Now I've seen it all. The DJ world will never be the same.
You can't possibly respect a DJ as you did in the old days when you can actually DJ with a walkman these days and match beats perfectly...
Back in the days, you had to search for vinyl for hours on end, digging, carrying and listening to crap. When you DJ'd a show, you had to lug a bunch of heavy records around in a bag and you actually had to beat match!
Nowadays, I can steal 1000's of songs with a computer or flash drive or download them for 99 cents (records costed 8 to 12 dollars) and carry them all on a flash drive or a couple of DVD's!
So, when people tell me that they loved a certain DJ... unless they produce their own music, I won't be impressed.
Here is a link to the product of which I speak that actually does look cool and fun.
http://www.amazon.com/Tonium-P666-Pacemaker-Pocket-Sized-System/dp/B0024FAU7M/ref=pe_43860_11931830_as_txt_1/
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
I am a BORG!
Okay, back in 1999 I actually got into the habit of forming predictions of what I thought could happen in the years to come. I think it was Y2K fever that had me believing in this type of foresight, but that is another story to be told that probably will never show up here.
I've since forgotten that habit, but in that year, I made some bold predictions that are becoming true or have already become true...
1) Osama Bin Laden would attack the United States - Paranoia will destroy ya, but the research that I was doing pointed me in that direction.
2) 7 years of pain and suffering. Perhaps a bit reaching, but by 2007 we were entering a recession.
3) We would learn to type with 3 fingers. Enter the world of texting, which didn't even exist back then.
*4) We would be borg-like! I predicted that everyone would be wearing a unit of communication in ear and over eye making us seem cyborg-like. The reason I thought of this was the increase in the use of cell phones of that time and my fascination with the borg, of course. Now, we see blue tooth becoming not only more popular, but actually necessary to bypass cell phone laws in cars. They also have glasses that you can wear that show you a tv screen. It's coming my friends and I LOVE IT!
What I'm leading up to is something I just encountered that I believe I will have to get! It's a wrist band battery pack that give you juice for your phone! Not only can you wear your bluetooth earpiece, you can recharge that earpiece or your phone with this battery pack while watching movies from your phone through your glasses!
Check it out and tell me what you think...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/19/wrist-band-portable-battery-charges-your-phone-electrifies-your/
I've since forgotten that habit, but in that year, I made some bold predictions that are becoming true or have already become true...
1) Osama Bin Laden would attack the United States - Paranoia will destroy ya, but the research that I was doing pointed me in that direction.
2) 7 years of pain and suffering. Perhaps a bit reaching, but by 2007 we were entering a recession.
3) We would learn to type with 3 fingers. Enter the world of texting, which didn't even exist back then.
*4) We would be borg-like! I predicted that everyone would be wearing a unit of communication in ear and over eye making us seem cyborg-like. The reason I thought of this was the increase in the use of cell phones of that time and my fascination with the borg, of course. Now, we see blue tooth becoming not only more popular, but actually necessary to bypass cell phone laws in cars. They also have glasses that you can wear that show you a tv screen. It's coming my friends and I LOVE IT!
What I'm leading up to is something I just encountered that I believe I will have to get! It's a wrist band battery pack that give you juice for your phone! Not only can you wear your bluetooth earpiece, you can recharge that earpiece or your phone with this battery pack while watching movies from your phone through your glasses!
Check it out and tell me what you think...
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/19/wrist-band-portable-battery-charges-your-phone-electrifies-your/
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
New Year's Resolutions
So, my last year's resolution of blogging more often didn't get realized, but I was successful at other resolutions like saving a stated amount of money each month and losing the weight I gained over the Holidays. Wait, does it mean that I am getting boring when I am setting the same goals again?
1) Save a stated amount of money each month
2) Lose the 5 lbs I gained over the Holidays
Well, I guess these are the kind of boring goals that should probably be set each year. But I also want to set some more unique goals:
3) Do a triathlon - I actually set this goal in my mind before I started having knee pain... there is still part of me that knows I'll continue training for it because I'm addicted to swimming and biking, but running right now is painful and I don't want knee pain to hinder my snowboarding season.
4) Scuba Dive at least 20 times - this seems like it could be a high number but I am in love with scuba diving. I want to take a dive/surf trip this year and that should mean at least half of these. So, I guess that could be another resolution...
5) Go Sky Diving! For some reason, this thought has entered my mind as something I need to do sooner or later...
So there you have it, my New Year's Resolutions for 2009!
1) Save a stated amount of money each month
2) Lose the 5 lbs I gained over the Holidays
Well, I guess these are the kind of boring goals that should probably be set each year. But I also want to set some more unique goals:
3) Do a triathlon - I actually set this goal in my mind before I started having knee pain... there is still part of me that knows I'll continue training for it because I'm addicted to swimming and biking, but running right now is painful and I don't want knee pain to hinder my snowboarding season.
4) Scuba Dive at least 20 times - this seems like it could be a high number but I am in love with scuba diving. I want to take a dive/surf trip this year and that should mean at least half of these. So, I guess that could be another resolution...
5) Go Sky Diving! For some reason, this thought has entered my mind as something I need to do sooner or later...
So there you have it, my New Year's Resolutions for 2009!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Are you for Scuba?
I know it's been a long time since my last blog, but I think the pressure that I put on myself to come up with something deep or clever had caused me to be in a constant state of procrastination when it comes to blogging.
As such, I've decided that simplicity will suffice. So here it goes...
Last week I was in Hawaii for my Dad's 60th birthday. He is retiring this year from a job that he has had for 30 years so in a way it was also a retirement party!
We stayed in an amazing Condo at the Turtle Bay Resort. It cost us the price of a used car to stay there, but that's another blog!
While we were there, my Dad had a couple of things that he wanted to experience with his sons. He wanted to try to learn to surf and scuba dive. He said that it might be the only time from that point that he'd ever try these activities. I actually surf all the time in San Diego and the waves were totally crappy (summertime), but since it was a new experience for my Dad, I paddled out with him and my brother. It was great to just be out there with them and have them see what drives my life in San Diego.
Our next activity was Scuba Diving. I've always wanted to Scuba Dive and never really had the chance to do so, so I figured Hawaii would be the perfect place to learn. Most of my friends in San Diego are already certified and are going on cool dive trips all the time so I was extra-stoked. My Dad was a great sport in trying out this activity and we were rewarded with an amazing experience.
We started out with a little classroom work, learning the stripped down basics of diving. Then, we went into a hotel pool to do some skills. I must admit, it was a very strange feeling at first, to be submerged in water and able to breathe. I've snorkeled quite a bit and even dive down underwater, but this was way different. To add to the experience, we were in a pool of kids where about 85% of them had goggles. You want to talk about surreal! Imagine 15 to 20 kids constantly submerging themselves to look at you swimming on the bottom of the pool. I felt almost like they were the snorkel people looking at us Scuba diving sea creatures on the bottom. I also felt like I was shooting the cover for a Nirvana Album... wait that kid was naked, these were clothed, thank GOD!
Anyway, after demonstrating the pool skills, we took a boat out to a couple of reefs where we did 2 tank dives. After the first dive I was hooked! We went down about 40 ft and saw an amazing array of tropical fish and eels. It was so cool to have the ability to look up at schools of fish and see the ocean ceiling above us. The water was crystal clear and blue so we could see everything! Our second dive was to a place called Buddha known for the Buddha on the ocean floor. Once we got there, there were a couple of really big turtles swimming around! When we went under, we saw a couple more sleeping under some reef shelves. Our instructor took some pictures that I'll add to the blog once I get them.
Hawaii was a supah cool place and I give it 2 shakas and a Mahalo.
As such, I've decided that simplicity will suffice. So here it goes...
Last week I was in Hawaii for my Dad's 60th birthday. He is retiring this year from a job that he has had for 30 years so in a way it was also a retirement party!
We stayed in an amazing Condo at the Turtle Bay Resort. It cost us the price of a used car to stay there, but that's another blog!
While we were there, my Dad had a couple of things that he wanted to experience with his sons. He wanted to try to learn to surf and scuba dive. He said that it might be the only time from that point that he'd ever try these activities. I actually surf all the time in San Diego and the waves were totally crappy (summertime), but since it was a new experience for my Dad, I paddled out with him and my brother. It was great to just be out there with them and have them see what drives my life in San Diego.
Our next activity was Scuba Diving. I've always wanted to Scuba Dive and never really had the chance to do so, so I figured Hawaii would be the perfect place to learn. Most of my friends in San Diego are already certified and are going on cool dive trips all the time so I was extra-stoked. My Dad was a great sport in trying out this activity and we were rewarded with an amazing experience.
We started out with a little classroom work, learning the stripped down basics of diving. Then, we went into a hotel pool to do some skills. I must admit, it was a very strange feeling at first, to be submerged in water and able to breathe. I've snorkeled quite a bit and even dive down underwater, but this was way different. To add to the experience, we were in a pool of kids where about 85% of them had goggles. You want to talk about surreal! Imagine 15 to 20 kids constantly submerging themselves to look at you swimming on the bottom of the pool. I felt almost like they were the snorkel people looking at us Scuba diving sea creatures on the bottom. I also felt like I was shooting the cover for a Nirvana Album... wait that kid was naked, these were clothed, thank GOD!
Anyway, after demonstrating the pool skills, we took a boat out to a couple of reefs where we did 2 tank dives. After the first dive I was hooked! We went down about 40 ft and saw an amazing array of tropical fish and eels. It was so cool to have the ability to look up at schools of fish and see the ocean ceiling above us. The water was crystal clear and blue so we could see everything! Our second dive was to a place called Buddha known for the Buddha on the ocean floor. Once we got there, there were a couple of really big turtles swimming around! When we went under, we saw a couple more sleeping under some reef shelves. Our instructor took some pictures that I'll add to the blog once I get them.
Hawaii was a supah cool place and I give it 2 shakas and a Mahalo.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Talk like a Robot
As we get further into the future, the possibility of human-like Robots seems to come closer and closer. If you haven't seen Honda's demonstration of a robot, I invite you to check it out. It's pretty amazing: http://asimo.honda.com/ In the demonstrations we see how the robot can think and react and walk and run, but we never hear a robot talk and respond.
In a recent movie I saw and heard a character in a movie (P.J.) give his humanistic depiction of a robot's voice: Grandma's Boy. It prompted me to talk like a robot the other night amongst friends and it reminded me of how fun this can be. It's kind of like the way you talk when you inhale helium. If any of you have ever used voice recognition with a bluetooth headset or a phone response system (I hate these!) you have heard a voice simulation of a computer reading words like names from your contacts. As an experiment, I have tried to say my friends' names back in a robotic voice and this seems to work! I don't suggest doing this in public though ;-p
Some of my favorite Robot movies are iRobot, Short Circuit and Star Wars... Think about the variance in robot voices in these moves. iRobot is very human like, Short Circuit is more like my helium depiction, Star Wars has a lot of different voices, most notably C3PO which is kind of an electro simulation that you might find in voice recognition.
So, I invite you to talk like a robot when the times are tough. I guarantee that you'll have a good laugh and you'll also be one step ahead of the others when robots are relying on voice recognition to respond. They'll probably understand you better!
In a recent movie I saw and heard a character in a movie (P.J.) give his humanistic depiction of a robot's voice: Grandma's Boy. It prompted me to talk like a robot the other night amongst friends and it reminded me of how fun this can be. It's kind of like the way you talk when you inhale helium. If any of you have ever used voice recognition with a bluetooth headset or a phone response system (I hate these!) you have heard a voice simulation of a computer reading words like names from your contacts. As an experiment, I have tried to say my friends' names back in a robotic voice and this seems to work! I don't suggest doing this in public though ;-p
Some of my favorite Robot movies are iRobot, Short Circuit and Star Wars... Think about the variance in robot voices in these moves. iRobot is very human like, Short Circuit is more like my helium depiction, Star Wars has a lot of different voices, most notably C3PO which is kind of an electro simulation that you might find in voice recognition.
So, I invite you to talk like a robot when the times are tough. I guarantee that you'll have a good laugh and you'll also be one step ahead of the others when robots are relying on voice recognition to respond. They'll probably understand you better!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Geek vs. Nerd
Forever in my thoughts has lived the question, "Is there a difference between a geek and a nerd and if so, is it definable?
Spiralling into thought, I have come up with many a conclusion but never have I had the time or medium to paint the picture, so here it goes:
I guess the most important piece of American Pop Culture History which pretty much has to be a point of definition would be The Revenge of the Nerds... If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend you go see it. It is definitely a classic and it makes me proud to be a nerd.
In this move there are all types of nerds, but the recurring theme of the nerds is that they are very smart. Gilbert and his nerdy girlfriend are obviously programming fanatics, there is a teenage boy who has obviously skipped many grades, a token thick glass wearer, a token Japanese guy... etc.
The climax of the movie is where one of the nerds named Lewis says, "you might have been called a spaz, or a dork, or a geek. Any of you that have ever felt... stepped on, left out, picked on, put down, whether you think you're a nerd or not, why don't you come and join us." All the while, the director's depiction of a nerd herd comes out of the crowd to join as "We are the Champions" is played in the background.
Within this famous scene lies an answer to the question in that the nerd says that other nerds might have been called geeks. Take the adjective of one and use it with the noun of the other: a geeky nerd or a nerdy geek. Sounds feasible right?
Another of the latest icons we see in our culture today is the use of the word Geek in Geek Squad. Geek Squad is the technological support staff for Best Buy. They help setup equipment for people who are not smart enough to do it themselves! So, we have a perception that geeks tend to be highly technical.
So, what have I told you so far that is useful in this debate? Absolutely nothing. I have basically told you that they are BOTH smart, get picked on and are techies.
Perhaps we would be better suited to get a definition from a trusted dictionary source: Merriam Webster.
Nerd-an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits.
Geek-
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3 : an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity
Ahh, now these are the thoughts that actually came to my mind before I decided to blog: the thoughts that came to my attention as I surrounded myself in waves of people for the opening Star Wars Movies, as I banged away on the keyboard in my programming classes and as I wiggled my toes in my monkey slippers, as I spent hours upon hours playing video games... My definition of a nerd has actually been very broad in that a nerd is someone who is very smart and in turn not so social. A nerd in my mind would chose to study when faced with a social choice. My definition of a geek spanned anything from someone with an interest in role play to a Star Wars freaks to a weird person like Naploean Dynamite... The reason it crosses over is because a geeky person can be smart like a nerd, but I don't think a geek necessarily has to be smart or a nerd.
A couple of final thoughts: Why is it that when you think of either of these words you think of a male? Can it be perhaps that there is a differentiation in left brain vs. right brain in these words?
Spiralling into thought, I have come up with many a conclusion but never have I had the time or medium to paint the picture, so here it goes:
I guess the most important piece of American Pop Culture History which pretty much has to be a point of definition would be The Revenge of the Nerds... If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend you go see it. It is definitely a classic and it makes me proud to be a nerd.
In this move there are all types of nerds, but the recurring theme of the nerds is that they are very smart. Gilbert and his nerdy girlfriend are obviously programming fanatics, there is a teenage boy who has obviously skipped many grades, a token thick glass wearer, a token Japanese guy... etc.
The climax of the movie is where one of the nerds named Lewis says, "you might have been called a spaz, or a dork, or a geek. Any of you that have ever felt... stepped on, left out, picked on, put down, whether you think you're a nerd or not, why don't you come and join us." All the while, the director's depiction of a nerd herd comes out of the crowd to join as "We are the Champions" is played in the background.
Within this famous scene lies an answer to the question in that the nerd says that other nerds might have been called geeks. Take the adjective of one and use it with the noun of the other: a geeky nerd or a nerdy geek. Sounds feasible right?
Another of the latest icons we see in our culture today is the use of the word Geek in Geek Squad. Geek Squad is the technological support staff for Best Buy. They help setup equipment for people who are not smart enough to do it themselves! So, we have a perception that geeks tend to be highly technical.
So, what have I told you so far that is useful in this debate? Absolutely nothing. I have basically told you that they are BOTH smart, get picked on and are techies.
Perhaps we would be better suited to get a definition from a trusted dictionary source: Merriam Webster.
Nerd-an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits.
Geek-
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
2 : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
3 : an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity
Ahh, now these are the thoughts that actually came to my mind before I decided to blog: the thoughts that came to my attention as I surrounded myself in waves of people for the opening Star Wars Movies, as I banged away on the keyboard in my programming classes and as I wiggled my toes in my monkey slippers, as I spent hours upon hours playing video games... My definition of a nerd has actually been very broad in that a nerd is someone who is very smart and in turn not so social. A nerd in my mind would chose to study when faced with a social choice. My definition of a geek spanned anything from someone with an interest in role play to a Star Wars freaks to a weird person like Naploean Dynamite... The reason it crosses over is because a geeky person can be smart like a nerd, but I don't think a geek necessarily has to be smart or a nerd.
A couple of final thoughts: Why is it that when you think of either of these words you think of a male? Can it be perhaps that there is a differentiation in left brain vs. right brain in these words?
Monday, December 17, 2007
All I want for Christmas...
Is a Nintendo Wii...
So, this year I have found myself once again in the same company as such famed phenomena as Cabbage Patch Kids, Beanie Babies, Elmo and all of the other Ghosts of Christmas Past.
I never thought that I'd be one of those people again who is cursed by the popularity of a product and the greed of a society that sees dollar signs in place of the compassion of the consumer.
In this day and age, it's effect is multiplied even further because of E-bay and craigsList. People will actually go out and buy these products even though they don't want them so they can make a RIDICULOUS amount on them.
Nintendo Wii's have been listed as much as $500 on craigsList which is twice the list price of $249.
My stubbornness to the value of money will not allow me to pay that much for a gaming console but my surprise in finding myself feeling once again like a kid who wants something that is seemingly unattainable has led me to blog.
MeWii Cwissmass!
So, this year I have found myself once again in the same company as such famed phenomena as Cabbage Patch Kids, Beanie Babies, Elmo and all of the other Ghosts of Christmas Past.
I never thought that I'd be one of those people again who is cursed by the popularity of a product and the greed of a society that sees dollar signs in place of the compassion of the consumer.
In this day and age, it's effect is multiplied even further because of E-bay and craigsList. People will actually go out and buy these products even though they don't want them so they can make a RIDICULOUS amount on them.
Nintendo Wii's have been listed as much as $500 on craigsList which is twice the list price of $249.
My stubbornness to the value of money will not allow me to pay that much for a gaming console but my surprise in finding myself feeling once again like a kid who wants something that is seemingly unattainable has led me to blog.
MeWii Cwissmass!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
