So this summer I am planning to:

1. Lose weight
2. Learn French
3. Compose a song
4. Write a screenplay

Realistically, I will most likely:

1. Gain weight
2. Have a blood alcohol content average of 0.12
3. Get a killer tan
4. Fall in love with someone unattainable

Yay summer!

Chicagoland got hit by severe weather on Tuesday evening with winds up to 90mph and threats of tornados developing. Luckily there were no tornados but the weather did a fair deal of damage such as taking down trees and pushing jumbo jets around. My area got hit the hardest and hundreds of thousands of people were stranded without electricity. Not me, though.

It seems like everyone was living in the dark but me. For some reason my power was still on and life was good. With ComEd bringing in electrical crews from other states ans pulling 16 hour shifts to repair all of the damage, people still didn’t have power 24 hours later. On Wednesday word got out that I had power so my neighbors came over asking me to store perishables in my freezer and pull extension cords to their homes. Of course, I had no problem with any of this.

On Thursday people still didn’t have power. I was working and doing my thing when suddenly I heard a crash and an electrical explosion outside. I looked outside and saw two electrical poles pulled almost to the ground and a garbage truck in between with electrical cables on it. It turns out some idiot hit one of the poles with their car just as the garbage truck was passing under wires. The wires got snagged by the truck and the speed pulled down both of the poles.

Yup, you guessed it, no more power for me. Fate has a fucked up sense of humor. If that wasn’t ironic enough, today the people who didn’t have electricity now have electricity, and I’m still in the dark. Delightful.

So when it first became an issue, Anthony Weiner’s weiner was a big deal. The media had a field day with it and eventually uncovered that Weiner had questionable online contact with six different women while his wife was expecting their first child. Now the latest batch of headlines are “Anthony Weiner admits he sent messages to teenage girl but denies wrongdoing.” When I first saw that headline I immediately thought “here comes Chris Hansen” but I couldn’t be further from the truth. It turns out that this isn’t the case at all. Both Weiner, the teenager, and the teen’s parents have denied that anything bad happened in those Twitter messages and there was no scandal or anything rising out of it. So why the fuck did this become news? What’s next, “Anthony Weiner hugs his niece, wrongdoing denied”? Since when the hell did showing the world your crotch and possibly being unfaithful to your wife make you such an evil person? How come Ron Jeremy isn’t being scrutinized every time he is around a teenage girl? Is it because Jeremy isn’t an elected official? Since when did elected officials become gods amongst men that we have to hold them to different standards than everyone else? Yes they were elected by the people to represent the people’s interests. Crotch shots and sexy Twitter messages may not be the people’s interests, but before he was elected he was just another civilian. Civilians get away with sexting, watching porn, using Ashley Madison, or putting up their profiles on Adult Friend Finder. I don’t see why elected officials need to be held to a different standard than any other human being. And I don’t see why the media must make a story out of a non-story just to continue the pressure on Weiner to resign.

After almost 3 and a half years, I finally finished what I inadvertently began so long ago. I never intended on watching every single episode of every single Star Trek series, let alone in semi-reverse chronological order. It all started with my curiosity for Star Trek: Enterprise, a show I had only watched a couple episodes of but never got into it. I figured that I would give it another chance. Upon completing the entire series I thought to myself, well, why not watch Star Trek: Voyager, as I had missed a fair amount of episodes in that series. And after completing that, I thought the same for Deep Space 9. By then watching The Next Generation was inevitable. Here I am now having just completed Star Trek: The Original Series with no more Star Trek episodes left unseen. I’m not counting The Animated Series for the same reason I don’t count The Clone Wars as part of Star Wars. Continue Reading »

I was extremely disappointed today when I saw the first peek Microsoft gave the world at Windows 8. Now let me say off the bat that I find nothing wrong with Windows Phone 7′s tile-based UI. I think it is a wonderful evolution to the smartphone/tablet UI and I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple or Google borrow such elements for their future versions of iOS or Android. In fact, for mobile devices the tile-based UI is a perfect fit. However, from what I saw in the video above, I am not entirely convinced that Microsoft is properly implementing it into Windows 8. When I first started watching the video I was under the impression that the tile-based UI was the UI of Windows 8. The problems began to pop up in my mind almost immediately. What does this mean for people who run multiple programs at once? Doesn’t this UI make the experience slower when it comes to power-users? I am used to saving files temporarily to my desktop for easy access, so what now?

It turns out Microsoft addresses those questions by showing you how you can multi-task using your finger to stretch the width of a running program app (yes, everything was called an app, not a program) and easily go switch to other apps in the sidebar. This includes actual apps as well as actual programs, like Microsoft Word. What Microsoft purposely doesn’t mention in their showcase is that underneath that lovely UI is a full running version of Windows 7 that can be accessed for apps that aren’t native to the UI. You can clearly see this in the video but Microsoft doesn’t really elaborate on it so the magic of the presentation isn’t tainted. So a tile-based UI running over a regular version of Windows? This is nothing new.

In fact, if you have Windows 7 or Vista (maybe XP, not sure) you can use Omnimo, a Rainmeter-powered skin that will do exactly what Windows 8 has showcased. It seems like Microsoft is pretty much doing what Omnimo does, except developing it in-house so it integrates seamlessly into Windows. Of course, what we have seen of Windows 8 is not going to the the final product. We won’t know for sure if Windows 8 is really just Windows 7 with a skin on top until the final release. Based on what we’ve seen though, this is exactly what it looks like, and unfortunately it isn’t the right path for Team Microsoft in the OS wars. At their simplest level, Windows, Apple’s OS X, and even Ubuntu are just GUIs for a text-based kernel. Microsoft is just adding a GUI to the GUI of Windows, not revamping their operating system as they claim. Is the tile-based UI of Windows 8 a significant change in the evolution of Windows? Sure it is, but it is nothing more than a sidehack that tries to streamline the Windows experience on all Microsoft powered devices.

For many people the new UI will be a cool new toy to play with. It will make things convenient and simple to use. However, the fairy tale will only last for so long. People will be dishing out $99 for essentially a skin for their already existing operating system. Sure, the full version of Windows running underneath Windows 8 will offer improvements upon Windows 7, but it won’t be long until the tile UI will become an annoyance for many. There’s a fundamental difference between a desktop operating system and a mobile operating system. We go back to our desktops or laptops because our mobile devices are lacking in many aspects, not only in functionality and power, but in the user experience. For now I will remain highly skeptical of Windows 8. I can only hope that as time progresses we will see future versions of Windows 8 be something more than just a skin with Windows 7 underneath.

I have this huge problem of thinking big. My ideas and goals live in a world where money is not an option. The other day I caught myself using Google to research how much it would cost to employ a film production team; something small to be able to crank out video editorials, news briefs, and possible investigative reports. I am not sure if I suffer from megalomania or its the natural ENTJ that is coming out (Editor’s note: this sentence proves that it is megalomania). However, I hate giving up on my obscenely unattainable ideas because I don’t have those millions of dollars to make them come true.

So I begin to think big by thinking small. I am finding myself in that position again. I’m taking baby steps towards making a fist and cocking the arm back, knowing fully well that it will all lead to that giant leap of a punch. Unfortunately this means reevaluating my position. What do I have? What do I need? What do I have that is not helping me get what I need? This means not succumbing to my natural pride and compassion that are challenged far too often in these situations. Just thinking about it is causing an uneasy knot to develop.

So what does this leave me with? Decisions that cannot be answered with questions. Rational uncertainty. Heart vs mind vs society. I know that I will be OK regardless the approach. I always end up OK. I can take it, and when I can’t, I take it until I find an opportunity to privately purge.

So what of my big ideas? They are being processed and refined in my brain. Some might not see the light of day. One already has and I’m working on evolving it. But what they all have in common is this: thy require a lot of money to work, but I never once have thought about how much money I will make from them. I’ve always been one for providing content because content is made for providing, not because it’s made to make money.

By now you are thoroughly confused at what this post is talking about. Don’t worry, I am just as confused as you. But if you want to blame anyone, blame ABC News for their story on how people in my generation are not failing, they are just blossoming later. I’m blossoming all right, blossoming my blog at the late hour of 2:15am.

Based off of this video gem:

I have continued my trend of watching all Star Trek series from start to finish (in reverse chronological order for the series, not the episodes) and the other day I finished The Next Generation. For me, this series in particular was the best of them all. Not only did I grow up with it and it played a key role in molding me into the human being I am today, but it is a pivotal series in the evolution of the Star Trek franchise. I think it had the same effect on many people, old and young, and still does so to this day.

TNG was Star Trek at its best when it came to fulfilling Gene Roddenberry’s dream. Roddenberry wanted to create a utopian society. Although he achieved this in The Original Series, this series perfected it. Many people criticize TNG for the lack of conflict between characters. Hell, the show even ditched Gates McFadden for one season and put Diane Muldaur in to spark up friction. Unfortunately that didn’t work because this show wasn’t about conflict, and neither was its cast.

There was some sort of chemistry between the cast members that overflowed into their characters. It isn’t a secret that the TNG cast calls themselves a family and continues to be best friends. They communicate weekly with each other. They’re all part of each others daily lives in some way. I don’t think Gene or Rick Berman knew that the strangers they cast in these roles would click so well together and evolve into something more. Yet these relationships are seen on the show through their characters. Granted, the writers did a good job transferring these real friendships into the characters, but in some magical way the camera captured these emotions and feelings. It’s hard to describe but you can see it and feel it on screen. There hasn’t been a Trek cast like this before and there probably never will be. The magic was genial.

The spirit of Star Trek was well preserved in TNG. Not only was the show heavily focused on exploration and science fiction, but it tackled many ethical and moral dilemmas that still exist today. Part of who I am today I owe to Jean-Luc Picard and Data. In true Roddenberry fashion, Picard was the universal moral compass. Not only was he the eternal optimist, he also saw different perspectives to dilemmas that aren’t normally visible. He was the voice of reason. Whenever there was a large scale moral or ethical dilemma, Picard was there to solve it with his fair and just wisdom.

Data was there for the small scale issues (possibly the biggest issues of them all) that dealt with humanity. Roddenberry’s decision to explore humanity via a machine was probably his greatest accomplishment. The irony alone takes the cake. But over the course of seven years we see Data evolve from a child to an adult in a way that a human would. Data was the embodiment of innocence. If there ever was such a thing as a perfect human being it would be Data.

For a child growing up with this show it its clear what kind of personal impact Picard and Data would have. That’s not to say the other characters didn’t have a profound impact either, because they did. Riker taught me about duty and selflessness. Troi taught me about compassion and listening. Riker and Troi taught me about love. Worf taught me about honor, loyalty, and truthfulness. Geordi taught me about perseverance, overcoming obstacles, and infinite possibilities. And Crusher taught me about friendship, kindness, and strength.

I realize I can go on and on for pages about TNG, dissecting every season, every episode, every guest and villain. I can even babble about the behind the scenes crew such as Herman Zimmerman, Michael Piller, Mike Okuda, Rene Echevaria, Jeri Taylor, and more. But what matters is that Star Trek: The Next Generation set the standards for everything Star Trek that happened after it. It was magic that happened on screen and magic that happened in the hearts of millions. I think everyone should watch this series, whether or not they are a fan or whether or not they like science fiction. It will open your mind and possibly inspire you just a little to live your life as a better human being. As Picard said, “Here’s to the finest crew in Starfleet…”

I’m sorry. I have been irresponsible when it comes to social networks. Albeit I only use Facebook and Twitter I know that I have been selfish in doing so. Many of my followers on Twitter also are my friends on Facebook. By republishing 90% of my tweets as status updates I am doing a great disservice to those friends.

Unfortunately I am not alone in this crime. It seems like the vast majority of people with multiple social network accounts are doing this. It all boils down to laziness. We all want to publish our moments and thoughts immediately as they occur and we want these updates to reach the broadest audience possible. But is this the right thing to do? Surely we must have reasons for joining certain social networks, otherwise we wouldn’t be consolidating all of our feeds. As Maddox put it in a recent rant of his:

There’s a reason people choose one social network over another, and the rest of the world shouldn’t have to spend time figuring out the proprietary syntax of your stupid network. If people wanted to receive your Twitter updates on Facebook, they wouldn’t be using Facebook.

He brings up a valid point, and like every valid point there are valid arguments against it. Many people republish the same content on Twitter as they do on Facebook, Tumblr, or whatever other social network they use because they have different followers on each of those services. Granted there is some overlap but the reasoning behind linking updates across all services makes sense. If my goal is to share content with all of my followers then why should I deprive certain social network friends and foes of that delicious content? After all it’s nothing more than information exchange.

I only have two social network accounts: Facebook and Twitter. And there is a clear divide between the two. Yet I have been cross-posting updates on both networks without giving it a second thought. Sometimes I wonder why I even have Selective Tweets enabled since I end up adding the #fb tag at the end of almost all my tweets. Rarely do I update my status from Facebook directly.

And I have been wrong in doing so.

And I apologize.

For me Facebook is about my private connections where Twitter is about my public connections. I don’t add everyone as a Facebook friend. I only add people I know directly. More or less: I’ve had personal interaction with them face-to-face and I feel that we have good common ground. There’s something deeper than just “I met you at the club the other night and we exchanged a few words.” I’ve received a lot of friend invites the past few months due to my job as a somewhat public figure in a certain niche of the internet and I’ve had to decline most of them. It’s nothing personal. It isn’t that I don’t like you. I just don’t know you beyond whatever barrier existed between my work and you. And because I do have lots of pictures, videos, personal experiences, and other intimate details on my Facebook profile, I’m not about to start sharing all of that with the world (nor do I have the time or patience to create a bunch of different groups with different privacy settings to accommodate everyone. That becomes a chore and every time I add something I have to adjust that item’s privacy settings).

It’s not just limited to those people. I’ve denied old acquaintances: people I went to school with from pre-school through high school. We may have shared some classes together, we may have been part of the same group of friends, but if you honestly believe that sending me a friend request out of the blue after seven years of having absolutely zero contact with me will convince me to accept you into my Facebook friend network you are gravely mistaken.

But fear not, my deprived acquaintances. This is where my Twitter feed comes in. My Twitter account is set to public. Anyone can see what I post there, unlike my Facebook. Other than using Twitter to follow certain celebrities that I may or may not idolize, I use it to follow the people I don’t know intimately enough yet know through various avenues of life. It’s a good way to network with people and get quick updates and tidbits about their lives and current events. Twitter is also a great way to slowly break into the “intimate” realm of my life.

A quick pause here to address my use of the word “intimate” throughout this post. Yes I mean it in a very sexual and pornographic way.

Twitter is a great way to not only follow my thoughts and happenings but a great way to quickly respond to me and actually have your response read by me. Even though I limit my Facebook friends (I only have 200-something, which is considered both normal and healthy) I still get many updates going through my news feed at any given time. Many times I don’t have the chance to read them all. Most of the time I read the ones that are directly in front of me and respond if a response is warranted. But on Twitter any replies or mentions to me get read since I don’t get that many. And that’s the best way to get noticed. And possibly followed. And possibly met. And possibly Facebook friended.

So from here on out I’m going to be keeping in mind my original intentions for having both a Twitter and a Facebook. No longer will be two feeds be joined at the hip. Granted, there will be some tidbits that get cross-posted but not all. Here goes. I’m rebooting my online life and will be updating it in a more conscious, responsible, and mindful way. “It’s better for me. It’s better for you. It’s better for them. Think about it.”

I gotta hand it to her, Jules Clancy is one simple Aussie! She has compiled a cook book full of delicious recipes that can be made with 5 ingredients in under 10 minutes. That’s right. 5 ingredients. 10 minutes. Even the laziest and most kitchen-incapable of us can make awesome and delicious meals with little effort. She has made this cook book free on her website in PDF format (I personally got it printed and bound at Kinkos cause it’s something you are gonna want to keep). I suggest you check it out. Granted some recipes are a bit of a stretch (celery and cheese for example. Your ingredients? Celery and some cheese), but most of them are pretty simple to make, and they are healthy. So give the minimalist kitchen a spin, download the e-cookbook from her website. And while your at it, check out the rest of her site for some more recipes, tips, and info regarding minimalist home cooking.