LeechBlock

Posted by Lydia
I had some extra time today as well, so I added another post.
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I can probably truthfully say that many people are addicted to the internet and find themselves unable to let go of it easily. People use the internet for school, work, and as a tool as an information source. Those things aren't necessarily bad and part of the addiction. Internet users become addicted when they get into social networking websites, gaming websites, writing websites *cough*, and all those other websites out there that cater to people's interests. Used in a limited amount, these websites aren't bad, either. 
And that's just it.
People can have trouble limiting themselves. They open up their internet browser and literally have a wealth of information accessible through their fingertips. Tempting? I'll say. Self-discipline might work for some, but it takes time to develop and refine. Those with addictive tendencies especially find it hard to limit themselves and just might need something more forceful than self-discipline.
Here is where LeechBlock comes into play. Leechblock is a Firefox addon that helps you manage websites that "leech" your time away. 
It would take too long for me to explain how it precisely works, but this link and this link provide pretty good explanations for those who are curious. I'm basically going to explain how I experienced it and how it worked for me.
I got pretty attached to my laptop and Bad Things happened in the Real World as a result. I finally told myself that I wasn't going to let my Virtual World affect my Real World, so I searched around for help. I found LeechBlock and decided to use it. First of all, I had to add all of those websites I had grown attached to into the designated LeechBlock option areas. There were many. I put some in a permanently blocked area in the addon and then I put others in areas where I could time myself and limit my use. Of course, then my treacherous side found some loopholes, but I found ways to out-trick the loopholes by figuring out what I needed and didn't need. Eventually, the permanent list became not-so-permanent and a bit depleted as I got rid of websites I never wanted to use again. My list of limited-time websites became smaller. I drilled myself into thinking that I didn't need to go into the archives of every single webcomic, blog, fansite, and art gallery and drilled into my mind the fact that fanfiction was not good publishing material. Facebook became annoying and barely used. Twitter was never touched. And it worked. I still watch myself now, but I can happily let go of my laptop and internet whenever I need to do so.
For those who use Firefox and are desperate for a good addon against internet addiction, LeechBlock is a good choice. I'm not sure about other web browsers, though. I'll look into addiction help for those who use Internet Explorer, Safari, and Google Chrome later.
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The Second Interlude

Posted by Lydia
Nope, the insanity isn't over. However, I did manage to get some time today, so I'm just posting a quick note and a couple of updates.

First of all, I got sick of that purple and white ensemble that I put together. It was nice, but it was boring. So, I took a different layout from Pyzam. Hopefully, they won't delete it anytime soon. I rather like it, and it matches my "virtual reality" theme nicely. I apologize if the text on the right is difficult to read. It's better than it originally was, at any rate.


Second, I changed my photograph. Not that I didn't like the castle, but I like my photoshopped Rubik's Cube better. It matches more things.


Third and finally, here is a list of topics that I will hopefully be discussing in the near future:
- An addon for Internet Addicts
- Piracy, YouTube, and GrooveShark
- Copyright Infringement and Fanfiction
- Plagiarism, the Internet, and Pictures
- Internet Parody Groups

Edit: Darn. It appears that that layout didn't work as well as I thought. Sorry that it bothered you, Rosie. I've changed it again. I like this one, too, even though it doesn't have a pretty sunset. It looks organized, though (which is better than I can say for myself at the moment). I'll be back soon if there are more problems, though.  

Second Edit: Although I like the new layout, it isn't quite what I want, so I may be changing it. Not right now. I'll just be looking for possible new ones whenever I can.
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Interlude before Summer

Posted by Lydia
If you've noticed that there haven't been any new posts lately, it's because I'm really busy at the moment and don't have time to blog. I'm currently in that crazy interlude before summer begins, when everyone seems like they're expecting you to do everything in a insanely short period of time. In other words, I don't have time for the Virtual World. When I come back, hopefully the insanity will have died down somewhat. 

See you then.
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Take180

Posted by Lydia
If you haven't noticed on my sidebar yet, I have a list of my ten favorite websites (currently, not permanently). One of them is Take180. If you haven't heard of Take180 or even seen one of the group's videos, then you are missing out on an excellent source of entertainment. Take180 is a web television company owned by Disney and it makes many videos and web shows geared toward teens. For example, Take180 spoofs many aspects of teen pop culture in their show, Electric Spoofaloo. The video below is one of their most famous videos and incidentally, the same video that first introduced me to their website.

An interesting element of Take180 is that the creators get input for their videos and shows from the members. If you are a part of Take180, then you can comment on videos (which provides feedback for the actors, directors, and writers), submit ideas, or even appear in an episode. Each video runs 180 seconds or less (hence the name of the group).

Currently, they have one web show besides Electric Spoofaloo that is being updated. It's called I <3 Vampires and is partially based on the Twilight Saga and fandom. I am not a fan of the Twilight Saga myself, but I enjoy watching this show because it shows the dark and dangerous side of vampires and it incorporates the viewers' ideas.

I hope you enjoy watching the Harry Potter spoof video! If Take180 sounds interesting to you, then I highly recommend joining the website.



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Top Harry Potter Fanfictions

Posted by Lydia
Because I've mostly stuck to original fiction and hanging out with fans of things in the real world, I've only recently discovered internet fanfiction. Note to all who have never read fanfiction: Never read a fanfiction "to see how bad it really is". If you like good writing and adore the things you are a fan of dearly, looking at bad fanfiction on purpose will screw with your opinions of fandom and writing in general. I give this warning on a "been there, done that" basis. The only time I would ever suggest looking at a bad fanfiction would be for the sake of parody or critiquing. 
That being said, here are a few of the good Harry Potter fanfictions I have read. Most were recommended by the brave souls who trawl through the fanfiction on fanfiction.net, but I found a few on my own. (If you want to find good fanfiction on your own, my advice would be to find a good fan-author, look at his or her favorites list, and read the ones on the fan-author's favorites list that interest you. Typically, a good fanfiction writer reads and likes good fanfiction.)

- The Hogwarts Fanfiction Academy: The basis of this fanfiction is that bad fanfiction writers are sent to Hogwarts in order to learn how to write good fanfiction. The genre is parody and the story is quite hilarious, in my own opinion. The idea is based off another fanfiction that I've read, but it's not from the same fandom, so I won't go into that at the moment. I really liked the plot of this one because it was written right before the fifth Harry Potter book was published, right around the time I decided to read Harry Potter. It helps if you know a little bit about the concept of Mary Sues, but I think the story will explain them pretty well if you don't know much about that concept.
- A Mary Sue Alphabet: Again, this fanfiction poem involves the concept of Mary Sues. This time, I would recommend that you at least read the Wikipedia article on it and know a little bit about bad Harry Potter fanfiction. Perhaps a brief introduction to the community of Pottersues might help as well. Even so, the rhyming is contagious and funny. 
- Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness: DAYD is more mature and darker than the previous two fanfictions I've recommended. It is rated "M" for gore and language, but I think my status as a Redwall fan helped that to not bother me as much. (I know Redwall is a children's series, but I think most fans will agree that there is a lot of gore in those books. If you're fine with gore and some bad language, then this is perfectly fine to read.) Once you begin reading this, you won't be able to stop. The plot (Spoiler Alert for people who have not read all of the Harry Potter books!) of the story is to tell readers of what probably went on in Hogwarts while Harry, Ron, and Hermione were on the run. Personally, I think this is a pretty good idea of what happened. The only problem I have with this fiction is that I think the author goes a bit overboard with the tragic stuff of the fanfiction, but it's a good read if you're fine with a dark, dramatic story.
- Harry Potter and the Nightmares of Futures Past: Beautiful. That's what I use to describe this fanfiction. Like DAYD, it's dark. The difference is, this fanfiction is not based on the original books the entire way. This story is based on the first six books, then spins off into an Alternate Universe. Plot: "The war is over. Too bad no one is left to celebrate. Harry makes a desperate plan to go back in time, even though it means returning Voldemort to life. Now an 11 year old Harry with 30 year old memories is starting Hogwarts. Can he get it right?" The reason why I think this story is so beautiful is because the author, S'TarKan, uses his knowledge of pyschology to write the characters. Because of this, the characters are realistic and understandable and... There's not really a good description out there of what this does. You'll notice the difference between pyschology-influenced writing and normal writing after you read this, believe me. It changed the way I created characters.
- Once Upon a Freakin' Time: Time to bring back the funny fanfiction! There really isn't much of a plot in this one, but it is sure to make anyone laugh. The author of this one truly knows how to write humor in a way so that it tickles everyone's funny bone. Evadne, the authoress, also wrote a spinoff of this fanfiction, called So You've Decided to Be Evil. If you're in need of a pick-me-up, just read a chapter of one of Evadne's humorous fanfictions. Most of them aren't very long and can work as short stories on their own.


I might make more lists like these, but not at the moment.
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Virtual vs. Reality

Posted by Lydia
I started this blog in order to help myself distinguish between what is real and virtual and what is fictional and nonfictional. Instead of risking my privacy and sharing my real life online, I've decided to share what I like and enjoy about the virtual world (or what really annoys me). Occasionally I'll also discuss fictional things, like fantasy worlds from novels or movies or things that have to do with writing fiction. My hopes are that this breaks me of my tendency to neglect my real life. I often use the virtual world as a venting tool for things that bother me in the real world when I really should just tell someone or scribble something on a piece of paper. (My poor, poor, journals. I started writing in them seven years ago and I'm still only halfway through them.)

Trust me, this will work. 

Seriously.


If I can't vent online about something from the real world bothering me, then it will have to burst out in the real world. It's the way I am. (And when that starts to happen, I can then start working on controlling those venting bursts.)

Let's commence with my virtual world commentary, shall we?
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