Bl4ck D4ys Ind33d...

This website started as 'The Daily Twitch', on September 11, 2009.  My first post was about the Star Spangled Banner.  I've improved greatly as a writer since then.  Some of the early articles were downright cringe worthy.

In July/August of 2011, I decided to purchase my own custom domain name.  The Daily Twitch was already taken.  So, after a couple of days debating various names, The Twitch Online was born.

As the following months eventually became years, "Twitch" was no longer an appropriate identifier for the website.  This blog started as a way to document my recent Tourette's diagnosis.  Since then, the focus of the blog has changed, as has my life.  My Tourette's Syndrome is the LEAST of my concerns. 

It's a daily struggle (with myself, mind you) to be a good father and husband.  Since starting this site, and in addition to the Tourette's and PTSD, I have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, a Chiari Malformation, a massive, inoperable but benign cyst in my brain, Fibromyalgia, and Sjogren's Syndrome.  The day after tomorrow, I find out if I have Multiple Sclerosis or not.  And, that's in addition to three spinal surgeries that I had in 2011.  I'm as much "Twitch" anymore as I am the Sultan of Burnei.

Change is inevitable. 

A few weeks back, I started taking steps to change the site name to "Fell On Black Days".  The first changes came to the Facebook page and some of the cosmetics on the site.  Point of advice:  Always...ALWAYS...do your research before you follow through on any plans you have. 

I changed the page name in a number of different areas...without checking first if it was available.  "Fell On Black Days" is the title of a popular song by Soundgarden.  That being said, it was not available in any form or variation...anywhere.  I didn't choose the name based upon the song title.  I thought it was a fun play on words.  "Black Days"...Nicholai Black.  You know?  It also described how I "fell into" this current mess of medical issues.  I thought it would make a nice name for an autobiographical blog.

Eventually, I figured out that I had to pull a license plate trick on the page's name.  Substitute the A's for 4's.  Bl4ck D4ys was born.

Another item I should have researched was how Google would react to the name change.  After the fact, I found out that, when going from a "blogname.blogspot.com" address to a custom URL, Google will automatically redirect any search results that point to your site.  However, when you go from a custom domain to a "blogname.blogspot.com" address, or from "oneblog.blogspot.com" to "anotherblog.blogspot.com", Google actually prevents any redirect from happening.  This is a security measure that is in place, to prevent spam websites from bouncing around from URL to URL.

Up until a couple of days ago, there were a number of search terms that Google had my page listed as their top result.  Most of them were in regards to stories I had written about Jehovah's Witnesses.  If you searched "Jay Z Jehovah's Witness", "Jehovah's Witnesses Bisexual", or even "Tattoo Guy Lady Gaga", The Twitch Online would come up first.   Google brought me a lot of traffic.  I had no idea how much until this week.

 

 

 

 

See if you can guess when I changed my page name..

Usually, I could count on 20-30 pageviews per hour, or 250+ per day.  95% or more came from Google searches.  There hasn't been a single view on the page for three days.  That hasn't happened since the week the blog was started four years ago.  Four years of building search algorithms...down the drain.

I'm starting over.  I have no choice.  Yes, it's heartbreaking and extremely depressing.  I've cried a number of times this week.  But, what else can I do?  I've worked to hard on this to give up.  I can't walk away from 1200 posts.  What would you do?

For those of you that have been with me since the beginning, thank you.  There are a number of you that I have come to know quite well over the years.  I appreciate your support.

Buckle up.  Please keep all hands and feet in the car at all times.  Enjoy the ride.....

Advertisement Of The Day

As many of you know, Rick Santorum has been trying to have Google take down their unflattering search results for his name.  The above advertisement is for an online porn company by the name of HotMovies.com (link is obviously NSFW).  If you have been on the PornHub or Spankwire networks, you've seen their work.  

Pure marketing genius.

Hitler, John Boehner And Pirates

"Name Prince Harry's last three Halloween costumes."

Some Johnny Carson humor (for those of you over the age of 35).

If you use the internet, you need to be aware of SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act.  It's currently being debated in the House of Representatives.  It passed the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month, and is expected to pass the House with strong support within the next couple of months.

SOPA will essentially bring online censorship to a level seen currently in China or Iran.  That isn't an exaggeration.  The day to day online experience as you know it will cease to exist.

Let me give you an example.  Here is a video of my daughter dancing our living room last night:



In the background of the video, 'Across the Universe' was playing.  It was originally recorded by The Beatles, but in this case, was being sung by Rufus Wainwright.

If SOPA passes, Sony Music, the label that owns the rights to The Beatles catalogue, could approach YouTube calling for the removal of the video.  All it would take would be an email.  YouTube would be forced to remove it.  Also, by embedding the video on this post, they could, if they desired, send an email to Go Daddy, the company hosting my website, claiming copyright infringement.  Under the articles of SOPA, Go Daddy would be forced to shut down my website.  Completely wipe it from existence.

Not because of a court order from a judge.  Not due to a notice from the F.B.I. or any local law enforcement.  But from a single email message from someone claiming they hold a copyright on material I am displaying on my website.  They do not need to show any proof of ownership.  I do not have the opportunity to remove the material in question.  'The Twitch Online' simply ceases to exist.  Years of work for nothing.  No record that it was even there to begin with.

How does this effect you?

Think about it.  The sites you visit every day - YouTube, Facebook, Google and Wikipedia, just to name a few.  All of them will either disappear or change in such a way that they will become practically unrecognizable.

And, in the end, is this new legislation really going to stop anyone from downloading a shitty CD in order to avoid paying $13.99 for it at Target.  If people have the motivation to pirate (lack of selection/price), they're going to find a way to do so.

Another casualty of SOPA will be the internet meme.  One of my personal favorites is the "Hitler finds out about _____".  If SOPA is enacted, that too will be gone.  The clip is taken from the 2004 German film 'Downfall'.  The video, while extremely funny, is surprisingly accurate and educational.



So, what can you do about this.  Get involved.  Contact your Congressman.  You can go to americancensorship.org right now to be directed to the offices of your local representative.  At the site, you can also sign a petition being sent to the state department, and send an email to Congress asking that SOPA not pass.  So far, more than 780,000 people have done so.

If this bill would have passed a decade ago, think about how different your life would have been.  If this bill passes in 2012, think about how different the internet will be for your children.  The internet was never intended to be policed to such a degree.  If the U.S. government can tell us what we can and can't say, watch or listen to online, what's next?

Was George Orwell just off by 30 years? 

Herman Cain's Foreign Relations Policy (Video)

Yesterday, the Christian Broadcasting Network interviewed Republican presidential front runner Herman Cain.  He told the network that he's "ready for the gotcha questions".  To prove his point, he elaborated a bit on what the Cain administration foreign policy would be.  God help us all.

He explained that, as president, his top priorities are job creation and national security, not "knowing who is the head of some of these small insignificant states around the world", like "Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan".  Yes.  He actually said that.

The President of Uzbekistan is Islam Karimov, by the way.

He said, "When I get ready to visit that country, I'll know who that is".  In other words, the Google method of leadership.  Take a look.



What I find interesting about his logic is that, with his line of thinking, only the world's superpowers have problems.  What about Kuwait? Yemen?  Chechnya? Serbia?  Bosnia?  These are just a few of the "insignificant" nations that an American President has had to focus his attention on in the last twenty years.  If a candidate is going into office with the attitude of "these nations don't matter" from day one, how is he or she going to handle a crisis situation with said nation when it arises?

It's something to think about.

Video: Google Remembers Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury would have been 65 years old today.  To celebrate, Google UK has put together a doodle in tribute of the bisexual rock icon.  He died on November 24, 1991, from complications from the AIDS virus.



On a personal note:  When playing the Google video for the first time, my three year old ran to my laptop and screamed, "Is that Freddie?".  She has never heard that particular Queen track before.  Yes, we play that much Queen in our home.  In fact, she has known all of the words to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' since she was 18 months old.

Secondly, am I the only one that can't hear 'Don't Stop Me Now' without thinking of 'Shawn of the Dead'?

Viral Photo Of The Day

I have seen the following picture on nearly a dozen sites in the last hour.  Yahoo, Mashable and even The Trevor Project are posting the photo, claiming that it was taken last night at Niagara Falls.  With the photo showing up on Lance Bass' Twitter feed last night, the world has just assumed it to be true.  Some have even credited Bass with the photo.

Well, Lance Bass didn't take the photo.  Turns out, the photo isn't even from last night.  If any of these "journalists" would have done 30 seconds of research, they would have discovered that the photo was taken by Mykelle Nicole, in June of 2008.  You can see the original on Nicole's Flickr page.  It's one out of a series of pictures taken in Niagara Falls that night.  I recommend taking a look at her page.  She's quite talented.

Regardless of when the photo was taken, I think it is still a wonderful symbol for marriage equality in New York.  It just upsets me when people take something at face value, when the truth could have been discovered in one Google search in less than a minute.  Ugh.

Google Strikes Gold With 'Dear Sophie' Commercial

You may have read my post last week about Google's 'It Gets Better' commercial that aired during 'Glee'.  Google hit it out of the park again last week with 'Dear Sophie'.  According to Google, the message behind these commercials is "the web is what you make of it".  Quoting Google:

"More and more, the web is simply just part of your life and helps you get things done. See how people are using the web to do amazing things. The web is what you make of it."

A perfect example is what Daniel Lee, a new father, did for his daughter using only an email account and a series of pictures videos.  The results are incredibly touching and inspiring.  Grab a tissue.

Google Airs "It Gets Better" Commercial During 'Glee'

During the first commercial break of tonight's 'Glee', Google aired the following commercial.  You might want to grab a tissue.



I was fine, until Woody said, "You'll be fine, partner."  Then I lost it.  What a wonderful way of sending a message to a demographic that you know is watching the program.

Thank you Google, for realizing that sometimes there are things worth advertising that are more important than your product.

I Received My First View From Egypt

My first blog post was on September 11, 2009.  Since then, I have written 452 articles for this site.  I have had thousands of page views from dozens of countries.  Of course, the majority of my readers come from the United States and the United Kingdom.  I also have quite a few coming from Canada and Australia.  Last week, I had a viewer from Ghana.  Two weeks before that, Kenya.  I have always found it interesting to see who is reading what I have to say.

As you know, Friday was a momentous day for the people of Egypt.  They finally had a taste of freedom after 18 arduous days of protesting in the streets.  I spent much of the afternoon watching the celebrations unfold on CNN, or on my computer on Al Jazeera, with one of the most genuine, heartfelt smiles I've ever had in my life.

At about 4pm my time, or 1am Egypt time, I checked the viewer stats on my blog.  Someone from Egypt had just been reading one of my posts.  I can't tell which one for sure, but I was able to see that they reached my page via Google Egypt.  Based on the traffic sources, it looks as if they were looking for pictures or tweets regarding the protests from earlier in the week, since they now had internet service back up in the country.

I know in actuality it's nothing. But for me, it's a big deal.  I don't get a lot of readers.  Some days, I'm lucky if I get 100 in 24 hours.  So, I'm humbled when one of the 92 that read my blog yesterday is possibly someone that was in Tahrir Square just hours before.  I'm glad that I was available for that man or woman, and I hope they got the information they needed.  Congratulations on your liberation.

If by chance you read this, I would love to speak with you.  Write me.  Leave a comment.  It comes to my personal email inbox before it gets posted.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nice Tribute On Google

I was on Google on Friday, October 2nd. It would have been the 140th birthday of Mohandas Gandhi. Instead of their normal graphic, they had the following pic:



I thought it was a very artistic and touching tribute for a man whose influence we need to see more of in the world today. A number of my favorite quotes came from Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world". "Whenever you are confronted with an opponent, conquer him with love". And possibly my favorite, "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind". Now more than ever we need to remember this man. We need to remember what he stood for, what he lived for, and what he ultimately died for.

Gandhi also said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” I don't think I could have said it any better myself. Well....lol...I could go on for another hour with a list of examples but I'll let that one speak for itself.

When you leave your house tomorrow, be that change you want to see in the world. Don't expect someone else to do it for you. Your government can't do it. Your significant other can't change the world for you. Money can't change it. It's up to you, my friend. Get your ass in gear and do something about it.