9 Things On the Internet You Should Know About

Happy Sunday all. As I've said before, I’m addicted to the Internet. Being Internet addicted gives me authority on what is great on the web, and lucky for you, I am about to share some Internet greatness with you all. You’re welcome.

1. The VlogBrothers. The VlogBrothers is the YouTube channel of brothers John and Hank Green. John and Hank take turns vlogging on different days of the week, and all of their videos are super interesting. These brothers are incredibly intelligent (John is the best selling author of books such as The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, and An Abundance of Katherines (he also did the commencement speech at Butler this year)) and their videos are upbeat, informative, and entertaining.

2. DailyGrace. I blogged about DailyGrace here on my Butler blog, but I love her so much I just have to mention her again. DailyGrace is the YouTube channel for the ever so lovely Grace Helbig. Grace films comedy vlogs five days a week on her channel and they are hilarious. She’s my favorite YouTuber by far and I love everything she does. She has also been in a few Lowes commercials and just started filming a movie with her two YouTube buds and bffs, Mamrie Hart and Hannah Hart.

3. Buzzfeed.com. If you live under a rock, you don’t know what Buzzfeed is yet. Buzzfeed.com is a pop culture type website that posts humorous (and sometimes insightful) posts about current events in the world or pop culture. It’s like all the best things on the Internet all decided to hang out together. It’s the greatest.

4. Jacksgap.com. Jacksgap.com is a newly launched website created by British YouTubers (and twin brothers) Jack and Finn Harries. Jack and Finn run the YouTube channel Jacksgap (I blogged about that as well), and from there, they decided to expand into this website. Similarly to Buzzfeed, Jacksgap.com serves as a platform for showcasing cool things on the Internet. Since the website was created by two vloggers, there is a lot of YouTube related content, as well as a lot of tips and tricks for creating your own vlogs.

See more of their beautiful faces on their site.

5. U lala. Speaking of websites on the rise, U-la-la.com is one to watch. U lala is a fashion and lifestyle blog created by recent Purdue graduates, Katherine and Molly. These two ladies created this site, which has branches for different schools all over. The site is based on providing fun and inspiring content for college women, and it is definitely worth checking out. With so many different branches, there is a lot of great content to view. And what do you know, I just so happen to be a writer for the Butler branch!

6. The Free People Pinterest Page. I like Pinterest as much as the next college-aged female, and the Free People page is one of my faves. Free People is a clothing store with a free spirit, hippie type vibe to it, and their Pinterest page features picture after picture of stellar outfits and cool arsty things. Their Instagram is pretty great too.

7. The Lumineers Instagram. I blogged a bit about The Lumineers in my post about Lollapalooza, so obviously I enjoy their music. In addition to having rockin’ tunes, the band has a rockin’ Instagram account. All of their pictures are pretty artsy and really pretty. Check it out.

Enticing, isn't it?

8. 40 Days of Dating. I actually came across this blog on Buzzfeed, and I am incredibly fascinated by it. It documents a dating experiment between two friends, designers Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman. The pair decided to date each other for forty days and document the experience. They each answer a set of questions about the day, and it is super interesting how they each interpret different aspects of the relationship.

9. Humans of NewYork. I also recently discovered the website, Humans of New York. This site features pictures and quotes from strangers in New York City and provides glimpses into these interesting people’s lives. I did an art project similar to this this past year, so I am incredibly intrigued by this site.

The Internet is a wonderfully strange place, and hopefully with these recommendations, it will become all the more wonderful. Have a great week and thanks for reading :)

Ai Weiwei: According to What?

Happy Tuesday all! In a previous post, I mentioned that I saw an exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art by an artist named Ai Weiwei. The exhibit was incredibly inspiring, and convinced me that Ai Weiwei is a total bad ass.

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist from Beijing. He was born there and moved to the United States for a period of time, but moved back in 1993. Weiwei's work focuses on human rights and social change, which caused him trouble with the Chinese government, starting in 2009. Three years prior, Weiwei began blogging, commenting on the politics of China. After he began a project to collect names of over 5,000 children who were killed in the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the government took notice.

His politically charged work and blog angered the government, prompting them to shut the blog down in 2009. Soon after, Weiwei was beaten by police, and later put on house arrest. In early 2011, his studio was destroyed by authorities, and he was secretly detained in April of that year. The government said he was detained for tax issues, but Weiwei denies that as the reason. He was kept for three months, and released, then released a documentary called Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry about his art and social activism, clearly showing that this run-in with the government would not change his art or ways of thinking.

Since his release, Weiwei has been carefully watched by the government, which is reflected in his work through a marble surveillance camera sculpture featured in the exhibit at the IMA, Ai Weiwei: According to What? His "fuck you" attitude is also reflected in his work through a series of photographs of him flicking off national monuments, as well as a series of photos where he smashes a Han Dynasty urn.

Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn

He blatantly showcases his interactions with the government in the exhibit through a photo he took right after he was taken by the government,

Picture he took after he was arrested

as well as an enlarged photo of a scan of his swollen brain after being beaten.

He has gotten so much crap from the Chinese government for his work, he has been physically beaten, and has been detained for 81 days, yet he still produces work that speaks to what he believes in. Ai Wewei is a total bad ass. There is no other way to put it. He sticks to his guns and produces controversial work, no matter the consequence, because it provides commentary on issues he thinks are important. As an artist of any sort, that is the main thing one strives for. Seeing him achieve his goal, despite physical consequences, is inspiring beyond belief. I could honestly talk about the exhibit for many more paragraphs, but I don't want to make this post too long. Instead, check out this really great video John Green made about the exhibit.

If you live near Indianapolis, please, please go see the exhibit! It will be at the IMA until July 21st, and costs $12, but it is so worth the money.

Have a great week, and thanks for reading :)

Books

Happy Wednesday to all. Since summer has been in full swing for about a month, and I am starting to feel slightly guilty about sitting around the house all day watching television, I have started sitting around the house all day reading books. Here's what I've been reading lately:

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins: I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I finally read The Hunger Games. I didn't love the first book, (probably because I saw the movie and already knew what was going to happen) but I loved, loved the second. I also really enjoyed how the third book ended, although a lot of people weren't happy with it. The series is very easy to get through, so if you've even considered reading it, I'd say go for it.

2. Looking for Alaska by John Green: I read The Fault in Our Stars by Green earlier this year and enjoyed it. After reading that book, I discovered he and his brother Hank run the YouTube channel called VlogBrothers. I checked it out and it is a good time, so I decided to read another book by him. Looking for Alaska is about a 16-year-old kid who goes away to boarding school and meets some pretty cool people. The first part of the book wasn't super great, but the last half or so was enjoyable.

3. Peanut by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe: This is a graphic novel about a girl who starts at a new school and pretends to be allergic to peanuts. I read a few graphic novels in one of my classes this past year, and loved them, so I thought I would give this one a go. Unfortunately I did not love it. The story was a little weak, but I did enjoy the graphics.

4. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon: This book is a ten step guide to becoming more creative and gaining inspiration. Kleon is an artist, as well as a writer, so he has so many great ideas for inspiration, and he understands the way a creative mind works. I'm about halfway done with this book, but it is so incredibly inspiring, I just get jazzed thinking about it. If you're a creatively minded person, or want more creativity in your life, please please read this book!

5. Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith: This is another book for creative minded people, or someone who needs to lose some control in their life. This book is essentially a journal with simple instructions of what to record on each page. The pages range from instructions to draw circles, to putting a string around the book and taking it for a walk, to using it as a napkin and wiping your food on a page. This is another incredibly inspiring book and I can't wait to fill each page with whatever my heart desires!

A sample page from Wreck this Journal

Next on my list is Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, so I will most likely blog about that in the nearish future. Have a great week and thanks for reading :)