Jonathan’s Birthday

Mike demonstrates the interactive yet siloed nature of social media through an interactive conversation with viewers and with his roommate Jonathan, prior to his birthday, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking with regards to digesting information, weighing its credibility, and forming a conclusion based on these varied accounts and sources.

Good morning, this is Mike George here in the apartment, looking a mess this fine morning at 10:00 EST. I don't use Facebook as often as I used to, and I feel a little bit behind, so I wanted to take a gander and see what's going on in Facebook-land…

Since I'm in Canada, where it is legal to consume cannabis, I can do these posts in the intended spirit of me just smoking a bong and talking to you guys without paranoia. I’m starting off with a quick vape hit. I know people say smoking is bad, and if you have boundaries that prevent the habit, props to you! But I'm using it to enhance the experience.

Livestream Inside of a Livestream

I’m actually watching another livestream right now from a guy in Columbus named Frank Tennyson. He’s an inspirational figure to me, almost like a pastor but without a specific religion; he’s crafted his own nature-based teachings. I’m doing a "circular" livestream about a livestream to marvel at the interface.

He’s talking about electrons right now, and while it’s a one-way flow of information because he can’t hear me, it would be cool if someone shared this video into his comments to turn it into a weird, disjunct two-way conversation.

Time Machine Configuration

My roommate Jonathan is here. I’m going to pan over to him… Everyone, say “hello” to Jonathan! We’re looking at the transmission delay on the broadcast. It seems to be about a 5 to 10-second delay.

Jonathan:
I’d say 5 to 10 seconds, yeah.

Mike:
If we were trying to set a time machine to find the resonant frequency of the universe, or at least this transmission, we’d be one step closer. Since I’m stoned, I have to offset the perception delay from the transmission delay. We’ll just round the delay up to Pi or 2xPi, which is close to six seconds, leading back to the cycle time of the internet tubes.

Critiquing the Feed

Looking at the feed, there's an article about Monsanto and Bayer maneuvering to take over the cannabis industry. While they are big evil corporations, I see a "red flag" because the website name sounds designed to make me feel smart just by reading it. It feels like a fringe piece. I’ve seen the effects of fake news; our current President is basically the result of fake news propagating on Facebook.

We also see news about the USDA easing school lunch rules, which Michelle Obama was big on. It feels like the Trump administration is just being spiteful, trying to undo all the Obama achievements. Oh, and did Michigan just legalize marijuana? The Midwest is weird.

Graduation Regrets and Birthday Plans

I was thinking about something sad: graduations. I went to my friend Antoine’s PhD graduation at Concordia recently, and it’s bittersweet because I missed both of my own graduations.

Jonathan:
I missed my own graduation, as well.

Mike:
We should have a belated graduation party! Speaking of which, this sexy boy here (Jonathan) is having his birthday party next Saturday, 15 December. His actual birthday is Tuesday, the 11th.

Fade to Fallout 76

To close out, I’m going to Facebook Live some Fallout 76. We’ll have two "hive minds" colliding: the social element of the game and this real-time livestream. The game takes place in Appalachia, specifically rural West Virginia, 25 years after a nuclear war.

Thank you for watching! Don't forget Jonathan’s birthday here next Saturday around 19:00 or 20:00. From our home to yours, cheers!