Coolest Watch Ever

While I was on a certain social networking site known as Facebook, I noticed an ad on the side of the page that actually appealed to me.  Usually I just ignore those ads, but this one actually intrigued me because it was for one of the coolest things I've ever seen.  The ad was for the watch you see pictured on the right.  It was inspired by the recent Disney movie Tron and manufactured by Tokyoflash.  It has a remarkably sleek and futuristic design with a very off-the-wall way to tell time.  The rings light up at all except one place (as seen in the picture) and it's these dark spaces that tell the time.  Hours are shown on the inside and minutes on the outside.  It is powered by charging a rechargeable battery via a USB cord so there's no need for batteries.  I actually decided that I would go ahead and buy one of these awesome chronometers.  The internet is a remarkable place in respect to the fact that I could happen across this awesome piece of technology.  I never knew that there could be anything like it, and now, I will be wearing one.

Music vs. Nuclear Power

I am coming up on my final paper for English 102 and have a choice I need to make.  We are supposed to write on how the internet has effected an area of interest, most likely our major which will become the career that we work in.  Mine is nuclear engineering.  I am very interested in learning about nuclear fusion and how to make power with it.  That said, I am not sure how much I could write about the topic of the internet in light of nuclear engineering.  There really is one maybe two ways I could go with this topic, and neither would really have a strong point behind it.  Which brings me to my other option of writing about music.  As a musician-in-progress, I would be glad to write about music and feel that it is also a field that I might be involved in.  I know that there is a lot to be said for the internet and its effects on music.  There are many pros and cons for each argument and I know I could write a good paper on it.  So the question is, which topic should I choose?  I'd love some input on this query, so let me know what your opinions are.

Music Reinvented

So, I realize that this post is late, but I didn't want to post about something that I wasn't actually going to write about.  I've decided to write my paper about the electric guitar and how its invention fits into Steven Johnson's view of good ideas.  I picked it because I play guitar, both acoustic and electric, and wanted to write about something that I enjoy.  I originally wanted to look into the invention of metal as a genre of music, but this proved next to impossible to find any primary sources on.  So I changed to this topic which allowed me to still cover music, just at an earlier time.  And really, you could look at this as another step towards the invention of metal, but that's probably for another time.  I've found a blueprint for the first patented electric guitar back in the 30's and am hoping that I will be able to use it as my primary source.  If not, I'm hoping to find something like a note from someone discussing the incredible idea they had (being of making a guitar that could be amplified by electricity).  I'll have to see what I can do with my blueprint first.  After I do all my research, I'll then be able to compare the process and ideas behind creating an electric guitar to what Johnson thinks is the norm for creating ideas.  This is hopefully how my paper is going to go.

Asylum

This is my copy of Disturbed's album 'Asylum.'  I bought it when I saw them live in Charleston North Carolina.  I also had the privilege of getting it signed by them.  This would be the first of three times I would see them.  At the most recent I was able to get the pick that is in the bottom right corner.  This is very valuable to me and I am glad I got to see them each time I did because, unfortunately, they are now on an "indefinite hiatus."  But what does this have to do with historical artifacts?  The album isn't even three years old!  The reason I think it has historical value is more of what has been done to reach this point.  The influencing bands, songs, styles, and everything else that have made the band into what they are is what is more relevant to our paper.  I do realize that I did still pick a pretty new band, but unfortunately I don't have any signed Black Sabbath albums to share with you guys.  I think for my research paper I may look at bands like Black Sabbath who pretty much invented the genre of metal.  They were the real innovators of their time, and we have albums such as the one above that have been based off of works of them and others who have been inspired by them, all playing within the musical adjacent possible to evolve into this:

TED and Commercialism

TED is a wonderful website that has a bunch of videos about new, exciting ideas.  Ranging from psychology to technology, the speakers present their new ideas to the public with the goal of showing what new things we are developing.  From things like new touch screens, to ideas on how to improve education, TED spreads new ideas from the greatest minds around the world.  Yet many have criticized it, calling it a mere show of corporatism or commercialism.  They insist that the speakers featured on this website are only trying to sell their new ideas.  To them, I would say that isn't that what any researcher does with a new idea?  Essentially, these presenters are trying to show off what they have done and seek approval to further their research.  This does create a sort of advertising sense of their presentations, although in my experience I do not see any of this in the videos I've watched.  Anyone who comes up with a new idea needs people to catch on to it and to support it.  To this end, people do have to advertise, to some extent.  So, maybe what critics say is true, but their reason for attacking TED isn't a good one.

The Classroom Band

Well, after reading everyone's commentary on the need for cooperation, I feel like adding my two cents.  I think that a group properly cooperating and working together is a lot like a band.  Each individual person has their own ideas, thoughts, and skills.  With these 'instruments,' each person can do only so much.  Granted there have been many solo projects and many musicians have been able to do wonders with only one instrument, just as one person can do great things, but think of how much more could be achieved if two instruments work together to make a single song.  And think of how much more can happen if five or six minds are put together!  Now, the thing about a band is, if there is tension between the members, it will not work.  This is also true for collaborative efforts.  The individual members need to be able to work with each other toward the betterment of the whole.  If one member is just along for the ride, the whole group is pulled down and forced to compensate.  This is one reason I dislike mandated group work, especially when you don't get to choose your groups.  Unless the people in it fit together, the potential benefits are almost nullified.  In order for any group to be successful, each individual must contribute to the whole while becoming something better himself.

My Survey (Please Help Me Out!)

I am putting a link on my Blog to my survey in hopes that many of you will take the time to fill it out.  I would greatly appreciate the help and hope you would take the time to answer a few questions.

Survey

Thank you!