b/vlogs.

I wasn't planning on posting tonight, but after a long day (and a long weekend) I have decided to put off my work for an evening. My philosophy paper on the subjective and objective spirit found in Georg Simmel's work can wait for another day...

Seeing as how I am getting used to this whole blog thing I figured I'd share some of my favourite bloggers/internet "personalities" that I have enjoyed in the past and present. I have never really read many written blogs on a regular or consistent basis but I did follow political commentator Warren Kinsella's blog for a brief time after I had the chance to meet the man when he made a guest appearance in one of my first year classes. Being a political commentator, his blog mainly deals with his opinions on current events in both the political and social realms, with a specific focus on Canada's political scene. He is witty and a good read so if you're into Canadian politics I recommended checking him out!

Prior to creating my own, my main experience with "blogs" mainly came from "vlogs" or video blogs. The video-hosting website Youtube enabled a number of individuals to have the ability to put their ideas and opinions online in videos. I will first breifly speak to those "vloggers" I used to watch  on a regular basis before moving onto the ones I am currently "subscribed" to.

I used to subscribe to vlogs posted by internet personalities: Dan Brown, Philip DeFranco, and Mr. James and I would look forward to their videos everyday. Brown's videos were meant to be more educational in nature, giving a brief teaching on some topic or subject. DeFranco's videos were mainly about his opinions on whatever was going on in popular culture or the news at the time. Mr. James spoke about what used to be my favourite television show, "Lost", and every week I looked forward to his opinions and insights on that week's episode. However I eventually lost interest in Brown's and DeFranco's videos and personalities and "Lost" ended last year so I have since unsubscribed to these three channels. As of writing, my Youtube account is subscribed to vloggers: KassemG, KevJumba, LiberalViewer, and the vlogbrothers.

KassemG is an all-around entertainer and I find him, and his videos, genuinely funny and entertaining. His vlog series "AsKassem" consists of a lot of user interaction as he gets the topics and themes for these videos directly from his viewers. A good portion of his videos are spent answering people's questions, and his comedic nature mixed in with some ridiculous audience-driven content is always good for a few laughs.

Kevjumba is a fairly typical "youth" (I think he's around my age) and his vlogs are generally about his opinions on conventions in youth culture. Kevjumba is an Asian-American and his videos usually relate to how his view of the world is different from his more "traditional" Asian father. The videos play off how each "generational" character (father and son) interpret and engage in the modern world. While the topics of his videos are of little significance in their insight, kevjumba is an entertaining personality and I enjoying hearing what he has to say and viewing how he goes about saying it. He and his father were also on the last season of "The Amazing Race", so that's pretty awesome as well.

The so-called LiberalViewer is a political commentator and media critic. The main purpose of his commentary is pointing out bias and misinformation found in "right wing" American media (namely Fox News). I initially took the LiberalViewer to be insightful and illuminating but as the bias of which he speaks of became more recognizable to me without outside coercion or forces "highlighting" this bias I lost use for his commentary. While I highly recommend him to those of you who aren't aware of potential bias in the media, I personally feel that the LiberalViewer may be the next on my "unsubscribe" chopping block.

My favourite vloggers would have to be the vlogbrothers. In these videos brothers Hank and John Green "message" one another through posting videos onto their channel, with each video usually pertaining to some interesting topic or idea. These videos usually seek to educate the viewer on some topic (in under four minutes mind you) and I really feel that their approach to the material really succeeds in doing so. Hank is a science geek and John is an author so you get an interesting mix of topics and discussions. My general interests and area of study fall more into the "social science" category occupied by John, and I love hearing his opinions on issues as well as his general observations on whatever. Meanwhile Hank manages to teach me things dealing with science and technology in a way that makes it approachable and exciting, and leaves me wanting more. My attention to the vlogbrothers was first bought on by Philip DeFranco who spoke about John Green's book Paper Towns in one of his videos (a book I have read and enjoyed, although the 2006 Looking For Alaska is easily my favourite work of his). The vlogbrothers are also really good at spreading awareness about issues and initiatives being put on by others. The vlogbrothers seek to end "world suck" and they intended to do this through education and awareness, something their many followers (dubbed "nerdfighters") inevitably grab and hold onto (I know I have). They are truly one of the Youtube greats. vlogbrothers, DFTBA!

So there you have it. Some insight into some of my favourite people on teh internetz. Check 'em out!