Spotify

I'm a bit late on this one; Taylor Swift's controversial pull from Spotify and other music streaming services was all around the internet a few weeks back, and as a loyal Spotify subscriber and listener, I had a few days of, "Hey Tay-Tay, you can't do that! You don't understand. You literally can't even...". But then real life hit and I had one million and one other things to do with my time rather than write this blog post which, to be honest, sounded a lot more fun than the other things I had to do [read: statistics homework].

So, my opinion on Spotify? Well, in my meager, lowly, broke opinion it is the best thing that has happened to music since the Walkman (those existed at some point, right?).

So wait, people actually used these?

While I missed the Napster piracy scandal years by a few, I am all too common with the argument. If I may toot my own horn, I've always tried to download legally; 1) I've always been scared of "breaking the law", regardless if it's nearly impossible to enforce and 2) there is some satisfaction in legally acquiring a song in whichever form, knowing that the artist will at least see some of the money I spent. Back when Best Buy opened up near me, they had a CD burning station; seventh grade me thought he was so cool going there, making a mix-tape [CD?] composing 90% of Aerosmith and Van Halen and then putting in on in my room for the next week. There was and still is some satisfaction in that!

And then I grew up and realized that music is expensive, and the more you listen to, the more expensive it gets. It's like a drug habit, except the drug habit is good for the economy and artist, but you still get screwed (how does that even work?!). And coinciding with my entrance to the adult world was the heavy role of YouTube in everyday life. Like, seriously, name another site that can honestly compete with YouTube; answer, there aren't any. Vimeo is a joke and everyone hates VEVO cause they are the sole reason why we can't post songs online.

So where does that leave me and the rest of the poor college-aged population with barely enough money to buy McDonalds? Answer: pirating music. Before Spotify, it was the only way to maintain the drug addiction that is new music.
But then Spotify comes around and completely sweeps us off our feet; all the music you want for free, or pay a few bucks a month and get all the music AND the ability to take it with you wherever you go WITHOUT ads? I remember when I first signed up; it was magical and I've never thought of leaving since! Some people cringe at the thought of paying $10 a month for music, but I'm just going to call those people cheap and tell them to learn some value in their life. $120 a year (half that if you're a student) is not a lot of money when you consider just how much music you will listen to on Spotify. Seriously, even if you have a very narrow set of music you like, the ability to discover other artists and music within that genre is amazing. Our society is so used to getting things for dirt cheap/free that when we are faced with actually paying a little more for something, we cringe. Screw you society!

Taylor raises some good points; it's bad how little money some artists see. But as the Spotify replied, they pay over 70% of what they make to the artists and record labels - the latter takes most of the money. If it's a money issue, raise it with them. They're the ones holding back progress.

My point is this: we've reached this point in society where we've experienced streaming and instant music gratification, and we're not going back, Taylor. You may want us to buy your CD and yes, I understand that's fair. But people are going to get your music online one way or another, legally or illegally (your YouTube video count for Shake It Off doubled since you removed the music from Spotify - I highly doubt no one ripped the audio.). So why single out Spotify? Because it's easy, that's why.

So Tay-Tay, while I enjoy your music (enjoy - not love), I'm on Team Spotify here; get with the times or your next album might not sell as well.

But actually, come back...please.

Jacob

armchair air marshals

In case you didn't hear, Ebola is here. That's right, the famous disease that is killing off West Africa is now in America, ready to wreck havoc on our unsuspecting populous. It's probably, in the eyes of some on the far right, God's wrath for accepting same-sex marriage.

Guys, it's Obama's fault, c'mon.

Of course, the armchair foreign policy planners of Facebook and the internet have already cried conspiracy, and are readying for the worst (I haven't even bothered to venture onto Alex Jones' website yet).

There will always be stupid people; that's inevitable. They've always been there, the internet just brings them out easier. However, I think I underestimated how stupid some people are on the world.
Take the common argument of, "ban all flights from Africa!". First off, 1) no, it doesn't work like that, and 2) most already are, especially from poverty-stricken Liberia. The country doesn't even have a national airlines, and if it did, it certainly would be banned from US airspace, just like a majority of countries in the region. 
This means that if the "ban" was put in place, it wouldn't have affected anything, because "it is clear that he would have to make at least two transfers -- including one in at least one other country" (ABC News).

Another question that seems to stem from the anti-vaxxer club is, "if it's not dangerous, why is it killing everyone in Africa?". Really, now, for all the stereotypes of Africa floating around, I thought this one would be easy. Liberia and much of West Africa is poor. Liberia averages one doctor and 27 nurses per 100,000 people (WHO). The US has many more, and we are far more advanced (paying for healthcare is obviously still up for debate).

I usually don't like to give the nutjobs the limelight, but this round just annoyed me...

Jacob

fall cleaning

If you're a subscriber, congratulations, you're probably one of the first and unfortunate readers to get pummeled with notifications of my updates. I apologize.

School has started, and with school has come an unexpected amount of free time. I've decided to use this free time for something more productive than cat videos and Facebook. Thus, this blog will be my conduit through which I hash out my opinions on, well, pretty much anything.

I'm still trying to figure out the whole "pages" thing here, so bear with me. I promise it'll be worth it!

Jacob

Nearly four months later...

I'd like to apologize. I'm a terrible blogger. Between trying to experience everything Spain can offer, my busy life, and my other blog, this one just has fallen through the cracks. It's not like I don't have anything to blog about; I do! Let's see if I can kick-start this blog again. I plan on giving it a facelift, too. Thank you for being patient.

Less than a month left in Spain! Hard to believe I'm uttering those words (If you want to follow up on my adventures, click here to go to my other blog.). It's safe to say that I've changed; I would hope that anyone who goes to a different country for five months would change in some way! The real question is, how have I changed and is it for the better? I'd like to think that I have changed for the better overall by becoming a more global citizen, aware of problems, different cultures, and just moreover how the world functions. Regardless of what job I take and where I take it, my aspirations will be more global and tolerant than they ever were before. That is good, regardless of what way you spin it.

Then there is the question of personal development. I reflect now and think this is more of a mixed bag. I've done things I didn't think I'd ever do (relax; I'm not a drug dealer) and certainly embraced the European nightlife a lot more than I thought I would. These two factors don't necessarily mean bad, however their influences can manifest themselves in not-so-helpful ways. I'm not going to get into details for privacy sake, but I've definitely made my fair share of mistakes, just like everyone else.
I think a lot of it has come down to the fact that all this is so foreign (duh) and new to me and that I really don't know what else to do. Well, wait, scratch that; I do. There are certain things I've been raised and taught by that I know are wrong. Does that mean I don't do them? No, I'm a sinner, just like I always was and always will be. What it boils down to, I've discovered, it what Paul says in Romans 3:7-8: "⁷ Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” ⁸ Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just.". Yes, it appears sometimes I've fallen into the "well, since I'm saved I can do whatever I want!" line of thinking, and because of such, I've fallen a bit more than I like. The good news is that I am never too far to turn back to God and try again, because I argue that's what our faith is built on - knowing what Jesus has done for us (died and forgiven our sins) and going to show the world his love manifested through us! Well, if only it was that easy. But there's no shame in trying, right?

An open personal thought I've had a lot here is in regards to the poor. There are a lot of beggars in the streets today, a lot more than I've ever been faced with in my lifetime. They're quite open about their desire for money and are often very aggressive until you give them something. My heart aches; I don't like seeing people in this states, and I know the economic crisis has hit this area of Spain particularly hard, but two factors remain: 1) I'm almost out of money myself, and I can't help all of them, and 2) I can't tell who is legitimate in their need for money over who is actually just too lazy to get a job and is okay with begging for a living - they exist, I've seen them. In Spain, and for that matter most of Europe, the Gypsy people have the reputation of being the career criminals, drug dealers, and pretty much everything else bad and unhelpful for society. Like every stereotype, it's true in some ways and wrong in others, but using them as a grand example, How could I tell which of them is actually hurting and needs help, and which one just wants my money to go buy a beer?
Help exists here, mainly through the forms of the Catholic Church and the government. I think more of what I could do is provide encouragement through conversation, which is a whole other level of intensity; I might have to practice for that one. Yikes. Anyways, when I return, I will look at the poor and destitute, the ones Jesus so often hung out with, in a much different manner.

We'll see if I can get one more post out before I'm back in America and to my normal, boring life.

Adios,

Jacob

Chillin' in the streets of Barcelona.

Let's Chat - Virginity

When it comes to the topic of virginity, our society is extremely ineffective in fostering an open discussion about it. The spectrum of sexual activity has two categories one can belong to - the constantly horny open for anything man/woman that makes this activity the center of their life, or the socially reclusive, nerdy, friendless, and possibly religious guy/gal that has to be coached by his "pro" friends into simply talking with a possible partner (I'm looking at you, 40 Year Old Virgin). Simply search anything with the word "virgin" in it and the first results will be Yahoo! answers forums from reclusive, depressed teenagers who can't handle their latest breakup.
With the rise of the internet and the ability for everyone to voice their opinion, regardless of how stupid it is, this sediment has only been entrenched further into our way of thinking. If you follow the cinemas today, you'll see sex portrayed in the same light, with it either being extremely "hot, passionate" sex (50 Shades of Grey), or awkward laughable sex (40 Year Old Virgin). Very few characters are portrayed in the middle.
I recently came across this article from the Guardian that talks about the 1/5 of society that simple doesn't have sex, or at least not as frequently as everyone else. Read it if you want more details; I recommend it.
I guess what spurred me to write this quick blog post was, what do we say to the rest of those in society that don't fit into the two categories of sexual activity? There are certainly more than you'd think (though not as many as I'd like, I'll admit.), and me being one of them, it's a very lost and confusing world. There really isn't a community to go to for support, with the options again being polarized into the "we need to get you laid now" party and the "you'll find the right person someday" religious cookie-cutter answer. I'm a little sick of it, and while I've managed to forge together some reasoning behind how I feel, I'm sure others out there have not.
There are so many reasons that it doesn't happen for some people. Some are medical, others a personal/religious choice, and others are asexual. From my point of view, is there not anything else you can do to fill your time? The world is huge, and there's so much to see! I guess it's just me, seeing as I'm very, very cynical about relationships and sex, but spending extra time and energy on exploring somewhere new would appear way more of a well-placed investment than laying in bed all morning/day.

Just some thoughts from a confused, frustrated young adult.

Jacob