Parker Mullins

Started in 2002 by the CEO of Skyrock, the leading radio station for youths in France, Skyblog is the world’s leading French-language social network. It began as a free site that allowed users to create profiles, or blogs, with features like skins, “friends,” visitor stats, and ways to manipulate the rich text editor to add things like audio messages or post from your phone. It was the MySpace of the French-speaking world, in fact, it even had the option to add music to your profile.

In 2007, the blog expanded internationally, and became a full-feature social network, similar to Facebook or MySpace (I have seen some people say that their interface is superior to these competitors even, because it is more intuitive). It has grown into one of the top ten worldwide networks, with over 21 million visitors. Its users are younger (below the age of 24), and more male than the internet average. They also tend to have no college education, low to average incomes and are more ethnically diverse than the internet average.

These last demographic insights become interesting when we look at the role Skyblog pages allegedly played in the 2005 riots in France. The deaths of two young men in a Parisian banlieue after they hid from police in an electric substation sparked an uprising that lasted weeks and created a wave of destruction that swept through poor suburbs throughout France. These areas of low-income apartments and social housing are predominantly inhabited by Arab/North African immigrants, and are known for their lack of public services and employment opportunities, poor education, and crime. These issues, along with the long-standing immigrant integration issues in France, are cited as the fuel that helped spread the fire.

What effect social media, especially Skyblogs, had on the spread of these riots remains to be seen. At the time, the media and police were quick to name blogs as a tool in the spread of the violence, and three youths were arrested for posting inflammatory comments on their Skyblogs. One, a fourteen year old boy from Aix-en-Provence, used his blog to share the message, ”Unite, Île-de-France, and burn the cops. Go to the nearest police station and burn it,” according to the Agence France-Presse. Other messages urged young people to carry out these attacks on a specific time and date. According to French law, urging violence in this manner carries a sentence that can last from 1-7 years.

In addition, French Parliament attempted to place additional blame for the violence and racism of 2005 on French rappers. The rappers maintained that the economic and social issues named in their music were simply a reality, and should be named as such. These rappers are the face of the French underclass, and as such could be expected to have a degree of impact on sites such as Skyblog.

Beyond the three arrests, however, it seems there was no further action taken against young bloggers. This begs the question of how big of an impact these blogs (and other social media) really had on the inciting of violence in the French suburbs in 2005. It appears to be another case of overestimating the impact, similar to what we saw in the Iranian revolution and the Arab spring.

It cannot be said that Skyblog in 2005 was a free-for-all of enraged youths. In statements made to the press, Skyrock spokespeople stated that they were blocking content they deemed too inflammatory. This censorship became a major point of conversation and blogs like the memorial pages for the two young men who had died began urgin users to moderate their comments. On the other hand, there was still plenty of anti-government commentary happening, and blogs like aulnaysousboi01.skyblog.com (no longer active) were keeping up-to-the-hour record of the events that were taking place.

But while many may have used their blogs as a place to organize and urge others to violence, some were using their blogs to do what they could to quell their riotous peers. People like Robin (below), were asked by law enforcement to help, in some cases.

It makes sense that a social network like Skyblog, which is popular among the demographic that participated in the 2005 riots, would have been a tool for organizing and creating a stronger group sentiment. And as an American, it seems alarming when you look at the violent nature and sheer size of these protests. But it is important to consider it in the context of a country like France, where protests are common and are seen as a way to let your voice be heard by the government. And in this case it was, and the government followed through on promises to invest in the banlieues. So the question is, did these blogs really play a role? Or did it just appear that way from the outside? I would argue the former. In this case, it could be said that internet extremism crossed the chasm from slactivism to real change, because in a culture of protest, a simple Skyblog post could really get a young person off of their couch and into the streets.

Swedish House Mafia is one of the supergroups of electronic music. They have pumped out an amazing discography and play mind-blowing shows to massive crowds all around the world. And now, after only about 5 years, they have released their last music video, as they part ways and pursue their individual careers (which are already pretty successful, with all three being in the top 30 of last year’s DJMag Top 100 DJs). The song itself is a great farewell; mournful, powerful, and yet full of excitement and that infectious Swedish House Mafia style.

The closest I’ve come to experiencing a concert this epic was Pretty Lights at Red Rocks Amphitheater. I can only hope and dream that I get a chance to experience something like this in my lifetime. Who knows, maybe SHM will reunite in the next couple years and I’ll get that chance.

via ThisSongIsSick

I love my iPhone. And I love learning about how we can be more successful at monetizing ads on mobile platforms. My mom shared this video with me yesterday, and 1. Its Jim Cramer, so you know it will be interesting and 2. He has a unique guest, Paul Palmieri, co-founder, president, and CEO of Millenial Media (MM), a big third-party player in the mobile ad world. Take a few minutes and watch-its worth it. Sorry I couldn’t get it to embed correctly.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000115446.

While I’m on the topic of new old-school alcohols…

The desire for homemade, handmade goods continues to become more and more popular. And I love it. Anything that requires a commitment to craft and the time and care of real people has my support.

We can see this everywhere: food, clothing, restaurants, bars. And now, even our alcohol is starting revert to the past. More and more southern-style “moonshine” or “hooch” is showing up on the shelves of liquor stores. They usually share the common mason jar bottle (ever so functional and utilitarian!) and simple, wholesome branding. A couple brands in particular that I have noticed are Shine on Georgia Moon ($12-14/750mL), and Ole Smoky Moonshine ($40/1L). Now I just need to try some! The 100-proof varieties are prohibition-style-burns-your-throat strong, but some of the flavored varieties sound fantastic.

Moonshine is cool again.

Images courtesy of Uncrate and americanhooch.com

If you’ve ever watch Don Draper open a beer in Mad Men, or seen your grandfathers beer can collection, you’ve probably wanted one of those pop-tab-less brews for yourself. I mean, novelty is fun, and I would try new Churchkey beer if for no other reason than to get a taste of the past. Unfortunately, its only available in Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland (damn you hipsters – but since we’re bike city #2, maybe we’re next? Doubtful), so I’ll just have to keep my MPLS eyes peeled, and my churchkey ready.

I fell in love with Carhartt’s urbanwear brand, Work In Progress, during my semester in Paris. Their stuff is classic, timeless, high quality, and just downright beautiful.

When their Fall/Winter 2012 collection was released, I was ecstatic. The collection is full of pieces that are forward-thinking, yet rooted in the past. I love the outerwear especially. The color palette is great, and the styling in the lookbook is right up my alley. Check out my favorite looks in the gallery below.

And now, they have come to Minneapolis. The Carhartt store opened last month at the Mall of America. Keep in mind that previously, this brand was primarily available in Europe and Asia, with the only US stores being in NYC and San Francisco. Aka, I was never gonna make it there. Looks like I need to make a trip to the mega mall. Light rail here I come.

Images courtesy of Carhartt

So I’m the kind of person who frequently gets hooked on songs. They get stuck in my head and I can’t stop singing them to myself. My only catharsis in these situations is to play the song loud and often. I like these songs, so I thought I would start sharing them in a series of posts called “Song of the AM,” or “SOTA” (see what I did there?).

My first SOTA is “Sunlight” by Modestep:

The video for this song is a few old people partying harder than I have ever imagined. I don’t care how much you might dislike dub/DnB/club/electro, you can’t hate this video. But the song is pretty great too. I can’t get it out of my head the last few days. Yes, the vocals may be a bit repetitive (by my count, it somehow manages to use 20 less words than Rihanna and Calvin Harris’ “We Found Love”), but this song somehow avoids the repetitive trap that made “We Found Love” its victim with some massive drops (my personal favorite), a clean effective tempo shift, and a great drum ‘n’ bass backbeat.

I have changed my blog address, and with that I will be changing the format of my posts a bit. I am no longer abroad (sadly) and so I have decided instead to reflect on my life, my experiences, and my surroundings here in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I really have no idea where this might take me, so I would be honored if you chose to stick with me and follow along as I try to explore life through this blog.

My good friend Brian (he’s the one in the pictures) shared this a little over a week ago with our friends from our time in Paris and I couldn’t help but share it with you. Although some of the details are personal to our friends, and some of our opinions are a different (there is much better cuisine than French, Brian – its way too thick, creamy, and meat-based for me), I think it is a wonderful summary of our time abroad (although he was lucky enough to do a bit more traveling than I…).

“Ah ma vie! The suitcases have been put back into storage.  The innumerable pictures sorted, (posted on facebook of course), cataloging a journey that seems comme un rêve in retrospect. Reunions with friends and quintessential American cravings satisfied: a juicy burger, a slice of pizza, a bean burrito, skim milk. Home is how it has always been; steadfast, familiar, and filled with a constant stability. And yet surrounded by a life that I have always known, I find myself thinking, “Can I go back to Paris already?”

Although my life in Paris lasted only 4 months, they were 4 glorious months; without a doubt the best of my life. My time in Europe can best be described as a dream, for surely real life does not consist of frolicking in Paris everyday where the doctor-prescribed cure for boredom is to hop on a plane and fly to a new country. I visited 10 countries in 4 months! Sometimes when I reminisce I am unable to comprehend how much I saw in so little time. I have always possessed the traveling bug but hopping to a new city each weekend serves as such stark contrast to the reality I have returned to in the US. Despite the travels, we somehow managed to learn a lot without having any homework. I would not really call study abroad college, yet I feel pretty well versed in French politics and I think I can call myself quite the savant concerning the tumultuous history of the city of lights (not to mention French cheese).

But oh what a city Paris is! For those ignorant few, who cannot appreciate the grandeur and beauty of a city so steeped in a timeless history or those who see Paris as a city of snobs not worth visiting, I really have nothing to say. La Ville de Lumiere has a sparkle that simply cannot be matched by any other place that I have ever witnessed. It is true that the Parisians are proud, but in my estimation they are entitled to pride, living in such a city like Paris. They actually enjoy Americans, especially the younger generation, probably in part due to their support for Obama. Surprisingly they fail to smoke as much as the movies depict, although it is quite jarring to see 20 high school students lighting up outside of class. And for the life of me, I really have yet to figure out the secret of how they all stay so damn skinny. I mean they definitely eat less but the food is just so decadent! MY GOD. Heaven is surely fed by a French chef. Pastries, Baguettes, Cheese, Wine, Escargot, Duck Confit, Foie gras… I don’t need to go on. It’s the best food in the world. WITHOUT A DOUBT.

Nonetheless, having toured Europe and been fortunate enough to see many countries in my 21 years, I can confidently say that Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. Just start with the Haussmanian buildings: uniform yet so ornate, probably the reason why Paris earns such an allure. There is something magical about walking around Paris, best seen from the stunning opera district with its grand boulevards and balconies running for as far as the eye can see, that makes one stop and simply marvel. Or how can you not fall in love with Paris if you see the Eiffel tower sparkle? Gaze at it from anywhere in the city and there is something so captivating and romantic that just causes you to sigh in hopeless restlessness, either that or fake cry over the fact that there is no one beside you to kiss passionately. WARNING. If you see it sparkle from Trocadero, a stroke induced out of sheer emotion-induced overload may result. Furthermore, here is a philosophical conundrum to mull over: What is more beautiful, Paris at night or Paris during the day (preferably the Spring time)? I really have not decided, and I don’t think I ever will when I’m faced with ranking a stroll along the Seine with a Berthillion cone in hand versus a nighttime romp around the Louvre to see le grand pyramid and get a drink.

As for a favorite neighborhood in Paris, that is just too hard of a designation. I mean ask all my friends and they will tell you that I’m in love with the 16th arrondissement, my home for 4 months. (It’s an Eden, don’t let them tell you any different) But I cannot call it my favorite when St. Germain des Pres is in the mix where adorable boutique shopping lines the streets or perhaps Le Marais, where one really sees Paris before Haussman with narrow streets filled with secrets waiting to be discovered. But then how can one forget the Latin Quarter or Bastille, great for bar hopping at night and always beautiful during the day. Explore Rue de Rivoli and Rue St. Honore if you want to get fancy or the quaint Ile St. Louis which is just a picturesque island yearning to be explored. I mean don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to spend a Friday night in Porte de Clignancourt or Belleville, but stroll with me in the 7th, maybe along the Seine, and we are set for a magical evening.  Having visited Paris before, never did I think that I would fall in love with its sights, sounds, people, food, and overall persona in the way that I did. Truthfully I do not understand why I failed to see that Paris is perfect for me; its decadent, chic nature, slight haughtiness, class, propriety… I mean come on, am I describing myself?

But possibly the most important detail, without which Paris would have paled in comparison, is finding the great friends I made during my time in Europe. More than just companions in class or good company when hitting up the bars, we traveled around Europe together and made strong friendships through our both breathtaking and crazy escapades. I always said that traveling serves as one of the best tests of friendship and after almost 10 trips, I think we’re in it for the long-run kids. We laughed, we cried (except me of course who just fake cried when applicable), we sang, and we became so close within mere weeks. Never before have I felt so at ease with a group of people after so little time! Whether dealing with crazy gypsy bitches, avoiding bus explosions, or simply dealing with a plethora of interesting characters at IES, we killed it in Paris. Sitting here writing this in my living room, I really wish that we were all together again (in Paris of course, not the suburbs of NJ) possibly staring out at the Seine, or hitting up Queen, or just hanging out together at one of our Parisian apartments…

They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, but I always knew what I had in Paris. From the first time I got into a cab that took me from Gare de l’Est to my apartment, I knew that Paris had my heart at first glimpse. Driving past the center of Paris with all its iconic monuments and then along the Seine with the Eiffel Tower looming above the rooftops, I felt like I was Anne Hathaway in the Devil Wears Prada; googly-eyed and marveling at my luck for being able to spend my life in a such a beautiful city. But just as soon as I arrived, sadly, it seemed as though the clock struck 12 necessitating me to take my leave. As my host mother took me down the same route again, back to Gare de L’Est, I saw all the sights but now they were more than just postcard images but rather filled with memories. She said to me in French, look well, because this is the last time you will see the monuments of Paris. But I smiled and said “Je vais retourner à Paris, C’est certain”. And I know that I will.

Thank you Paris. To my time abroad I owe so much. Although the time flew by in the snap of my finger, looking back I feel like I left home a long time ago. Possibly due to the fact of my numerous travels, or maybe rather due to the fact that I just did so much every day in Paris. But I think the real reason is because I myself grew a lot in Paris. When I came back to my room for the first time, I felt out of place. Almost as if my room were too small, as if I’d outgrown its walls. Paris revived me. Paris lifted me up and maybe bitchslapped me a few times into seeing reason. Truly, Paris taught me a lot about myself and also elucidated what I wanted in life. It’s pretty hard not to be pensive when looking out at a Greek sunset (or maybe 7 for that matter), staring at the Eiffel tower as it sparkles, or simply letting your mind wander on 1 of maybe 20 flights. I looked at my life and really reassessed everything: friendships, ambitions, ideals, and those things that I need the most to attain that potentially holy grail that we call happiness. I think that I was imbued with the nature of a quintessential Parisian, no doubt aided by the swagger of some crazy friends. But truthfully life in the fast lane showed me that life can be marvelous, reaffirming my belief to never allow myself to settle for anything less than wonderful.

On my last night in Paris I walked home from the dinner cruise (through eden-like streets of course), reminiscing on undoubtedly one of the top five days of my life, I thought back on the semester and smiled for I had attained all that I wanted out of my time abroad. Looking back at pictures and just thinking about all that I did, I still catch myself smiling as my mind replays wonderful memories. As for now it is off to a new city and new adventures, though Paris really endowed me with a sense that I can do anything. Maybe I’m just fou-fou, but feeling empowered is not the worst thing in the world, right? I know that throughout my life glimpses of all those memories will resurface inducing a passing smile. I saw so much in 4 months and spent time with people who I really came to love. I am certain that those memories will never stray too far, always close at hand to add a little perspective to the sinuous paths of life. JE SAIS that we will always have Paris.

Merci Paris, Tu possedes mon coeur.”

As a part of being a student blogger for IES (my study abroad program), we are asked to write a post when we return to our homes after our time abroad. When I first returned home I thought it would be easy. Life was good, the transition was easy, even the jet lag was nothing. I planned on writing this wrap-up of my semester in Paris then, but decided against it. It was too soon. The honeymoon period had to end sooner or later.

But strangely enough, acclimation into being at home never changed. It was like I never left. Nothing surprised me. And I haven’t made any slip-ups, save a couple small habits I picked up, like closing the door on every room when I leave (those Parisian drafts are deadly-or so they say). In a way, it is a huge relief. One of the biggest things I worried about when I first started to think about going abroad was how being gone for 5 months could change my situation when I came home. While I haven’t had a chance to see if anything has changed back at school, everything here at home is the same. But in a way it is also almost disappointing. I came back on such a high, just to be thrust back into the daily same ol’ same ol’.

However, while getting comfortable with life back in the the U.S. was a simple task, now that I have been back for a month, I am starting to feel uneasy. I miss life in Paris. Everything that I ever complained about regarding life in Paris seems trivial in comparison to life in the suburbs of Minneapolis. I long for my forty-five minute commute on the metro to school every time I get in my car to drive. I dream of the corner boulangerie, or the neighborhood supermarché every time I get in the car to drive 10-15 minutes just to pick something up for dinner. I miss my glass of wine and the cheese course with dinner. I long to see the people who became some of my closest friends and are now spread out across the country. I miss exploring the alien world that surrounds me and the strange world within me.

And while I miss the relaxed, convenient nature of my life in Paris, a life that I could only recreate by going back, I know that going back is not a realistic possibility or the best solution. So I guess I will have to revise my world here in Minnesota. I will have to remodel my life and maybe in doing that, I can bring a little bit of MY Paris here to my corner of the U.S.A.

Just because I have returned home doesn’t mean I will abandon this blog. I spent plenty of time creating and maintaining it, I can’t let that hard work go to waste. So I plan on continuing to share my thoughts and experiences here. As of yet, I’m not entirely sure how. But stay tuned for updates as I continue to take on life, one challenge at a time!.