Recently, the community of so-called "Internet pirates" has come back into the limelight with the recent trials in Sweden of the founders of a well known and popular torrent tracker website, "The Pirate Bay". It has drawn a significant amount of press, especially after the conviction and jailing of the parties involved, even attracting a few high-profile celebrities, such as Paul McCartney and the vocalist of the band Snow Patrol. Many online supporters have engaged in protests both on and off the web. Protests were held outside the courthouse and during the raid on the Pirate Bay HQ, and a loosely connected internet collective named "Anonymous" lead a Distributed Denial of Service Attack, effectively IFPI website for a few hours.
This raises the question: should media be free to all or should we still pay for our music and movies?
Personally, being exposed to the culture of the Internet nearly constantly, I am inclined to say media should be free. More and more, we're able to get programs, services, and information for free. However, I can understand the argument of the production companies and their gripes. In all honesty, though, some of their claims seem to be blown out of the water. Though there are people who never buy anything, most of the time, people will download or listen to something for free, and then purchase the full thing, or purchase other related items. Not to mention the fact that live ticket sales are still extremely profitable, and one concert can make as much if not more than typical CD sales.
My opinon aside, there's no doubt that media is changing. There's no denying that people are more inclined to download and will want more things for free. Record labels and other production companies are going to need to get creative or they will risk dips if they can't keep up with trends and technology. Of course, they'll always have a responsible and reliable market, as a majority of people still do purchase music, but if you ignore the rising demographic of Internet-users, a few years down the road, that base may not exist.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
T-TV TV Show...
I was planning on doing a more interesting post today, but I think I need to do a bit more research before I can make a proper post. So for now, to tide you over, I'll do something I've been wanting to do for a while now: review television programs.
The United States of Tara - one of the best dramadies I've seen in recent years. US of Tara chronicles the struggles of a woman suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, otherwise known as multiple personalities, and her functionally dysfunctional family trying to make it through the day despite their odd trials and tribulations. This show is definitely not "school appropriate", so I won't go into too much detail, but it's filled with unique comedy and captivating characters of all types (especially with Tara's "alters" mucking it up periodically) that really hooks you into the show itself. I'd recommend giving it a look, if not for just a few episodes.
Fringe - J.J. Abram's latest TV project. This show revolves around the concepts of "Fringe Science" (otherwise known as pseudoscience), obscure, supernatural research into strange events that would otherwise not be allowed by other fields of research. The show centers around Olivia Dunham, a young FBI agent recently recruited to investigate a strange series of occurrences labeled as "The Pattern". She recruits the help of an insane genius, Dr. Walter Bishop, and his equally genius but more grounded son, Peter Bishop, to rectify and explain these odd occurrences. The best part about this show is that it is both episodic and has an overarching storyline, allowing you to either watch it in chunks and still be entertained or watch the thing in whole and get the full experience. One thing done very masterfully in this show is the subtle symbolism, whether from small objects you would otherwise ignore, split-second cameos of mysterious characters, or the strange symbols aired between commercial breaks. These almost unnoticeable Easter eggs really complete the eerie experience of the whole show and make it all the more mysterious.
Battlestar Galactica - I previously mentioned this series in one of my earlier blog posts and the press it was getting after the UN hearings concerning its themes. While I'm naturally inclined to like it, being raised on Star Trek, even if you don't like space operas, the drama behind it often makes you forget that the characters are flying around on a gigantic warship in the middle of deep space. Practically every actor, even some of the more minor ones, is extremely believable and emotional, clearly putting their heart and soul into the roles. Mary McDonnell is easily my favorite actor in this series, and her portrayal of the dying leader destined to save humanity is phenomenal, to the point where you'd never know she's known anything else. If you haven't heard, the series recently ended, but most of the series is out on DVD, and you can generally catch reruns on Sci-Fi. I've been watching it on DVD, so I haven't been able to catch the end of it, but I'm looking forward to it when I can.
The United States of Tara - one of the best dramadies I've seen in recent years. US of Tara chronicles the struggles of a woman suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, otherwise known as multiple personalities, and her functionally dysfunctional family trying to make it through the day despite their odd trials and tribulations. This show is definitely not "school appropriate", so I won't go into too much detail, but it's filled with unique comedy and captivating characters of all types (especially with Tara's "alters" mucking it up periodically) that really hooks you into the show itself. I'd recommend giving it a look, if not for just a few episodes.
Fringe - J.J. Abram's latest TV project. This show revolves around the concepts of "Fringe Science" (otherwise known as pseudoscience), obscure, supernatural research into strange events that would otherwise not be allowed by other fields of research. The show centers around Olivia Dunham, a young FBI agent recently recruited to investigate a strange series of occurrences labeled as "The Pattern". She recruits the help of an insane genius, Dr. Walter Bishop, and his equally genius but more grounded son, Peter Bishop, to rectify and explain these odd occurrences. The best part about this show is that it is both episodic and has an overarching storyline, allowing you to either watch it in chunks and still be entertained or watch the thing in whole and get the full experience. One thing done very masterfully in this show is the subtle symbolism, whether from small objects you would otherwise ignore, split-second cameos of mysterious characters, or the strange symbols aired between commercial breaks. These almost unnoticeable Easter eggs really complete the eerie experience of the whole show and make it all the more mysterious.
Battlestar Galactica - I previously mentioned this series in one of my earlier blog posts and the press it was getting after the UN hearings concerning its themes. While I'm naturally inclined to like it, being raised on Star Trek, even if you don't like space operas, the drama behind it often makes you forget that the characters are flying around on a gigantic warship in the middle of deep space. Practically every actor, even some of the more minor ones, is extremely believable and emotional, clearly putting their heart and soul into the roles. Mary McDonnell is easily my favorite actor in this series, and her portrayal of the dying leader destined to save humanity is phenomenal, to the point where you'd never know she's known anything else. If you haven't heard, the series recently ended, but most of the series is out on DVD, and you can generally catch reruns on Sci-Fi. I've been watching it on DVD, so I haven't been able to catch the end of it, but I'm looking forward to it when I can.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wiki Wiki Savvy
Or, Wiki Wiki Tavi 2.
ISO 3103 - An interesting article I stumbled upon while browsing the semi-official Wikipedia online store. It's humorous how we've managed to standardize something so basic and run-of-the-mill as brewing a pot of tea.
Extreme ironing - An "extreme sport" that's more of a parody of extreme sports than it is an actual athletic event. It mostly entails going to ridiculous places and ironing clothes. It's crazy where some of these people have pressed their shirts; on plateus, while freefalling, bungee jumping, even underwater! In fact, a group of 72 divers set a world record by having all of them iron their clothes simultaniously while submerged!
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo - One of the anomalies of the English language. The ability to repeat the same word eight times and still have it make grammatical sense just goes to show how weird English is as a language.
Thinking about the immortality of the crab - An interesting Spanish idiom, and while I haven't found a use for it just yet, I hope to find one. I find it interesting how such strange things can manifest themselves in a language, as nothing about "the immortality of the crab" strikes me as related to daydreaming.
Schizophasia - A.K.A. word salad, a serious condition with quite humorous results. There is something about "Tissues without a triangular head lice be it with controller is the noodle man of ice pops and radio yes thanks." that I find to be extremely hilarious.
String Theory - While not exactly "strange", it is definitely out of the ordinary, and Wikipedia provides a primer on this extremely facinating theory of particle physics that has always interested me. Take a look for yourself and see if you can sort through the jargon; it'll change your view of the world.
ISO 3103 - An interesting article I stumbled upon while browsing the semi-official Wikipedia online store. It's humorous how we've managed to standardize something so basic and run-of-the-mill as brewing a pot of tea.
Extreme ironing - An "extreme sport" that's more of a parody of extreme sports than it is an actual athletic event. It mostly entails going to ridiculous places and ironing clothes. It's crazy where some of these people have pressed their shirts; on plateus, while freefalling, bungee jumping, even underwater! In fact, a group of 72 divers set a world record by having all of them iron their clothes simultaniously while submerged!
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo - One of the anomalies of the English language. The ability to repeat the same word eight times and still have it make grammatical sense just goes to show how weird English is as a language.
Thinking about the immortality of the crab - An interesting Spanish idiom, and while I haven't found a use for it just yet, I hope to find one. I find it interesting how such strange things can manifest themselves in a language, as nothing about "the immortality of the crab" strikes me as related to daydreaming.
Schizophasia - A.K.A. word salad, a serious condition with quite humorous results. There is something about "Tissues without a triangular head lice be it with controller is the noodle man of ice pops and radio yes thanks." that I find to be extremely hilarious.
String Theory - While not exactly "strange", it is definitely out of the ordinary, and Wikipedia provides a primer on this extremely facinating theory of particle physics that has always interested me. Take a look for yourself and see if you can sort through the jargon; it'll change your view of the world.
Sweet Tweets
Recently, I've noticed the rise of Twitter, the "micro-blogging" social networking site. I've always been interested in these kinds of Web 2.0-era concepts, but never entirely understood this concept. Why do you need or want to know what someone is doing at any given time of the day?
Twitter justifies its existence with the simple rational that the first thing we ask someone when we see them is "What are you doing?" In some sense, I'm inclined to agree; what our friends and and family are doing is generally something in which we take great interest, but to me, I don't exactly see why we need to know exactly what everyone is thinking at every waking moment.
I do see the practicality of such a tool, as it's a short, sweet and general form of communication that can help coordinate events or inform others of what you're planning on doing if they would like to accompany you.
It also forces you to be concise, making your messages short, sweet and to the point. In a lot of ways, that can make information easier to get across. This has proven to hold true, as in crisis situations, Twitter has been used by eyewitnesses to quickly get on-the-ground info to outsiders so they can better assist, such as during the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, or the bushfires in Victoria in February.
Of course, this brings up the issue, how much is too much? Do we really need to know exactly what someone is doing just when they're doing it? Or is there some element to this disconnection that keeps us human or helps us in some way? I think that running at such a fast pace and keeping our distance through technology is ultimately detrimental to us as a society, and though things like this are great and definitely useful, we should be wary of the thin line between effective communication and the removal of the human element.
It seems like a lot of fuss to make over 150 characters, doesn't it?
Twitter justifies its existence with the simple rational that the first thing we ask someone when we see them is "What are you doing?" In some sense, I'm inclined to agree; what our friends and and family are doing is generally something in which we take great interest, but to me, I don't exactly see why we need to know exactly what everyone is thinking at every waking moment.
I do see the practicality of such a tool, as it's a short, sweet and general form of communication that can help coordinate events or inform others of what you're planning on doing if they would like to accompany you.
It also forces you to be concise, making your messages short, sweet and to the point. In a lot of ways, that can make information easier to get across. This has proven to hold true, as in crisis situations, Twitter has been used by eyewitnesses to quickly get on-the-ground info to outsiders so they can better assist, such as during the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, or the bushfires in Victoria in February.
Of course, this brings up the issue, how much is too much? Do we really need to know exactly what someone is doing just when they're doing it? Or is there some element to this disconnection that keeps us human or helps us in some way? I think that running at such a fast pace and keeping our distance through technology is ultimately detrimental to us as a society, and though things like this are great and definitely useful, we should be wary of the thin line between effective communication and the removal of the human element.
It seems like a lot of fuss to make over 150 characters, doesn't it?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
"Battlestar" Down to Earth
Recently, the UN had a session discussion the popular Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica, a revival of a series from the 70's about a fleet of human ships driven off the 12 colonies (all named after the 12 signs of the western zodiac) by a race of human created "organic" robots, the Cylons.
Personally, I'm an avid fan of the series, having only recently discovered it this past winter. I can understand why it's recieved such praise as both a drama and a science fiction series. However, even I find it strange that the series has grabbed the attention of the United Nations. What is it about Battlestar that's captivated the leaders of the free world?
According to Sci-Fi, the show's primary broadcaster on which the series's fifth and final season is airing, the show raises discussion over "human rights, children and armed conflict, terrorism, human rights and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faith."
At first glance, you'd wonder how all these themes can appear in the realm of "nerddom", but there is an abundance of examples of many of these themes.
(Warning: SPOILERS!)
For instance, the controversy of whether the Cylon models (the Cylons engineered to be nearly human) should be treated humanely appears constantly throughout the series, such as the treatment of the Eights, and more specifically Boomer/Athena, the legitamency of the many Cylon/Human children fostered, and how the enemies of humanity should be treated, even when its clear that they were never truly our foes.
It's clear that many of these themes appear in Battlestar and make this more than just your run-of-the-mill space opera. A lot lies under the surface of this dynamic, addictive chase through space, and if it's good enough for the UN, it's good enough for me.
Personally, I'm an avid fan of the series, having only recently discovered it this past winter. I can understand why it's recieved such praise as both a drama and a science fiction series. However, even I find it strange that the series has grabbed the attention of the United Nations. What is it about Battlestar that's captivated the leaders of the free world?
According to Sci-Fi, the show's primary broadcaster on which the series's fifth and final season is airing, the show raises discussion over "human rights, children and armed conflict, terrorism, human rights and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faith."
At first glance, you'd wonder how all these themes can appear in the realm of "nerddom", but there is an abundance of examples of many of these themes.
(Warning: SPOILERS!)
For instance, the controversy of whether the Cylon models (the Cylons engineered to be nearly human) should be treated humanely appears constantly throughout the series, such as the treatment of the Eights, and more specifically Boomer/Athena, the legitamency of the many Cylon/Human children fostered, and how the enemies of humanity should be treated, even when its clear that they were never truly our foes.
It's clear that many of these themes appear in Battlestar and make this more than just your run-of-the-mill space opera. A lot lies under the surface of this dynamic, addictive chase through space, and if it's good enough for the UN, it's good enough for me.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bloggin' Blarney
Most people know Saint Patty's Day as a good excuse to go to the bar after work and chug a few pints. Few people, however, truly know its origins and the history behind it. In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day as well as my Irish heritage, I've compiled a few interesting facts about the holiday, it's history, it's traditions, and St. Patrick himself.
- St. Patrick is actually not typically associated with the color green. In fact, a shade of (typically) dark blue, St. Patrick's Blue, is more commonly associated with him and with Ireland in general.
- Furthermore, "wearing of the green" originally referred to the wearing of a shamrock on your clothes to show your patriotism to Ireland or association with Catholicism.
- Protestants, in defiance of the Catholics, would wear orange on St. Patrick's Day, in reference to William III of Orange, who defeated King James II, a Roman Catholic, outside of Dublin.
- The shamrock, which typically has 3 leaves, is symbolic of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost).
- The snake is also associated with St. Patrick, as part of his legend is the banishing of snakes from Ireland, symbolizing the victory of Christianity over the pagan beliefs.
- St. Patrick was actually not Irish; he was sold into slavery at age 16 after being stolen from his home in Wales and returned to his home about 6 years later, coming to Ireland as a missionary for the Catholic church.
- Savannah, GA claims to have the largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States, with over 750,000 attending the 2006 parade. It's also held on the day of St. Patrick's Day regardless of when it falls, unlike many others held
- Every year, the Chicago River is died green in celebration of the holiday. The green vegetable dye used for the first time was enough to keep it green for a whole week!
Bibliography:
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Title Pending
Here's the beginning of a short story I conjured up from the hobo documentary I watched in Lit. Hopefully I'll finish it before too long and update this post.
The steady tattoo of the rails below as the car glided across the smooth steel tracks rang sonorously in the cramped car, rattling the crates as they shifted in time with the movement of the train. Huddled in between them, Lucian sat, nibbling on the stale remnants of the cucumber and butter sandwiches he had hobbled together from the charity of a grocer the night before. With his long legs at his bony chest and his arms squeezed between two boxes, he idly watched the flickering light from the crack in the door. As he swallowed his last bit of food, he sighed, shifting into as comfortable positions as he could achieve wedged in between the gigantic boxes. All of the other men riding the boxcar had long gotten off, getting off at Las Vegas before hitting California.
Lucian, however, was keen on hitting Los Angeles and getting a job in a restaurant there. He knew he could wash dishes and get a good meal if he was lucky and maybe be able to get a nice place to sleep. He had become sick and tired of riding the rails all the way from Baltimore, but there was little work in the town after the crisis a few years back, and his father had left him and his mother alone to sustain themselves on whatever money she could muster.
Lost in his thought, he didn’t seem to notice the shadows on the floor begin to slow their flickering dance. The tattoo soon fell silent, and with a lurch and a sigh, the train came to a halt, throwing him forward from his tight nook. Suddenly, he found himself on the wooden floor with a mouth full of sawdust and soot.
“Hey, kid, need a hand?”
Coughing, he raised his head to see a man towering above him dressed in a worn out suit coat and a pair of torn slacks, reaching down to help him on his feet. A bit hesitantly, he took the man’s offer, gripping his calloused palm as he righted himself.
“I been watchin’ you since ya got on. Been wonderin’ what a kid like you’s been doin’ hoppin’ trains.”
“Been tryin’ to get to Los Angeles to get a job and help my mama.” Lucian explained between hacks.
The man simply shook his head and dipped a hand into his pocket, withdrawing a shining pocket watch that looked as if it had been bought yesterday.
“Looks like we got enough time for lunch. Lemme take ya into town and buy ya a sandwich.” He offered.
“T-thanks, mister.” Lucian stuttered, brushing the dust from his body.
He hopped off the car, gesturing for Lucian to follow.
“So, what’s your name, boy?”
“Lucian. You?”
“The name’s Gabe.”
The steady tattoo of the rails below as the car glided across the smooth steel tracks rang sonorously in the cramped car, rattling the crates as they shifted in time with the movement of the train. Huddled in between them, Lucian sat, nibbling on the stale remnants of the cucumber and butter sandwiches he had hobbled together from the charity of a grocer the night before. With his long legs at his bony chest and his arms squeezed between two boxes, he idly watched the flickering light from the crack in the door. As he swallowed his last bit of food, he sighed, shifting into as comfortable positions as he could achieve wedged in between the gigantic boxes. All of the other men riding the boxcar had long gotten off, getting off at Las Vegas before hitting California.
Lucian, however, was keen on hitting Los Angeles and getting a job in a restaurant there. He knew he could wash dishes and get a good meal if he was lucky and maybe be able to get a nice place to sleep. He had become sick and tired of riding the rails all the way from Baltimore, but there was little work in the town after the crisis a few years back, and his father had left him and his mother alone to sustain themselves on whatever money she could muster.
Lost in his thought, he didn’t seem to notice the shadows on the floor begin to slow their flickering dance. The tattoo soon fell silent, and with a lurch and a sigh, the train came to a halt, throwing him forward from his tight nook. Suddenly, he found himself on the wooden floor with a mouth full of sawdust and soot.
“Hey, kid, need a hand?”
Coughing, he raised his head to see a man towering above him dressed in a worn out suit coat and a pair of torn slacks, reaching down to help him on his feet. A bit hesitantly, he took the man’s offer, gripping his calloused palm as he righted himself.
“I been watchin’ you since ya got on. Been wonderin’ what a kid like you’s been doin’ hoppin’ trains.”
“Been tryin’ to get to Los Angeles to get a job and help my mama.” Lucian explained between hacks.
The man simply shook his head and dipped a hand into his pocket, withdrawing a shining pocket watch that looked as if it had been bought yesterday.
“Looks like we got enough time for lunch. Lemme take ya into town and buy ya a sandwich.” He offered.
“T-thanks, mister.” Lucian stuttered, brushing the dust from his body.
He hopped off the car, gesturing for Lucian to follow.
“So, what’s your name, boy?”
“Lucian. You?”
“The name’s Gabe.”
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Third Parties and Sex - Who Knew?
In Queensland, Australia, the big news that everyone is talking about is the upcoming state Parliamentary elections. Many parties have been offering their candidates for election on March 21st, and while the two major political front runners are stealing the limelight, a few smaller parties have introduced their own candidates just under the radar. One in particular that I've noticed is the "Australian Sex Party", a small third party founded last year by Fiona Pattern (a little bit about her and her team can be found on their website, here), described as a party with a "Social Progressive" policy. This is an interesting development, as Queensland's censorship laws have been described by Pattern as "far stricter than any other state in Australia and the same as laws on erotica in totalitarian states like China and Iran."
While her view is likely somewhat extreme, the opposition towards this suggests that her statement has at least some element of truth, as the opposition to the party has been strong and targeted, using a variety of flashy words to demonize pornography as much as Pattern demonized Queensland's censorship policies.
Despite this, I find the most interesting thing about this is that political organizations so specialized have sprouted out of these greater movements and have actually stolen some of the spotlight. They don't generally get this kind of attention Stateside, but parties like the Green Party with their candidate, Ralph Nader, possibly tipping the election towards former president Bush, and independents, like Ross Perot, who took nearly 19% of the popular vote and later, under the Reform Party, grabbed a respectable 8% percent, have really began to tip the scales in the political environment.
While her view is likely somewhat extreme, the opposition towards this suggests that her statement has at least some element of truth, as the opposition to the party has been strong and targeted, using a variety of flashy words to demonize pornography as much as Pattern demonized Queensland's censorship policies.
Despite this, I find the most interesting thing about this is that political organizations so specialized have sprouted out of these greater movements and have actually stolen some of the spotlight. They don't generally get this kind of attention Stateside, but parties like the Green Party with their candidate, Ralph Nader, possibly tipping the election towards former president Bush, and independents, like Ross Perot, who took nearly 19% of the popular vote and later, under the Reform Party, grabbed a respectable 8% percent, have really began to tip the scales in the political environment.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wiki Wiki Tavi
I am a Wikipedian. Wikipedia eats up half of my free time.
I thought I'd take a moment to display some of my interests in the form of Wikipedia's featured articles.
Exploding Whale - Probably one of my favorite featured articles, and the classic example of just how specialized Wikipedia can become. The article documents a few rare cases of when large beached whales that are too large to move have been detonated, as well as a few cases where the internal pressure of the rotting whale carcass actually caused it to explode.
0.999... - An in-depth look into an interesting mathamatical proof most of us take for granted. Not only does it give the most basic proof of this mathamatical therom, but also delves into more complex means of proving its existance, as well as other applications and criticisms.
Arrested Development (TV series) - A fantastic article for an equally fantastic series, this article highlights not only the major concepts and ideas of this unique comedy, but goes further in-depth, tracking the writer's tropes and tendenceies, as well as their unique sense of humor.
New Radicals - One of my favorite bands of the 90's, generally considered to be a one-hit wonder, not entirely because of their momentary popularity or one good single, but more because of the lead singer and his somewhat shady history. The article gives interesting insight into their break-up and earlier history, as well as their short discography. Check them out; I'm sure you'll want them to come back just as much as I do.
Definition of planet - I am a firm believer in Pluto as a planet, and this article is a great example of what I fight against in order to restore Pluto to it's former glory. Despite the controversial content, this is a fanstastic article, truly explaining what it means to be a planet in relatively understandable terms. I may not like it, but I at least can appruciate it.
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series - I find this article to be more interesting than anything, as I've always been interested in the grievences against such a simple fantasy series such as Harry Potter. I've always seen it as more of a harmless fairytale full of Aesop-esque morals with a simple fantastical overtone that makes for an engaging story and unique plot line. This article provides a neutral and all-encompassing analysis of the debate, and is a good start for anyone interested in learning more about Harry Potter and the controversy surrounding it.
Kingdom Hearts (series) - One of my favorite video game series, Kingdom Hearts has taken two unlikely bedfellows and produced a strange child that mixes the innocent fantasy of Disney with some of the darker themes and classical RPG elements of Final Fantasy. The article gives an overview of the engaging story, history of the game, it's installments, unique music, and novel concept.
Wikipedia - I always find it interesting to see what a website says about itself, and Wikipedia is no exception. This article is always a bit of a mindfield (hence it being the only non-FA in my post), but is an interesting read nonetheless, highliting Wikipedia's diverse history and the controversies behind its general neutrality and accuracy.
I thought I'd take a moment to display some of my interests in the form of Wikipedia's featured articles.
Exploding Whale - Probably one of my favorite featured articles, and the classic example of just how specialized Wikipedia can become. The article documents a few rare cases of when large beached whales that are too large to move have been detonated, as well as a few cases where the internal pressure of the rotting whale carcass actually caused it to explode.
0.999... - An in-depth look into an interesting mathamatical proof most of us take for granted. Not only does it give the most basic proof of this mathamatical therom, but also delves into more complex means of proving its existance, as well as other applications and criticisms.
Arrested Development (TV series) - A fantastic article for an equally fantastic series, this article highlights not only the major concepts and ideas of this unique comedy, but goes further in-depth, tracking the writer's tropes and tendenceies, as well as their unique sense of humor.
New Radicals - One of my favorite bands of the 90's, generally considered to be a one-hit wonder, not entirely because of their momentary popularity or one good single, but more because of the lead singer and his somewhat shady history. The article gives interesting insight into their break-up and earlier history, as well as their short discography. Check them out; I'm sure you'll want them to come back just as much as I do.
Definition of planet - I am a firm believer in Pluto as a planet, and this article is a great example of what I fight against in order to restore Pluto to it's former glory. Despite the controversial content, this is a fanstastic article, truly explaining what it means to be a planet in relatively understandable terms. I may not like it, but I at least can appruciate it.
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series - I find this article to be more interesting than anything, as I've always been interested in the grievences against such a simple fantasy series such as Harry Potter. I've always seen it as more of a harmless fairytale full of Aesop-esque morals with a simple fantastical overtone that makes for an engaging story and unique plot line. This article provides a neutral and all-encompassing analysis of the debate, and is a good start for anyone interested in learning more about Harry Potter and the controversy surrounding it.
Kingdom Hearts (series) - One of my favorite video game series, Kingdom Hearts has taken two unlikely bedfellows and produced a strange child that mixes the innocent fantasy of Disney with some of the darker themes and classical RPG elements of Final Fantasy. The article gives an overview of the engaging story, history of the game, it's installments, unique music, and novel concept.
Wikipedia - I always find it interesting to see what a website says about itself, and Wikipedia is no exception. This article is always a bit of a mindfield (hence it being the only non-FA in my post), but is an interesting read nonetheless, highliting Wikipedia's diverse history and the controversies behind its general neutrality and accuracy.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wisdom Woes
I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed last Friday. I feel compelled to chronicle my saga of pain and torture for posterity.
Friday - Day 1
Around 7:45, I go in for surgery. After a short wait, they lead me into a small room and have me lay on a table shaped ominously like a coffin. They load me up with laughing gas (nitrous oxide, something that my mind will not let me forget, repeating it constantly as I descend into the realm of borderline insanity), and once the nurses get themselves organized and the oral surgeon comes in, I'm high as a kite and tingling all over. The surgeon takes the time to locate my vein, compelling me to crack an incoherent joke about how there is probably a good deal of them, and once he inserts the IV (which I can't really feel at this point), I feel a spray up my arm and slowly lose consciousness. The last thing I hear before I'm out cold is my regulated breath and a swallow, along with the fading noise of obnoxious 80's music in the background.
Needless to say, it was quite a trip.
Next thing I know, I'm awake, with a piece of bloodied gauze sticking from my mouth. A nurse guides me to a reclining chair in a little nook adjacent to the OR, and lets me sit there for a while as my gums bleed profusely. Not long after, she guides another poor, unfortunate soul into the chair next to me, and I sit mumbling to myself, leafing through an outdated People magazine as the anesthesia wears off. After what seems like 10 minutes, I'm lead out into the waiting room again, given over to my bemused parents. Despite the fact that my lip is extremely numb and I have a large amount of cotton shoved in my cheeks, I feel generally unfazed, and get home without much problem.
By the time I do get home, however, the numbness had started to fade, and pain was slowly rearing its ugly head. My mother gives me the heavy pain pill, and for a while, I seem to be all right, despite having to change my gauze about 5 or 6 times over the next 3 or so hours.
Then, it hits.
Suddenly, I find myself to be overcome by pain. Strangely enough, it wasn't exactly painful, but something in my head was screaming "DO NOT WANT". I lay on the couch, moaning and whimpering, completely lost in a whirlwind of aching, but a few ibuprofens later, I managed to knock myself out. Beyond that, everything was pretty much a blur until I fell asleep about 8 hours later.
Saturday - Day 2
By this point, the bleeding had pretty much stopped. I had ditched the ones I had in my mouth overnight, and they were surprisingly not very bloody. And this is where my story gets pretty boring. From this point until about Monday afternoon, I did practically nothing of consequence, aside from lay around and play video games or watch Spongebob Squarepants reruns. The only thing of real significance I did was go to see Coraline, which, by the way, is a fantastic movie. Maybe I'll write a review...
Anyways, I made the switch from the heavy pain meds to the Vicodin (because everyone wants to be House), as the pain had finally downgraded to an annoying ache rather than a scalpel stuck in my gums. I also started the penicillin, but that's not really that interesting, is it?
Also, I wouldn't recommend combining vicodin with ibuprofen. It made me feel extremely spacey.
Sunday - Day 3
The pain slowly faded, but it was definitely still around. Aside from that, the whole of Sunday was practically a blur. I basically did the same thing I did on Saturday, just with my face a little less puffy. Despite this, by the end of the day, I was absolutely drained. Of course, I hadn't even bothered to think about homework... Oh well...
Monday - Day 4
By this point, I was feeling relatively normal. My face still hurt and it still pretty much bound my jaw shut, but at least I could walk around and eat somewhat normally. However, it was pretty clear that my diet had been thrown for a loop, as I managed to down 3 applesauces within a period of about 2 hours after already eating at least something hourly.
The worst part of this day, however, was realizing I had homework. Luckily, I managed to annotate my 8 sources for a research paper, read 20 pages in my World History book, and read 30 pages of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (a very good book which I already read before) before midnight. Even I astound myself sometimes.
Tuesday - Day 5
So, here I am, writing this blog post on the 5th day post-surgery. Right now, I'm a little out of it as the ibuprofen I took earlier today has long since worn off, but despite the lingering swelling, I feel at least decent.
Despite the potential for milkshakes and ice cream, I really wouldn't recommend using your wisdom teeth as a means of satisfying your sweet tooth. Half the time, you're either in too much pain or asleep from the pain medication to even want to think about the Chic-Fil-A Cookies and Cream milkshake or bowl of Black Jack Cherry ice cream in front of you. No matter how much your friends and family try to sugar coat it, it's not a fun experience. Though I would recommend anesthesia. That was quite a ride.
Friday - Day 1
Around 7:45, I go in for surgery. After a short wait, they lead me into a small room and have me lay on a table shaped ominously like a coffin. They load me up with laughing gas (nitrous oxide, something that my mind will not let me forget, repeating it constantly as I descend into the realm of borderline insanity), and once the nurses get themselves organized and the oral surgeon comes in, I'm high as a kite and tingling all over. The surgeon takes the time to locate my vein, compelling me to crack an incoherent joke about how there is probably a good deal of them, and once he inserts the IV (which I can't really feel at this point), I feel a spray up my arm and slowly lose consciousness. The last thing I hear before I'm out cold is my regulated breath and a swallow, along with the fading noise of obnoxious 80's music in the background.
Needless to say, it was quite a trip.
Next thing I know, I'm awake, with a piece of bloodied gauze sticking from my mouth. A nurse guides me to a reclining chair in a little nook adjacent to the OR, and lets me sit there for a while as my gums bleed profusely. Not long after, she guides another poor, unfortunate soul into the chair next to me, and I sit mumbling to myself, leafing through an outdated People magazine as the anesthesia wears off. After what seems like 10 minutes, I'm lead out into the waiting room again, given over to my bemused parents. Despite the fact that my lip is extremely numb and I have a large amount of cotton shoved in my cheeks, I feel generally unfazed, and get home without much problem.
By the time I do get home, however, the numbness had started to fade, and pain was slowly rearing its ugly head. My mother gives me the heavy pain pill, and for a while, I seem to be all right, despite having to change my gauze about 5 or 6 times over the next 3 or so hours.
Then, it hits.
Suddenly, I find myself to be overcome by pain. Strangely enough, it wasn't exactly painful, but something in my head was screaming "DO NOT WANT". I lay on the couch, moaning and whimpering, completely lost in a whirlwind of aching, but a few ibuprofens later, I managed to knock myself out. Beyond that, everything was pretty much a blur until I fell asleep about 8 hours later.
Saturday - Day 2
By this point, the bleeding had pretty much stopped. I had ditched the ones I had in my mouth overnight, and they were surprisingly not very bloody. And this is where my story gets pretty boring. From this point until about Monday afternoon, I did practically nothing of consequence, aside from lay around and play video games or watch Spongebob Squarepants reruns. The only thing of real significance I did was go to see Coraline, which, by the way, is a fantastic movie. Maybe I'll write a review...
Anyways, I made the switch from the heavy pain meds to the Vicodin (because everyone wants to be House), as the pain had finally downgraded to an annoying ache rather than a scalpel stuck in my gums. I also started the penicillin, but that's not really that interesting, is it?
Also, I wouldn't recommend combining vicodin with ibuprofen. It made me feel extremely spacey.
Sunday - Day 3
The pain slowly faded, but it was definitely still around. Aside from that, the whole of Sunday was practically a blur. I basically did the same thing I did on Saturday, just with my face a little less puffy. Despite this, by the end of the day, I was absolutely drained. Of course, I hadn't even bothered to think about homework... Oh well...
Monday - Day 4
By this point, I was feeling relatively normal. My face still hurt and it still pretty much bound my jaw shut, but at least I could walk around and eat somewhat normally. However, it was pretty clear that my diet had been thrown for a loop, as I managed to down 3 applesauces within a period of about 2 hours after already eating at least something hourly.
The worst part of this day, however, was realizing I had homework. Luckily, I managed to annotate my 8 sources for a research paper, read 20 pages in my World History book, and read 30 pages of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (a very good book which I already read before) before midnight. Even I astound myself sometimes.
Tuesday - Day 5
So, here I am, writing this blog post on the 5th day post-surgery. Right now, I'm a little out of it as the ibuprofen I took earlier today has long since worn off, but despite the lingering swelling, I feel at least decent.
Despite the potential for milkshakes and ice cream, I really wouldn't recommend using your wisdom teeth as a means of satisfying your sweet tooth. Half the time, you're either in too much pain or asleep from the pain medication to even want to think about the Chic-Fil-A Cookies and Cream milkshake or bowl of Black Jack Cherry ice cream in front of you. No matter how much your friends and family try to sugar coat it, it's not a fun experience. Though I would recommend anesthesia. That was quite a ride.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Web 2.0 - a primer
Within the past 10 or so years, the Internet has become an integral part of our lives. A simple connection between two processing units proposed as a means of information relay in the early 1980's has blossomed over a short period of about 30 years into that which we know today. The Internet, however, has beyond its original bounds as an IT resource, and has not only helped to transport and display information, allowing for easy access to what equates to the sum of human knowledge, but has also connected people. This idea of the connection and collaboration of multiple people of various and diverse backgrounds has manifested itself in the concept known as "Web 2.0."
Wikipedia, a posterchild of the Web 2.0 movement, defines it as "the changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aim to enhance creativity, communications, secure information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web." Popular websites, like Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, Twitter, and even the idea of blogging itself can be linked back to this trend. These communities have grown up around the basic philosophy of better human integration through the Internet, and have become an important and integral part of our lives. In fact, those of us born in the last 20 years have known practically nothing else.
These revolutionary websites were born from humble beginnings, even if they seem to be a grand and important part of our day-to-day lives. Facebook, a simple social networking website originally created to cater to students at Harvard University, has turned into a worldwide phenomenon, growing substantially since its introduction into the mainstream in September of 2005. Myspace, who is considered to be the pioneer of social networking (though not necessarily the first), grew out of the idea of a "friend meeting service", Friendster, and incorporated many popular features that has now made it a safe haven and proverbial greenhouse for "indie" media, particularly music, while still serving its original purpose as a social networking site.
This concept and the projects deriving from it have truly changed our perspective as a whole. We are more inclined to process information through many channels, and the amount of information available to us has increased substantially. In the future, this idea of global integration and collaboration of information is likely to expand and show itself in our society, economy, and even governments. This transition into transparency has already started.
Recently elected President Barak Obama has expressed a desire to create transparency in the government through the use of Web 2.0 concepts. During his campaign, he used Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Flickr to promote his campaign and reach out to his candidates. His supporters fashioned a website based around Google Maps to help coordinate the grassroots, door-to-door campaign. During his transition period, a website, change.gov, was set up to get input from the American people on his cabinet, administration, and transition actions. Now that he is in office, he is now making weekly addresses available over the internet to inform the American people of the current situation in the nation.
Web 2.0 shows the potential to revolutionize our way of life. It has already begun to permeate into our lives and minds, broadening our perspectives and giving us access to a treasure trove of information. The impact of these ideas is sure to be felt for years to come, and become a basis for how we work, play and govern ourselves in the future.
Read More:
The White House Blog - http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
Web 2.0 from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
What is Web 2.0? – O’Reilly Media - http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
Wikipedia, a posterchild of the Web 2.0 movement, defines it as "the changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aim to enhance creativity, communications, secure information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web." Popular websites, like Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, Twitter, and even the idea of blogging itself can be linked back to this trend. These communities have grown up around the basic philosophy of better human integration through the Internet, and have become an important and integral part of our lives. In fact, those of us born in the last 20 years have known practically nothing else.
These revolutionary websites were born from humble beginnings, even if they seem to be a grand and important part of our day-to-day lives. Facebook, a simple social networking website originally created to cater to students at Harvard University, has turned into a worldwide phenomenon, growing substantially since its introduction into the mainstream in September of 2005. Myspace, who is considered to be the pioneer of social networking (though not necessarily the first), grew out of the idea of a "friend meeting service", Friendster, and incorporated many popular features that has now made it a safe haven and proverbial greenhouse for "indie" media, particularly music, while still serving its original purpose as a social networking site.
This concept and the projects deriving from it have truly changed our perspective as a whole. We are more inclined to process information through many channels, and the amount of information available to us has increased substantially. In the future, this idea of global integration and collaboration of information is likely to expand and show itself in our society, economy, and even governments. This transition into transparency has already started.
Recently elected President Barak Obama has expressed a desire to create transparency in the government through the use of Web 2.0 concepts. During his campaign, he used Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Flickr to promote his campaign and reach out to his candidates. His supporters fashioned a website based around Google Maps to help coordinate the grassroots, door-to-door campaign. During his transition period, a website, change.gov, was set up to get input from the American people on his cabinet, administration, and transition actions. Now that he is in office, he is now making weekly addresses available over the internet to inform the American people of the current situation in the nation.
Web 2.0 shows the potential to revolutionize our way of life. It has already begun to permeate into our lives and minds, broadening our perspectives and giving us access to a treasure trove of information. The impact of these ideas is sure to be felt for years to come, and become a basis for how we work, play and govern ourselves in the future.
Read More:
The White House Blog - http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
Web 2.0 from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
What is Web 2.0? – O’Reilly Media - http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
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