Medium.com – a Review

Grant SeburnLeave a comment

In this blog, I will be discussing certain aspects of the website Medium.com and how it changes/influences the way we think. Throughout this blog I will be referring to Medium.com as just “Medium”. To start off, what exactly is Medium? Medium is a blogging website that utilizes your interests to show you personalized content.

For example, one of my interests is Philosophy, and it recommended to me a blog called Nietzsche’s three steps to a meaningful life by Steven Gambardella. This blog is about the life of the famed German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and how he uses “The Camel”, “The Lion”, and “The Child” to illustrate the three values for having a meaningful life.

In short, The camel represents the “strong spirit” and how we must endure unwanted things in order to get the things we want. The Lion represents how you must take care of yourself before you can take care of others. The child represents the truly free spirit and how people can’t control certain things they do.

Another example is a blog by Steven Gambardella titled Tolstoy’s Moral Lesson. This blog is about Leo Tolstoy, the well known author for his epic novels Anna Karenina and War and Peace. He talks about how Tolstoy lived a humble life and how he gave up his wealthy lifestyle to live a more simpler one.

This is a very handy mechanic, not just for the reader, but for Medium as well. For example, it makes it easier for the reader to find interesting topics to read about and because of this, Medium itself makes more revenue and can further improve the way the website works for the reader.

This leads into the next aspect of Medium, which is the ability of a single user to share with the reader a variety of other things. For example, Steven Gambardella wrote another blog called Beat Procrastination in 2 Steps and Shine as a Writer. In this blog, he explains that the two ideas behind being a good writer are to start a new draft with every idea and to know the importance of organizing.

He mentions that his ideas come over time and how all of his drafts help him think of things to write about and help keep him organized. At the end he discusses how to stand out as a better writer by writing what you want/like to write about.

Another aspect about Medium is how the reader can highlight sections in the blog for other readers to see. For example, in the blog written by Stephen Gambardella titled Freud’s Decision Hack Will Change Your Life, there is a section highlighted about how flipping a coin makes you think about fate and circumstance of choosing the side it will land on. These highlights make it easy for the reader to see what the most viewed section of the blog is.

In conclusion, Medium is a blogging website that utilizes your interests to show you personalized content, allows the writer to publish anything they want, and shows the reader highlights on the best sections.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Grant SeburnLeave a comment

Today, January 20th, 2020 marks the day that we celebrate one of the most (if not the most) influential civil rights activists in history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Kings achievements were so significant they are still seen to this day. However, it is important to remember on this momentous day that the actions taken by Dr. King and his supporters were not taken in vein and the sacrifices that had to be made in order to achieve what we have today. in 1963, Dr. King was arrested and sent to prison for peacefully protesting the harsh treatment of the black community in Birmingham, Alabama, which was one of the most segregated states at that time. During Dr. Kings time in prison, he constructed a letter addressed to eight white religious leaders of the South, who did not approve of Dr. Kings ideas and beliefs. Dr. King calls out these religious leaders by telling them they are not really that different from one another. For example, both Dr. King and the religious leaders took the time to publicly support their beliefs, but only Dr. King was punished for it. Another thing that he mentions is that the way the white authorities have treated the black community and how it has caused various psychological effects within the community. While Dr. King may not have agreed with the views of the white religious leaders, he still respected and accepted their views. Dr. Kings core argument is that when it comes down to it, we are all really just humans seeking the same thing, equality and happiness. Dr. King was saying that they would be going against the their own beliefs and the U.S. Constitutions creed of “All men are created equal”. Dr. Kings argument has always been relevant, he was the one who had the courage to stand up against those who treated not just himself, but an entire community of people unfairly, just because they looked different and had different ideas/beliefs. In conclusion, Dr. King shows us that there is absolutely no reason to treat others differently, regardless of the color of their skin.