Driving Manners

All too often I find myself wondering why people are so anxious to get from point A to point B, C, or even D. In the midst of the swerving, finger waving, and general taunting we make our ways to our destination sometimes more frustrated than relieved. The unfortunate circumstance of over crowded areas and lack of general mannerisms taught.

There really is no good reason why you should not respect other drivers, in other countries this isn’t a problem however in America this seems to be a growing issue. One look at the news from Los Angeles and the threat of road rage is all too apparent. It’s an unfortunate circumstance when tempers run high and patience runs low. It’s true everyone has somewhere to go, hence the reason why they are on the freeway but wouldn’t it be a more pleasurable journey if others exhibited decency and mannerisms while driving?

I’m one to think that there’s just too much stress and people get detached from knowing what relaxation is. Everything nowadays seems to ultimately say hurry up and stop. If we were to stop for a moment, take a deep breath, relax, and just appreciate things for a moment, I know things wouldn’t feel so hectic.

Perhaps we just need more time off, as it is in other countries there are more break times and vacation days available for working. Is America comprised of a bunch of work-a-holics? It quite possibly could be, but it’s important to know your limits both mentally and physically. Take a break once in a while, enjoy the finer things. As Bruce Lee said “It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”

Wednesdays

Yes Wednesday is here, it’s halfway to the weekend and in some cases it’s the start of your weekend…College maybe? What better to talk about on Wednesday than something exciting, something controversial, something like…Responsibility.

Don’t you wonder sometimes when you go to places and you see someone who blatantly breaks the rules just because they know they can. It concerns me in a sense knowing that it’s happening all too often in society and perhaps degenerates good will to others because it happens rather frequently. If everyone was to break the rules would that make it right? No, it would make you irresponsible.

Being responsible isn’t exactly limited to following the rules; it also could be a responsibility to yourself to follow your dreams. Within certain boundaries and limitations (I.E. not harming others and such) you should do something to fulfill your dreams, you are here for a short time so make every day count. Not always will you have a second chance so do the best you can with what you have and don’t give in.

I may not be that old but I do know something about responsibility or the lack there of in some cases. All too often we see people who disregard responsibilities for selfish gain and utterly hurting others in the process. In other words, it’s your responsibility to be…well responsible.

Technology

It’s funny how I look back at all the changes in technology in the past 5 years or so. I’m studying a bit for an A+ exam (just something I want to get for the heck of it) and have found myself thinking back upon all the new innovative things that have come to pass recently.

I’m sure many of you recall your first computer, perhaps it was a 386 SX with a whopping 4MB of RAM. At the time that was pretty good. Maybe it was a Cyrix chip computer? Needless to say that was maybe 15 years ago and it really puts things in perspective as to how fast computer technology develops.

I recall about 5 years ago we were just breaking into the 2 GHz barrier with Intel chips, AMD was up and coming, and 512MB of RAM was more than adequate for most applications. About that time was also when the graphics wars started to heat up with ATI and Nvidia.

Now when you look at what technology we have available to us it’s simply mind boggling. 4 GHz computers, 2GB RAM, dual core everything…even my toaster is dual core. Well you get the picture, we’ve made some serious leaps and bounds.

I even look at the internet and see how it’s grown. We have high speed internet all over the place with new technology such as FIOS sitting there on the wing just waiting to take over. FIOS if you haven’t heard is a fiber optic network set up by Verizon that promises extremely fast network speeds, I’d wager it’d be faster than a T1 network.

Wondering what the next 5 years will bring? Who knows, but I’m along for the ride…right after I install my RAM drive that is…

Pirates

Avast matey, ahoy, and all that other pirate jargon that I’m still getting a grasp on. I’ve found myself on a history binge as of late and with the resurgence of the “Pirate vs. Ninja” debate I found myself looking more and more into both from a historical standpoint.

Now ninjas are great you know…mystery and stealth, but in all honesty I’ve read more on ninjas than I have on pirates so I needed to catch up. There is however an elegance about the pirates that I find astonishing, living on the high seas, going where the wind blows, and taking what is needed from those who pass by.

Pirates in media seem to be popping up all over the place as well. This could be caused by the upcoming Pirate’s of the Caribbean movie, or it could be caused because you got a little “Capn’ Morgan In Ya”. Heck even the WWE has their own pirate, yes I do watch from time to time.

Pirates have an interesting history, and the fact remains there are still pirates today only they don’t seem so grand anymore. I’m still reading up on the history of pirates mind you and I’m waiting on a shipment from Amazon but there’s some great information on the internet if you’re truly interested in pirates. I’ll write more on pirates in a later blog and after I read a bit more on them.

Did you hear about the new pirate movie?
Yeah…it’s rated “Arrrr!”

Sorry…had to leave you with a corny pirate joke…

Flashback Friday: Nintendo 8-bit

Seeing as how we’re enjoying all the things that have been going on with E3 I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate Nintendo on this Flashback Friday. This console was what got me really into gaming so let’s take a little trip back.

We all know that the Nintendo Company was around before the consoles however 1983 was the year that they got their hit product the Famicom on the market in Japan. 2 years down the line in 1985 Famicom production went world wide, only under the name of Nintendo Entertainment System or NES as it’s affectionately known as. The design of the system also changed to suit a more global market and thus my addiction to gaming would truly start.

I’ll be honest here; I was a Super Mario Bros. junkie. I would spend an eternity mastering the nuances of all the levels in Super Mario Bros. I still recall sitting for hours in stage 4 hopping on the turtle on the stairs at the end of the level for pretty much unlimited lives. Mario 2 soon followed, as did many other games.

I even recall the movie specifically made to plug Super Mario Bros. 3 called “The Wizard”. The movie starred Fred Savage, known for the kid in “The Wonder Years” and “The Princess Bride” among other things. I still watch that movie from time to time just because it makes me smile.

There were some great games that my buddies and I would play till the end of time. Let’s see, Castlevania, Contra, Double Dragon, Double Dribble, Excite Bike, Final Fantasy, Ice Hockey, Metal Gear, Metroid, Ninja Gaiden, The Legend of Zelda, RC Pro Am, and so many others. Remember the Konami code? Yeah that’s right, I brought it up…UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A, START.

The Nintendo really started it all for me as well as many others, I’m sure. It’s good to remember your roots, especially when you see the freakishly real graphics that are available on the next gen consoles. It really does make you appreciate where you have been and where we’re going, especially when you see the pixilated images of Link saving Princess Zelda.

Recall some of the Nintendo past with these links of NES related goodies:

Game Genie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Genie
NES Advantage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NES_Advantage
NES Max http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NES_Max
Power Pad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Pad
Power Glove http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_glove
R.O.B http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.O.B.

….And don’t forget to blow on the cartridge.

A Note And A Song

I don’t know what it is about music that brings your spirits up with a rush of memories of times long passed. I suppose it’s the memories of what you were doing at the time when that music was playing. The anthems of summer, the ballads of the fall ball, and so on, all bring back some sort of memory both good and bad.

When I think of some of my favorite songs that I frequently play it’s almost like a time machine taking me back in time. Although there are some great newer songs that I listen to on my iPod I have a wide array of older songs from my teenage years that get a bit more listening to than the new. Perhaps it’s that whole reminiscing thing that I can’t get over but then there wouldn’t be stations dedicated to 60’s, 70’s,80’s, and even 90’s music if I were the only one that felt this way.

I know there’s a radio in your car for some reason, and with the recent boom of satellite radio stations focused listening to your tastes are much easier. For what it’s worth focused listening to what you really want to hear seems to make for a more enjoyable experience much more than simply listening to top 50 music on the local pop station, or the random oldies that brought the house down…before your time. This seems to be a good alternative route to throwing down cash for an iPod or any other iDevice of the sort.

It’s also interesting that music is something that can even bring back bad memories, remember that one song you dedicated to your “Ex”, but that was when you were together yet now it brings back things that you would have rather forgotten. Subliminal messages? Maybe, but it seems more of a trained thought with association.

I like to think of the better times, crank up the volume to “11” and relax. I know you do the same thing no sense hiding it, so put on your favorite tunes and just smile.

Censorship

All too often we tend to find a way to say things in public arenas and then think we can get away with whatever we say. Next thing we know what we have said has been squelched one way or another, then next thing you know we’re crying that our first amendment rights have been violated. To that I say it depends…

Many times you’ll see people go on a tirade about one thing or another, it’s ok to do that in most cases but when it crosses certain boundaries then by all means it should be censored especially when what’s being said is on a privately owned and operated service.

We (as in the general masses) put up blog reports here and there on different services and in all people can choose what they want to talk about and all is well. We even go to different forums and newsgroups across the internet’s far reaching boundaries and talk about varied topics.

Key word here that we need to consider is that you’re using a service and they have a “Terms of Service” agreement that you usually have to agree to prior to using their service. So if someone talks about something that violates a “Terms of Service” agreement on one of these services, that company has every right to squelch what’s being said. No first amendment backlash there, period.

Now on the other hand if you have your own server, and make your own forum or blog I’m pretty sure you would be free to say what you want to say and not violate any agreement. This is where you do have a right to say what you want. Heck even standing on a soapbox on the corner you have that right.

If you would like to learn more about freedom of speech feel free to check out this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech