knotty issues. Or even maths. Plus information can be found instantaneously online, so I get impatient when I can't get what I need immediately.

And if my journals are anything to judge by, I get flippant about things. I have no idea why. Probably this blog's influence, I think.

You know what I think? People don't like to read long blog posts. (Is this true?) They like things to be in lists these days. So here goes -

1. I'm reading Pratchett's Jingo this week.

2. Go read Sharon Bakar's post on the Internet and our reduced attention spans.

3. The Internet has reduced my attention spans, particularly while I'm studying.

4. But not while I read for leisure, because I'm used to reading fanfic online.

5. You're reading this list because you ignored the above paragraphs.

6. Get your fill of Tom Sturridge online. *GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM, ALAN*

7. Like Minds was disturbing. But I didn't mind because there was ~*Tom Sturridge*~. And his *crooked* smile and *intense* eyes and *velvet* voice. [He. is. NOT. Edward Cullen, tweenies.]

8. More good Arty Fowl fics to be found online :) I have a feeling nobody reading this actually bothers *sigh*

9. Want to name your kid after the characters in SMeyer's Twilight? Then just go here!

Edward: Vampire, Edward is one of the main Characters. Overprotective of Bella, he has the ability to read minds (Except Bella's) Also known as every fangirls dream guy!

ORLY? Apparently I didn't get the note about him being my dream guy.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! They besmirched the name of Stefan! Stefan Bashkir can so dropkick these vamps to whence they came from: Badfanficland. Jeez.

If you're feeling charitable, you can name your kid Renesmee. I dare you. *grin*

10. Did you reach the end of this list? :)

11. Metro bus just increased their fare. And the Ministry of Transport keeps talking about "improving public transport". Misters, I don't know what you guys are going, but I WANT EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

Can we please address that, like, soon? Before you talk about "progress" or "oh hey let's build another flyover/bypass into Subang!".

I think I (or we) need to do something to, you know, have them bring back the old local lines here. Cost or no cost, you people said you implemented RapidKL for our convenience. I'm starting to think it's not so convenient anymore for us, yes?