The Ever Changing YouTubes

You may have noticed that YouTube changed the standard layout for the video page. But what I found really interesting was the reaction to it.

I used the redesign before it became standard for everyone. I opted-in for the Beta and I enjoyed it (and thus never changed back). I found it made everything a lot easier to use and a lot cleaner. But a lot of people didn't.

What's weird with human nature is that humans aren't fans of change. When a change happens around the web our human instinct is to react with upset and fear and anger. YouTube is our home for online video, and so when that home changes we of course feel angry about it. But here's the interesting thing, we start using it and we get used to it.

When the Beta came out for the new design, you could op-in and then you went to a video page of a documentary called HOME. Of course, when I read through the comments I found an overwhelming abundance of people yelling out "THIS LAYOUT SUCKS!!!!!!". But now people are fine with it. They get used to it. And then they change another thing and people freak out.

It happens all over the 'net. On Facebook, Twitter and any other social media site.

Whilst it is human nature to be angry and afraid of any change that comes at us, it's also human nature to adapt and change with it.

Michael Atkinson: Removing Our Freedom Of Choice

Well, it seems like Michael Atkinson won't stop banning our media. Recently, Atknison decided to slip in a law for South Australia that states that a video purchase or rent place cannot advertise R18+ movies, or have flyers and posters. Films bearing the R18+ rating will have their DVD covers replaced with blank covers that just state the movie's title. This could possibly lead to the end of informed choices about critically acclaimed films such as Three Kings and Fight Club.

Click here for a news article!

Michael Atkinson is best known for his opinions on censorship and ratings, and his most famous fight is against the R18+ rating for video games. And with any new law comes the punishments, and this one has really stupid ones. If you show a poster or a flyer for an R18+ rated movie, you could get fined up to $5000! But take Fight Club for example, it's cover is a bar of soap! Offensive, no! Also, if you do show the cover, it has to be in a closed off area like the adult sections we're used to seeing for pornography. Michael Atkinson doesn't seem to understand that FREEDOM OF CHOICE is a something that we all have. Cutting out the covers of R18+ films is chopping away our freedom of choice.

SUBJECT CHANGE!

As I mentioned earlier in the article, Michael Atkinson has fought a battle against an R18+ rating for video games. He says that interactive games media is more dangerous than films or TV because the player is actually doing the violent act rather than watching it. But little does he know that more adults are playing than children. In a study done by Bond University, results showed that the average age of gamers was 30. And that having that rating would stop less games getting banned and children not able to play them. But Michael Douchebag Atkinson thinks "Oh no! Children could get damaged! We can't have the rating!". But by not having the rating, you're allowing less games to come across our shores and thus RESTRICTING OUR FREEDOM OF CHOICE!

But, luckily, there are like-minded people who care. A group of gamers called 'Gamers 4 Croydon' are planning to run against Atkinson and hopefully eliminate him. I hope that this group accomplishes their goals and I wish them the best of luck.

An interview by IGN with the gaming group.

Another Blog!

I've put up another blog. Now, I'm not going to keep them regular, but I will keep them updated. This one's all about gaming. Check it out.

New Blog!

This is going to be my general blog. The 'adventures' blog is my holiday blog and the 'Undead Masses' is the zombie story I'm working on. Really need to add Chapter 2 to that. Maybe make it weekly.

I'm gonna try to get my Twitter on here as well. As that would be cool.