I have a few things to tell you! First, I'll be in Boston tomorrow! I'm so excited. I'll be meeting up with a friend from Albuquerque, and of course, being a tourist and seeing the city. The east coast is supposed to get dumped on with snow tomorrow, so hopefully my flight plans don't get messed with.
As I said in my last blog, the Aussies and I went to Bath and Stonehenge earlier this week. Special thanks to my friend Mike Manz who suggested we go. (Everyone say hi, Mike!) Mike was one of my friends in the BA/MD Program-- we go way back. He's been to Bath and said it was something I definitely shouldn't miss; he was right!
The town of Bath and the Stonehenge monument were beautiful, but holy moley, it was cold! We were lucky to have sunshine though and no wind so it was bearable. We got to see the ancient Roman bath ruins, which were super cool, then we went out to Stonehenge on a bus. In the evening, we went and got in the baths that are open to the public.
I've been asked to talk a little bit about hostels. Yes, that's what I've been staying in while I've been traveling (travelling?) around, and I stayed in one in Bath. Hostels are awesome... mostly, haha. The concept is that it is a cheap place for travelers to stay and a fun way to meet fellow travelers. The more inconvenient- the cheaper it gets. So, you can typically choose any type of room to stay in. Some rooms have 4 beds, 8 beds, 12 beds, 32 beds, etc. (Bunk beds, of course). Each also has their own way of doing a bathroom. Some of the smaller rooms have their own bathroom, and the ones with more beds have big co-ed bathrooms. You can also choose if you want it to be "mixed" or "all female" or "all male." Theoretically, you can be in a room with 11 other strangers, men and women, from all over the world. Which has been the case in most the places I've stayed. Some hostels are definitely better than others. Most of them also have a bar or some area for everyone to hang out and meet each other. Most of them also have Internet and free breakfast. It's a good deal, and it is definitely the way to travel cheaply. But, it's definitely for young people! In fact, I'm staying in a hostel in Boston this weekend. Should be fun.
Here are some pictures! The Roman baths are the first ones.
Moving on from Bath, I also want to talk to you a little bit about the current legislation in Congress-- SOPA/PIPA. (I know, I know- here come those politics!) The main thing I want to tell you is to please learn what these bills are and what they entail. I know that reading legislation sounds intimidating/awful, but these are really important and could bring about a lot of potential change to the Internet. I've done some of my own research, and yes, it is complicated, but it is worth learning. I've copied two links at the bottom of this blog for you to visit. They might help you learn more about the proposed legislation. Basically, there are potentially awful consequences in terms of free speech rights, but there are also some valid points with respect to copyright laws.
For example, if I type the word "Oreo" in this blog, my own personal blog, I could be sued for violating copyright for writing the word without permission from Nabisco, or any other type of "thing" that has a copyright. On the other hand, since this is an open blog, someone else can come in and steal the pictures I've posted and use them for their own purposes, but if these laws passed, those people could be prosecuted for stealing my property. It is also important to keep in mind that the Internet is a place of public contribution. That's the beauty of it. We can all participate and contribute to each others' ideas. We don't want that to disappear, but we also need to figure out an effective way to protect those who are contributing. It's a difficult conundrum. PLEASE realize that those are incredibly simplified examples and you should definitely do your part in the process of democracy and learn about the proposed legislation and develop your own personal opinion. Be informed.
The Washington Post
http://online.wsj.com/
Please watch this video:
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