With the mass shooting in Virginia earlier in the week, the things that are important come into focus. Family, friends, a sense of belonging, love - as long as it isn't in the too saccharine sense. Although it seems that thousands of people die violent deaths each day, most of those out of sight of the major international media, when something like this is flashed over the wires, you take notice pretty quickly.
I like waking up and hitting the another five minutes button in the morning, but as soon as I heard the Virginia Tech story at 7am yesterday morning, I was up and out of bed and watching TV as soon as. Who were giving all the local, Australian, sports results when I hit the TV on button.
I tell you, when I saw that mobile phone video that one of the students took, the popping of the gun or guns in the background, and the shaky, handheld effects while he - or she? - was running, it so reminded me of the latest first person shooter video game I have gotten, Ghost Recon. Especially the ducking down behind any cover that student could get.
So will be playing that particular game a lot less over the next wee while. But I guess it is a bit like the reaction to 9/11 - at the time, no one could think that Hollywood would ever make disaster movies ever again. Well, hello all the blood and gore that has been splashed across our screens since. Once the initial shock wears off, the whole episode for those outside Virginia will fade back into the usual white noise background. There is far too much information nowadays to even think of processing it all on a daily basis.
And I feel that the 24 hour channels are less news than reality television now. Instead of all news all the time, there seems to be a tendency to focus on just a few stories, and run with them. How many shootings are reported on a year? Send a reporter out, get some experts lined up in the studio, get some viewers to email things in. Same with political stories, or celeb stuff, or natural disasters - wildfires, for instance, interview the fire chief, and one or two of the nearby residents. It can be so formulaic when you really think about it.
In other news, my grandfather continues to worsen - the nurse visited today and doubted whether he would last another week.
I like waking up and hitting the another five minutes button in the morning, but as soon as I heard the Virginia Tech story at 7am yesterday morning, I was up and out of bed and watching TV as soon as. Who were giving all the local, Australian, sports results when I hit the TV on button.
I tell you, when I saw that mobile phone video that one of the students took, the popping of the gun or guns in the background, and the shaky, handheld effects while he - or she? - was running, it so reminded me of the latest first person shooter video game I have gotten, Ghost Recon. Especially the ducking down behind any cover that student could get.
So will be playing that particular game a lot less over the next wee while. But I guess it is a bit like the reaction to 9/11 - at the time, no one could think that Hollywood would ever make disaster movies ever again. Well, hello all the blood and gore that has been splashed across our screens since. Once the initial shock wears off, the whole episode for those outside Virginia will fade back into the usual white noise background. There is far too much information nowadays to even think of processing it all on a daily basis.
And I feel that the 24 hour channels are less news than reality television now. Instead of all news all the time, there seems to be a tendency to focus on just a few stories, and run with them. How many shootings are reported on a year? Send a reporter out, get some experts lined up in the studio, get some viewers to email things in. Same with political stories, or celeb stuff, or natural disasters - wildfires, for instance, interview the fire chief, and one or two of the nearby residents. It can be so formulaic when you really think about it.
In other news, my grandfather continues to worsen - the nurse visited today and doubted whether he would last another week.
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