Less Posts

It is summer and I find myself to be quite busy. Because of this, the blog will be updated whenever I have spare time or a really demanding thought, rather than every other day.

Thanks,

Logan

iTunes Overhaul is Planned to be Released Fairly Soon

  The overhaul includes a better integration of iCloud with iTunes. This would help you view your photos, music, videos, and notes across all your mobile devices AND your computer, which I can say was a long time coming. From a user's point of view, the iDevices' capability to work seamlessly together was only hindered by its incompatibility with computers like the iMac. I am eager to see how this will work out, and hope to see a much better, less iTunes reliant way of syncing iDevices.

New FDA Approved Weight-Loss Drug

    A new drug called Lorcaserin is the first weight-loss drug to be approved by the FDA in 13 years.  The drug will be sold under the name Belviq in the USA and will only be prescribed to people with a body mass index of 30 or 27 if the patient has other weight-related illnesses.  With the approval of this drug, the FDA gave much warning to using this drug with other diet meds or using Belviq for long periods of time.
   
    A better lifestyle and healthier companies are all we really need, but with all the advertising and connivence that fast foods and other unhealthy products give us makes it hard for the general public to resist.  Drugs like these shouldn't be necessary, but I'd be glad to see them help.

Colorado Fire: Update 2

I am actually only 13 miles from the fire. Still, the ash traveled this far.

Winds are really picking up. Oxygen is not a good thing when your trying to fight a fire, but maybe the wind will push the fire up the mountain so it doesn't destroy many homes in the city.

Colorado Fire: Update 1

I live about 25 miles from the fire near NCAR and a flake of ash just fell from the sky and landed on my foot. There is a small amount of ash slowly falling around me. The air smells like a camp fire because of all the burning pine trees. The sky is gray and I can't see the sun.
Over 2500 people have been given evacuation notices. This is horrible and my heart goes out to those in Boulder.
On the bright side, if there is any, is that a huge gust of wind is bringing in rain from the east.

I'll keep you updated,

Logan

Mass Effect 3 Alternate Ending

    After all the whining that Bioware endured for its loose/loose ending in Mass Effect 3, they have released an alternate ending as free downloadable content. If you weren't satisfied with, what I would call an unexpected, horrible, but acceptable ending then there is hope. This content will be available for free until April of 2014, so no rush.

    I personally was happy with the ending. Life isn't smiles and rose scented assholes. If you want a happy ending then go play My Little Pony. Life, war, and the sacrifices a person needs to take to save everyone else are real, and the ending that came with the game showed this wonderfully.

Colorado Wildfire

    As if the "Waldo Canyon Fire" wasn't enough, people here in Colorado have another fire to deal with. The fire isn't far from the main part of The City of Boulder, being easily visible from more than 30 miles away. The fire is just up the mountain behind the National Center for Atmospheric Research building. More than 900 people are being ordered or advised to evacuate based on their proximity to the fire. With the 100 degree weather and the high winds, these fires are very hard to contain.

    Good luck to the firefighters braving the heat and to the families who could loose their homes if the fire spreads further.

Kepler Spacecraft Discovers Twin Planets

    Astronomers using NASA's Kepler found two planets orbiting the sun and only 1.5 million miles from each other! To give you a perspective, Venus, the closest planet to earth, is 27 million miles away from earth along its orbital path.
    The smaller of the two planets is named Kepler-36b, has an estimated 30% iron mass, and is 4.5 times more massive (heavier) than Earth. The larger planed is dubbed Kepler-36c and is composed of mainly hydrogen and helium.
    Planets in orbit like this are unheard of, and have gotten scientists to revisit theories having to do with the formation of solar systems. It is largely accepted and understood that in the formation of a solar system, solid planets are able to form closer to the sun because their mass and gravity can retain what makes up the planet, where as gaseous planets form further away from the sun because the closer to the sun you get, the harder it is for the gas making up the planet to be retained.
    An explinations for this has to do with Kepler-36c having migrated over time into the orbit it is in now. Even more exciting to scientists is the possibility that they may be able to use this data to find the "sweet spot" where planets are able to retain a gaseous atmosphere like Earth's verses it being vaporized by the sun like on Venus.

Microsoft's Tablet- I'm back!

    I never thought I'd say this, but I am actually psyched for the new tablet microsoft will be releasing soon. The tablet will run the Windows 8 mobile OS and the Windows 8 Home Edition OS, both with scaled prices. The device will include a cover that doubles as a keyboard, a touch screen, and an integrated stand. If there was one thing I wanted from the iPad, it was a proper operating system. I see this as Microsoft's big chance, as long as they don't screw it up by putting the price tag through the roof.

For now we'll see what happens, but I've got big hopes.

Blog on hold

Due to health issues, I'll be putting the continuation of this blog on hold indefinitely. I hope to be back soon and will post when I can.

Thanks,

Logan

Spinal Chord Injury Treatments

You can find information on this story Here, since I wasn't able to write it myself.

The Future of Computers

    Computers are ever evolving and as they do, their roles in our lives increases. These advancements are driven by consumerism and competition, and has some stressful results. For instance, each system uses their own username and password, and that username usually cannot be your actual name. This, and a company's unwillingness to help you change your registration email or ownership can lead to some issues.
    As each competitor builds up its arsenal of platforms and OSs, those devices work more fluidly with their counterparts. An iPhone, iPad, and iMac all sync and function as one, but are not compatible with many other systems. This means that if you want to be as efficient as possible, you must stick with a certain company for all your needs. That can have consequences since companies usually have only one or two good fields.
    Search engines are becoming a big area now with Google, Yahoo, Bing, and many other competitors. In a perfect world, all of these engines would perform the exact same, except that they all have different spider programs scouring the web for data, and all have an advertising agenda. The biggest profit of owning a successful search engine is for it's use in statistics. With stats on a person's interest, they are able to deliver personalized ads that are more likely to draw your attention; and as we all know, when man meets money, hell breaks loose.
    Social Networking has been around for a long time, but has become a huge thing since Facebook. Studies have proven that human interaction provides a boost in dopamine levels in the brain, causing a boost in happiness. With social networks, you get the illusion of human interaction whenever you post something. You can become, and people have become addicted to social networking sites. With a username rather than a real name, and social networks acting as a communication barrier, we are becoming more detached from each other than ever before. We are, in a sense, dehumanizing ourselves. That is a big part of why I chose my name as this blog's url.
    The future of computing isn't all bad though. As computers evolve, so does the way we communicate with them. Touch gestures and voice control already exist, and it will only be a matter of time before we can just think about something to have it done on a computer. When that day comes, it will be amazing. Tech like that can make people who suffer various diseases able to function like normal people.
   
    As computers evolve, I hope to see the compatibility issues resolved. There are dreams out there of this, and we all hope they become reality.

Astroids Miss Earth

    So far the galaxy has been a cruddy shot, thankfully. Yesterday two astroids 16 feet and 69 feet wide flew by Earth, missing by just 8,950 and 32,000 miles respectively. The smaller and closer flying astroid was newly discovered and was named 2012 KT42.

    Humans to the universe are like ants to the Galexy, but then what are ants to our universe?

Chaos

    The Earth runs off of chaos. The whole idea of random, catastrophic events scares us, but is a natural part of the world. Volcanos and earthquakes are results of the earth's instability.

    It could be argued that everything is predictable with enough processing power and  the right mathematical algorithms, and I would agree except for the fact that such a machine would create new unknowns. People would abuse its knowledge and create chaos once again.

    Everything is predictable until you predict it.

Memorial Day

    I'd like to take this time to thank the soldiers, both lost and alive, for their service to the country's public. War may be ugly and unpopular, but those are political decisions. The men and women who volunteer to protect us have only good, noble intentions. May their souls rest in peace, for they have allowed us the freedom to do the same.

    Thank You

Venus Blocks the Sun!

    Remember the Solar Eclipse a week ago? Well if you have solar viewing glasses, have them ready. On June 5th Venus will come between Earth and the Sun, blocking out a very small portion of the sun's rays. This is a spectacular event that only happens four times every 243 years! The next time Venus will cross the sun will be in 2117.
    Because Venus travels around the sun slower than the Moon travels around Earth, this event will last hours. Thanks to this, everyone around the world should be able to see at least part of the event. If your in the eastern hemisphere, you may have to wait until June 6th for the sun to come up.If weather permits, I'll be sure to take photos like I did of the solar eclipse.

    Enjoy this rare event, and remember that there is so much more to life than you realize.

Colonization in Outer Space!

    I was reading an article about a Mars rover finding carbon atoms on Mars and I came to think about life on other planets and also colonization. We are all made of carbon on some level. So is our plant life, insects, and every other organic being. Whenever something dies and decomposes it releases its carbon into the soil, which is absorbed by plants, which is eaten by herbivores, which is consumed by carnivores.
    The issue with colonizing, say, the moon is that there is a limited amount of carbon that can be used to support life. Of course we could take life from earth and bring it there for farming and the likes, but that would be reducing the amount of carbon on earth. If we want to colonize other planets, those planets need carbon on them already, otherwise we're just spreading out Earth's capacity for life across Space without increasing it.

    Who would have thought that something as simple as C is so important?

The Rainbow Cage!

    Researchers from Towson University and the University of Maryland recently made an array of some 25,000 "Invisibility Cloaks" that have a combined radius of 15 micrometers. This innovation allows light to be severely slowed down or even stopped and can be used as microscopic bio-sensors that detect how much light a biological substance absorbs and re-emits.
    This would allow for much faster DNA processing when testing for genetic conditions because, due to the size of the senosors, many could be lined up and used to run separate tests simultaneously.
Since I don't fully understand the tech, I'm going out on a limb, but something like this could eventually be used to store solar energy indefinitely. No more old batteries!

    Science: Paving the way for our future

Patents and Copyrights

    The idea of copyrighting material and punishing people for distributing it without permission is a hot topic, especially among the younger generation. Because of it, things like Anonymous, Pirate Bay, and Wiki Leaks have popped up to make a point. I have mixed feelings about these sort of things.
    The way I see it, Copyright law is here to protect people's ideas and products. The flip side of that coin though, is that is also drives up the price of consumer goods dramatically. For instance, say you wanted to make a phone that used common, logical technology. The only issue is that say, Microsoft owns a patent to that tech. You would have to buy licensing from them in order to use their patented invention. What your left with is extra cost in developing the product. Since companies are here to make money, they have to find a way to pay for these extra charges. That money comes out of your pockets when you buy such a product.
    A wonderful example of this in recent news involves a company called Motorola, and a fore mentioned company named Microsoft. The OS heavy weight (Microsoft) holds man patents, some of which a court recently ruled were infringed upon by Motorola. Apparently Motorola, now owned by Google, hadn't acquired a license from MS before using their tech in Motorola phones.
This is what made me thing about Copyright Laws. I personally come up with hundreds of original ideas every year. If I were to ever try to make one of these inventions, would I be able to without running into some patent issues?

    Our economy is crap right now, and we don't need great ideas, small businesses, and consumers hammered by large coperations.

Google + Motorola

    Google recently bought Motorola for $12,500,000,000. The merge was finalized when China gave them the go-ahead after a world-wide anti-trust assessment. The merge will give Google ownership of over 6,000 patents as well as a a solid, company-owned cell phone manufacturer. With hardware and software capabilities under Google's belt, they will be able to design a phone that works flawlessly with their Android platform.
    After this big joining, Google seems ready to take on Apple where Apple excels: Phones. The one thing Apple had that no other high-end phone company had was control over the operating system and hardware. They no longer have this advantage. I can't wait to see what comes of this, but expect a lot of cool gadgets in the next few years.

Education

    The United States has a very poor education system right now, much of which I know little about. What I do know is that the kids who are weighing down the statistics don't CARE about their own education. They COme to school simply because it is required by law and their friends are there with them. Even those who hear motivational speakers tell them about how their education is vital to their future, they continue down the wrong path.
    My solution, one that is hardly recognized, lies in Elementary school (Primary School). At that young age, kids are able to be influenced easily. This is the time when teachers must make their students addicted to knowledge, to problem solving, to school. Once a child has left fifth grade, his or her course is set for the future. Thats why I find it funny that politicians always focus on High School conditions. Most every high school can adequately teach, but the kids can't learn.

    You can't take a mold thats been rough-cut into a square and turn it into a polished sphere. It takes too much cutting.

Italian 6.0 Earthquake

    On Sunday, the 20th, Italy was hit by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake. Much of the country's cultural artifacts have been destroyed, homes were destroyed, and many people are left without housing or shelter. 7 people have died and the Italian Cheese industry lost $320,000,000 worth of cheese wheels from the quake. The people of Italy need help, and so do a lot of others around the world. If you think that your a good enough person to help someone else, you can donate to the Red Cross Here. You can also donate $10 from your phone by texting REDCROSS to 90999. More donation methods can be found on the Red Cross' website Here.

May 20th Solar Eclipse

    On the 20th, the moon completely covered the sun. Luckily I was able to get some photos of it! So here you are. And to the right is what it looked like without the UV Filter.

You can download these photos for yourself from these links: Eclipse & Clouds

Depression

My life is going through a hard time, and I've had to take pain medication to get up in the morning, but I know life will get better for me. Unfortunately, there is a good chunk of people who do not share my type of optimism on their lives.
For anyone going through a hard time, just remember that there is always someone who needs your help. You can do SO much good by just talking to someone. There are others who are willing, wanting to talk to you too. To pull you out of the darkness you inhabit. Look around you, look at people when they smile. That could be you too. Next time your outside and see someone smiling, remember the best thing that has ever happened in your life, and smile too.

Life isn't over when you give up, life is over when WE give up.

Religion

    Many people are strongly for or against religion. I am personally not against religion's ideals, but rather against some of its worshipers.
    For instance, many people in America dislike Muslims because of 9/11. Unfortunately, some of my ignorant American countrymen don't understand that those responsible for the attack was not Muslims, but rather a renegade Muslim Extrimist group who took advantage of young, zealous men to do their bidding. Just because the West Boro Bapitist Church are a bunch of assholes, doesn't mean that Baptists are horrible. The same goes for Muslims.
    The second reason I dislike people who follow religion is because they hypocritically scorn non-believers for their sins. That is not their job and it is very mean to do. If Heaven is real and true, let me be judged by Him after I've died. You have no place to judge me.

    Religion is great. People, less so.

The Archives: Cold Fusion

Cold fusion

Being "cold", even if Cold Fusion were made electrically efficient, we do not have means to harness its power. All of our electricity, bar some natural forms, require gravity, liquid, and coolant along with a fuel. If we were able to charge molecules with electrons from a reaction then break apart those molecules at a later time, that could be a form of harnessing power.

 

Note: Look into solar power and generators. 

Paralyzed? I Say Not!

    At least not completely anymore. This week a man and a woman, who are paralyzed from the shoulders down, were able to manipulate a robotic arm and use it for common tasks, most notably drinking from a cup. The implementation of this is amazing, and has far more applications than you can imagine.
    The obvious uses for this technology are to help the paralyzed, but this research could also help pave the way for thought-controled robots, thought controlled computers, and other brain-tapping coolness.
    But back to the story. This is a wonderful achievement for the scientists who created this device, the two who were finally able to move an arm after 3 and 15 years, and for human kind.

    Thought Controls and Progress. Can this get any better?

Post Script Idea: Dog toys that are propelled by the dog's thoughts? That would be sweet! >:D

How The Weather Works

    Even though I learned this quite a while ago, it recently came to my attention that many people do not understand the basics of how the weather works. So, I'll tell you about Wind, Rain, Snow, Lightning, and Tornadoes today.
    Wind is the movement of our air from high pressure systems to low pressure systems. Imagine a baloon. When you fill up that balloon with air and then let go, it flies through the air because the pressure inside of it is pushing it. That is also how wind works. Imagine a "High Pressure System" as a full balloon. The air from that system wants to spread out so it is not so concentrated. Logically, the only place it can move is where there is less air, a "Low Pressure System."
    It Rains when water vapor, the gaseous form of our liquid water, condenses in the air. When there is enough vapor in the atmosphere, and particles like dust for it to cling to, the vapor becomes more dense, and closer together. When there is enough collected vapor, it becomes so heavy that it falls from the sky. Here you can imagine your cooking. When you out your hand over the steam from boiling water, your hand gets moist. If you hold it there long enough, it gets wet. The dust and other particles in the air are like your hand, and the water vapor is the steam.
    Snow is just like rain, except that the vapor doesn't condense too much. When a fraction of vapor needed to form a rain drop gathers in a freezing environment (less than 0ºC or 32ºF), the water crystalizes and falls in the form of snow.
    Lightning is an odd thing. It is also quite simple to understand. Here I want you to imagine, or get yourself a full balloon. If you remember rubbing balloons against your head as a kid, you'll remember static electricity. Lightning is caused by the same thing as the Zap-Finger you had as a kid. It is a build up of static electricity that leads up to a discharge. That is why when there is a large fire or a volcanic eruption, lightning storms often follow. The dust and ash collide in the atmosphere and cause a static electrical buildup.
    Tornados are some of the worst anomalies in the world. They occur when a warm, high pressure system and a cold, low pressure system meet in close proximity. The two systems exchange air in a rapid fashion, never reaching a neutral point. If you have ever seen Newton's Cradle, this is just like that. The air is swapped so fast that it never stops. Because this is the world we're talking about, the pressure does not travel in a straight line, but rather in a 3D world. The air rotates, and when a sufficient speed is reached, a tornado is created out of the rapidly circulating air.

    There You Go! The Weather's Secrets Unveiled.

More Politics! YAY! -_-'

    The US Presidential Election is getting closer and closer. Campaigning is at full throttle. So why don't I care? I'll tell you why. Nothing they are saying is going to happen. Obama supports Gay Marriage, but he isn't going to fight for it. Romney promises he will greatly lower our national debt, and we all know he can't. In the end, your left with two flavors of crap. Each of the flavors have promised you that they taste good, but neither do. You have to choose which one SOUNDS better, because you don't know what is behind the curtain.
    That is true with most all voters. All you know is what is presented to you. Unless you spend hours digging into the history of each candidate to find their policy patterns and achievements, you won't know anything.

    I urge everyone to learn all the facts, because life isn't simple, nor was it ever.

3D Modeling

    3D computer modeling is a complicated thing of which i know little about. I do know, however, how 3D models are presented to their viewers. Every 3D model is made up of many, many small polygons. These polygons form together to make shapes like spheres and other rounded edges. So, why use polygons? Why don't they use circles?
    Consider a circle. A circle is represented by ∏, or Pi. Pi is, so far, and infinite number. That means that it is impossible to make a perfect circle. Because of that, developers use man-sidded polygons instead of circles. These polygons are so round that your eyes cannot notice the angles inside of them.
    This makes me think what happens if we find the end of Pi, or we create the PERFECT circle. Will it have any physical anomalies, or will it act as our polygons do?

Whenever you see a circle, remember its really just a polygon.

Happy Mother's Day!

While your giving away your gifts, make sure your mom knows your grateful for her. Companies would have no problem with today becoming a 100% consumer holiday. Today is about family, and don't be tricked into thinking otherwise.

Don't forget that consumerism isn't everything.

Microsoft

    I have long been a firm believer that Microsoft is trying too hard to grow bigger than it already is. Microsoft revolutionized the home computer, and has been for years. Increasingly though, we see Mac sales heighten and PC sales slowly decline. The truth is, Microsoft just isn't delivering like it used to. I think this may have to do with an over-enflated company ego. In the past decade, Microsoft has released their own Phone software and Search engine. They are continuing to try to compete with Apple using Zune, and Google's Gmail.
    In the eyes of any tactician, Microsoft's resources are spread too thin. They do not have the resources to manage, update, and revolutionize the services they offer. Because of that, many smaller companies are going to, and have been taking over specialized fields.

Xbox
Windows
MSN
MSNBC
Bing
Zune
Windows Phone

    While many of their second rate programs have massive rivalry, Xbox and Windows are "Cutting Edge Products" thanks to some nasty corporate tricks. Because Microsoft has so much money, it is able to pump money into the development of programs for their platforms. This is a huge reason why Mac has a lot less games for it.

I'm not saying I hate Microsoft... yet.

Food Stamps/Welfare/Disability Benifits

    Food Stamps, Welfare, Disability Benefits, etc. are great government aids to people who can not support themselves. Unfortunately, government aid is often abused. There are people who could work just fine and would be able to find a job if they looked, who rely on our tax dollars to support their laziness. People like this exist, and it is a horrible reality to know that they are leeching money out of funds that could be used to help those TRULY in need of assistance.

    To all the leeches out there, F***K You.

Stuck in the Middle

    Today, a 4-year-old boy was found with a disassembled handgun. Him and his father were traveling to Detroit and were passing through security when an X-Ray scanner detected the weapon in three of the child's stuffed animals. According to police, all the parts needed to make a fully functioning firearm were spread out into 3 of the boy's animals. Officials say that the father didn't know the weapon was with the 4-year-old, and the case is being regarded as a domestic dispute seemingly between the boy's father and mother.
    My thoughts are only that I'm grateful that TSA was able to catch the weapon, and that it is horrible that the boy had to go through this. There are young kids that are on the USA's no-fly list, and the family was lucky to be allowed to travel soon after this incident. A kid that young or any kid in general should never be put through this, especially by their parents.

It is horrible to see things happen to innocent people that are just stuck in the middle.

44 Airline Passengers Missing

    Less than 24 hours ago a Sukhoi Superjet 100 went missing near Indonesia. The plane was touring Asia and was Russia's newest civilian airliner, carrying 44 passengers, 8 of which were Russian. As of right now, there are search parties looking for survivors, but the plane has not been found.
    Good luck to them. Stay alive, and get through this.

Smart Phones and Tablets: Whats Next?

    The smart phone and tablet markets are full of competition recently. With all this buzz, what makes any of the competitors better than another? The true answer is cost. Some phones have more features than others, but the two big deciding factors for what phone you buy is preference and cost. I personally own an iPhone 4 and the original iPad. I see the devices as revolutionary, easy to use, and very effective at meeting my needs. Despite this, I see no reason to buy the newest version of these devices any time soon.

    In the iPhone 4s for example, the only new feature was Siri, a smart computer that helped you quickly do things on your phone. For me to get a new iPhone, I want to see the Siri system improved, i'd like flash player, a better processor, and holographic technology (that is what I want the most, even if it is absurd at the moment. It exists, but isn't cheap). The lack of holographic tech isn't a deal breaker, but all the phones need to step up their game. Another big thing the iPhone desperately needs is a COMPLETELY glass-covered back. If you own an iPhone, you'll notice that the camera lens cover (that small circle over your camera) is made of plastic. Because of that, my phone is useless for taking photos.

    The iPad has the same dilemma as the iPhone. Since the first iPad, advancements in its design have made it thiner, faster, and given it cameras and a better screen. What it doesn't have is flash player, Siri, or many other innovative and pioneer technology that the iPad had.

    The big mobile buzz is dying down, and is pretty borring. I hope Apple steps up their game. I really do thing that holographic technology is the next step in mobile technology though.

Wouldn't it be great to control your computer like Stark did in Iron Man?

Pain Pill Addiction

    Today I've had to take pain medication for sever back pain from spinal surgery I had two years ago. Even though my use of it is legitimate, I always worry about addiction, and for good reason. Pain medication relieves your pain, makes your drowsy, and slightly disoriented. I have to admit that some of the best sleep I've ever gotten was after taking my medication. These meds are dangerous though. A lot of them can hurt your liver when taken in excess. Withdrawal symptoms are extremely bad too. You could experience anxiety, panic attack, nausea, insomnia, muscle pain, muscle weakness, fevers, and other flu like symptoms.
    Real addiction is when you take medication beyond what you need. Taking what you were prescribed was a calculated design your doctor made for you, and is perfectly fine.
    I'm not a doctor or a specialist, but in my experience people want to experience the feeling of bliss they had when they took medication before.

    Be careful, and never do anything out of impulse.

Absolute Zero

    Absolute Zero, or 0 K, is the number we have calculated to be the point where matter stops vibrating at the atomic level. At this temperature, elements experience Superconductivity. Superconductivity allows electrical currents to flow through the material without resistance. A superconductive wire, for example, could be electrified and then left in a loop. The existing electricity in that wire loop would continue to travel through it indefinitely.

    Superconductive wire would be very useful for maximizing energy production and usage in the future, if we can find a way to keep the matter at a low enough temperature. And to that point, I thought that there had to be atoms in space, a considerable ways away from all other mass, that is at or close to zero kelvin. Based on Isaac Newton's theory that "Every object in a state of uniform motion remains in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it," it can be assumed that there are atoms out in space that are at zero kelvin, and have not interacted with other materials, allowing them to maintain that temperature.

    I can not think of the applications of this, unless you were to use these atoms in space to determine where celestial objects had not been. This is more of a thought than an applicable idea.

SpaceX to Deliver Goods to ISS

The company SpaceX has announced that it will be sending its Falcon rocket with its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. The launch date is set to May 19th and will be the very first commercial delivery to the station. Since NASA has been paying the Russian government to send supplies and men into space ever since the American manned space program was scrapped. They hope to see American companies offer cheaper rides to space than Russia in the near future. So far, that looks possible, especially since the Dragon capsule is reusable and recoverable. The Falcon is also planned to become reusable later on in development.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

  Today is Cinco de Mayo, so go out and enjoy your day. But like The Fourth of July, people tend to forget what the day means. Just remember, these days have a lot of history, so while your having the time of your life, remember your doing it in honor of bravery.

Standardized Tests

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” -Albert Einstein

    As my US History college exam draws near, my teacher's words expressing his dislike for standardized tests echoes through my brain. Many people will understand that there is so much that can not be tested using standard methods. Mathematics and logical skills are testable using a range of problems. Things like history, for instance, are more difficult to gauge. My exam score will be based on a 80-question multiple-choice test score and three essays I write. The point of these exams is to see if the students understand and remember the material taught to them. To that point, I understand what i was taught. However, I cannot recite the information by writing essays. My brain, and I'm sure many other's, remembers things through association. I can remember everything about World War 2 if someone starts talking about it and I can easily remember the associations between a direct question and the possible answers, but I cannot conjure the information without it being initiated, nor should i be able to. There is no point in my life were I feel I will need to write about history. I fully expect interesting conversations about past events to happen, though.
    My point is, if you think you know the material, then do your best. Stay calm and ride it out. If you truly know the facts, you can do decent, if not incredible.

The Archives: No Sun End World Scenario

I've accumulated quite a few notes on my phone that I had jotted down a while ago. Periodically, I'll share what I wrote.

This is exactly what I wrote, unedited:
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No Sun End World Scenario

 If the sun were to suddenly stop working (not super nova) then humanity would have about 6 hours before the world would be completely frozen over. We would rely on underground military bunkers and nuclear fusion for proper heat production and retention. We would require alternate sources of vitamins and radiation that the sun provided us and other biological life forms. Most people would die and it is unlikely that many scientist would survive. We would be left with only recorded information. Luckily, we have the Internet. Unfortunately, the extream tempatures would cause the electronics carrying the data to halt movement.



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If you want to follow up on this with some reading, here is an article on The Sun. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun

Lunar Perigee

    This May 5th and 6th, the moon will be closer to the Earth than any other day in 2012. This occurrence is not expected to cause massive tides, despite superstition (I'd watch for werewolves though ;P ). Ocean waters will rise only a little more than an inch. Whatever you believe in, this is sure to be a sight to see!

Politics

    Politics is a game of lying until you get into office; once there, attempting to fill the public's need while helping your campaign supporters; and after, to live your life peacefully with the illusion that you helped the country in every way you could have. This isn't to say our presidents were all bad, but none were flawless.
    The ugly side of politics is well hidden by the battles the candidates wage agains each other. If you boil it down though, all the advertising funds come from somewhere. This ends up being big business, which lobby the govenment for support if their candidate had won, ensuring their needs be met.
    If we could just have smart, honest, carring people run for president without the burden of having to make deals with the devil, the country would be much better off.

The moral of this story, if there is one, is to always look deeper, play devil's advocate, and be willing to see the facts for what they are.

I hate politics... -_-

Spying on their People

    I read a few comments about government conspiracy in the USA. How the country spies on its people. I have to set this to rest. The idea that the USA could possibly spy on its people is contradictory to simple logic.
    Achieving the capability to spy on every conversation and communication would take a lot of man power. A surveillance project like this would require extremely sophisticated computer technology, the type we may have the capability to make at this time. On top of that, the NSA and CIA would need massive amounts of silicone for hard drives or regular shipments of hard drives from companies because of the massive amount of information that would need to be stored.
    The biggest fault in this myth is human nature. Greed is in all humans, no matter who you are. Someone would have been sure to have leaked information from the inside. Also consider all the companies looking for a profit and countries looking for an edge. Something undeniable would have popped up if it existed.
Simple Logic: Some people forget they can use it...

The Nerf Effect

    Nerf has had an interesting history, one i've only seen part of. It started off with a few small foam launchers and has evolved into what it is today; a huge and thriving industry with poor competitors. I've always been a fan of the franchise, and liked their products but recently they have worried me. Aside from my general hate for false advertising and the likes (and Nerf has a lot of it), the growing realism that these blasters have taken on is frightening. At this time and day, kids are constantly surrounded by a war environment contributed to by video games, movies, the war in the Middle East, and toy guns.
    Playing is a simply a way of practicing survival skills, and this is true in all reaches of Earth. Lions and wolves play-fight their siblings to practice techniques. In the middle ages, a kid would become a man at a very young age and be expected to help provide for the family. Today we play football, baseball, soccer, and other sports to maintain our physical ability. In the end it is all for survival.
    The issue with kids being exposed to Nerf Guns as such a young age of about 5+ years old, despite the "recommendation" Hasbro puts on their toys for safety, is that these kids are pre-exposed to violence without regulation. All this really comes down to is the parent's failure to teach their kids about how the world works. Nerf is a game, a fun game. As it becomes more realistic and the boundaries between it and the real world narrow, war seems to be more and more of a game.

    My worry is that kids will develop a misguided idea of what fighting is; that it is fun, not brutal. I hope that that never happens.