Hello, Again

I almost didn’t recognize this blog when I signed in. My last serious post was back in January, where I quietly expressed gratitude to my family. Since then, so much has happened.

March 9^th marked the end of the Space Shuttle Era. Space Shuttle Discovery touched down for the last time, bringing an end to America's space program for the foreseeable future. It'll be interesting to see where the space program goes from here. There are plans for a Mars mission, along with talks of creating a Moon base. I've also read that certain space rocks contain precious metals and mining them would be a good idea. Though, history has taught us that cultivating valuables has always led to conflict. War is always a possibility.

Also virtually every dictatorship was, and currently is, under harsh scrutiny by its people. Sparked by the ousting of Tunisian President Zine El Abindine Ben Ali, the people of the Middle East expressed their opinions against their repressive governments. They were no doubt were heard. Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, along with dictators form neighboring countries, reluctantly stepped down from rule. The Internet was a huge player in this, with giants like Twitter, Facebook and Google pushing the cause. They, along with mainstream media, kept the rest of the world informed about what was happening. They allowed us to witness history.

Another historical movement involving the Internet, “Anonymous” hackers infiltrated very influential corporations. If you follow any sort of news their moves have gotten a lot of attention, so I won’t explain the situation. However, what many aren’t aware of are their motives. Anonymous actively believes and openly states that they “do not accept that the government and the military have the right to be above the law.” They defend by questioning how voters can accurately vote while being unaware of what is done between some very influential people. Like Wikileaks, they believe in transparency. Though, they assert that they and Wikileaks are “distinct entities”. One doesn't support the other. They make a very clear point: “This is no longer your world, it is our world. The People’s world. We are Anonymous. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”

Without question, a lot more has happened in the past few months. I just personally felt these three events resonated with me the most. Also, the consequences and implications of the three are barely realized. Experts have written volumes about them and I encourage anyone to read their works. With my exams done, I'm back to casual reading. Between that, hanging out with friends, and playing basketball, life’s been relatively good. Blogging here is just an added bonus. And for some reason, there's a different feel to blogging now. Still, it feels good to be back.