Super-Computer-Organism-Things

The transformation has begun. Truth is, it began a long time ago. Man is slowly becoming more and more like machine. And in the same way, machines are becoming more and more human. It's scary, but at the same time it gives a lot of hope. The movies that depict humanistic machines (Terminator and I Robot, to name a few) may not have been far off predictions of the future. Just yesterday, a man who had is arm blown off in Iraq showed off his brand new Bionic arm that allows him to function nearer to normal than could ever have been expected. It's truly an amazing feat. But that is just the beginning. Soon, more and more parts of the body will be replaceable or fixable using machines that interact with our innermost workings. Man and computer will combine to form an organism so powerful that it is not crazy to think we may be able to live forever. What once seemed science fiction is coming true right before our very eyes. What will come next...

Some interesting and related links:
Bionic Boom - Body Parts Created in the Lab
Can Robots Become Conscious
The Bionic Body - How Stuff Works

Make It Your Bag

Are you a small business owner looking for a cheap way to advertise? Are you holding an event that you want people to hear about? Are you just looking for a way to get the word out about something in New York City? Well, even if you answered no to all of these questions, which I hope is not the case, I have an interesting new business that you might enjoy hearing about. MakeItYourBag.com is an online company that was founded to help people in New York advertise in an innovative and very inexpensive way. They sell bags to all types of convenience stores, bodegas, and food stores around the city. The trick is, these bags can have your ads right on the side. Anything you want it to say, it can. And everyone who shops at those stores are guaranteed to see it. The cost is relatively cheap, costing mere pennies per bag. So stop looking, for cheap advertising in NYC, look no further. Just Make It Your Bag...

Dingers?!?!

In the wake of one of the most disappointing home run derby's in the history of baseball, I find that my home run craving is not fully satisfied. I have homers on the mind, and that is not a reference to the upcoming release of The Simpsons Movie, although I have been seeing a lot of trailers lately. I want to discuss the upcoming, record-breaking, home run by Barry Bonds that is likely to occur before the month is over.

This record is arguably the greatest in all of sports, the most career home runs by a single player. Babe Ruth at 714, Hank Aaron at 755, and now Barry Bonds at somewhere between 760 and 790. I never thought we would live to see the day. However, the truth is, we may live to see the day over and over again. If you pay attention to early career trends and expectations, I can see a few guys who are already eyeing the record that Barry Bonds will have soon. First, there is Alex Rodriguez. He already has 494 and is on pace to hit about 900 if he doesn't get injured. Then there is Albert Pujols, whose age can be called into question. He was the fastest player to 250 home runs and would technically be on pace to hit well over 700. And now Ryan Howard, who just broke Pujols' fastest to 100 record, proving that he is a major home run threat for the next generation. Other you notables include Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, and even Justin Morneau. I guess what I'm saying here is, in an era of long balls, this record might be broken a couple times over. We may have another "I can hit 66", "I can hit 70", "but I can hit 73" on our hands. We could see 1000 home runs in our day. Instead of the elite 700 home run club, it might be the 900 home run club. But as with anything else, only time will tell...

FIFA U-20 World Cup

I am not the biggest of soccer/futbol fans, but I do realize a good thing when I see it. Last night, in the final game of the group stages at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the USA defeated Brazil, one of the favorites in the tournament. The defeat all but knocked Brazil out of the competition and boosted the USA to the second round, advancing out of a difficult Group D.

I know that many people around soccer will say that Brazil mailed this one in, taking the USA team lightly. Analysts will not put much stock in the win, but I have to disagree. This is a huge statement in a country that has continued to put all its effort into every other sport, leaving soccer to die a miserable death. The way the up and coming players on the U-20 team is more like the quick pass, possession style game found in Europe than the sloppy control, long ball style reminiscent of the USA's weak showing at the World Cup a year ago. If this is a sign of things to come, that the talent on this team will continue to grow and push the USA national team to new heights, than I am very excited about this win. Congratulations to the USA U-20 team and good luck in the next round.

Dunk This

It's no secret, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest has become a major disappointment in recent years. Since many of the league's best dunkers have decided their superstardom is far too important to risk an injury on a meaningless competition, the fans are left watching the likes of Chris Anderson and Nate Robinson. Now I will take nothing away from Nate Robinson and last year's battle between he and Andre Iguodola was amazing, but come on. We want to see Lebron, we want to see Kobe, we want to see something incredible. And since these guys refuse to do it, we need to change the way it is presented. My idea is to have the dunk contest be a team event. Either by a combined score method, or 1 on 1 matchups, let four East dunkers face off against four West Dunkers. If nothing more, it will give a new reason to take interest in the event which has fallen far off of the days of Jordan, Carter, Dominique and company. Maybe the new found team mentality will help put a little pressure on the bigger stars to compete.

Also, with the idea of teams maybe there can be added extras in the contest. Each team could have an athlete or celebrity outside the NBA compete. Or each team could have a "veteran" spot, or even a "legend" guest dunker. Anything to get the hype back on what used to be the highlight of all star weekend. Get us enthusiastic about dunking again, please...

Gamers Rejoice

I know what you guys have been thinking, why isn't there a company out there that will allow me to design and build my own high-end gaming computers? Well you are in luck, HalogenPC.com just went live and they offer it all. This is your spot for performance computing. All you have to do is log on to their website, choose and customize your model from several basic designs, and you will have your brand new computer in no time at all. It's quick and easy and I am positive you will be happy with the result. But don't take my word for it, try the best in Performance Computing yourself.

The Canon Logic

Along comes a band that has the musical energy and spirit to define a genre. The Canon Logic is an underground band out of Philadelphia, PA that has used frequent performances and small internet releases to begin to step out of the garage and into the spotlights. As an unsigned group of five rising stars, they continue to better themselves and provide quality music for their listeners.

The style is reminiscent of old time pop with a new age punk feeling. They have pleased fans with the combination of new sounds and melodies and the limitless motifs of lyricist Tim Kiely. As they being to expand northward to New York City it is important that their fan base continue to grow. So to check out what this band is all about I recommend visiting their Myspace page. I guarantee that once you are there you will enjoy your stay. You can purchase their two mini-releases at the ITunes music store as well. Keep the movement going...

"They took my body over and they'll be coming for you too..."

Verizon FIOS Supported

As someone who has grown up surrounded by new and emerging technologies, you can imagine my frustration when I could not figure out how to connect my wireless adapter to my family's new Fios network. After going through countless procedures outlined on their website, I could not get the damned thing to work for me. And reluctantly, I turned to the "pros". Now I say reluctantly because in the past I have had little to no success calling various support departments for help and information. Most of them don't have the time to deal with you, don't know anything about their products, or just don't care enough to try. And after all is said and done, eventually you are left more frustrated than before. But to my surprise, the Verizon Tech Support solved my problem in a few minutes by walking me through the setup. It was a simple procedure, but nothing I would have figured out on my own. And this is my first blog post since connecting to the network so I thought I would dedicate it to them. Thanks guys...

Explanation of Projects

On the right hand side of the page I have a section of links called "projects of interest". I thought I had better clarify what this means because the second time I looked at the page I was confused myself. The first is a link to a company that a few of my friends started very recently. It is a high end computer design company called, Halogen PC. Their website is almost ready to go live and you can begin to place orders very soon. These computers are custom built and perform to the highest ability for all of your gaming and computing needs.

The second project is a company that my friend and I started while still in college. Though it has been slow moving so far, we hope to be ready for action very soon. The idea behind the project is quite simple, it is a social networking website designed for frequent travelers. The main point is for travelers to help each other plan trips by sharing information and experiences. It will be free to join and I encourage all of you to check it out as soon as it is live. Thank you and check back for updates soon.

Thoughts on Life

As you reach a certain point in your life, some things start to become clear. And that, in itself, is understandable. The thing that seems to have taken me by surprise is the fact that as more things become clear, and I know more about the world that I live in, I find myself disappointed. I don’t know if mortality is setting in as I start to realize that life is shorter than anyone could explain. Or maybe I am disappointed in the lack of things that I have accomplished at the ripe old age of twenty-two. But I am starting to believe something slightly different. My mind has always led me in strange directions.

My imagination has been the driving force behind everything that I have done in life. Whether it was my sense of humor or style of writing, a strong imagination has led me off the beaten path. It has allowed me to stand out among my peers. But as I get older, the world has gotten smaller. The mysteries that have kept my imagination alive are starting to fade away, replaced with facts and truths that I have collected through experience and knowledge.

Most people would look at that and say that I am growing as a person, someone who knows more about the world, but I believe that I am shrinking. Or at least my mind is shrinking. There are new limitations on a mind that used to flourish with unknowns and multiple possibilities. It seems that the more I know the less room I have to fill in the blanks how I would like. I guess I am realizing that the world was not all I made it up to be. The perfect fantasies that guided my childhood have been blocked out and covered up by the ugly reality of life as we know it today. I guess you could say I am depressed, but as a matter of fact I believe that depression is a more realistic state than any I know or am likely to know in my life. Depression is the realization that the world is smaller and crueler that you ever thought, and that in itself is just another fact.

In my opinion, the less you know, the more you guess and create for yourself, the better. I am not saying anyone should choose to be naive, but it certainly makes for a more pleasant and consuming lifestyle. Of course, that could just be me.