What's been going on? Can no one else do anything right? Apparently not, because Google has been dominating the map of the technology world since its beginning in early 1996. It started out as a project at Stanford University, with a couple guys trying to figure out a better way to search for things on the internet. They conquored: google is the #1 most popular search engine, and has been for a number of years. But lately, that hasn't been enough. Google, in the past years, has added many new features that have shadowed over many existing technologies. It seems as if Google can do anything.
A few years back there was a nifty way of searching for an adress: the white pages. But since the explosion of the internet, a website rose that allowed you to simply type in the address, and would give you directions. This was MapQuest. But Google came along, and introduced Google Maps (maps.google.com), giving access to all of the features of MapQuest, along with click-and-drag maps, instantanious zoom, and 3-D views of some areas. Dominating MapQuest, which I personally used a lot pre-Google Maps, I haven't given MapQuest a second thought since.
A similar tale is unfolding with the release of the "Google Phone." T-Mobile has teamed up with Google, to create a phone that rivals the iPhone, and apparently working out all of the kinks of the iPhone as well. In addition to the touch-screen, it has a slider-style full QWERTY keyboard, access to Google Maps, gmail, and YouTube. One-upping the iPhone, along with the WiFi and 3G network capability, it also includes GPS funcionality, and a 3.0 megapixel camera. While you can buy songs on the iPhone for only $.99, the google phone has again one-upped Apple, allowing users to buy songs from the Amazon mp3 store for only $.89. The total cost for this phone is only $179, plus a 2-year subscription (http://cnet.com)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Guns In School
Recent news that has caught my attention: teachers allowed to have guns in school? This is an interesting concept, that has got me thinking. So why shouldn't eligible teachers be allowed to conceal carry on campus? The way I see it, they've already had a background check when they got the job at their current school. They also have to obtain a concealed-carry license, so they now how to treat a gun, and shoot it. And some lawmakers are proposing that teachers also go through a "crisis-management" class as well. So after all this you know the teacher is qualified to carry the gun, and is not a criminal.
In the event of a Columbine-type attack, I think the added protection would help protect the students, or prevent the attack all together. Someone plotting an attack wouldn't even think about attacking the people inside a gun show, because no one would attack an entire group of people that were armed. The same applies to a school, no one would break into a school if every adult in the building had a gun in their waistband, and even the intimidation factor would scare away 99% of potential threats.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Public Education Rambling
I have one question: Why can't we just leave some kids behind? The public education system in the US is so screwed up, the entire thing is ridiculous. We waste so much money trying to teach people that are literally unteachable, that the people with intelligence and potential get left behind and forgotten.
Another problem I have with the public education system is the total lack of discipline. Kids can literally get away with whatever they want to, and receive nothing but a slap on the wrist, if that. I propose we stop worrying about being "politically correct" or hurting anyone's feelings, and bring back the old-fashioned public embarrassment method.
I recently heard a story from one of my father's friends, now in his late 40's, from when he was in the 4th grade. He attended a private catholic school, and was required to wear a uniform, part of this being a belt. Once when he left his belt at home, he was sent to the principal's office, where they sent him back to class wearing a pink ribbon in the place of his belt. This apparently worked, since he never forgot his belt again, and I think this is a good lesson for everyone.
If the public schools these days would actually implement a policy of real punishment instead of the slap-on-the-wrist techniques that do nothing, then things might actually improve. But parents are so worried about people making their children "feel bad" or "getting embarrassed" that they won't have any of it, and wonder why the public school system is going down the toilet. Back in the days of the paddle, things actually got done, and you didn't talk back to the principal.
An incident at my high school last year happened that shocked me beyond belief. There was a fight in the cafeteria, and one student actually punched an assistant principal in the face. I think this is totally unacceptable and out of control. That student should have gone to jail, but instead he went to juvi for a couple days, and after that he was back in school. What would you do if you were in charge?
Another problem I have with the public education system is the total lack of discipline. Kids can literally get away with whatever they want to, and receive nothing but a slap on the wrist, if that. I propose we stop worrying about being "politically correct" or hurting anyone's feelings, and bring back the old-fashioned public embarrassment method.
I recently heard a story from one of my father's friends, now in his late 40's, from when he was in the 4th grade. He attended a private catholic school, and was required to wear a uniform, part of this being a belt. Once when he left his belt at home, he was sent to the principal's office, where they sent him back to class wearing a pink ribbon in the place of his belt. This apparently worked, since he never forgot his belt again, and I think this is a good lesson for everyone.
If the public schools these days would actually implement a policy of real punishment instead of the slap-on-the-wrist techniques that do nothing, then things might actually improve. But parents are so worried about people making their children "feel bad" or "getting embarrassed" that they won't have any of it, and wonder why the public school system is going down the toilet. Back in the days of the paddle, things actually got done, and you didn't talk back to the principal.
An incident at my high school last year happened that shocked me beyond belief. There was a fight in the cafeteria, and one student actually punched an assistant principal in the face. I think this is totally unacceptable and out of control. That student should have gone to jail, but instead he went to juvi for a couple days, and after that he was back in school. What would you do if you were in charge?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Gas Prices
Gas prices in the US are exactly like every other product you've ever bought, except for two key aspects. 1: it's not made in China for 2 cents a unit, and 2: our culture has made us 100% dependent on it. But just like everything else in this capitalist economy, it's all based on supply and demand. I'm no economist or analysis expert, but it's really pretty simple: if you keep buying the Hummer instead of the Smart ForTwo or a Honda Civic, prices keep going up. Back in the 40s, gas was 15 cents for a gallon, and the price has probably inflated more than any other product since then, because we kept buying it at the same rate, just accepting it.
So when gas goes up to 2.00/gal, and we are still ok with it, and keep buying it, the price continues to go up, until people stop buying, or buy less, which is what happened when gas got to about $3.50/gal. Now that the national average is somewhere around $4.00/gal, people are starting to think about that $115 worth of gas every few days that they put in their Suburbans and Hummers. But once these people get rid of their gas-guzzling machines, and settle for something reasonable such as a Honda Civic, which gets about 30mpg, prices go down. People start buying less and less gas, so to keep revenue up, the oil companies have no choice but to lower prices.
But do you know what happens when gas goes back down? "Well shit! I want my Hummer back!" Yes, people take atvantage of the current market, and buy another big gas-waster. And when half the population of the US buys a new SUV, gas goes right back up to $4.00/gal. So it's really a cycle just like every other product, but I do encourage people to buy economic vehicles, if not for the cost-saving benifits, then for the sake of the environment. I own a Honda Civic, and I get between 25 and 37mpg depending on how hard I drive it. I can go about 300 miles on a tank of gas, and at $3.89 in Austin TX, it only costs about $40 to fill up.
So when gas goes up to 2.00/gal, and we are still ok with it, and keep buying it, the price continues to go up, until people stop buying, or buy less, which is what happened when gas got to about $3.50/gal. Now that the national average is somewhere around $4.00/gal, people are starting to think about that $115 worth of gas every few days that they put in their Suburbans and Hummers. But once these people get rid of their gas-guzzling machines, and settle for something reasonable such as a Honda Civic, which gets about 30mpg, prices go down. People start buying less and less gas, so to keep revenue up, the oil companies have no choice but to lower prices.
But do you know what happens when gas goes back down? "Well shit! I want my Hummer back!" Yes, people take atvantage of the current market, and buy another big gas-waster. And when half the population of the US buys a new SUV, gas goes right back up to $4.00/gal. So it's really a cycle just like every other product, but I do encourage people to buy economic vehicles, if not for the cost-saving benifits, then for the sake of the environment. I own a Honda Civic, and I get between 25 and 37mpg depending on how hard I drive it. I can go about 300 miles on a tank of gas, and at $3.89 in Austin TX, it only costs about $40 to fill up.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Cycle of Democracy
The Cycle of Democracy in this great nation, began long before 1607, the year the first permanent settlement of Jamestown Virginia was founded, and the cycle is almost complete. It began with the conception of the idea of free thinking, and freewill, when people began thinking that leaving their dictatorship and making a 1000+ mile journey through treacherous waters, hoping there was someplace else to make a new life, would be so much better than submitting, and giving in to the dictatorship at hand. The people were secure and protected, but had no free will. The nation as a whole has become exceedingly lazy, and is becoming apparent in the national policy. Our founding fathers considered debt to be slavery, and would be appalled at our current (Oct. '07) national debt standing at $9.1 trillion.
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over a louse fiscal responsibility, always followed by a dictatorship. The average of the world's great civilizations before they decline has been 200 years. These nations have progressed in this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again to bondage." (Tyler, Alexander; 1770; Cycle of Democracy)
Obama's universal healthcare system he intends to employ, should he be elected office, will no doubt be one of the final flaws to bring the downfall of this system of government, this nation, and the way of life we all are accustomed to living. By electing Obama, we are secure, I will not deny. We have universal healthcare. What more can you ask for? This is an easy question to answer: freedom and choice.
For every bill that is passed making more and more services available for free, more money comes out of each citizen's taxes, until there is eventually nothing left. You sacrafice your freedom, and ability to make your own decisions, for security, ultimately resulting in the totalitarian government this country's founding fathers sought to prevent.
I believe this country is somewhere between apathy and dependency. The welfare system is clearly showing that some people can't get out of bed and walk to McDonald's to get a job, and would rather ask the government for money, and live in poverty. It seems we all want something we can't have: when we had security, we wanted freewill, and now that we have it, we want security. But they are mutually exclusive, and we must choose. I choose freewill
Please prove me wrong...
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over a louse fiscal responsibility, always followed by a dictatorship. The average of the world's great civilizations before they decline has been 200 years. These nations have progressed in this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again to bondage." (Tyler, Alexander; 1770; Cycle of Democracy)
Obama's universal healthcare system he intends to employ, should he be elected office, will no doubt be one of the final flaws to bring the downfall of this system of government, this nation, and the way of life we all are accustomed to living. By electing Obama, we are secure, I will not deny. We have universal healthcare. What more can you ask for? This is an easy question to answer: freedom and choice.
For every bill that is passed making more and more services available for free, more money comes out of each citizen's taxes, until there is eventually nothing left. You sacrafice your freedom, and ability to make your own decisions, for security, ultimately resulting in the totalitarian government this country's founding fathers sought to prevent.
I believe this country is somewhere between apathy and dependency. The welfare system is clearly showing that some people can't get out of bed and walk to McDonald's to get a job, and would rather ask the government for money, and live in poverty. It seems we all want something we can't have: when we had security, we wanted freewill, and now that we have it, we want security. But they are mutually exclusive, and we must choose. I choose freewill
Please prove me wrong...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Re: America Today (Erich Fields)
Re: America Today
Go Erich! I totally agree. What's going on in this country?? I'll tell you what it is... people are lazy. Look around us, people sit on their butt's all day and eat cheetoes and get fat. The only thing they do is wobble their lazy asses out of their house to make a trip to Starbucks, and purchase a Mocha Frappuccino Latte, because America NEEDS Starbucks (what would we ever do without it!!??). My point is people are lazy. According to the US Census (http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p20-556.pdf), less than 64% of the eligible population actually voted in the 2004 election, supposedly one of the most heated elections in US History. That means that over 36% of our country couldn't muster the energy to drive 2 miles (in our enormous gas-guzzlers) to fill out a slip of paper, because we "didn't feel like it." So I attribute this to all the laziness. People would rather sit there and watch our country's government go down the toilet than actually be proactive and do something about it. Come on people!
Go Erich! I totally agree. What's going on in this country?? I'll tell you what it is... people are lazy. Look around us, people sit on their butt's all day and eat cheetoes and get fat. The only thing they do is wobble their lazy asses out of their house to make a trip to Starbucks, and purchase a Mocha Frappuccino Latte, because America NEEDS Starbucks (what would we ever do without it!!??). My point is people are lazy. According to the US Census (http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p20-556.pdf), less than 64% of the eligible population actually voted in the 2004 election, supposedly one of the most heated elections in US History. That means that over 36% of our country couldn't muster the energy to drive 2 miles (in our enormous gas-guzzlers) to fill out a slip of paper, because we "didn't feel like it." So I attribute this to all the laziness. People would rather sit there and watch our country's government go down the toilet than actually be proactive and do something about it. Come on people!
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