Dylan's Writing Stuff

Just recently, ISIS claimed responsibility for the recent bombings of churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, without providing direct evidence that ISIS members carried out the attacks. In the immediate aftermath of the bombings, the Sri Lankan government took an interesting action while details were still being sorted out. They shut down many internet services, under the stated purpose of  preventing the spread of false details about the attacks. This received praise from other countries, while many Sri Lankans had to rely on the few unblocked government channels to find out the status of friends, family, etc. This leads to an interesting ethical dilemma. Was such a choice a proportional response, or an overreaction? I believe that the answer has shades of both. On one hand, baseless speculation by third parties would be prevented from reaching people and giving a false impression of the actual situation. On the other hand, the blocking of communication between those worried fo...

The famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France just recently caught fire and partially burnt down, losing the iconic spire and two thirds of the roof. Stating construction in 1160, largely completed in 1260, and modified multiple times since, the cathedral is more than a religious icon. It is also a testament of human capabilities, what groups of people can do with tools and knowledge of geometry. It is one of the most important pieces of French Gothic architecture. The fire was not the only threat the cathedral has faced. In 1763, during the French Revolution, many treasures were plundered or outright destroyed. It had also taken minor damage during the liberation of Paris in August of 1944. President Macron's vow to rebuild the Cathedral is another cycle of renovations that has enabled the Cathedral to stand for 850 years. Eventually, all things built by man will crumble. But for the foreseeable future, Notre Dame stands. Sources:  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Notre-Dame...

I'm currently drafting short stories for my most ambitious project yet. A series of short story collections, each based on a specific theme, with the unifying element of the series being a journalist accompanying a military or paramilitary unit. The first installment has the tentative title of Embedded: Ghost Stories, detailing military encounters with the paranormal. Whether it's a team from a DHS agency destroying ghosts in a New York apartment, or a training patrol encountering something dangerous in the woods, Embedded: Ghost Stories will be an interesting read for those who love the paranormal.

Da Google seems to have a major effect on our lives in the United States. I'm part of a writing group on Facebook, and a recent comment thread was about the overuse of people commenting to Google something, as not everyone lives in the US or other countries that have relatively easy access to internet and can just "Google it". What this brings us to is the question of whether Da Google is good or bad in the long run. I think it's a mixed bag, weighted slightly on the negative side. On one hand, the access to information that Da Google provides is largely unrivaled, on the other hand, Da Google can't index all websites, and there's no scholarly checks and balances, so any website, regardless of credibility, can appear on someone's search results. These search results and other data, which are remembered as standard in most search engines, can be collected and stored, and if they are misused or put into the wrong hands, they can be a serious breach in priv...

May destiny guide, And may faith help you along. It's snowing on Mt. Fuji.

I looked over an interview between Rebecca Blood and Trine-Maria Kristensen, author of the Danish blog  Hovedetpaabloggen . She talked about the first blog she read,  Thomas Madsen-Mygdal's Commonme (now  bootstrapping.net ). She discusses why she started her blog, what tools she uses, how she lets people know about any corrections. It was an interesting look into a blogger from another country and her experiences running it. I especially liked the suggestions for new bloggers and what someone would be interesting in when looking at a blog.