Change You Can Believe In

Dear Lovely Readers,

Hi.  Karen here.  I want to be the first to tell you janefromer.com is getting a major upgrade in the next few weeks.  There will be a series of updates, including:

1. Host Change: I will now be hosted on Laughing Squid servers.

2. Platform Change: Blogger will no longer be my method of publishing.  Wordpress will fill that roll.

3. Design Change: With the introduction of Wordpress power I will completely redesign the site.

4. More content: I've been slacking off it the content area the past month.  Mostly because I haven't had time at work to make updates.

You can still read this blog's past entries at janefromer.blogspot.com I will not be deleting this blog.

Firmly yours,

Karen

Thom York, I Never Knew Ye

Radiohead often times is associated with a depressing mood. Many of their songs, on first listen, can give you an overwhelming sense of melancholy. And even though you soon realize that their music is the greatest of our generation, you still can understand the association of sad faces.

While YouTOOBing today, I came across this gem:



Either Thom is drunk or high or has just a case of the giggles. Whichever way, I love it. It shows a side of him/Johnny which is rarely seen on stage or in public. It shines a little sun on a band which is commonly in the shadows.

Enjoy!

An Open Love Letter To Joss Whedon or Joss Whedon: How He Has It Right

As most of you know, I am a HUGE Firefly fan. It is one of my favorite shows...EVER! I fell in love with the show immediately upon viewing the pilot episode and I haven't looked back from Firefly fandom since. The best dream I ever had was when Capt. Malcolm Reynolds himself, asked me to join the crew of the Serenity after I graduated from college. The pain of waking up from that life was truly tragic. If there was anything as tragic as my dream being a dream, it is that the show was canceled after only one season, thanks to the idiots at Fox. Joss Whedon did not deserve to have his dream of the "Space Western" crushed so soon.

Speaking of Joss, I'm just going to come right out and say it, Joss Whedon is a f**king genius. You can quote me on that. Sorry for the profanity, but it's needed to stress the gravity of the word 'genius'. For a guy to create such complex worlds as the Buffverse, Angelverse, and Fireflyverse, is just incredible. Read more about his other work on Wikipedia here.

During the WGA strike, Joss (being the true creative force he is) couldn't stop the creative juices from flowing, so he and his pals decided to create an alternative form of entertainment. Enter, Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog:



It is a hybrid of a comic book/sci-fi show/musical. Joss is no stranger to the music world. Two notable mentions, The Buffy Musical: Once More With Feeling and the Firefly theme song. Both are incredibly campy and incredibly good. Dr. Horrible feels like a natural branch from the Whedonverse.

Dr. Horrible is exclusively online and comes in three installments. The first two acts are already available online (click link above) and act three comes out tomorrow. Please go watch them over and over again, you won't be disappointed. Both Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion are hilarious and I can't wait to see how he ends the story.

On a side note, and really the meaning of this post, I believe Joss Whedon has it right, in life I mean. The guy has surrounded himself with his friends and they all work to create really funny and really good entertainment. He has created his own production company, Mutant Enemy Productions which is responsible for some classic hits (Buffy, etc.), spends time writing awesome comic books, and is adored by millions of fans. The guy knows how to live and how to work. And he's pretty socially enlightened as well! He describes himself as a feminist and frequently features LGBT peoples in his work with complexity and understanding.

So, I salute your Joss. I hope to one day have it right like you. In the meantime I will continue to appreciate all your Joss-y goodness.

Firmly yours,
Karen

Oh, Edward you flirt!

While googling today I found this absolutely ridiculous picture of Robert Pattinson, I just couldn't resist adding a caption.

Music Is Your Time Capsule

I am a music freak. Like most people my age, I can hardly go any where without having my entire collection of music at hand. Thanks to technology we can do this, at a reasonable price. My 30G iPod Video holds all my music, some videos, and backs up some old photos to boot and it only cost me about $250 two years ago.

Even though Apple is a huge ass and makes it hard for users to copy stuff OFF the iPod, iTunes is still a pretty awesome media player. The iTunes store and Amazon MP3 integration built into iTunes makes buying and playing MP3s easy and convenient. Even though you have other choices in media players (I also like Winamp I used it before iTunes came along my freshman year) that offer the same features, there is just something really simple about iTunes.

One cool thing I've noticed about iTunes is its capacity to serve as a time capsule for your life. When you enable the "Date Added" category column in your library you suddenly can track back through time. For example, if you and your best friend went on a road trip back during Fall 2004, you two probably downloaded some kick ass songs to make a sweet playlist. Or you went through a really heart smashing breakup that one summer and was hopelessly devoted to Taking Back Sunday. By sorting your songs with the "Date Added" feature, you can go back and look at what you listened to. You see, we forget a lot of things! Some times its really awesome to be reminded of how music touched and possibly even shaped our lives. There lies a little, subtle, story in that data. It's really quite neat!

In effort to not lose this information to a iPod crash, like what happened to my iPod mini back senior year. I decided to immortalize (digitally) my iPod data. Thanks to Google spreadsheets I am even able to publish it to the web. See it here! You can also see my music collection and be inspired!

I encourage all of you to back up your data, whether it be iPod data or just important things in your life. The Internet is such a wonderful thing and allows us to organize our lives in ways we only imagined a few years ago. Google in particular has made the transition to a digital life easier than ever.

For those who know me, really check out the list. It's at some parts kinda funny!

Opinion : Comments "Speak Up!"

Remember in school when the teacher told you, "There are no stupid questions"? Now, we all know there ARE stupid questions. From the questions with painfully obvious answers to those that are just plain dumb, you should always ask the question to yourself before you speak up. But I believe teachers told us this because they wanted to encourage discussion. Discussion is a tricky thing. Some times it comes easy, most times it takes some effort.

The Web 2.0 movement is all about the community. Sites like Reddit, Digg, and various personal blogs depend on the user to stay alive. Without the user, there would be no content. So forms like comments are really important, and always (almost) encouraged. However, along my journey into the Web 2.0 community at large, I've found that not all sites truly encourage holistic participation. For example, the Gawker blog empire. You actually have to audition to comment. They say they don't want "spammers", which is a legitimate concern. However, there are always those freaky "I'm Not A Robot" pictures and other means to ensure you're getting a real commenter. So why do they have the audition process? They do it because they want to shape the content of their site, even the community created content, just like big brother. I like to compare their process to reality television. There are a select few who get commenting "privileges" (the cast) and then the producers (Gawker's editors) guide them through the show. I don't like it. If they are worried about boring or stupid comments, they've already failed. I've seen plenty of absolutely ridiculous, sometimes offensive stuff.

I guess my argument really is null though, it's their site and they can do whatever they want with it. All I'm saying, though, is not allowing the free flow of comments hurts their product. I will admit, I'm no "star commenter", but sometimes I actually have something useful to say (shock I know) and it really chaps my ass to have to try to "Apply to Comment" and then never see my comment on the board. I've stopped trying.

Review : Album : Coldplay - Viva La Vida

Coldplay is like the ex-girlfriend I'm deciding to give another go, after she decides to knock off the nonsense and step up to the plate. X&Y was Coldplay's nonsense and now Viva La Vida is stepping up to the plate. The album makes up for the disappointment X&Y left in many hearts four years ago. For me, it secures Coldplay's place in the list of bands who have changed their sound without sacrificing quality.


Tracks

'Lost!' - After about ten or so listens, this is my favorite song on the album. Why is this track so critical? The position on the album. It is a jolt to the heart of Viva La Vida's life. 'Living in Technicolor' and 'Cemeteries Of London' are not strong enough to make you step back and be impressed with Coldplay's revolutionary album"; 'Lost!' is. Two very key aspects to this song. First, the percussion. It knocks you in the face with a tribal beat and one of my favorite elements; hand clap! This steady base endures through the song and is what makes it great. Second, the organ chord progression is very catchy. I almost didn't want Chris to start singing his predictable lyrics. However, he doesn't do too bad in this one. "Just because I'm hurting, doesn't mean I'm hurt." And you can tell Coldplay themselves wanted this track to be important, they put it on there twice.

'Lovers In Japan'/'Reign of Love' - The Cure. The beginning of the song is straight out of the Robert Smith playbook. However, once the rhythm kicks in we're off riding on a new era Coldplay song. There is great movement in this piece, you almost feel compelled to run as the song suggests. It then transforms into 'Reign of Love' a classic Chris Martin love song that almost lulls you to sleep.

'Viva La Vida' - I love it when strings are used in pop music and this song is basically strings and percussion. I have no idea why Johnny is playing his guitar in the iTunes commercial, there is no guitar part. Unlike most songs on X&Y and some on Viva, the lyrics to this song are not predictable. Chris did a good job of telling of a story and it takes a few listens to actually follow the words and their meaning in this song. You can definitely hear the Arcade Fire influence at the end of the song with the echoing ohs.

'Death and All His Friends' - This one immediately caught me with the line, "so come over, just be patient, and don't worry". Contrast is what makes this song great. You begin with a quiet classic Parachutes like piano riff with Chris barely whispering. Then at 2:12 it begins, Coldplay's arena power ballad. An instant concert classic, along with 'Lost!', you can almost see the grand technicolor lights that will kick in half way through. The inspiring chant "No I don't wanna battle from beginning to end, I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge, I don't wanna follow Death and all his friends". You cannot help but rally.


What I Disliked:

I'm not sure what happened to Chris Martin between the time he wrote Rush of Blood to the Head to the time he wrote X&Y. Maybe the sudden dive into celebrity caused a blackout in his creative mind, but Viva La Vida is (like X&Y) lacking quality lyrics. Especially when compared to the lyrics on Parachutes and Rush of Blood. Viva La Vida does have some good lines, but a majority of the word Chris cries in falsetto are cliches and simple rhymes. Most guilty song of poor lyrics: 'Violet Hill', "was a long and dark December, from the rooftops I remember", come on! It sounds like he used a rhyming dictionary for kids.

Listening to Viva La Vida and then listening to Parachutes I realized the only indicator that it is the same band is Chris' voice. The band has changed its sound so dramatically that you can't help but wonder what could have been if they would have suck with the simple, almost folksy, acoustic guitar/piano genre.

At least they have found some footing in the new genre they reached for with X&Y. The album is a success and will do well in sales, but even more so the concert tour will prove to be a smash hit with an arsenal of crowd pleasers.

However, for me, the old Coldplay of Parachutes and Rush of Blood to the Head will always be why I take notice.

Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends : Grade 3/5.

From Above

It's out there. It's real. The universe, infinite darkness and discovery, we don't think about it often enough, we're so caught up in our own little planet.

Completely bare assed, mooning the cosmos! It's incredible, it's horrifying, it's right there!

Definitely something on my "If you had 3 wishes...": Spacewalk, and gaze.

(photo via and more at: boston.com)

Annoying

Why doesn't Dell have mac capable drivers on its website? How in the hell am I supposed to get the brilliant resolution?

Tech News : Verizon to aquire Alltel

In tech news, Alltel will be acquired by Verizon. Hopefully this will improve Verizon's service in general. I've been a Verizon user for years. When my parents and I moved back from Korea in 2002, the "everyone owns a cell phone" shift had just began. We initially started with Sprint but then switched to Verizon, which for the most part, was a good move. However, now that I am starting to desire data access on my cell phone and there are devices like the iPhone all around, I'm surprised Verizon has continued to stick with its VCast/browsing software. The software itself is poorly designed and severely lacking in features. I guess the web browsing promises of the iPhone and the email accessibility of the Blackberry have spoiled me when I consider standards of mobile data access. But is wanting a simple and reliable way of accessing the internet on my phone too much to ask?

In Related News:
I FINALLY saw a Kindle out in the wild today. All my previous notions of this waste of a product were right. The thing is THE MOST poorly designed, overrated, misplaced concept device I have ever seen. My main issues (mostly design related).


I'll make this short:

1. It's not symmetrical. The body of the Kindle is a mess of polygons gone wrong. It awkwardly fits into the cheap looking jacket it comes with. Oh, and Jeff Bezos, don't think I didn't notice the stolen strap design to hold the jacket closed...you Moleskin stealing ass. (I know I'm being mean and unprofessional, but the guy just annoys me!)

2. It's so BIG. Now, it could get away with being as big as it is, IF it had a good symmetrical design, but it doesn't. It is fairly thick too, I'd say about an inch at its thickest. If you read my earlier post about the Kindle, when it first came out, you'll know I don't even believe in its concept. However, if the market demands a portable e-book reader, then I at least want it to be stylish and slim. The Kindle fails at both.

3. Lacks two very important features, one of which is an industry standard in my opinion; color and touchscreen. I'll give the Kindle a pass on the touchscreen technology (even though Jeff Bezos claims the Kindle is "revolutionary", but when you're "revolutionary" it means you're at the top of the game, not meddling in the lukewarm waters of a SCROLL WHEEL!), because it isn't fully developed yet. But the Kindle not having color is unforgivable. How am I supposed to enjoy content without color? One of Kindle's main selling point, according to Amazon, is access to thousands of newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Let us go through these three media sources and weed out the ones that only use black and white text...hmm let me think here...carry the 2 and subtract 1...ummm oh that's right..ZERO! When the lady I saw using the Kindle paged up the entire screen inverted the black/white contrast and then loaded the next page, it looked so low-tech I couldn't believe anyone would ever spend $340 for it.

I know I'm being very critical here, and I know all you e-book lovers will defend the Kindle and e-publishing world in general. However, my essential beef with the Kindle is the way in which Jeff Bezos and Amazon have framed its creation, release, and marketing. They have framed it as "revolutionary". PROOF:



It is not revolutionary. Every feature claim is neither unique nor innovative.

NOT UNIQUE: Instant access to books, newspapers, blogs, and magazines = iPhone, MacBook Air, any device with Wi-Fi essentially. Portability = again, iPhone, MacBook Air, any device with Wi-Fi. Specific e-book reader = Sony's portable reader.

NOT INNOVATIVE: A scroll wheel (should be touchscreen). Black and white only (should be have color capability). Industrial design that looks like you bought it at the dollar store (should be symmetrical and thin).

The arrogance of Bezos is incredibly annoying. End rant.

One final note in this extra long tech entry. I bought it! Pictures of set up, soon to come! Dell told me in the email it is expected to arrive June 6th, i.e. TOMORROW, which I highly doubt. I'm more expecting Monday, but here's hoping!

What's In My Bag

"Whats in your baaag, whats in your baaaag. TOMMY TOMMY TOMMY*!"




*Tommy Armour golf equipment

Good Game

Spurs are still my #1. Always.

First Impression : Book : Twilight

Quick Info:
"Twilight" by Stephanie Meyers, a vampire/human love story for the teens and apparently love lorn adults, relates well to its intended audience (melodramatic youth). It gives the reader an intriguing start full of jealous love triangles and long meaningful stares. "Girl-next-Door" Isabella "Bella" Swan is a high school student who finds herself forced to move in with with her Dad, Charlie (she calls him by his first name in her mind and to her friends) in rainy Forks, Washington. There she meets Edward Cullen, who is brooding and complicated.

First Impression:
Maybe it's because the chapters are really short, and I feel accomplished with little effort.
Maybe it's because I find skinny, pale faced, well dressed people interesting.
Or maybe it's because I have a hidden desire to move to the northwest, but I'm about half way through "Twilight" and I have to say, I'm entertained by the teen drama. I would usually scoff at a book like this (i.e. a teen drama) but I picked it up because of a dare. Two of my friends are complete "Twilight" geeks. They're both dreamy eyed at Edward and all the whimsical romance. I decided to read it to see exactly what they were talking bout and perhaps get some tips from the Dracula Casanova. Edward is indeed very seductive and I can see why Bella is drawn to him. He plays the cliche bad boy the girl next door desires. His eyes are, for lack of a better word, intense and Stephanie Meyers reminds you of this repeatedly. As of yet Bella is somewhat boring and I look forward to finding out what exactly makes her so appealing to Edward. Meyers hints at a specialness Bella has inside her, but as of yet she is just a clumsy high school girl.

I'm a little bugged by one thing. I know this book is geared towards teenagers, but must the kids act so dramatic? If Edward is a vampire and has years of experience, (he is supposed to be "17", but tells Bella he's been 17 for some time) why does he act just as dramatic and naive as the other students? I'm going to let this go for the time being, but I hope Edward beings to show some more of his true age. Also, she says shes "in love" with him very quickly and, in my opinion, without much merit. He continues to insist they must stay apart (which btw is a great move to get the other person to want you more, way to go Edward you dog!) so they have a period when he blows her off, but then out of the blue he decides he can't stay away from her. Then a surprise car trip and conversation later, she's in love with him. I just find it hard to take seriously.

Hopes:
"Twilight" is book one in this series, so I hope the story has more in store besides "girl falls for vampire, it's sexy and dangerous, complication arises, vampire and girl make up, blah blah". I hope Bella grows into a more complicated character and isn't simply swooning over Edward for the entirety of the story. I feel like he hasn't "earned" it enough. The character Jakob Black, obvious warewolf and Edward opponent, doesn't seem developed enough to compete with the vampire. I hope Meyers doesn't throw him in just to mix things up. The warewolf/vampire conflict is a well developed theme in literature and is capable of providing great framework for a story. I hope Meyers takes full advantage of this.

"Twilight" by Stephanie Meyers, published by Little, Brown and Company in 2005.

Some New Features

In effort to have some content on this blog that people actually want to read, I'm going to start publishing regular features. These features will include reviews of media I read/watch/listen/experience. The segments will be broken into "First Impression", "Review", and "List". I will also start writing "How To" articles about getting started on the net and other topics that strike my fancy. Hopefully, after I put some of these articles on Digg I'll get some traffic to this site! I will continue to blog about the every day stuff I usually ramble about, this will just be an addition.

Tomorrow will mark the beginning of this new venture, I will be telling you about "Twilight". It is a book I'm reading that has already been slated for a film adaptation, release date this winter. I'm kinda behind the boat on this one, but its always that way with me and books.

Dare I?

Dare I do this:


?

200 bucks! That's a lot, but I do love the Venture Bros. more than any show (besides Firefly).

Decisions, decisions.

I've been trying to save money. So this move wouldn't be the brightest.

Hopelessly In Love

I am hopelessly in love with Radiohead. I thought the concert experience might subconsciously throw me off them for a while, but just now, I listened to Morning Bell and the first word that came to my head was "hopelessly". When Thom sings "Round, and round, and round, and round" and the band kicks in...there's just nothing better than that.

On a lighter note, I got my Timbuk 2 bag! It's a little bigger than I thought, but I think in the end I'll be glad I have the extra space. I have to wear it in, a little boxy. But WOW, what craftsmanship. The stitching is awesome. I'll post pictures soon! I don't care how nerdy it makes me look.

Never Experience Right Now

We See Into the Future

As most of you know, I'm kinda obsessed with time travel and it's subsidiaries. I feel the above article fits within this realm.

"It takes a tenth of a second for visual information to get from your eyes to your brain, so everyone has the ability to predict what’s going to happen a tenth of a second into the future."

It got me thinking...do we ever experience "right now"? Like, what is happening at this very moment. You have to consider the whole notion of "time" and what it is, who or what rules it, and how we perceive it. I think about it for a while and scare myself to death with all the questions and ideas that come up. I guess our sense of touch is in "real-time" but there is still a delay (however many milliseconds exists).

Furthermore, as this article suggests, we don't really see what is happening now, our brain "predicts" what is going to happen. Does this mean, on some weird and cosmic level, that our fate is predetermined? Wowzers!

Phew, I have to take a breather.

Timbuk2

On its way to me...

The color explanation: Navy and gray because of Mary Washington College (alma mater) and the yellow logo for a touch of personality. Will include a laptop sleeve for my MacBook. I'll be sure to post a "What's In Your Bag?" photo once I get it all set up!

Hope it's as great as everyone says.

It is definitely going to be an improvement on my current bag no matter what. Picture a green/black ratty mess.

I really hope the medium size was the right size. I want something sleek, but I was afraid the small size wouldn't have enough space for my stuff. So here's hoping.

Radiohead: The Day After

"Nothing can stop me from having a good time at that concert" - Me, a day ago. In reference to going to see Radiohead on May 11 at Nissan Pavilion.

The band:
They were great. Thom sounded good. It was funny to see him get pissed off at himself for messing up Faust Arp. The rare tracks they played were my favorites, eg. FAKE PLASTIC TREES. The light show was awesome.

The context:
It was raining balls and probably 50 degrees outside. The venue DOES NOT have a drainage system. Literally a river flowed down into the pit area. MUD, GRAVEL, EARTH EVERYWHERE. I feel so bad for those stuck on the lawn. Thank GOD I got all of my friends into the PIT because at least we could see the band and be relatively comfortable for 1/2 the show. The traffic was unGODLY. TWO hours to get there from Arlington, which should have been an hour in traffic at MOST! Missed first part of the show. When we finally got out of the car my heart broke because I heard them playing "Pyramid Song" (another one of my absolute favorite Radiohead B-Sides). I let out an enormous "FUCK!" and slammed on the car doors to hurry my friends. Exiting the venue proved to be even worse. Stuck in one spot for 2 hours. I don't know who screwed up but I recall seeing Nissan Pavilion employees running around looking confused. I saw cops getting short with drivers and not really helping the situation.

I knew it was going to rain, I knew it was going to be wet. But this was absolutely ridiculous. If they say "Rain or Shine" on the tickets then they (THE VENUE) should be prepared to have it be RAIN. I also cannot believe they (RADIOHEAD) decided to have it at Nissan Pavilion. They cited on their website, "PLEASE TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION" and claimed they wanted to have a "GREEN TOUR" but I'm sorry guys (more likely the people who work for Radiohead) the Nissan Pavilion (NO METRO/PUBLIC ACCESS) was not the smartest choice.

Now I'm going to have to wait for them to come back again, whenever that may be.

However, I don't want to be entirely negative about the experience.

It was a joy to see them and they barely eked out the "Was it worth it?" I'd do it again, just get there really early and park right by the exit.

100% Geek

A fellow brother.

The Comment Funk

Come on,
bring on the schnoobs,
bring on the funk.

I Told You They Existed

If any of you know about the musical greatness that is "Polar Bears of the Night" by myself and Ms. Lam, then you'll appreciate this:

They truly are enchanting creatures. Worthy of such a song tribute. When I get home I'll be sure to post the song which inspired millions, like these kind folks, to embrace the polar bears!

I'd like to think Lam is the one on the right.

Ahh, noble polar bear!

I <3 Commenters

I ran across this great quote on a lyric website. People comment on what they think the song is about. It's so great because I was reading this one quote and I thought to myself, "Wow, this is a great comment...profound, intelligent, very positive" Here is the first part:

"I think it's about getting lost in the details of life. Sometimes it's just about living life and trying to be happy in the moment. Planning the perfect career or perfect marriage is temporary, all passions fade. Mother Nature is timeless, she doesn't care about your petty life..."

And then he pulls 180 and completely slaps ya in the face with:

"...Eh maybe, could be about a girl...I sure as hell hope not, no bitch ever brought me happiness."

I couldn't stop laughing. Great, simply great!

Return of the Jedi : PIAS Edition

On Saturday, April 5, I'll return to Play It Again Sports. Michael, my old boss, asked if I could help out this weekend because he was short on staff. Even though it involves waking up at 8:30am on a post-Friday drink-a-thon morning, I am excited to help him out. I feel it will be a positive experience. I'll be down in Fredericksburg anyways for a friends birthday and the shift he needs me for seems to fit perfectly in my schedule.

Ahh the old job alma mater (actual PIAS not pictured):


I'm curious about how it is going to feel to be back there. The last five months have been quite traumatic and I wonder if being back in a place I really loved will be a nice break or a sad reminder. My guess is it will be a nice break. I believe I'm past that whole "I want to be back in college" phase. It's no doubt going to be weird working with the old crew and Michael. I'm sure to go down memory lane and succumb to nostalgia. Hamper back to the good-old-day of college and reflect on that tumultuous senior year. But hopefully it'll lead to some needed resolution.

If anything it will be a nice change of pace from my regular day-to-day sitting in front of a computer. As said in a previous post, I've become a depository for information. For the past five months revelations on life and living come bi-weekly (average) among those revelations is the notion that an office job is simply not for me. The need to move around, be outside once in a while, and really believe what I do is unique is now critical for happiness. Thus far in my career I've only done the extremes. I went from the exact opposite of an office job (PIAS) to the classic office job (Science). I now see these two extremes serving as well needed experience in what no to do. Thanks to both I know my ideal lies in between.

On an semi-unrelated topic I will also be picking up the rest of the Radiohead tickets from Paris. YEAH! I still need to find though, someone else to go with the group. So if you're interested in the greatest band alive, the ticket is $45.

Interview

Possible Radiohead song:

I thought it was funny when I saw this on my Veimo site. "You are at the beginning/You are at the end" Its so poetic.

Also, I am still deadlocked over what color combinations I should get on my Timbuk2 bag. Right now these are the final three:

The Hellmouth

Makes me think of Buffy.
See explanation here.

Classic Webs

Oh my GOD! Check out this classic webiste!

I made that baby back in 2004 I believe. Just another attempt at being a rock star. Look at that face! So young!

I am currently working on an entire network of blogs/websites. I've been reading a lot of articles by Paul Stamatiou (the lucky bastard). He is 21, still in college, and already has one of the hottest websites on the net. I completely understand why he is so successful. He's a great writer and has loads of useful information for those who are tech minded . I am totally jealous.

Everyone should check his website out if tech news and reviews interest you. Here are some articles I've been re-reading a lot:

How I Got A MacBook Air for $15
This one helped me with setting up a brand new mac.
PSTAM.com: Behind the Scenes
This one has a lot of program/plug-in advice for high octane efficiency. Also a sort of "How to" for what I'd like to do. I just need to integrate my music/label angle.
First Impression: Dell 24"
This article helped me realize maybe one of the reason why I don't do a lot on my mac now is because I get so frustrated by the 13" screen. An external monitor, probably not as nice as PSTAMs, is next on my "To Buy" list.

Ten Blogs

I've turned into a junkie, an internet junkie. I've always been an avid surfer but now that I sit at a desk all day long with access to a high speed connection, my addiction has evolved. I am engulfed by the Web 2.0 experience. I'm working on my fifth blog now, I just can't stop! The wealth of knowledge out there is only matched by the ease of access. And in turn, I have turned into a depository for information.

From the desire to contribute all I can to the web experience I've compiled a list of 10 random blogs I really like (in no particular order):
1 Gizmodo
2 Paul Stamatiou
3 Job Bored
4 Hype Machine
5 Any Number of Things
6 Best Article Everyday
7 The Wishful Writer
8 Lifehacker
9 Download Squad
10 Valleywag

And the coolest thing about these sites is they all link to one another. It is all tailored to content! So if you find one site you really like, you'll probably find ten more. It is like the Wikipedia phenomenon. You'll go onto Wikipeida to find information about Governor Spitzer and before you know it you're reading about operation Castle Romeo.

I'm titillated by Twitter!

Use Twitter. I am a simple human being. This video convinced my simple mind. Look for me: karen_jane.

I Laugh Every Time

I've had this picture on my computer for a while, and every time I look at it I can't stop myself from bursting out laughing. The funniest thing though is that she used her 50-50 life line! Unbelievable!

3D imaging and nauseous vitamins

Isn't incredible what we hold inside of us? Sometimes I forget how amazing the human body truly is. I've been watching this TV series on the Discovery Channel called "Human Body: Pushing the Limits". It is awesome. There are four episodes: "Sensation, Brain Power, Sight, and Strength". I've caught all but the "Sight" episode. While watching the show you can't help but want to take better care of yourself. You know, start going to the gym, take more vitamins, eat a more nutritious diet, etc.

However, the series led me to something interesting:

After an episode last night I had an enormous feeling of guilt. I believe it stemmed from the notion that if we don't take care of ourselves, if we don't use our bodies to their fullest potential, then we are being irresponsible human beings! Now that might sound kind of harsh and militant, but seriously, we take so much for granted when it comes to our bodies.

I'll take it as a motivator.

///

On another semi-related note, I feel nauseated from the vitamins I just took. So a note from the wise, take food with your multi-vitamin!

I AM SO THERE

I AM SO THERE

FRONT ROW, IN THE PIT, NO EXCUSES!

I Want Aliens

From The Daily Galaxy Considering humans, E.T. life, and why it's so quiet out there!

"When we consider the chronological history of life on Earth, humans have only existed for a small fragment of time and our existence has always been precarious. The entire time we’ve existed, we been banding into various groups and attempting to kill each other—or at least are constantly in the process of developing more effective ways of killing each other—just in case. The US government, for example, spends on “Defense” (including “preemptive” warfare) and Homeland Security, 8 times what it spends on educating the next generation. There is enough nuclear weaponry in storage around the world to kill every living creature on the planet several times over. Clearly, we’re a species with poor odds of surviving indefinitely.

Our self-destructive natures aside, curiosity may end up killing more than the cats. The faster technology is advancing, the more our “leap now, look later” nature appears to grow as well. If evolution on Earth serves as a somewhat typical template for evolution of other life forms, then becoming a truly advanced civilization must be a very daunting task indeed and a very rare, if not impossible, achievement."

John Mayer: A little bit cooler now.

I can't stop watching this:


It makes me want to start playing guitar again like I used to.

Year Zero = 2008

Time Machine at LHC

Year Zero is NOW! Watch out for the genetically modified super humans! There are reported sightings around Geneva!

Seriously, this is really cool stuff. I love physics! I am though kind of bummed out because the article says we can only travel as far back as the machine itself has existed. This means nothing before 2008, hence Year Zero.

Fantasizing about the future is quite a brain exercise. I wonder if I'll be 30 with a family and a nice suburban house or 30 with a loyal pooch and lots of excess income. Or maybe I'll have finally put out that Grammy winning rock album or HBO hit LGBT show "Plans". WHO KNOWS???

One positive thing about working at AAAS is : access to all the top peer reviewed journals. Eg. New Scientist, where I saw the article which inspired this post. I had heard about these Russian scientist in a podcast a week or so ago, but I'm just now delving into the specifics. Anywho, I highly suggest all of you out science-minded geeks out there read the article and check out the paper!

Dubai Is Out of Control

Dubai, of the United Arab Emirates, is out of control. It's as though a giant piss contest has emerged from this Middle East metropolis. Here are some current projects:

















The Burj Dubai, when completed in 2008 will be the tallest building in the world.












The Word, man made arpeglios off the coast of Dubai. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have bought a mock African island there.














The Palm island projects. The artificial island groups designed to attract more tourism to Dubai.












The 6th Crossing at Dubai Creek. Their most recent endeavored. When completed it will be the world's tallest spanning arch bridge.

One more picture:




































Seriously folks, ever hear of something called urban planning? One word comes to mind when I see all this; sprawl. What are they trying to prove? Where are they getting the money (oil?)? What kind of work force is constructing these mammoths? How is that workforce treated? I've read that a great percentage of Dubai's residents are immigrants from Asia so I guess that is whose supplying the workforce, but I bet the working conditions are less than stellar.

...more investigating...

i am a geek movie star

Why the Wii is the coolest!

Nintendo DS - 8,500,000
Wii - 6,290,000
Xbox 360 - 4,620,000
PlayStation 2 - 3,970,000
PSP - 3,820,000
PlayStation 3 - 2,560,000

2007 console sales.

damn the new york times

Mid-life Crisis
read that.

I feel like I'm in store for a heavy mid-life crisis. It's just so "me".

"Popularly viewed as a unique developmental birthright of the human species, it supposedly strikes when most of us have finally figured ourselves out — only to discover that we have lost our youth and mortality is on the horizon."

I can totally see myself in like 20-25 years, finally have my shit worked out, look in the mirror and freak out that I'm no longer 22. I'll examine my life with a fine tooth comb and declare I've "done nothing". Every accomplishment will be insignificant in comparison to life I thought I would live; the Great Life I dreamed of as a idealistic youth. There will surely be a scene where I fall to my knees, break down and sob, shout out to the heavens and proclaim "WHY LORD? WHY?" "I've only just begun to LIVE!" (cue epic soundtrack and celine dion or whoever sang that song).

I already kinda had a 1/4 life crisis. When I turned 20 I totally freaked; seriously. I was home for the summer between sophomore and junior year. Right on July 7 I started freaking out, thinking I had some horrible disease. I turned into a slight hypochondriac. I couldn't believe I was 20. I was the baby of the family; babies aren't 20! Needless to say, it was quite a stressful experience. I eventually though got over it. Realized I was being silly and swung into junior year as a confident new 20 year old.

But this whole thing has got me thinking. If I reacted like I did to my passage from teen life to adult hood, how am I going to react when I pass into middle age? I freaked out at a moment in life most kids cannot wait to get to! How am I going to react when I enter the first days of my golden years?! Many elderly people say the best years of their life were after middle-age. So why all the fuss? The article cites a youth obsessed culture, and in part I agree with the author. I know I'm pretty youth obsessed. Hell! I'm only 22 and I'm writing about how my mid-life crisis is just around the corner!

Who knows, maybe it does come down to the fact that I might be a raving narcissist. Or it might be that I think too much. Or it might happen that by the time I get to my 40s I will have grown enough to handle feeling a little old. Or it might be nothing...

I've often quoted the once great Garth Brooks "I'm much too young to feel this damn old."

This is all of course assuming I make it past 26.
....at the most!




/////
oh...and another thing i realized today: women=bullets

the train

i can't help it.
i find myself staring at people on the train. it is a habit i just can't break. my sister is more notorious for it, but i'm just as guilty.
but today while commuting, i feel like my bad habit was worth something. i saw a woman with a sony walkman with over-the-head headphones. i was completely enamored with this woman. she seemed so at peace with the world; eyes closed, a slight smile, like she knew something the rest of us did not.
i don't know why, but just seeing this woman made feel so calm. in a world which has apparently outgrown cd players, let alone a tape player, she clutches her walkman with pride. and even though i don't know this woman, or what kind of person she is, it was nice to see something different on the train. i feel like public transportation is either full a bunch scowling 9-5ers who take themselves way too seriously or urban nut jobs. to see someone who appeared to be enjoying "the simple" was refreshing.