Google vs. Facebook

This past weekend I have been messing around with Google+, and I have to say, I really like it. I look forward to when everyone can be on it and would like to see how everything works. I know that Facebook said that they are adding Skype to their user interface but from what I understand it is only one on one chat. Google+ can have 10 at once, If the other people have the capability to do so. Then only thing really holding Google+ back is whether or not they can get the Facebook user base to change to Google+. It will be interesting to see what happens and how Facebook will respond to Google+.

Last night I got an email from Google saying that my adsense account was banned do to "invalid activity". I tried to appeal it and after a "careful review" I got an email two hours later saying that they would not reactivate it. So, no more internet money for me.

If anyone wants a Google+ invite leave your email address in the comments section and I will fire it off. As always, follow me or click to RSS feed button to subscribe that way.

One Small Step Backwards

Today was the last launch to the soon to be retired Space Shuttle.



It is hard to imagine that when John F. Kennedy set the goal of going to the moon on September 12, 1962 that we would be there in under 10 years.



The computer technology that powered the first rockets that went to the moon is outmatched by the common smart phones of today. Even the Space Shuttles have less computing power than the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3. We now have more powerful technology in our households than they do on the Shuttles.

It is a sad day as the Space Shuttles get retired, but presumably the private sector will take up the slack and begin sending people back into space. Companies like http://www.spacex.com who are working with NASA to develop rockets and capsules to continue to take people and satellites into space.

Only the future will tell whether or not we go back to the Moon, or to Mars. I imagine we will know soon enough.

The Love of a Generation

On Thursday July, 14th an adventure lasting more than a decade will come to an end. For many, it has encompassed their entire lives from when it was first released in September of 1998. For a reference when it became available to the public in the United States I was a brash 13 year old. Fast forward to 2011, I am now 26 almost 27 years old and have a fiance who is 25 and both of us are excited, her more so than me.

In case you haven't figured it out yet I am referring to Harry Potter. It has engrossed an entire generation of children and gotten them to read. Not just read because they have to do it for school, but actually want to sit down and read instead of playing a video game or watching television. This is something that probably won't happen again for a very long time. If you haven't read the books I do recommend it.

I also find it amazing that the entire cast of the Harry Potter movies are still there, with the exception of people who have died. None of the main characters have gotten into any trouble or are part of tabloid rumors that plague so many of the young actors who are thrust into fame.



So next week everyone will say their goodbyes to Harry, Ron , and Hermione. But only J.K. Rowling knows if we will have to say goodbye to Hogwarts.

Dreams and Cats.

Every now and then I actually remember my dreams. Normally I remember a general outline or the main theme of them, but the one last night was vivid and I remember it well. The part I remember the most was when I was trying to buy a new car. It was a tough decision because it was between a Porsche 911 GT3, Ferrari 458, Ford GT, and a Koenigsegg. Now I can't actually afford any of these but it would be nice. On a side note I would pick the Porsche.

Over the last week a very bizarre thing has been happening in my house. One of Whitney's(Fiance) cats has taken to sleeping in the dog crate. I always thought that cats prefer to stay up high e.g. on top of the washing machine, where he normally is.

Don't worry the crate remains unlocked and he can go in and out as he sees fit. I just find it very strange and funny.

Also I am in the process of trying to find some pictures for reference for a Sherlock Holmes tattoo that I want to get. I would like an antique door knocker that has his address on on, 221B Baker St. I have a few pictures that I have seen but if anyone finds anything else that would seem appropriate do email them to me at stephen.d.bauer@gmail.com it would be appreciated.

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As always, Have a wonderful day
Stephen

Good Times and Bad Times

Hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day. Unfortunate for me it rained and fireworks got canceled. Instead my fiance and I stayed in and watched "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest", the third part in the Millennium Trilogy by the late author Steig Larsson. Sadly this is the last of the series as he never completed the forth book that he was writing. These are the Swedish versions of the book, which are fantastic. They remain true to the books throughout, but have to leave out extraneous details. If you have Netflix they are all instant play and I do recommend them, especially in light that the American version will be coming out later this year.

The trailer for the Swedish film:


And the American one directed by David Fincher:


This morning I also decided to do what can be considered my greatest passion. Mountain Biking. I heard rumors of a new "feature" that had been installed called the Triple Hump. I was really excited to try and find it because I didn't actually know where it was. After about a hour of riding I find it.

It is about 7 feet high at its tallest point, and the last part rolls out and drops about 15 feet or so. However, I still couldn't ride the thing because apparently there was something wrong.

They removed one of the sections. That was a bit frustrating and annoying because I was really looking forward to riding that particular obstacle. All was not lost though, the section of trail that runs from that point onward to the trailhead is one of my favorite sections of trail.

Also I got to stop and eat here.

Sorry for the weird blurry pictures, I was using my phone and apparently it did not like where is was.

Thanks for reading
Steve

The 4th day of July 1776

Happy 4th of July everyone. My plans for today are to work then hopefully go see a fireworks show. I say hopefully because i don't know when it actually starts.

I also find it interesting that we celebrate our independence of July 4th. Congress passed the resolution to become independent from Great Britain on July 2nd, and it is commonly believed that the declaration wasn't actually signed until a month later.

Another Interesting fact John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only two signers who became president, died on the same day, July 4th, 1826. That same day marked the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence

Have a safe and happy Independence Day, and be sure to keep all you fingers.

Random Inspirations

A few days ago I posted up some stuff on Reddit.com, basically just asking for criticisms and feedback. I got some feedback on my writing, but someone also left this little inspirational gem.

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone had told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, its just not that good. Its trying to be good, it has potential, but its not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are in this phase, you gotta know that its normal and that the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take a while. Its normal to take a while. You just gotta fight your way though." Ira Glass

Thank You scouty05, in the future I think this will really help out.

In the Year 2000

Just finished reading an article about a tumor that alters the length of the telomeres in a persons DNA. More specifically the ones that control "whether you live or die".

Unfortunately for people suffering PanNET, the extra long telomeres are what keep cancerous genes alive even when they are malfunctioning horribly. That's why it's probably more appropriate to call these cells undead rather than immortal. Yes, they're alive, but they're shambling along and trying to replicate and replace every other cell with a version of themselves.

http://gizmodo.com/5817507/a-tumor-that-could-provide-the-key-to-making-zombies
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/06/29/science.1207313.abstract

There is talk amongst people and scientist about the potential uses of this finding. Some speculate that this could allow scientists to pick which genes to block and thus cease the aging of the cells. This is all pure speculation of course and a therapy that would be applicable in humans would not be around for quite sometime, to say the least.

This raises the question, would you want to live forever, or even to be 200 year old. What if you could afford it but you significant other could not?

Personally not for me.

Considers this though too. The amount of innovation that has happened in the last 100 years alone is astonishing. The early 1900's where home to basic cars, the Model T wasn't invented until 1908 and with that the basis for mass production. The Wright Brothers first powered flight wasn't until 1903. There was no short wave radio. Teabags where invented in 1904. All these things are taken for granted now. Think about how much will change in the next 100 years. Computer technology expands at an exponential rate and medicine will get better. It will be interesting to see what things are taken for granted in the future and what are luxuries.

This all assuming that the Mayan Prophecies don't come true on December 21, 2012.

-Stephen

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Games Away Time to Let Transformers Play

Today is the day that these

go into this

which finally goes up here

and now that, that is finished time to move on to more productive things.

I woke up this morning at around 8:20am and decided that because I am off today, and that because it is Friday, that I should go to a movie. It just so happened that there was a 9:30 showing of Transformers: Dark of the moon.



I can safely say that this is the best Transformers movie thus far. I went to see the IMAX version of the film and did not realize that I would also bear witness to Michael Bay's first foray in the relm of 3D. My god was it a marvelous. The 3D was very well implemented and the effects were nothing short of jaw dropping. The massive wattage of the audio system and Michael Bay's emphasis on action and explosions lend itself to the IMAX experience, not only did it sound marvelous but it felt that way too. I am happy to report that the annoying robots from the second film are gone, but are replaced by two smaller ones who are far less annoying and actually lend a bit of humor and lightheartedness when needed but are still annoying.

There really is not much you can say about the acting from the humans. They are the same as the first two films. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is just as good eye candy as Megan Fox was, and maybe even better, and she should be, as she was a Victoria Secret model before filming this movie. Shia Labeouf does his usual running, screaming for Bumble Bee, running, yelling for Optimus, running, and being blown up more times than a normal human-being could withstand.

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