lcrestohl-blog - Tumblr blog

[lcrestohl-blog]

a list of my obsessions (or my life in lists pt. 2)

robots (both real and fictional)

grande nonfat hazelnut hot chocolates, no whip, extra hot

old maps

Netflix’s movie selection

North West

natural peanut butter

statement necklaces

really soft fabrics

Joseph Gordon Levitt

online dress shopping

true crime documentaries (see Netflix above)

dance parties

taping things to walls

seeing Spencer Krug in concert.

subject to change

[lcrestohl-blog]

Evolution

[lcrestohl-blog]

This msg only came across my newsfeed once. I kind of laughed at how misleading/outright wrong it is. and then was kinda sad that this type of information gets around and believed so easily. Just b/c it shows how much people (myself included) don't know about those pesky terms of service we click without reading and how they affect our lives everyday in ways we don't realize.

Recently, I had to go through some of Facebook's privacy policies for a research project. And even to someone who "tries her best" to stay on top of this kind of stuff, there was so much there that I wasn't aware of. And right when I was done my little project, FB announced they were changing their privacy policies. again.

When I told someone this, they asked if I deleted my Facebook profile as a result of what I read. "Nope," I replied. I am, admittedly, part of the problem.

The copyright hoax above made me re-visit my thoughts on what's the best way to deal with misinformation online. If we want to weed out misinformation, who should be responsible? Do we want Facebook to be censoring what it thinks isn't true? Probably not. 

As I have dutifully learned in my First Amendment class this semester, even lies/falsehoods are generally protected speech (see US v Alvarez -- sry i'm in exam mode right now). We also learned that the best remedy for "bad" speech is counter-speech. And proving that fact, the one post I saw on my newsfeed had an almost immediate response of someone saying "I don't think that's how it works". For now, I guess I will have to put my trust in my friends/peers/the hive mind. So, friends, it's all up to you. 

[lcrestohl-blog]

imma make this mashup.

[lcrestohl-blog]

Adventures in a New Land

Tucson, Arizona.

When I moved into my apartment, the manager of my building apologized profusely that there was a problem with the tanning beds. they were getting it fixed soon. I told her I would never, ever use it, so it didn't really matter to me. there is sunshine 360 days a year here. I am used to 6 months of snow (at least).

i feel like an anthropologist, surrounded with un-ironic university paraphernalia (#gowildcats!), too much sunshine and sorority sisters drinking and chanting in my living room. However, this place is not so foreign that I don't recognize the starbucks, the urban outfitters and the CVS down the street (forgive me, but when i'm away i crave the creature comforts).

And to the Arizonians I am from a very, very far-away land. They get confused when I speak of provinces and bilingualism. I debated a classmate on universal health care. Someone even asked me if the Canadian constitution was different from the American constitution (what?).

So I continue to search for difference. Because I'm sure it's out there in this land where sometimes everyone and everything seems the same. And when I get jealous of my co-horts studying abroad in Europe and Asia, I just remember one thing I do have: a glorious rooftop pool. #goWildcats

[lcrestohl-blog]

hellooooo again dear friends.

hi friends! It's me laura.

i know it's been a while. but i want to bring this back. it might be a bit different, but also the same. i'm thinking stuff like i used to post (pics, stories, etc), but also some legal thoughts/analysis on (mostly) internet-related subjects. bear with me.

(For those curious about my absence, you can read things I have been writing for Define the Line, the McGill Journal of Law and Health and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association's RightsWatch Blog.)

;)

[lcrestohl-blog]

Railroad Timetable, Delaware and Hudson, circa 1930

The Montreal Limited (‘limited’ refers to limited station stops - an ‘express train’) was scheduled overnight in both directions between Montreal and New York. Air-conditioned Pullman sleeping cars were the only passenger equipment used on this train.

from: Canadian Rail; November 1975; Canadian Railroad Historical Assn.

[lcrestohl-blog]

my roommate and i started a new blog....

just look at that haircut.

[lcrestohl-blog]

my new favourite dance move is the "beyonce shoulders" at 1:06.

[lcrestohl-blog]

I've started writing for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association's RightsWatch Blog. Check out my first few posts here.

[lcrestohl-blog]

Going through my bedroom closet at my parents' house, i found a binder full of printed-out song lyrics and guitar tabs. and it reminded me of a time when we had the internet, but it wasn't omnipresent and all-consuming like it is today. I remember having to go into the guest room, make sure no one was on the phone, and dial up to connect to the interwebs. and then i would have to find everything i needed and print it out because later, when i was in my room with my guitar i would no longer have access. so i printed out pages and pages and pages of lyrics, of everything from radiohead to red hot chili peppers and dave matthews, all so i could sing along with the CDs spinning in my stereo. and boy, do i kind of miss it.

[lcrestohl-blog]

my visit to duke.

[lcrestohl-blog]

one day imma remix these songs.

[lcrestohl-blog]

[lcrestohl-blog]

Every night right around dusk, i go for a walk. i usually just wander for 30 minutes around my quaint new neighbourhood in ottawa that seems to be a mix of families, frat boys and foreign embassies.  

Sometimes on my walk I bring my book and read by the river. Sometimes I go explore. And I find things. Things like lit-up baseball fields, community gardens, and a fountain that a prankster had filled with soap bubbles.

And whether i do this because i'm lonely, i'm restless, or just because i want to see the ducks settle in for the night, i don't know. but i don't really care either.

[lcrestohl-blog]

I just reenacted every scene of a girl dancing alone in her bedroom.

it started with a lil bit of this:

looked a bit like this:

and ended with a lil bit of this:

[lcrestohl-blog]

in my drafts folder i have a post started only with the title "the roboticization of robots", and although i have NO idea what i was going to write, i'm sure it would've been AWESOME.