I found the article on "Culture Jammers" and guerilla media slightly amusing, but overall it just agitated me. Spam is everywhere and it is almost impossible to avoid entirely. I do not find it to be an effective advertising method, because I don't lend a second of my time to it. If an ad annoys you... I say complain for a while... and then get over it. That's basically all I have to say to this article. 

While I was reading the first article " A declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace" I couldn't help but think of my absolute favorite movie V for Vendetta. I most likely drew the connection because of the early settler vernacular and the rebellious tone of the entire article. Barlow comments on the relationship of the people to their governments saying,  "Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed." V shares a similar philosophy and adds that, " People should not be afraid of their governments... Governments should be afraid of their people."  After I researched the historical context around this article I gained a slightly better understanding of Barlow's declaration. I think that that Barlow initially saw the internet as a full proof escape from reality and its rules, and with the enactment of the Telecommunications Reform Act Barlow felt as though his safe haven was being threatened. He then wrote this article declaring independence from reality and its rules. He describes the nature of Cyperspace as something that is not tangible, something that exists everywhere and nowhere, and something that lies beyond the governing boundaries of reality. He also comments on how Cyberspace "grows itself through our collective efforts" and how the government cannot treat this virtual reality as a public construction project. 

The instant I discovered that my blog required a title my mind immediately went to work. Over the next few days, I strained over a list of uninspiring ideas, losing hope of producing a catchy title with each passing moment. Finally, and to my surprise, the title came to me --Headphone in ear, iPod in hand. My iPod, the beacon of inspiration, carefully shuffled Elton John's, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", into play. My reaction and realization were immediate, and at the sound of the first note my mind had sealed the deal. I had a "eureka" moment appropriately accompanied, as I imagined, by a light bulb above my head and heavenly chorals of hallelujah.

I find it particularly difficult to explain why this song has such an impact on my life and I do not wish to bore anyone with pyramiding paragraphs. So, I will keep it simple and to the point: In life, I believe that everyone is like Dorothy and that we all pursue a Land of Oz. Cheesy as it may sound, I believe we are all born with an authentic void inside and progress through life trying to fill its emptiness, most often unsuccessfully.

This lifelong process can be visualized and similarly compared to how infants play with a shape-sorting cube. A shape-sorting cube, for those robbed of a childhood, is a large cube with different shape cutouts and blocks. The trick is built in the blocks; they are cut precisely to fit only one unique hole in the cube. Frequently, toddlers are left bewildered in their attempts to smash a star block through a circle hole. Sadly, we hardly examine the shape of our own hollows and are seen displaying the same infantile behavior throughout our lives.

The cause of misguidance is heavily due to the disregard of our void’s distinctiveness, but also a result of misplaced love. Today, happiness is dislocated in a life of opulence, allowing the Land of Oz to assume several different forms (money, women, fame, strength, intellect or beauty). Vanities, such as these, serve only as temporary distractions and partial occupants, dissatisfying our hollowness. People pave and follow their ‘yellow brick roads’ to their lavish and mislaid destinations, only to arrive unhappy.

-Ryan