Link Mania

"Goodbye to All That: Why Obama Matters"

Video Interviews with Ben Cashnocha

Link Mania

50 Best Websites of 2007 according to Time

25 Sites the people at Time can't live without

6 Annoying Ways To Build Wealth over at The Motley Fool

The Top 20 Ways To Come Up With Amazing Ideas from skelliewag.org

Morning on the Water

[Photos: FreeWine and Jamoker]

Tech News Roundup

Here is a roundup of tech news for the last few days, as found on Ars Technica:

Video Games
Thursday, Ars Technica reported that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has predicted "Video gaming will be twice as big as music by 2011". He has a very convincing argument, but the topic remains extremely controversial. Ars Technica concludes that his theory is more applicable to the global market than the U.S. market. Check out the full story.

Wireless Internet
Chicago has decided to forgo implementing a WiFi network. Ars Technica compares this recent development with other large cities that are having WiFi problems. As Ars Technica asks, "Will this be the beginning of the end for municipal WiFi projects?". Read more here.

Will wireless networks replace Ethernet in the near future? 802.11n poses a threat to the long time industry favorite. Find out more here.

Is upgrading from 802.11g to 802.11n worth it? Ars Technica compares three of the most popular 802.11n routers. See the full review.

Digital Rights Management
The Electronic Frontier Foundation rebuked the RIAA lawsuit campaign recently. As quoted from Ars Technica:

"the EFF argues that continued lawsuits against individuals will produce only diminishing returns... In the EFF's view, the problem is a market failure; music lovers are likely to pay out and artists are likely to make enough money if only better alternatives to the current system existed."

More on this story here.

TorrentSpy has blocked all searches by users from the United States. This was brought on by what TorrentSpy calls an "uncertain legal climate in the US regarding user privacy", among other things. Read the full story here.

Finance, Investing, and Money - Articles and Websites

Here are three articles and four websites I have found either interesting, helpful, or both.

Articles
10 Stupid Ways That Smart People Waste Money - This is my favorite of the three articles.

Financial Gravity :: How the Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer - Very interesting read, with many valid points.

20 Investments - Well organized article that explores 20 different investment options.

Websites
Wikinvest - Great free content powered by the Wiki revolution. Check it out!

Yahoo! Finance - My favorite financial website. Vast amounts of quality information and resources, all for free.

The Wall Street Journal Online - The free articles and resources are great. The paid content is even better. Plus, the WSJ is a very credible, world renowned financial media authority.

CNNMoney.com - Another very reliable, well known name in financial media.

Links for the Day

Investment information and tips. Spectacular resource for learning German. Great review of blog alternatives.

• Investopedia
• How to Speak German
• Comparing the top 4 mini-blog options

Link Mania - Google

A compilation of Google related links that I find useful:

Third Parties
Google Guide - Powerful tips and tricks to make searching Google easier.

Eric Schmidt, Web 2.0 vs. Web 3.0 - Google CEO Eric Schmidt comments on the future of Web 2.o and "Web 3.0".

Google's Wikipedia Entry - Answer your curiosities regarding Google. Lots of well referenced information.

Straight From Google
Educational Videos on Google Video (and YouTube) - This one is self explanatory. Free educational videos. Take a minute and look around. A multitude of credible information.

College life, powered by Google - Google tools and applications that are helpful for college students. I think they're good for high school students, too.

Google Internship Information - Want to intern at Google? Look no further. This link has all the information you'll need.

Google Labs - Check out Google's latest products and technologies.

Google Experimental Lab - Ever wonder what new features Google is experimenting with? Wonder no longer. This page shows the new features Google is experimenting with.

Google Maps - Google Maps is a great resource. Need directions? Want to find a new restaurant in an area (or any type of business)?

Google Business Referral Representative - Want to make an easy $10? For the most part, all you have to do is take pictures of local businesses. Act quickly, before someone else in your area beats you to it.

Google Research Papers - Calling all nerds, geeks, and computer science engineers. A look inside the brains of the people behind Google. A plethora of computer science information and ideas.

Google Grants Beta - Great service. Free advertisements for non-profit organizations.

Google.org - Directly from the website:
"Google.org aspires to use the power of information to help people better their lives. We are an experiment in active philanthropy."

"Google.org is the philanthropic arm of Google and is the umbrella which includes the work of the Google Foundation, some of Google's own projects, as well as partnerships and contributions to for-profit and non-profit entities. "

The Relationship Between Suicide and Breast Implants

Researchers at Vanderbilt University’s Ingram Cancer Center recently reported that there is a correlation between suicide and breast implants. It doesn’t surprise me that women with breast implants are more likely to commit suicide than women who don’t have them. To me, it seems obvious that they are mentally weaker than other women.

I assume feeling the need for a breast augmentation is an indicator of low self-confidence in women. Why would a woman want one if she was confident in her breasts? She wouldn’t. Some are probably porn stars and would argue it’s for their job. But, how self-confident is someone whose whole life depends on men looking at them as a sexual object? That has to take its toll.

Surely, women who have their breasts augmented feel something in their life is lacking. Why else would they feel the need to change their breasts? If a woman was confident about her breasts, she wouldn’t feel the need to have them altered. Therefore, I believe that many women who get breast implants are already dealing with a mental issue (that issue being low self-confidence).

So, if my beliefs are correct, people with low self-confidence are more prone to have mental health issues than people with high self-confidence. Or, a deficiency in self-confidence could indicate that mental health issues already exist. Whether the women already have a mental health problem or are more prone to get one in the future, the correlation between breast implants and mental health problems remains.

I’m not saying breast implants are conclusive evidence that someone is going to, or already does, have mental health problems. On the other hand, I don’t think people should ignore the results of studies like this. Simply stated, I merely want people to take note of this and keep it in mind, especially if someone they know wants to have breast implants or already has them.

Photos: [gary.fotu and Lin Pernille Photograhy]
Source: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/register/articles?id=36569

Blue Skies - Part Two (Photos)

[Photos: polifemus, *sean, ishrona]

Blue Skies - Part One (Photos)

[Photos: SpiralZ, m o d e, lukasd2009]

The Fight over Censorship and for Freedom of Speech

The Supreme Court rules in favor of the school over the boy, in the highly publicized "Bong hits 4 Jesus" case. Essentially, the court is saying schools are allowed to restrict speech when it promotes illegal drug use.

Hello, people! Children have constitutional rights, too! Why does everyone believe it's ok to take rights away from people because of their age? If we give them the responsibility when they are young, maybe they'll be better apt at dealing with those responsibilities as adults, due to their prior exposure as children. In my opinion, it is a big shock going from 17 to 18 (in the sense of responsibility). In a matter of a year, you amass tremendous responsibilities. Actually, it changes in a day. There is a huge difference in what you can do when you are 17 years and 364 days old from when you are 18 years old. In the course of a day, you went from barely anything to almost everything (still have to wait to be 21 for alcohol). What justifies this one day difference? I highly doubt that a kid is going to gain any sense of responsibility in a day. Maybe if we started treating children like they were mature and responsible, then they would act like it. The problem starts with the adults and ends with kids. The change needs to start with the adults, too! Then, maybe it will end with the kids.

On another take, the government once again strips more constitutional rights from its citizens. I tend to be more conservative than liberal, but I definitely don't support the Bush administration. The Bush administration keeps getting more ridiculous by the day. Even disregarding the war in Iraq, I still disapprove of our President. His administration is far too secretive and, worse yet, they are continuously stripping us of our constitutional rights. The best example of that would be the Patriot Act. Are we allowed any privacy or freedom of speech anymore?

Link Mania - A compilation of interesting websites and articles

Web 2.0
Twitter is a new way for you and your friends to keep in touch. From the FAQs on Twitter's help page:

What is it?
Twitter is a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives. Friends near or far can use Twitter to remain somewhat close while far away. Curious people can make friends. Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool. Developers can use the API to make Twitter tools of their own. Possibilities are endless!

Self Improvement
Tips on how to not ruin your life.

How to sleep more effectively.

The Fight over Censorship and for Freedom of Speech
Court rules against F.C.C. in case over indecency fines.

Mac Tips
How to set up Gmail with Mac OS X Mail.

Permanently delete files on your Mac.

Quote for the Day

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

- John Wooden

Black and White

[Photo: cmndrfoggy]

A little busy lately...

I've been a little busy lately catching up on things (I got really behind at the end of the school year with loads of graduation stuff). Heck, today I was still going to graduation open houses and I even have one more next week. The main thing withholding me was the repainting of my room. When I was painting, I took my computer down for a majority of the time. But, now I'm done painting. So, everything should return back to normal tomorrow.

Quotes for the Day

"Bad is never good until worse happens."
-Danish Proverb

"I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders."
-Jewish Proverb

Y Combinator...

Over at MSNBC there is a great write up on Y Combinator. Y Combinator is dubbed the boot camp for Silicon Valley. It is where all the geeks in America meet up and show off their start up ideas to potential investors. A lucky few are chosen for a chance of their dreams...

Check out the article.

Financial Relief In Sight for College Students

From the money section over at CNN:

House panel cuts student lender subsidies

...Finally, the bill would cap student loan repayments at 15 percent of a student's post-graduation income, with students eligible to have debt forgiven under some circumstances.

Savings realized from the proposed cuts and others would be channeled into boosting college financial aid for students by $18.25 billion over the next five years.

Under the bill, the maximum value of federal Pell grants given to students would go up by $500 per grant. Also, interest rates on federally guaranteed student loans would be reduced by half over five years, a measure already passed by the House.

Read the full article here.

Quote for the Day

"Too often we get distracted by what is outside our control. You can't do anything about yesterday. The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away. You can do nothing about tomorrow. It is yet to come. However, tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece. You have control over that."
-John Wooden

A Resolution for My Bad Sleeping Habit

I am really, really tired right now! I worked for five hours earlier today and, now, I am going to do some work around the house. I never sleep enough and, when I do get sleep, I never feel rested anyways. Lately, I feel as if I am always tired. What is going on? And how do I fix it?

I think the cause underlying all of this is my lacking ability to maintain a regular sleep schedule. I usually stay up until I get tired, which varies each night. I know this probably isn't good for me. (On a positive note, at least it is fun, but, anyways...) If I understand correctly, our bodies have internal "clocks" that regulate us. Well, that regulate many of us. I think I have most likely destroyed any internal clock I may have had (due to my crazy, random timing with sleep). I hear it is healthy to keep a somewhat regular sleeping schedule. So, I'm going to try and go to bed earlier than I do, which has been anytime from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. during the last week. Last night, I went to bed at 1:00 a.m., but I still felt tired this morning, and I feel the most tired I have been all day, right now. My eyes are getting heavy as I write this. To stop all of this tiredness, I am going to try going to bed by 11:00 each night. This is a future goal and, surely, it will be a gradual process. Though, once in place, I should be feeling better and more productive in no time.

Personally, I function horribly without sleep. I would say that was the number one factor holding me back at school this past year. I felt like a zombie everyday because I would only get five to seven hours of sleep per night. The problem is I am usually the most awake and productive from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. I really want to change this because it feels really unhealthy. And I will (change it). Anyone else in the same situation should, too. Enough of feeling like a zombie everyday!

To answer the first two questions I posed:

1. Nothing is wrong. Put bluntly, I am showing no self-discipline
2. A regular sleep schedule and going to bed by 11:00 at latest should be a good fix.

[Photos: waffler, dearoot]

The Most Powerful Tool on the Web

Almost anybody that uses a computer regularly knows about Wikipedia. For those of you that don't, read on. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. It is free and, along with English, is written in a multitude of languages, including German, Spanish, and French. The entries in Wikipedia are written collaboratively by volunteers, allowing virtually anyone with an internet connection and keyboard to add and/or edit entries.

Although it may sound like a haven for internet trolls, it really isn't that easy for trolls to ruin entries. Usually, within seconds of the vandalism, the entry is edited and fixed by any one of the millions of legitimate users. In many cases, administrators will restrict the offender's account, removing their ability to edit or add entries, and, in more severe cases, the offender's IP address may be banned. Also, articles may get locked, thus preventing anyone from further editing the article. Normally, this occurs with very controversial topics (abortion is a good example).

In the end, Wikipedia isn't the best source for a research paper, but it's a great way to find information quickly on over a million topics. (On a side note, Wikipedia is a good tool to use for finding sources to use in a research paper. For example, search your topic and then view the links at the bottom of page (they're in the See Also section) and the sources for the respective page.)

In short, Wikipedia is an online democracy of information. That is what I consider the most powerful tool on the web.


Wikipedia is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. In addition to Wikipedia, they have founded many other notable projects. For a complete list of all the Wikimedia Foundation's projects, check out this page. Other popular projects include Wiktionary, an online free dictionary, and Wikiquote, a library of quotes, both of which are also written collaboratively by volunteers.

Information is powerful. Use it wisely.


"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice."
-Anton Chekhov

[Photos: dcjohn, lui lui]

Quote for the Day

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go."
-William Faulkner

The Joy of Summer

[Photos: jessi, pmorgan, endbradely]

Audio/Video Suggestions, Travel Help, and some Apple news

Personal Audio/Video

• If you've ever wanted to view videos privately, while still in a public place, the Myvu Personal Media Viewer is meant for you.

• The Phillips DCP750 is very versatile portable DVD player. Not only does it play DVDs, but it plays video from Ipods, too. The screen exceeds modest, boasting a 7 inch, 180 degree swiveling screen. Also, it's extremly portable at a mere 2.4 pounds. Other nice features include the SD video card slot and the two headphone jacks. The cost is 150$ for the 7 inch version or, for an additional $50, totaling $200, you'll have yourself an 8.5 inch screen.

• Looking for a nice pair of headphones? Tired of loud noises interrupting you audio experience? Want some headphones that aren't too bulky? Then, the Harmon Kardon EP 730 Noise Isolating Earphones are for you. To me, they look like audiophile heaven for a modest $200. I say modest in the sense that "you get what you pay for" (the $200 being for sheer quality).

Travel

• If you're looking for a quality street navigator to put in your car, look no further. Garmin has a large array of solutions, one of which will surly fit your needs.

• BargainTravel.com seems to be a useful site for satisfying airfare, car rental, and hotel needs, all while visiting one website.

• Wikipedia never fails to amaze me. The variety of useul Wiki sites that have been produced is outstanding. Their "Free Worldwide Travel Guide" is exactly that, outstanding. I searched a variety of locations and couldn't have been more pleased. WikiTravel has a wealth of information on all of the popular vacation destinations (and more).

Apple News

• Apple announced an upgrade to their Macbook Pro line of laptops. For both the 15 inch and 17 inch, the upgrades involve the processor, graphics, and memory. For the 15 inch only, the upgrade includes a newer, environment friendly LED-backlit display, which helps the laptop achieve an extra hour of battery time. More on this exciting news here.

[Photos: Mayr, janusz l]

Western Digital in the 750GB HD market

Western Digital now joins the ranks of Seagate and Hitachi in the 750GB hard drive market. Western Digital claims superiority because of a trio of technologies they implemented to boost performance and reliability.

Get the whole story here.

Ron Paul for President 2008

If the presidential election were held today, I would vote for Ron Paul. He is a conservative in favor of limited government. He doesn't like taxes, the Iraq War, or too much foreign involvement. He believes in people's privacy and personal liberty. Most of all, he believes in freedom. " Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) is the leading advocate for freedom in our nation's capital."

Watch this video of him from Bill Maher's show.
Check out his schedule here.
He even has a Myspace page.

In the name of freedom, vote Ron Paul '08!

[Photo: ronpaul2008]

Quote for the Day

"A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world."
-John Locke

Proud owner of a white Macbook

Because of graduation, I am now the proud owner of a white Macbook. It is the basic (lowest) version, but, awesome, nonetheless. This should be a fun adventure over the next week or two trying to figure this out. So far, the hardest thing is getting used to not having the ability to right click on things. I never realized how convenient that is. Honestly, that is my only complaint about Macs so far (the non-existent ability of right clicking).

The full stats on it are:
2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
1GB (two 512 SO-DIMMs) of DDR2 SDRAM (supports up to 2GB)
80GB 5400-rpm hard drive
13.3-inch (diagonal) TFT widescreen display (1280 x 800 pixels)
Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
Built-in iSight video camera
Front Row and Apple Remote
Slot-loading Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)

Other less important specs:
One FireWire 400 port
Two USB 2.o ports
Optical digital audio input/audio line in
Optical digital audio output/headphone out
Built in stereo speakers
Mini-DVI port for DVI, VGA, composite, and S-Video
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet
Built-in AirPort Extreme
Built-in Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
Preinstalled Mac OS X and other bundled software (iLife)

More information:
12.78 by 8.92 by 1.08 inches
5.2 pounds
Meets ENERGY STAR requirements

If anyone has any tips useful for beginners or any information I should know regarding Macbooks, feel free to leave me a comment. As to which I like better (Mac versus PC), I have an answer. And, that answer is, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Depending on what you want out of your computer (like what you will use it for) will make all of the difference. I'll give my opinion on that at a later date, along with some pictures of the new beauty. (Macs really do look nice though. I will say that!)

The Digital Rights Managment Battle

The battle over digital rights becomes more exciting as each day passes. Personally, I try and keep a close eye on the whole ordeal. This is very hard to do because it is so large and complex. The battle is all over the country; it is in many states rather than confined to any one specific state. The RIAA is trying to hang on to their overbearing, intrusive copyright monopoly on music, which they should not be profiting from in the first place. Supposedly, the RIAA is protecting artists and the music industry as a whole, but, in reality, they are just out to make a few dollars. Hopefully, artists and consumers alike will prevail in the end. Here are two articles that I feel are important regarding this topic from within this past month:

Harvard Professor Charles Nesson takes a stance against the RIAA.

Professor Johan Pouwelse agrees to testify against the RIAA in court.

Both of these men are very experienced in their respective fields. They, along with millions of other people, are against the RIAA. I think it is saying something when experts like this are against the RIAA. Additionally, many artists have voiced their opinion as being against the RIAA, too. A recent example of this is with the band Nine Inch Nails (a little background on this here).

All I have to say on this is:

Down with the RIAA!

Technology Roundup Number Two

Check out these 15 tips for Firefox. Honestly, one of the most useful articles I have stumbled upon in a long time. A must read for Firefox users.

Great news from Apple. They upgraded the specs on their Macbook laptops and are going to upgrade the specs of the Macbook Pro, too. The catch? Their prices aren't changing. More technology for less money! Check out the full story here.

For predictions on how all the major technology companies will fare in 2007, read this article. Here is an excerpt from the article:

This will probably be the most interesting dynamic because, in the second half, if they can finish Leopard, Apple is expected to have the strongest line they have fielded in decades. But so are most of the PC vendors and HP, in particular, is chasing Apple (and using a lot of ex-Apple employees to do it).

MOG is a new, fast growing web 2.0 website that aims at creating a community focused on bringing people with similar musical interests together. Users can create profiles, recommend music to others, watch MOG TV, and much more. Notable users include Ben Gibbard, of Death Cab for Cutie, and Jon Fratelli, of The Fratellis.

Look at this cool concept redesign for the YouTube Player.

More Views of New York City

[Photos: LeonIngul, absolutwade, midweekpost]

Views of New York City's Skyline

Never forget September 11, 2001.

[Photos: Sister72, midweekpost, hyunlab]

Quote for the Day

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Technology Roundup

The Next Web Conference will be occurring within the next few days. It will take place in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on June 1st. Find out more here. Also, watch this documentary for a preview of what is to come at the conference.

An interesting tech oriented blog, with the subtitle: "Just a lowly edtech geek, blogging from the University of Calgary"

Adam Kalsey explains why IP banning is useless.

If you're in the market for a fast, high capacity portable USB 2.0 flash drive, I may have found the solution for you. That is what I want to get, anyways. 8GB is plenty of storage for me and it's acclaimed as very fast when compared with its predecessors.

This one is for people newer to the internet and/or possessing little knowledge. Check out this website for all your information needs regarding how to build web pages, programming languages, and various other basic topics dealing with the internet. And, if you really want to learn about the internet, I would suggest reading this book (because it was written by the original sole creator of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee).

Links for the Day

I found this four page article on childbearing to be very interesting and informative. The article focuses on the importance of women having children at a younger age, rather than later, because doing so improves fertility rates and decreases various problems. The article says birth is optimal for women between the ages of 18 and 30, with fertility difficulties slightly increasing from 30 to 35, and a significant increase in difficulty after 35 years of age. The article touches on countless topics related to obstetrics, including egg cryopreservation, the process of freezing eggs for use at a later date, and "trisomic" anomalies, the cause of Down syndrome. An excerpt from the article:

The natural reduction in reproductive capacity can be considered an unavoidable part of being human. But in weighing the potential liabilities of delayed childbearing, the slings and arrows of personal fortune must also be considered. Every woman is an individual, and as all college students learn, statistics apply to populations, not people. Whether any particular woman will have difficulty conceiving if she delays childbearing depends in part upon her history and family heritage.

My favorite presidential candidate, Barack Obama, came out with a new health care plan, which the New York Times described in a short article. The plan is "aimed at covering the nearly 45 million uninsured Americans". Personally, I liked how his plan omits small business', which may be defined as 15 employees or less (still undetermined), from the potential health care rule.

Here is a list of tips for the shy and anti-social. This article gives readers suggestions on how to become more confident in social situations. It is basically a good outline on improving social skills and is full of many useful tips. As the articles says, which I strongly agree with, practice makes perfect. So, if you want to improve your sociability, get out there and mingle with people!

And, in technology news, Dell plans on entering the retail market by selling their desktops at Wal-Mart stores, beginning June 10th.

[Photos: operalynn, roxannejomitchell]

Home

Well, I came home from the soccer tournament yesterday. We won our division and we all got medals. However, it was a mess. We were placed in a division with teams considerably younger than us. They did this because, currently, we are in a rec league instead of a select league. The problem is that we told them we are normally select, but, because we didn't have the commitment to travel, we chose a rec league so the games would be more local. Apparently, they didn't listen so the tournament was rather non-competitive for us, except for the last game (the championship), which was a good game.

Oh well, we won and got medals.

Another "revival"...

I've decided to revive this blog again. Using my logic, I decided it was better to continue using this blog rather than start a new one. One example: I'm already indexed in some search engines and submitted in some blog indexes. Overall, I just thought it was better to stay with this blog because it is already established. I can't really find the right words to describe the thoughts and reasoning behind my decision.

Yesterday, (Friday, May 25th, 2007), was my last being a pupil in the public K-12 school system. It was my last official day of "school", ever. (Although, I will be going to college in the fall, but I don't consider that "school". Yes, by technical definition it is "school", but I mean the public institution that one attends until approximately 18 years old. In my opinion, university would be the appropriate term.) I just had to go in for the afternoon and take my pre-calculus exam. But, that is in the past now. I'm done!

As for now, I am going to be playing in a soccer tournament this weekend. That is why I am ending my blogging for the day. I need to go catch some Zzzz's so I can be somewhat rested for my game tomorrow.

Insanity

At the moment, my life is insane. It will continue as so until a week from today when I will be arriving home from my trip. Yesterday, I finished the last of my exams. I got 100% on my German orals, I'm sure I got an A on my Pre-Calc exam, and I hope I got an A on my English paper. If all goes well, I will have four A's weighing in this Trimester, which should put me in the top 10 (class rank).

Well, I need to go to bed. I have to work at 9 a.m. Plus, we are leaving in 24 hours and 45 minutes from the high school. Hopefully, we'll get the whole cell phone fiasco figured out, and, then, I'll be ready to rock and roll. Washington D.C. here I come!

I probably won't be able to post for another week, but upon my return everything should be back to normal. But, oh well, it's not like I have anyone reading this regularly, yet.

Quote for the Day

"A wise man's questions contain half the answer."
-Solomon ibn Gibriol

"Sidewalk Philosophy"

[Photos: babasteve]

Quote for Today

"Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destorying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end."
-Author Unknown

Love

[Photos: Shahril Affandi, Neil Wykes, _Gabri_, La Petite Gourmande]

The School Year at a Climax

Right now, I am the busiest I have been all year with school. Within the next two weeks, I have more homework than there is blue in the sky, I have about three tests, all of which are difficult, and, then, to complete all of the fun, I have exams. All of this is on top of having a life!

The good side to all of this is that after these two weeks, I am practically done with high school. Then, class rank is locked, letters of intent handed out, and scholarships turned in, which means the rest of the year is a flight in clear skies. No more bad weather to complicate any more of my days. After this, in order to ensure I can walk on graduation day, the only thing I will have to worry about is avoiding trouble. Everything else will be set; it will just be a matter of passing time. Once graduation passes, I will be free. I'll be sailing the oceans of college, exploring the new world waiting for me.

This rant has been rather nice, but, as one would presume, I have work to do and places to go. No time for blogging. Ironic that I am writing about how I have no time to write, huh?

Essentially, this whole mess will be over in two weeks, but until then, I most go make use of my time...

P.S. For the above reasons, quotes, pictures and links will probably be favorite items for posting because of the minimal effort and time required.

"He's a big boy"

I am sick of hearing this type of talk from my Step-Dad.

Who he is (some background information):
He is a total old-fashioned conservative. He grew up subordinate to the Baptist regime and had little money. Consequently, his views of raising a "man", as he calls it, are distorted. He is a huge fan of tough love, natural consequences, harsh discipline, and independence. He thinks he knows everything and is always right. I've never met someone more stubborn or arrogant. In addition, he may have you believe he is a psychologist or a political scientist. One positive thing I can say is that sometimes, when I'm in the right mood, he can prove to be entertaining; his political lectures and cognitive analysis' are rather amusing at such times. The rest of the time listening to him talk is down-right torture; it makes you wish you were deaf. As you might suspect, he and I don't get along very well. The fact that he is a confrontational kind of person doesn't help. Anyways, that should be enough of a background.

The Story:
At the time of the crime (tonight), I was in the entry way, which doubles as a laundry room. I needed to do a load of laundry. Like I always do, I got side tracked talking and doing who knows what. Anyways, I started walking out of the laundry room to go take a shower because I had forgotten that I was doing laundry. My mom stopped me and said "The detergent is right here". I was like "Oh, woops, I forgot that I was doing laundry. Thanks." Of course, my step-dad then had to butt in and say "He's a big boy" followed with something to the effect of "He'll figure it out", which is his way of telling my mom not to help me.

My thoughts on this:
It’s not as if I don't know how to do laundry. I know the reason he intervened is because he thinks I should be extremely independent since I'm off to college this fall. His logic is extremely ridiculous. First of all, for the majority of peoples’ lives they live with someone, which is how it will probably be for me, too. In a future scenario, the person saying “The detergent is right here” could have been a friend, roommate, girlfriend, or wife. The idea of total independence is irrational to me. I am not the type of person to seclude myself into the dark, lonely corner of society. Therefore, it is likely someone will be there to help me out sometimes in my life. Notice, I didn’t say all of the time, but, yes, sometimes people help people. What a novel idea, only if my step-dad knew…

Regardless of all the aforementioned, the most frustrating thing of it all is that he is such a hypocrite. I am more independent than he is. The next time my mom does anything for him I am going to have a hard time not saying "He's a big boy". In regards to my step-dad, making a list of what my mom doesn't do would be quicker than making one of what she does do for him.

The Conclusion:
To keep peace and sanity in the house, I am going to try and avoid confrontation with him because it’s not worth the fight. It’s just that sometimes he makes me want to scream. In the end, all of this just makes me look forward to college that much more. As much as I love my mother, getting away from him will be nice. Only six more months...

Fast Four

1. George Orwell has 12 writing tips that you may find useful.

2. Ever have the rude, loud, and obnoxious passenger sitting next to you on a plane? Following these steps will quiet almost anyone down on a plane. (Take note of the disclaimer at the bottom)

3. Bungie releases their Halo3 Teaser.

4. These thought-provoking explanations of numerous countries' flags will have you think twice and question your view of the world.

Quote for the Day

“Hope is the pillar that holds up the world.”
- Pliny the Elder

Link Mania

In "Working for Netflix at a Shipping Center", a former employee describes his experience working for Netflix. His experience wasn't as fun as he thought it would be.

"Wow! web 2.0 is really here" is a quick blurb about web 2.0 that mentions a few noteworthy sites the author has found. One of site that I particularly liked was Clickcaster. Mainly, Clickcaster is a site for hosting audio files, but it even goes so far as to record audio from within the site. Its functionality regarding audio storage is similar to what YouTube does for Video and Flickr for photos.

Halo3 Beta FAQs from Bungie.

Check out this article on Digital Rights Management by Engadget. "DRM: the state of disrepair" talks about DRM as it relates to the current controversy over copyright on the internet, adding in another viewpoint into the feud started by Steve Jobs.

A huge advance has been made in printer technology by Zink Imaging. Their innovative idea is for the paper to hold the color, thus allowing for inkless printers. Read more here.

SEOmoz created a list of the top 15 CSS properties that are rarely used that they believe people should consider using.

If you haven't heard, Joe Rogan has called Carlos Mencia out as a phony. He proves that Mencia steals jokes from other comedians. Rogan's conviction is very convincing. Check out this video.

Marriage in America

Recently, Time magazine's John Cloud wrote an article about Marriage in America. He begins the article with this statistic: "51% OF WOMEN ARE NOW LIVING WITHOUT SPOUSE".

I am not particularly fond of the wording, but Cloud defends marriage well throughout the rest of the article. I don't exactly like the introduction, but it provides a nice contrast for his rebutting oppositional view.

The author takes a pro-marriage stance, which I wholly agree with. He assures us that marriage is not declining as much as we may think. This news is comforting to hear for those in favor of marriage. Overall, the article was quite intriguing and provided some interesting statistics.

My take on marriage:

Marriage is only a subsidiary of much larger problems in America. Society's acceptance of many other controversial issues has changed in accordance with marriage over the years. This includes the rise of atheism, the greater acceptance for homosexuality, and etc. In my opinion, these other issues exacerbate the problems surrounding marriage, which eventually perpetuate its decline.

Personally, I think it’s rather sad that marriage, the once sacred institution, is slowly fading. I hope that it will gain ground in the future, but the chances of that look slim. To me, it appears marriage is only one of many things going wrong in the world. Many things seem to be taking a turn for the worse. I don't think change is bad, but the outlook for the future seems bleak. Hopefully, it will all work out in the end, regardless.

The issue seems to be black and white for most people. Many see the decline of marriage as innocuous, whereas others, such as myself, see it as a tragedy for society. Although I take the pro-marriage stance, I try to stay as neutral as possible on this subject because, truly, I am not sure what the best answer is, which is why I try to keep an open mind.

Only time will tell...

[Photos: babasteve]

Friday's Fast Links

Check out the promotion for the Take Action Tour over at purevolume.com. The promotion is a playlist that compiles an array of different artists from the tour. The purpose of the tour is to help fight depression. Bands that will make performances include: My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, Emery, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Cute Is What We Aim For, Senses Fail, A Static Lullaby, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, and many more.


Tom's Hardware reviews five of today's top web cams. I thought the Logitech QuickCam UltraVision looked the most appealing because of the high ratings it received regarding video quality. Who needs "extra" features? Ideally, isn't the main purpose of a web cam to capture or stream video? The Logitech is a little pricier than the others, but seems to be worth the extra money, if you can afford it.


"Think Small" by the New York Times. This is an article about small dwellings, which have seemingly become increasingly popular in recent years. Many people enjoy houses of this type, especially as a second home, because they are cheap and require little maintenance. Here is an excerpt from the article:

This reduction of scale makes sense for a lot of people. Second homes are often geared toward outdoor activities, so for several months of the year interior space is superfluous. Minimal square footage means reduced maintenance costs, less upkeep and reduced energy consumption. Prefabricated and pre-built models can require little or no site preparation, which means no anxious weekend drives to the country to make sure construction is moving along. Add to this an element of instant gratification (once the planning stage is over, most houses go up in days, even hours, and many are delivered, turn-key, to the site).

Halo3 Previews & Beta

Check out this video. A guy leaked video of himself playing Halo3, in Alpha, to show everyone what the weapons will look like. Personally, I don't think they are anything spectacular in comparison with Halo2. The lineup looks nearly identical to what Halo2 had to offer. The best part, and the only thing that looked different, is that they're bringing back the pistol from the original Halo; well, it appears that way, but I can't be sure. If this is true, I hope it will be far less powerful than it was back in Halo's beginnings. Oh, I remember the glory of one shot kills in the head from across the map, with a pistol of all weapons. Nonetheless, Halo3 looks extremely promising. It has some big shoes to fill when comparing with the success of it's predecessors, Halo and Halo2.In other news, this article reveals a new feature in Halo3 (the title summarizes it well):

Halo3 will "mute idiots" via button

I think this feature has been long overdue. I used to get caught up in the trash talking gimmicks of Xbox Live, but, now, I try and keep my mouth shut. What can I say? Sometimes it’s hard to resist when you’re playing with "that one kid". If you've every played on Xbox Live (especially Halo2) then you'll know what I'm talking about. It’s the kid who curses more than a sailor and feels the need to teabag your corpse every time he is fortunate enough to get lucky head shot; all of this is happening while you are totally annihilating him. In some instances, a somewhat "vulgar" response is required, with the hopes of his parents being in earshot so that they'll run over, pull the plug, and never let the kid on Xbox Live again. At least when I do want that moment of silence, it will only be the click of a button away now.

Saving the best news for last... Guess who got into the Halo3 beta?

Me!

That’s right; yours truly is officially entered into the beta. I received the e-mail February 13th. The content of the e-mail was congratulation, followed by the useless required legal information. I'm psyched to start playing the beta. I'll make an update on this at a later date.

Keep up to date at www.halo3.com.

Thursday Quote

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax"
-Abraham Lincoln

Interesting Finds; Wednesday Links

First order of business, here is a cool video I found that shows the evolution of photo manipulation in our society. This video highlights precisely how dramatic the results of photo manipulation can be when applied properly. The video shows an "average" looking female and, then, transforms her into the media's standard of a "beautiful" woman.

Personally, I hate the whole principle around this. We live in reality so why create superficial standards for people to look up to. The skinny, flawless standard that has been created by the media is extremely harmful to society. This false standard destroys the self esteem of millions of girls and women each year. In some cases, it leads to illness such as anorexia or depression. When not treated, many of the consequential illnesses have a debilitating or deadly result.

That is only a dabble into my thoughts on women and feminism in today's society. Check back another day for more ramblings. Moving on to some quick links as promised:

• I came across Zoomr the other day and, to this day, it is the best photo sharing/storage website I have found. I have knowledge of and have experimented with the likes of Imagestation, Flickr, Smugmug, and Photobucket, but none match up to Zoomr. The best part is that its only in beta, which means there is only room for improvement. Zoomr matches all the other sites in almost every area, but reigns superior because of the many extra features the others lack. Check it out!

• Taking a nap may save your life! Studies now show that taking an afternoon nap may help prevent heart attacks and death. More on this at The Consumerist.

• Have you ever wanted to refine your writing skills? Haven't been able to find the right tips or info to accomplish this? I found an excellent in-depth guide on how to write better called "A Guide to Writing Well".

PC Security and Gmail

Many people, especially the internet savvy, already know the basics to PC security. If your not one of those people, or if you just want to review the basics, I've found a great website that details the basic information of computer security. I found the article on Digg, but it originates from www.itsecurity.com. The article goes in depth and covers almost every element of basic PC security.

Check out "The 20 Minute Guide to PC Security".

Second, if you are in need of a new e-mail service or are flat out tired of the one you have, then Gmail may be for you. Compared to most mainstream webmail services, Gmail is superior in numerous areas, especially storage size and spam protection. Most of all, it is free. The highlights of the service as advertised on their website include:

• Free
• Over 2,600 megabytes of storage
• Superior spam protection
• Fully supports all major browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Netscape, Safari...)
• Integrated chat
• Free forwarding and POP3
• Supports 40 languages

Tired of spam? Tired of paying for an overpriced webmail service? Want more storage? If so, you can now sign up for Gmail for free. It was released to the public about a week ago.

Google inches closer to "perfection" everyday.

The Third Beginning

This post is the beginning of another attempt at blogging. Although I have not consistently written in this blog over the last two years, I have read and followed countless blogs somewhat regularly. For a myriad of reasons, I haven't been able to successfully create and post new content in a regular manner for the last year and a half. Topping the list, school is the most obvious answer. Staying honest, I must admit that stress and procrastination are the two factors carrying the most weight, with each feeding off the other. Procrastination stresses me out and increased stress makes me feel lazy, thus encouraging more procrastination and beginning the viscous cycle.



Nonetheless, I shall attempt, once again, to create and maintain a successful blog. When saying this, I am defining successful in my own terms, only relative to myself. As for what those terms are, I am still trying to figure that out. Not only that, but I am trying to figure almost everything in life out.

So hereafter continue the garrulous ramblings from a small town, eighteen year old male, looking for his place in this world as he begins the "adult" life. I only say adult life because the societal stereotype is that anyone 18 or older is deemed an adult. Personally, I think the term adult is better defined by a person's character, maturity, and the like.

Anyways, let the journey begin...

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -Lao Tzu