Jan 2007
Flashing Lights and Loud Music; May Cause Seizures
01/24/07 09:08 AM Filed in: Stories
First of all, allow me
to add to the all-too-common saying: "I" before "e,"
except after "c", and in weird words like "weird" and
"seizure."
Second of all, if you have a girlfriend, boyfriend, fiance, fiancee, husband, wife, WHATEVER... that's great. Fantastic. Good for you. But nobody wants to see you all over each other in public, so just quit that right. Oh my GOSH! There were WAY too many couples at that concert last night... So please, be considerate of those around you before groping. That being said...
Who here went to the Skillet concert last night? Raise your hands. It was fantastic!! I'm currently sporting a Skillet t-shirt, with all four of their autographs on the back. I just know everyone walking by me in the halls today is going, "Ooooh, he has a sweet Skillet shirt on." And then as I pass they look over their shoulder and scream, "OH MY GOSH!! IT'S SIGNED!" I try to pretend I don't hear it, but I know it's happening. I'm still not quite as cool as you, Meagan. After all, you got to meet and hang out with them before their show a couple months ago... jealous. But I still got to shake their hands.
As luck would have it, the concert started with my favorite opener, Leven. (That was sarcastic if you didn't notice.) I like metal and all, don't get me wrong. After all, Skillet is metal. But Leven... meh. Well, let's just say local. That should clear all questions that you have. Within ten minutes of Leven starting to shake the building, the fire department shows up. "Oh, GREAT! Somebody already passed out. Seriously, people, save that for Skillet or something exciting." But it turned out with wasn't anything exciting like somebody passing out, or having a seizure or a heart attack. No, all that happened was somebody from the light crew set something on fire, so it set the smoke detectors off. It was especially reassuring to know that we didn't hear any of the smoke alarms going off. Thank Leven for that one. And we weren't even in the auditorium, we were out front trying to avoid hearing the opener; and we STILL didn't hear the fire alarms! We could have DIED! Luckily, it wasn't that big of a deal.
It turns out we made it through an entire concert, to my knowledge, without anyone passing out, getting knocked out from getting smashed on the head, having a seizure from the flashing lights and bass that shook your whole body--that was lovely.
At 7:30, the lights came up and Leven walked off the stage. Fifteen minute intermission while Skillet sets up. Lights go back down and the bass starts to hum. Thirty seconds of that and we're ready for the lights on the stage to flash on and Skillet to start rocking out! As I recall, they opened with Collide. But it was the second song that really got me excited, because it was Whispers In The Dark from their newest album, which is my favorite song they've ever written!
Skillet performed an amazing show; I was really impressed! Though Skillet doesn't have the budget of, say, Green Day (who, if you didn't already know, has been said to put on the best show of any band every time), they had everything a good band needs--a vocalist who can still sing in tune when he's live; guitarists that can still rock hard; a sweet girl drummer (who is aMAzazaing); plenty of energy. Ok, let's stop right there. Any band that wants to be sweet needs to have ADHD. At least their lead singer does. And probably the drummer too. Because if you can't run around the stage looking crazy, you're not going to get your fans excited! John Cooper confessed he forgot to take his Ritalin last night. But that just made it all the better. I would also like to point out that he's the lead singer who plays bass, not guitar. Which at first I thought was kind of odd, but boy can that guy play a bass! He can scream quite well too.
So Skillet puts on a kick-awesome show. That's what it all comes down to. Their lead guitarist I'm pretty sure has the opposite of ADHD, because he basically just stands their--but he can still play amazingly. John's wife, Korey, plays keyboard and guitar, and I had to give her props for that one. Standing there, playing a keyboard with a guitar hung around your neck, and switching back and forth between the two... that takes talent!
I was most impressed with Skillet talking between songs. It sounds lame, but bands don't talk anymore! Sure, sometimes they say, "This next song is Better Than Me, and I wrote it after my girlfriend told me she hated me." But seriously, I want to know more than that. Especially if your a band who writes amazing songs and claims God as your inspiration... so what? (Switchfoot I'm talking to YOU!!) Skillet is a band that comes out and says what their songs are about--how they were inspired to write them, and how you should be living for God, not for popularity and other worldly things. I think that's awesome, especially with a group who tours with mainstream wonders like Three Days Grace, Staind, Shinedown, Saliva, Finger Eleven... the list goes on, and will continue to go on.
Probably the most impacting thing he said last night, for me, was when he mentioned being on tour with several of those groups and having people come up to him after the shows and say, "You know, I don't have a problem with Jesus... I just hate Christianity." And he said to the crowd last night, "What that says to me is Christians are failing." Because we need to show the world God's love. Not be judgmental about the way our non-Christian friends are living--they have no reason to live the way we do if they don't have Jesus, so how is it we yell at them and say, "Hey, don't use that language around me, I don't like it!"? We're not commanded to be judgmental--that's God's job! We're commanded to love. As John said, "So when you wake up in the morning and say, 'Mmm, I don't really feel like loving him or her today,' TOO BAD! Because you're commanded to." I like that. And I like how, at the end of the concert, before they performed Kill Me, Heal Me (I know, morbid song title, but it's a good song), he gave about a fifteen minute testimony!
WAY to go John! I'm proud of you for not letting the popularity and the fame sink into your head. You're getting to be one of the best hard rock groups out there, and you're staring to get very well known, but your songs still have meaning, and you're still living your life as a witness for Christ, even in front of 10,000 people with the guys from Saliva standing just off stage waiting to follow up your opening act. Christians can have fun, and they can have talent too. And as John said last night, "Yes, we can wear black!" It's not all about the rules. It's about the love. For those around us, and for our Savior, Jesus Christ. That's what life is all about!
"There's something deep inside that keeps my faith alive. When all you can do is hide from the fear that's deep inside of you. Something... to hold me close when I don't know." - Collide
"No. You'll never be alone. When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars… When darkness comes you know I'll never part. Hear my whispers in the dark." - Whispers In The Dark
"The older I get, will I get over it? It's been way too long for the times we missed. I didn't know that it would hurt like this... What I was waiting for? I should have taken less and given you more. I should have weathered the storm. I need to say so bad: What were you waiting for? This could have been the best we'd ever had." - The Older I Get
"I'm stretching but you're just out of reach. You should know: I'm ready when you're ready for me. And I'm waiting for the right time. For the day I catch your eye. To let you know that I'm yours to hold." - Yours To Hold
"Do you remember in December how we swore we'd never change? Even though you're leaving that our feelings would always stay the same. I wish we could be laughing
Instead I'm standing here asking: Do we have to end this now? Can we make it last somehow? We both know what we've gotta say, not today. Cause I don't wanna leave this way... And if it's over, it hurts but I'm giving you my word. I hope that you're always happy like we were." - Say Goodbye
"Let the world crash, love can take it. Let the world come crashing down. Love can take a little. Love can give a little more." - A Little More
Second of all, if you have a girlfriend, boyfriend, fiance, fiancee, husband, wife, WHATEVER... that's great. Fantastic. Good for you. But nobody wants to see you all over each other in public, so just quit that right. Oh my GOSH! There were WAY too many couples at that concert last night... So please, be considerate of those around you before groping. That being said...
Who here went to the Skillet concert last night? Raise your hands. It was fantastic!! I'm currently sporting a Skillet t-shirt, with all four of their autographs on the back. I just know everyone walking by me in the halls today is going, "Ooooh, he has a sweet Skillet shirt on." And then as I pass they look over their shoulder and scream, "OH MY GOSH!! IT'S SIGNED!" I try to pretend I don't hear it, but I know it's happening. I'm still not quite as cool as you, Meagan. After all, you got to meet and hang out with them before their show a couple months ago... jealous. But I still got to shake their hands.
As luck would have it, the concert started with my favorite opener, Leven. (That was sarcastic if you didn't notice.) I like metal and all, don't get me wrong. After all, Skillet is metal. But Leven... meh. Well, let's just say local. That should clear all questions that you have. Within ten minutes of Leven starting to shake the building, the fire department shows up. "Oh, GREAT! Somebody already passed out. Seriously, people, save that for Skillet or something exciting." But it turned out with wasn't anything exciting like somebody passing out, or having a seizure or a heart attack. No, all that happened was somebody from the light crew set something on fire, so it set the smoke detectors off. It was especially reassuring to know that we didn't hear any of the smoke alarms going off. Thank Leven for that one. And we weren't even in the auditorium, we were out front trying to avoid hearing the opener; and we STILL didn't hear the fire alarms! We could have DIED! Luckily, it wasn't that big of a deal.
It turns out we made it through an entire concert, to my knowledge, without anyone passing out, getting knocked out from getting smashed on the head, having a seizure from the flashing lights and bass that shook your whole body--that was lovely.
At 7:30, the lights came up and Leven walked off the stage. Fifteen minute intermission while Skillet sets up. Lights go back down and the bass starts to hum. Thirty seconds of that and we're ready for the lights on the stage to flash on and Skillet to start rocking out! As I recall, they opened with Collide. But it was the second song that really got me excited, because it was Whispers In The Dark from their newest album, which is my favorite song they've ever written!
Skillet performed an amazing show; I was really impressed! Though Skillet doesn't have the budget of, say, Green Day (who, if you didn't already know, has been said to put on the best show of any band every time), they had everything a good band needs--a vocalist who can still sing in tune when he's live; guitarists that can still rock hard; a sweet girl drummer (who is aMAzazaing); plenty of energy. Ok, let's stop right there. Any band that wants to be sweet needs to have ADHD. At least their lead singer does. And probably the drummer too. Because if you can't run around the stage looking crazy, you're not going to get your fans excited! John Cooper confessed he forgot to take his Ritalin last night. But that just made it all the better. I would also like to point out that he's the lead singer who plays bass, not guitar. Which at first I thought was kind of odd, but boy can that guy play a bass! He can scream quite well too.
So Skillet puts on a kick-awesome show. That's what it all comes down to. Their lead guitarist I'm pretty sure has the opposite of ADHD, because he basically just stands their--but he can still play amazingly. John's wife, Korey, plays keyboard and guitar, and I had to give her props for that one. Standing there, playing a keyboard with a guitar hung around your neck, and switching back and forth between the two... that takes talent!
I was most impressed with Skillet talking between songs. It sounds lame, but bands don't talk anymore! Sure, sometimes they say, "This next song is Better Than Me, and I wrote it after my girlfriend told me she hated me." But seriously, I want to know more than that. Especially if your a band who writes amazing songs and claims God as your inspiration... so what? (Switchfoot I'm talking to YOU!!) Skillet is a band that comes out and says what their songs are about--how they were inspired to write them, and how you should be living for God, not for popularity and other worldly things. I think that's awesome, especially with a group who tours with mainstream wonders like Three Days Grace, Staind, Shinedown, Saliva, Finger Eleven... the list goes on, and will continue to go on.
Probably the most impacting thing he said last night, for me, was when he mentioned being on tour with several of those groups and having people come up to him after the shows and say, "You know, I don't have a problem with Jesus... I just hate Christianity." And he said to the crowd last night, "What that says to me is Christians are failing." Because we need to show the world God's love. Not be judgmental about the way our non-Christian friends are living--they have no reason to live the way we do if they don't have Jesus, so how is it we yell at them and say, "Hey, don't use that language around me, I don't like it!"? We're not commanded to be judgmental--that's God's job! We're commanded to love. As John said, "So when you wake up in the morning and say, 'Mmm, I don't really feel like loving him or her today,' TOO BAD! Because you're commanded to." I like that. And I like how, at the end of the concert, before they performed Kill Me, Heal Me (I know, morbid song title, but it's a good song), he gave about a fifteen minute testimony!
WAY to go John! I'm proud of you for not letting the popularity and the fame sink into your head. You're getting to be one of the best hard rock groups out there, and you're staring to get very well known, but your songs still have meaning, and you're still living your life as a witness for Christ, even in front of 10,000 people with the guys from Saliva standing just off stage waiting to follow up your opening act. Christians can have fun, and they can have talent too. And as John said last night, "Yes, we can wear black!" It's not all about the rules. It's about the love. For those around us, and for our Savior, Jesus Christ. That's what life is all about!
"There's something deep inside that keeps my faith alive. When all you can do is hide from the fear that's deep inside of you. Something... to hold me close when I don't know." - Collide
"No. You'll never be alone. When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars… When darkness comes you know I'll never part. Hear my whispers in the dark." - Whispers In The Dark
"The older I get, will I get over it? It's been way too long for the times we missed. I didn't know that it would hurt like this... What I was waiting for? I should have taken less and given you more. I should have weathered the storm. I need to say so bad: What were you waiting for? This could have been the best we'd ever had." - The Older I Get
"I'm stretching but you're just out of reach. You should know: I'm ready when you're ready for me. And I'm waiting for the right time. For the day I catch your eye. To let you know that I'm yours to hold." - Yours To Hold
"Do you remember in December how we swore we'd never change? Even though you're leaving that our feelings would always stay the same. I wish we could be laughing
Instead I'm standing here asking: Do we have to end this now? Can we make it last somehow? We both know what we've gotta say, not today. Cause I don't wanna leave this way... And if it's over, it hurts but I'm giving you my word. I hope that you're always happy like we were." - Say Goodbye
"Let the world crash, love can take it. Let the world come crashing down. Love can take a little. Love can give a little more." - A Little More
Comments
Maybe You CAN Buy An iPhone
01/23/07 01:01 PM Filed in: Technology
When I first saw the
iPhone, my jaw was almost on the floor. Then I heard
the price. At $499, I'll never get one, but it's
still an amazing technology breakthrough. But I read
an article on CNet News the other day that reported
the price of the iPhone should be dropping
significantly pretty quick after it's release.
The 4gb model is currently listed at $499. However, estimated assembly costs are only $245. The 8gb model is listed at $599. The estimated assembly costs for that model are only $280.
Once Apple realizes it's competition, currently LG, it should drop the price significantly to compete with the other companies. Although the current LG KE850 is priced at a hefty $899, so LG needs to shrink it's big head before it really becomes a competition for Apple.
One advantage to the LG KE850--it's unlocked. Apple's iPhone is restricted to Cingular. That will make a lot of people buy the LG KE850. But what sounds better?
"Hey, what kind of phone do you have?"
"I have an iPhone."
"Sweet. I have an LG KE850. It's basically the same thing..."
Yah, except it just makes you sound like a nerd, while Apple's iPhone allows for you to keep some of your dignity.
$250 or even $299 is a very reasonable price to pay for an iPhone. The phone I carry in my pocket costs $149 without a 2-year contract, but I got it for $49. It's just a phone. The iPhone is much, much more. And at $299, it's competing at the same price as an iPod. That's a good deal considering all of it's functionality.
The 4gb model is currently listed at $499. However, estimated assembly costs are only $245. The 8gb model is listed at $599. The estimated assembly costs for that model are only $280.
Once Apple realizes it's competition, currently LG, it should drop the price significantly to compete with the other companies. Although the current LG KE850 is priced at a hefty $899, so LG needs to shrink it's big head before it really becomes a competition for Apple.
One advantage to the LG KE850--it's unlocked. Apple's iPhone is restricted to Cingular. That will make a lot of people buy the LG KE850. But what sounds better?
"Hey, what kind of phone do you have?"
"I have an iPhone."
"Sweet. I have an LG KE850. It's basically the same thing..."
Yah, except it just makes you sound like a nerd, while Apple's iPhone allows for you to keep some of your dignity.
$250 or even $299 is a very reasonable price to pay for an iPhone. The phone I carry in my pocket costs $149 without a 2-year contract, but I got it for $49. It's just a phone. The iPhone is much, much more. And at $299, it's competing at the same price as an iPod. That's a good deal considering all of it's functionality.
It's Not Already a Law, but It Should Be
01/23/07 12:47 PM Filed in: Stories
I was in a mostly
apathetic mood this morning. Nothing really phased
me. If you and I had been in a heated debate and you
punched me in the face, I probably would have given
you a blank look and kept right on talking without
getting angry in the least. Needless to say, I'm
tired. While I generally consider myself a more than
usually observant person, today I was just too tired
and worn out to really care. So it's no surprise I
didn't notice the sign... but seriously, why can't
every restaurant be consistent?
Arby's on Collins road; I go left, you go straight. Culver's on Center Point; I go left, you go straight. Wendy's on Blairs Ferry; I go left, you go straight. Every one at Kirkwood; I go left, you right... well, right. But I still go left. My point is, can we just make this a norm that guys go left and girls go straight or right? It would save an awful lot of people, myself included, a lot of embarrassment and sheer frustration.
I would mention that Kirkwood goes so far as to assume. Most of the bathrooms at Kirkwood aren't actually labeled at all. They're all at the end of a short "inlet" off of the main hallway, and the guys is always on the right while the girls is always on the left. I can think of a few occasions when it wasn't me who was mistaken, but the girl coming into the guys bathroom whilest I was hangin' out doing my business.
The Culver's off of Edgewood over by Wynnsong in Cedar Rapids? I go straight, you go left. I didn't... I think that old lady almost had a heart attack.
Enough said!
Arby's on Collins road; I go left, you go straight. Culver's on Center Point; I go left, you go straight. Wendy's on Blairs Ferry; I go left, you go straight. Every one at Kirkwood; I go left, you right... well, right. But I still go left. My point is, can we just make this a norm that guys go left and girls go straight or right? It would save an awful lot of people, myself included, a lot of embarrassment and sheer frustration.
I would mention that Kirkwood goes so far as to assume. Most of the bathrooms at Kirkwood aren't actually labeled at all. They're all at the end of a short "inlet" off of the main hallway, and the guys is always on the right while the girls is always on the left. I can think of a few occasions when it wasn't me who was mistaken, but the girl coming into the guys bathroom whilest I was hangin' out doing my business.
The Culver's off of Edgewood over by Wynnsong in Cedar Rapids? I go straight, you go left. I didn't... I think that old lady almost had a heart attack.
Enough said!
Not Exactly "New," but I Still Enjoy It... As Will You!
01/22/07 12:10 PM Filed in: Stories
Over the summer I
worked at the wonderful camp we all know and love,
East Iowa Bible Camp. For 6th grade camp and Senior
High camp, me and two of the counselors (Jake Dickey
and Gabe Cox) perform a fabulous rendition of The
Houseplant Song by Audio Adrenaline. The 6th graders
were a good audience, but the High Schoolers enjoyed
it much, much more :). This video is from 6th grade
camp. For those of you who have never heard this
song... I pity you. The original is far better than
this video below, but I hope you will still enjoy it!
Water CAN Be Bad for You
01/18/07 01:21 PM Filed in: Stories
If you have to wee, by
all means, please just do it! Don't feel embarrassed
if you're with your friends, when nature calls, just
answer the phone--after all, everybody has to at some
point in the day. Some people more than others, but
still... I don't think it's anymore "cool" to hold it
than it is to say, "excuse me for a minute."
Did you know you can actually die from drinking too much water? It's called water intoxication, or hyper-hydration. Apparently if water enters the body quicker than it can be removed (through various ways which I'm sure you can think up yourself), your body is in danger of diluting important body fluids, thus screwing up your balance of electrolyte.
Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old woman living in sunny California entered a radio contest last week. It was called, "Hold your wee for a Wii." As you can probably guess, the person who drank the most water and didn't go to the bathroom for the longest period of time would win one of the new Nintendo Wii's. Ms. Strange was in the contest for her children, trying to win them a Wii. She consumed over two gallons of water and called in sick to work the next day. Jennifer's mother found her dead later that day in her home.
It would seem this was an accident. She obviously drank too much and got water intoxication. But apparently the DJs responsible for the contest were aware of this disease and had been heard joking about it off the air (but still caught on tape...) and went ahead with the contest anyway. However, everyone entering into the competition was required to sign forms agreeing that, if said sickness would occur, or possible death, they would not sue the radio station or the DJs. Obviously, somebody died. And who's getting in trouble? The DJs at the station.
What's the point of signing those liability forms if people, the judges, our government always just sidesteps them anyway? The lady signed the form stating she was OK with entering the contest, even though she may die from water intoxication... granted, if she's anything like me, she never read the form before she signed it, but they don't care if you actually read the form, by signing it you're lying and saying you have and agree with everything it says. HOWEVER, if something goes wrong, like you do end up getting fat from a McDonald's burger, or the new Nintendo Wii controllers cause you bodily harm (oops... now who's fault is that one?), by all means, go ahead and sue them anyway! You'll probably still win, even though you signed the form.
Where did Americans get off thinking lawsuits are the solution to all of life's hardships and troubles? Where did Americans get off on a lot of things...
Be warned! If you drink a lot of water, when you feel the need, excuse yourself to the bathroom! It's for your own safety...
Did you know you can actually die from drinking too much water? It's called water intoxication, or hyper-hydration. Apparently if water enters the body quicker than it can be removed (through various ways which I'm sure you can think up yourself), your body is in danger of diluting important body fluids, thus screwing up your balance of electrolyte.
Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old woman living in sunny California entered a radio contest last week. It was called, "Hold your wee for a Wii." As you can probably guess, the person who drank the most water and didn't go to the bathroom for the longest period of time would win one of the new Nintendo Wii's. Ms. Strange was in the contest for her children, trying to win them a Wii. She consumed over two gallons of water and called in sick to work the next day. Jennifer's mother found her dead later that day in her home.
It would seem this was an accident. She obviously drank too much and got water intoxication. But apparently the DJs responsible for the contest were aware of this disease and had been heard joking about it off the air (but still caught on tape...) and went ahead with the contest anyway. However, everyone entering into the competition was required to sign forms agreeing that, if said sickness would occur, or possible death, they would not sue the radio station or the DJs. Obviously, somebody died. And who's getting in trouble? The DJs at the station.
What's the point of signing those liability forms if people, the judges, our government always just sidesteps them anyway? The lady signed the form stating she was OK with entering the contest, even though she may die from water intoxication... granted, if she's anything like me, she never read the form before she signed it, but they don't care if you actually read the form, by signing it you're lying and saying you have and agree with everything it says. HOWEVER, if something goes wrong, like you do end up getting fat from a McDonald's burger, or the new Nintendo Wii controllers cause you bodily harm (oops... now who's fault is that one?), by all means, go ahead and sue them anyway! You'll probably still win, even though you signed the form.
Where did Americans get off thinking lawsuits are the solution to all of life's hardships and troubles? Where did Americans get off on a lot of things...
Be warned! If you drink a lot of water, when you feel the need, excuse yourself to the bathroom! It's for your own safety...
I'll Take Apple TV for $300, Please
01/13/07 04:01 PM Filed in: Technology
I've found a solution
to the HD DVD or Blu-ray debate: Apple TV.
I don't know if you've kept up with the argument, but regular DVDs are almost out of the picture. Everyone is switching to HD DVD, or the new (and debatably better) Blu-Ray Disc. So the question everyone (in the nerd circles at least) is asking is, "Which disc will win?" My personal opinion: HD DVD is going ot win the battle. But let's think of an even better idea. One that will be a little more permanent. After all, it wasn't too long ago that we were all on the VHS. The VHS became the DVD, the DVD is now becoming the HD DVD (or Blu-Ray Disc), and the never-ending search for the unscratchable disc will probably be the next thing to throw itself on the scene. My point is, the media scene is constantly a changing one. New technology is always presenting itself. As soon as you get the latest player, a new technology will come out to out date the player you have. Of course, the new HD DVD players will also support older, non-HD DVDs... but they won't support VHS unless you add an entirely separate interface to it. But will the next latest-and-greatest technology support the circular DVD format? Or will it be something even better and smaller, like a plug-in device such as a Flash Drive? That would make your DVD players obsolete then.
Let's get back to the current argument though. HD DVD or Blu-Ray? I say neither. What if you didn't even need a disc? What if you didn't even need a physical entity of the movie you wanted to watch? Imagine this:
You sit down with a group of your friends to watch a movie. You argue for a while trying to decide what movie is the greatest movie of all time and thus should be watched. Finally, someone chimes in, "Hey, what about that new movie that came out yesterday with Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller in it?" The arguing stops and someone says the name of the movie. Finally, you all agree that it sounds like a fabulous movie... of course it does, it has Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell in it! You can't get much better than that!! You reach for your Universal Remote and click the "Search For Movie" button. A search menu appears and you enter the title of the movie. You wait a few seconds as the online database is searched. A screen then pops up with the name of the movie, a brief description, a picture of the cover, and an option to watch the trailer. Over on the right there's a "Similar Movies" box with movies that are of the same genre. Near the bottom of the screen you navigate to the "Purchase" button for $9.99. The screen fades and you see the spinning circle informing you that the next screen is loading. After about 15 seconds, the movie starts playing.
So let's break this down. You just used the technology of the future. The fool-proof technology of the future. The Apple TV. You also just purchased a new movie that you can watch anytime you want, as many times as you want, without fear or scratching or damaging a disc that the movie might be contained on.
The Apple TV is a very small device, about the same size as the new Nintendo Wii, that has two cables. One plugs into your TV. The other plugs into the outlet to provide the box power. The rest is done wirelessly. The Apple TV wirelessly communicates with you PC or Mac anywhere in the house via Wi-fi 802.11 b, g, and/or the soon-to-be-standard n. It currently comes stands with a 40gb hard drive built in. Using the Apple TV, you can view almost any media file on your computer, whether it be music, photos, or a video. Basically, if it can be viewed using iTunes, and it transfers to your iPod, you can view it using Apple TV. Using a remote about half the size of your palm (which is probably a downside because it'll be super easy to lose), you can navigate all of the media you have on your computer. After browsing through your movies, or whatever, you select the one you wish to watch. As soon as you click on it, a file transfer is initiated, transferring the entire movie file to the Apple TV's hard drive. After a good portion of the movie is transferred to the Apple TV, the movie should start playing--probably after just a few seconds. The rest of the movie file will continue to transfer over as you watch the movie. This is going to be the same with any file you choose to look at, but it would be most significant with a movie file because they are the largest.
The optimal connection to use will be the 802.11n, because it's about ten times faster than the g. And the b... well, that's not even really worth discussing anymore.
Now check this out. You didn't even have to worry about finding the disc. You don't have to worry about ever scratching it. You didn't have to worry about leaving the comfort of your couch (lazy Americans) and going out and buying or renting it. And you just paid $9.99 for a new release, which is a pretty good price!
This isn't limited to just movies. This could be applied to anything, like TV shows. Anything that's currently on the iTunes Music Store can be viewed on the Apple TV via the wireless connection to your computer via the internet connection your computer gets from whatever ISP you have. From your TV remote, the entire iTunes Music Store is at your fingertips. (Just a side note, this is also true with the iPhone, minus the remote part.) In the near future, anything available on a DVD now (and then) could very easily be made available online to download as well. Apple currently only has the rights to Disney movies and some of Paramount's older releases, but nothing new from Paramount. Apple also has a lot of TV shows, both popular and unpopular, available. I think as soon as this technology catches on the online database of movies is going to grow tremendously... right now all the movie producers are freaked out about the DRM. But as soon as they calm down about that, they should release their movies for download as well.
This of the possibilities for ease of use and the ability to make America even fatter... yet another convenience for us! Now we don't even have to leave our house to purchase a movie!
Quit arguing about HD DVD or Blu-Ray for the new standard. I choose Apple TV for my entertainment system when I get my own house and a few million.
For more specs on the Apple TV, check this link to Apple. Apple TV
I don't know if you've kept up with the argument, but regular DVDs are almost out of the picture. Everyone is switching to HD DVD, or the new (and debatably better) Blu-Ray Disc. So the question everyone (in the nerd circles at least) is asking is, "Which disc will win?" My personal opinion: HD DVD is going ot win the battle. But let's think of an even better idea. One that will be a little more permanent. After all, it wasn't too long ago that we were all on the VHS. The VHS became the DVD, the DVD is now becoming the HD DVD (or Blu-Ray Disc), and the never-ending search for the unscratchable disc will probably be the next thing to throw itself on the scene. My point is, the media scene is constantly a changing one. New technology is always presenting itself. As soon as you get the latest player, a new technology will come out to out date the player you have. Of course, the new HD DVD players will also support older, non-HD DVDs... but they won't support VHS unless you add an entirely separate interface to it. But will the next latest-and-greatest technology support the circular DVD format? Or will it be something even better and smaller, like a plug-in device such as a Flash Drive? That would make your DVD players obsolete then.
Let's get back to the current argument though. HD DVD or Blu-Ray? I say neither. What if you didn't even need a disc? What if you didn't even need a physical entity of the movie you wanted to watch? Imagine this:
You sit down with a group of your friends to watch a movie. You argue for a while trying to decide what movie is the greatest movie of all time and thus should be watched. Finally, someone chimes in, "Hey, what about that new movie that came out yesterday with Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller in it?" The arguing stops and someone says the name of the movie. Finally, you all agree that it sounds like a fabulous movie... of course it does, it has Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell in it! You can't get much better than that!! You reach for your Universal Remote and click the "Search For Movie" button. A search menu appears and you enter the title of the movie. You wait a few seconds as the online database is searched. A screen then pops up with the name of the movie, a brief description, a picture of the cover, and an option to watch the trailer. Over on the right there's a "Similar Movies" box with movies that are of the same genre. Near the bottom of the screen you navigate to the "Purchase" button for $9.99. The screen fades and you see the spinning circle informing you that the next screen is loading. After about 15 seconds, the movie starts playing.
So let's break this down. You just used the technology of the future. The fool-proof technology of the future. The Apple TV. You also just purchased a new movie that you can watch anytime you want, as many times as you want, without fear or scratching or damaging a disc that the movie might be contained on.
The Apple TV is a very small device, about the same size as the new Nintendo Wii, that has two cables. One plugs into your TV. The other plugs into the outlet to provide the box power. The rest is done wirelessly. The Apple TV wirelessly communicates with you PC or Mac anywhere in the house via Wi-fi 802.11 b, g, and/or the soon-to-be-standard n. It currently comes stands with a 40gb hard drive built in. Using the Apple TV, you can view almost any media file on your computer, whether it be music, photos, or a video. Basically, if it can be viewed using iTunes, and it transfers to your iPod, you can view it using Apple TV. Using a remote about half the size of your palm (which is probably a downside because it'll be super easy to lose), you can navigate all of the media you have on your computer. After browsing through your movies, or whatever, you select the one you wish to watch. As soon as you click on it, a file transfer is initiated, transferring the entire movie file to the Apple TV's hard drive. After a good portion of the movie is transferred to the Apple TV, the movie should start playing--probably after just a few seconds. The rest of the movie file will continue to transfer over as you watch the movie. This is going to be the same with any file you choose to look at, but it would be most significant with a movie file because they are the largest.
The optimal connection to use will be the 802.11n, because it's about ten times faster than the g. And the b... well, that's not even really worth discussing anymore.
Now check this out. You didn't even have to worry about finding the disc. You don't have to worry about ever scratching it. You didn't have to worry about leaving the comfort of your couch (lazy Americans) and going out and buying or renting it. And you just paid $9.99 for a new release, which is a pretty good price!
This isn't limited to just movies. This could be applied to anything, like TV shows. Anything that's currently on the iTunes Music Store can be viewed on the Apple TV via the wireless connection to your computer via the internet connection your computer gets from whatever ISP you have. From your TV remote, the entire iTunes Music Store is at your fingertips. (Just a side note, this is also true with the iPhone, minus the remote part.) In the near future, anything available on a DVD now (and then) could very easily be made available online to download as well. Apple currently only has the rights to Disney movies and some of Paramount's older releases, but nothing new from Paramount. Apple also has a lot of TV shows, both popular and unpopular, available. I think as soon as this technology catches on the online database of movies is going to grow tremendously... right now all the movie producers are freaked out about the DRM. But as soon as they calm down about that, they should release their movies for download as well.
This of the possibilities for ease of use and the ability to make America even fatter... yet another convenience for us! Now we don't even have to leave our house to purchase a movie!
Quit arguing about HD DVD or Blu-Ray for the new standard. I choose Apple TV for my entertainment system when I get my own house and a few million.
For more specs on the Apple TV, check this link to Apple. Apple TV
Welcome to 2007/The Power of Portability
01/09/07 04:10 PM Filed in: Technology
History was made on
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007, by Apple, Inc. It was:
115 x 61 wide x 11.6mm
3.5 inch multi-touch display screen
320 by 480 at 160 ppi
4gb or 8gb storage
Wi-fi (802.11 b/g), EDGE, or Bluetooth 2.0
2 megapixel camera
4.8 ounces
Up to 5 hours of battery for talk/video/browse
Up to 16 hours of battery for audio
And yes, it does run Mac OS X.
Introducing the new iPhone from Apple.
When Steve Jobs stood on the stage at Macworld on Tuesday and presented the iPhone in all of its glory to the masses, he wasn't just selling us a new phone--he was selling us the future! A future where the iPod, phone, internet, and essentially a PDA all come together on one OS X platform in a handheld device!!
Also released on Tuesday was the Apple TV, though it's significance was severely dwarfed with it being released next to something as spectacular as the iPhone. But I'll cover the Apple TV in all of it's glory in another post.
Apple is known for the effort they put into the design and simplicity of their products. The iPhone is no exception. But the iPhone is more than a pretty phone. Much more.
You navigate the iPhone using multi-touch technology. That is to say, you simply apply pressure to the screen to make the device perform various functions. Tap to click, slide to scroll, two fingers down and pinch to zoom in and out, etc. I would love to get my hands on one of these just to experience it, but the day where that might happen seems very far away at this point.
There was a lot of speculation as to what Apple was going to release at Tuesday's Keynote. Some people said a widescreen iPod. Others said an iPhone. Others said other things, like a wireless internet device, or a newer model of the laptops or desktops. Apple took three of those rumors and made them reality, but instead of three separate devices, they have put them perfectly into one handheld device.
The iPod is, of course, a widescreen, touch screen iPod that piggy-backs off of the phones 4gb or 8gb memory. The iPod feature now supports CoverFlow, which is really neat to see. The videos are such high quality as well, they look fabulous on the little screen.
The phone has many more features than even the smartest of smart phones. Of biggest note (I think), the iPhone syncs with your computer in the exact same way your iPod does... even the same cable, I believe. It also syncs through iTunes. Every time you plug your iPhone into the dock, it will charge and update all of your music, contacts, calendar events, movies, photos, favorites, mail, and more... And you don't even have to click anything!
To make a call, simply click contacts, scroll through your list with the flip of your finger, and click on the name you wish to dial. It's that easy! Now calling... place the phone next to your ear and a sensor automatically senses a close object (your face) and turns off the display to save battery. Bring the phone back down in front of you and the display with turn back on automatically.
As I said, the phone runs OS X, so all of the main features from your Mac will also be on the iPhone. For instance iCal, Mail, and Safari. iPhone is the first portable device to support a fully featured web browser. The entire browser runs natively on your iPhone, which is truly amazing. If you can't read the text on the page after it loads, simple place down to fingers and push them apart to zoom in... or just double tap on the area and it will automatically zoom in where you tapped. The phone will automatically detect a Wi-fi or Bluetooth internet connection, if present. If not present, it will automatically (if it's in your plan) log you on to the network's (Cingular) wireless internet via the cell phone towers. As soon as you move back into an area with Wi-fi, it will take you off of the network's wireless internet and place you on the free Wi-fi without even bothering you with a notice dialog.
There are three main sensors in the iPhone. One senses if objects are close, to turn off the display when the phone is held up to your face. The other senses ambient light, to dim the screen when lights are turned off to conserve energy. And the third is a motion sensor. In any application on the iPhone, simply turn it on it's side and the phone goes into widescreen. Turn it back upright and the image is readjusted properly.
Mail. A fully functional mail client is also provided with the iPhone, and it will read from any POP or SMTP server. Popular email clients which support POP and SMTP are Yahoo!, Gmail, AOL, and I believe Earthlink. No, not Hotmail or MSN. Not without a charge, of course... what do you expect? It's Microsoft!
The phone supports Google Maps, so if you're lost, or just want to know where the nearest Starbucks is relevant to your current position on the globe, never fear... your iPhone is near!
Of course the phone supports SMS text messaging. I'm not 100%, but I also believe SMS can be a chat client, so if you're on a wireless network it won't charge you for a text, it will simply IM for free.
All typing is done with an onscreen QWERTY keyboard that you simply touch with your fingers. I've heard that it takes a bit of getting used to, but what phone doesn't? I've also heard that's the only thing on the phone that takes some getting used too--everything else is so simple it's astounding.
Basically, the iPhone is way, way, way, WAY more than just a phone. It's an iPod, a phone, an internet communicator, and Jobs doesn't refer to it as this, but I do: A PDA. Because it essentially does every function OF a PDA... and then some! All for a reasonable price of $499 ($599 for the 8gb). It seems a bit steep at first glance, but if you think about all the functions it has, it really is a reasonable price.
Of course, the biggest downside to the entire phone is the exclusive service provider, Cingular. I don't have a problem with Cingular except that I don't use them. My Grandpa does, but I won't be able to talk him into getting an iPhone. I think it would have been a smarter choice on Apple's part to make the phone universal, but they didn't ask me. And I'm sure they had their reason. Another problem with the phone is Apple's insistence, once again, to make the battery as difficult as possible to get to. Apple strives for simplicity in every way... their are three, and only three actual buttons you can click on the iPhone. The rest is touch screen. But their batteries for all iPods and most of their devices are always obscure and hard to get to. You basically have to take it in to a shop to get it replaced. But the phone is still impressing me, even with those two bummers.
Imagine the possibilities of a device this powerful... and portable! The sheer thought of it blows my mind, and I haven't even got to hold one yet, I've just seen one in use and read many articles on them. Infinite information at your fingertips. The possibilities are endless. What is Apple going to amaze us with next in the near future? Apple has reinvented the phone and completely changed the way we look at communication and the limits we had placed on it.
(For the record, and just to clear this up for all of you out there, if Microsoft had come out with a phone of this magnitude, yes, I would be writing an article on it. The fact is, Microsoft doesn't have anything like this. Apple does, so I'm covering it. End of discussion.)
115 x 61 wide x 11.6mm
3.5 inch multi-touch display screen
320 by 480 at 160 ppi
4gb or 8gb storage
Wi-fi (802.11 b/g), EDGE, or Bluetooth 2.0
2 megapixel camera
4.8 ounces
Up to 5 hours of battery for talk/video/browse
Up to 16 hours of battery for audio
And yes, it does run Mac OS X.
Introducing the new iPhone from Apple.
When Steve Jobs stood on the stage at Macworld on Tuesday and presented the iPhone in all of its glory to the masses, he wasn't just selling us a new phone--he was selling us the future! A future where the iPod, phone, internet, and essentially a PDA all come together on one OS X platform in a handheld device!!
Also released on Tuesday was the Apple TV, though it's significance was severely dwarfed with it being released next to something as spectacular as the iPhone. But I'll cover the Apple TV in all of it's glory in another post.
Apple is known for the effort they put into the design and simplicity of their products. The iPhone is no exception. But the iPhone is more than a pretty phone. Much more.
You navigate the iPhone using multi-touch technology. That is to say, you simply apply pressure to the screen to make the device perform various functions. Tap to click, slide to scroll, two fingers down and pinch to zoom in and out, etc. I would love to get my hands on one of these just to experience it, but the day where that might happen seems very far away at this point.
There was a lot of speculation as to what Apple was going to release at Tuesday's Keynote. Some people said a widescreen iPod. Others said an iPhone. Others said other things, like a wireless internet device, or a newer model of the laptops or desktops. Apple took three of those rumors and made them reality, but instead of three separate devices, they have put them perfectly into one handheld device.
The iPod is, of course, a widescreen, touch screen iPod that piggy-backs off of the phones 4gb or 8gb memory. The iPod feature now supports CoverFlow, which is really neat to see. The videos are such high quality as well, they look fabulous on the little screen.
The phone has many more features than even the smartest of smart phones. Of biggest note (I think), the iPhone syncs with your computer in the exact same way your iPod does... even the same cable, I believe. It also syncs through iTunes. Every time you plug your iPhone into the dock, it will charge and update all of your music, contacts, calendar events, movies, photos, favorites, mail, and more... And you don't even have to click anything!
To make a call, simply click contacts, scroll through your list with the flip of your finger, and click on the name you wish to dial. It's that easy! Now calling... place the phone next to your ear and a sensor automatically senses a close object (your face) and turns off the display to save battery. Bring the phone back down in front of you and the display with turn back on automatically.
As I said, the phone runs OS X, so all of the main features from your Mac will also be on the iPhone. For instance iCal, Mail, and Safari. iPhone is the first portable device to support a fully featured web browser. The entire browser runs natively on your iPhone, which is truly amazing. If you can't read the text on the page after it loads, simple place down to fingers and push them apart to zoom in... or just double tap on the area and it will automatically zoom in where you tapped. The phone will automatically detect a Wi-fi or Bluetooth internet connection, if present. If not present, it will automatically (if it's in your plan) log you on to the network's (Cingular) wireless internet via the cell phone towers. As soon as you move back into an area with Wi-fi, it will take you off of the network's wireless internet and place you on the free Wi-fi without even bothering you with a notice dialog.
There are three main sensors in the iPhone. One senses if objects are close, to turn off the display when the phone is held up to your face. The other senses ambient light, to dim the screen when lights are turned off to conserve energy. And the third is a motion sensor. In any application on the iPhone, simply turn it on it's side and the phone goes into widescreen. Turn it back upright and the image is readjusted properly.
Mail. A fully functional mail client is also provided with the iPhone, and it will read from any POP or SMTP server. Popular email clients which support POP and SMTP are Yahoo!, Gmail, AOL, and I believe Earthlink. No, not Hotmail or MSN. Not without a charge, of course... what do you expect? It's Microsoft!
The phone supports Google Maps, so if you're lost, or just want to know where the nearest Starbucks is relevant to your current position on the globe, never fear... your iPhone is near!
Of course the phone supports SMS text messaging. I'm not 100%, but I also believe SMS can be a chat client, so if you're on a wireless network it won't charge you for a text, it will simply IM for free.
All typing is done with an onscreen QWERTY keyboard that you simply touch with your fingers. I've heard that it takes a bit of getting used to, but what phone doesn't? I've also heard that's the only thing on the phone that takes some getting used too--everything else is so simple it's astounding.
Basically, the iPhone is way, way, way, WAY more than just a phone. It's an iPod, a phone, an internet communicator, and Jobs doesn't refer to it as this, but I do: A PDA. Because it essentially does every function OF a PDA... and then some! All for a reasonable price of $499 ($599 for the 8gb). It seems a bit steep at first glance, but if you think about all the functions it has, it really is a reasonable price.
Of course, the biggest downside to the entire phone is the exclusive service provider, Cingular. I don't have a problem with Cingular except that I don't use them. My Grandpa does, but I won't be able to talk him into getting an iPhone. I think it would have been a smarter choice on Apple's part to make the phone universal, but they didn't ask me. And I'm sure they had their reason. Another problem with the phone is Apple's insistence, once again, to make the battery as difficult as possible to get to. Apple strives for simplicity in every way... their are three, and only three actual buttons you can click on the iPhone. The rest is touch screen. But their batteries for all iPods and most of their devices are always obscure and hard to get to. You basically have to take it in to a shop to get it replaced. But the phone is still impressing me, even with those two bummers.
Imagine the possibilities of a device this powerful... and portable! The sheer thought of it blows my mind, and I haven't even got to hold one yet, I've just seen one in use and read many articles on them. Infinite information at your fingertips. The possibilities are endless. What is Apple going to amaze us with next in the near future? Apple has reinvented the phone and completely changed the way we look at communication and the limits we had placed on it.
(For the record, and just to clear this up for all of you out there, if Microsoft had come out with a phone of this magnitude, yes, I would be writing an article on it. The fact is, Microsoft doesn't have anything like this. Apple does, so I'm covering it. End of discussion.)
No, You Can't Flush the Toilet Paper
01/08/07 12:24 PM Filed in: Stories
"And you might want to
bring some long sleeved outfits," they said. "It's
kind of cold here." Of course, being the obedient
follower that I am, I brought long sleeves and
sweatshirts.
We were going to Patzcuaro, Mexico. It's over 1,000 miles south, and a little west, of Dallas, Texas. That’s just a guess…
My parents and I caught the 6:45 out of the Easter Iowa Airport. We were about to embark on a 6(ish) hour journey from Iowa to Mexico, and I couldn't even make it through our airports security without setting off the alarms. Did you know the tinfoil in gum wrappers will set off an airport's security alarm? We arrived in Chicago at about 7:15 and attempted to find Terminal 5. If you take a look at one of the Chicago O'Hare Terminal directories placed about every 500 feet, you'll notice that roughly 50% of the airlines that fly in and out of O'Hare International Airport are represented with a yellow number 5. This means they're an international airline flying in and out of Terminal 5. Terminal 5 being such a big portion of O'Hare's business, one would also assume it would be easy to access. Guess again. We finally found the Terminal, which you have to leave the airport to get to, about 35 minutes later. Since we had left the airport, we had to go through security again. We reached the other side of International security and were greeted by... silence. We looked left. We looked right. Terminal 5 was entirely too quiet for being "half" of O'Hare.
Turns out we were hungry. We found our gate, which had about five people at it, and wandered the rest of the dead terminal looking for food. News Flash: Terminal 3 has no food! We found some flight attendants who frequented the international terminal and asked them the best way to get a good meal. They have one person take orders, leave the terminal, order the food outside, and then bring it back in through security... of course, you can't bring drinks through security. So Dad and I left our stuff with Mom and headed out to McDonald's. I got a #9, accidentally ordering a drink which I had to immediately throw away. We took our food back into the terminal and ate our supper. After a two hour layover, we finally boarded our flight for Morelia, Mexico. It wasn't until 45 minutes into the flight we found out they serve a meal was provided...
Initial thoughts of Mexico: How many people live down here?? Flying over from 40,000 feet in the air gives you a new perspective; there were lights from huge city's to small villages everywhere down below. When we finally got over Morelia, it was much bigger than I thought it would be. Mexico has about 107,000,000 (nearly 20,000,000 of which live in Mexico City) people living in it, compared to about 298,000,000 in the United States. But Mexico is smaller than the United States land wise. Morelia is populated with about 735,000 citizens. I guess that would account for all the lights we saw, wouldn't it? Of course, none of the "official" populations take the metro into account...
Our greeting party at the airport in Morelia was Paul and Ashley Cheshier. I don't blame the rest of the family; it was almost 1 in the morning. The drive from Morelia to Patzcuaro was about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
We finally arrived at our final destination. I trudged up the stairs to the room which I was to sleep in and was quickly reminded not to drink the water OR flush the toilet paper. I gave an "A-OK" sign and plopped into bed. I think I woke up at about 10:30 the next morning.
Mexico had a whole lot more people than I thought it would have in it. Granted, I've been there once before two years ago, but I thought that was a big city... and it was, but it turns out there are a lot of big cities in Mexico.
As a whole, the things we as Americans call "laws" is directly translated as "opinions" or "suggestions for old people" in Mexico. Driving in the city there is possibly the most exciting thing you'll ever experience--of course, I loved every minute of it :). Your life is always on the line, and it's a constant thrill.
I was in the country over the New Years holiday, so, of course, we stayed up until midnight. At 12:00 in the A.M. we celebrated the New Year by blasting several Wal-Mart sized plastic bags of fireworks. Once again, in the U.S. you would upset someone with this random, and might I add loud act, but in Mexico the neighbors simply came out of their houses and clapped. On one occasion, a few people a few miles away decided to "return fire" and started setting off their own fireworks. I'm pretty sure several (most), if not all of the fireworks we set off were illegal... in the U.S. AND Mexico. But you remember what I said about the whole "law" situation down there...
I asked Paul, "So what are you not allowed to do down here? Socially acceptably speaking." He informed me basically anything was acceptable, socially and to the police (unless you were a white American); drugs, stealing, prostitution, assault, murder... the only thing that was completely uncalled for was losing your temper. I thought that was pretty interesting, and probably fitting for the way they drive. Mexico, as a whole, is very laid back and most certainly never on time. Example: The Church service I went to on Sunday started at 11:00 in the A.M. At 11:15 it actually "started," but only about 5 people (not including my hommies) were there. By the end of the service (almost 2 hours and 30 minutes later), there were about 25 people there. They just sort of mingled in thought the two and a half hours. So, socially, if you get upset at someone for being thirty minutes late or rear-ending you, that's out of line. You just have to sit back and roll with the punches, basically. Which, for the most part, I think it pretty cool... I don't like the late thing. I prefer to be ten minutes early, and it drives me crazy when people are late, because, to me, it shows a lack of respect to the people your meeting. But for everything else--what's done is done. If you get rear-ended, cussing the other person out doesn't fix your trunk. Sitting back and saying, "Oh well..." and taking it to the repair shop will. And you might even make a friend that way.
Here are some kudos that go out to the beautiful country of Mexico. American coffee sucks, OK? Let's just get that out so we're honest with each other. America has nothing on Mexico in the coffee department. I went to a local restaurant/coffee shop in Centro Patzcuaro and downed several fantastic Mocha's. I've never had anything like them--it was like a little taste of Heaven! Now that I'm back in the states, I want to go to Starbucks and say, "Hey, can you make me a Mexican Mocha?" Gosh, they were so good...
On either Tuesday or Wednesday (the days are all a blur now), Ashley and I went to see A Night At The Museum. Fabulous movie... one of Ben Stiller's best! I would love to brag and say the entire movie was in Spanish and I understood every word, but that would be a lie. There were about five words I didn't understand. No, just kidding... it was entirely in English, and it had Spanish subtitles. Oh, and the screen was, quite literally, twice the size of the one we have here in Cedar Rapids. I've never seen a screen so big. And out of the, probably, 250 seats in the particular room we were in, there were about... thirty people there.
I found it interesting that, in Mexico, you don't just tip your waiters and waitresses. You tip everybody. The guy who stuffs your bags at the grocery store, the guy who helps you back out of your stall at the grocery store (and no, you didn't ever ask him too either), or the guy who helps load your bags into your car.
Another thing about Mexico... it never sleeps. We're not talking New York City style either. We're talking the entire country! My flight got in at a little before 1 in the morning, and we arrived in Patzcuaro around 2. We drove down to Centro just to check it out, and there were vendors on the street, and the people at the fish market? Already standing at their door ready for business. Um, hello? When do you sleep?? Now, there weren't tons of people swarming the streets, but you also have to remember this was little Patzcuaro... in Morelia, there were.
Every house has a stone wall around it. On top of the stone wall? Broken glass so you wouldn't climb over it. In front of every door to the house was a large metal door for extra security. And I'm not actually sure there is an unlock feature on any of the doors in Mexico. I think they're all lock-behind-you style, just in case you forget. But I could be wrong.
Lastly, the architecture. It was gorgeous! There are so many beautiful monuments in Mexico, from all different types of ancient civilizations. If you love history, fly to Mexico! I was astonished by a man made National Park we visited. But, of course, the most notable and beautiful architecture in the country is the Catholic churches. They're so elaborate and beautiful. Another very important part of the Mexican culture is Catholicism. They're very closed to new beliefs and alternatives because they're buried in 500 years of tradition. Everywhere (and that's not an understatement) there are pictures of Jesus dead. They didn't get the memo that he was raised three days later, and it's pretty sad. At one occasion we went to a disabled and elderly food shelter to hand out cookies, and they invited us to stay for their prayer. I was informed after we left that, in their prayer, they had asked Mary to help Jesus. I think they think of Mary as more of our Holy Spirit, because they pray to her, and she is their intermediary to God.
That's about all I can think of right now for opinion of Mexico. I may add more later if I'm feeling ambitious, and in a reminiscing mood. As for now, thanks for reading, and check out the pictures from the link below!
Pictures of the entire trip have been made available by clicking here. Check them out!
We were going to Patzcuaro, Mexico. It's over 1,000 miles south, and a little west, of Dallas, Texas. That’s just a guess…
My parents and I caught the 6:45 out of the Easter Iowa Airport. We were about to embark on a 6(ish) hour journey from Iowa to Mexico, and I couldn't even make it through our airports security without setting off the alarms. Did you know the tinfoil in gum wrappers will set off an airport's security alarm? We arrived in Chicago at about 7:15 and attempted to find Terminal 5. If you take a look at one of the Chicago O'Hare Terminal directories placed about every 500 feet, you'll notice that roughly 50% of the airlines that fly in and out of O'Hare International Airport are represented with a yellow number 5. This means they're an international airline flying in and out of Terminal 5. Terminal 5 being such a big portion of O'Hare's business, one would also assume it would be easy to access. Guess again. We finally found the Terminal, which you have to leave the airport to get to, about 35 minutes later. Since we had left the airport, we had to go through security again. We reached the other side of International security and were greeted by... silence. We looked left. We looked right. Terminal 5 was entirely too quiet for being "half" of O'Hare.
Turns out we were hungry. We found our gate, which had about five people at it, and wandered the rest of the dead terminal looking for food. News Flash: Terminal 3 has no food! We found some flight attendants who frequented the international terminal and asked them the best way to get a good meal. They have one person take orders, leave the terminal, order the food outside, and then bring it back in through security... of course, you can't bring drinks through security. So Dad and I left our stuff with Mom and headed out to McDonald's. I got a #9, accidentally ordering a drink which I had to immediately throw away. We took our food back into the terminal and ate our supper. After a two hour layover, we finally boarded our flight for Morelia, Mexico. It wasn't until 45 minutes into the flight we found out they serve a meal was provided...
Initial thoughts of Mexico: How many people live down here?? Flying over from 40,000 feet in the air gives you a new perspective; there were lights from huge city's to small villages everywhere down below. When we finally got over Morelia, it was much bigger than I thought it would be. Mexico has about 107,000,000 (nearly 20,000,000 of which live in Mexico City) people living in it, compared to about 298,000,000 in the United States. But Mexico is smaller than the United States land wise. Morelia is populated with about 735,000 citizens. I guess that would account for all the lights we saw, wouldn't it? Of course, none of the "official" populations take the metro into account...
Our greeting party at the airport in Morelia was Paul and Ashley Cheshier. I don't blame the rest of the family; it was almost 1 in the morning. The drive from Morelia to Patzcuaro was about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
We finally arrived at our final destination. I trudged up the stairs to the room which I was to sleep in and was quickly reminded not to drink the water OR flush the toilet paper. I gave an "A-OK" sign and plopped into bed. I think I woke up at about 10:30 the next morning.
Mexico had a whole lot more people than I thought it would have in it. Granted, I've been there once before two years ago, but I thought that was a big city... and it was, but it turns out there are a lot of big cities in Mexico.
As a whole, the things we as Americans call "laws" is directly translated as "opinions" or "suggestions for old people" in Mexico. Driving in the city there is possibly the most exciting thing you'll ever experience--of course, I loved every minute of it :). Your life is always on the line, and it's a constant thrill.
I was in the country over the New Years holiday, so, of course, we stayed up until midnight. At 12:00 in the A.M. we celebrated the New Year by blasting several Wal-Mart sized plastic bags of fireworks. Once again, in the U.S. you would upset someone with this random, and might I add loud act, but in Mexico the neighbors simply came out of their houses and clapped. On one occasion, a few people a few miles away decided to "return fire" and started setting off their own fireworks. I'm pretty sure several (most), if not all of the fireworks we set off were illegal... in the U.S. AND Mexico. But you remember what I said about the whole "law" situation down there...
I asked Paul, "So what are you not allowed to do down here? Socially acceptably speaking." He informed me basically anything was acceptable, socially and to the police (unless you were a white American); drugs, stealing, prostitution, assault, murder... the only thing that was completely uncalled for was losing your temper. I thought that was pretty interesting, and probably fitting for the way they drive. Mexico, as a whole, is very laid back and most certainly never on time. Example: The Church service I went to on Sunday started at 11:00 in the A.M. At 11:15 it actually "started," but only about 5 people (not including my hommies) were there. By the end of the service (almost 2 hours and 30 minutes later), there were about 25 people there. They just sort of mingled in thought the two and a half hours. So, socially, if you get upset at someone for being thirty minutes late or rear-ending you, that's out of line. You just have to sit back and roll with the punches, basically. Which, for the most part, I think it pretty cool... I don't like the late thing. I prefer to be ten minutes early, and it drives me crazy when people are late, because, to me, it shows a lack of respect to the people your meeting. But for everything else--what's done is done. If you get rear-ended, cussing the other person out doesn't fix your trunk. Sitting back and saying, "Oh well..." and taking it to the repair shop will. And you might even make a friend that way.
Here are some kudos that go out to the beautiful country of Mexico. American coffee sucks, OK? Let's just get that out so we're honest with each other. America has nothing on Mexico in the coffee department. I went to a local restaurant/coffee shop in Centro Patzcuaro and downed several fantastic Mocha's. I've never had anything like them--it was like a little taste of Heaven! Now that I'm back in the states, I want to go to Starbucks and say, "Hey, can you make me a Mexican Mocha?" Gosh, they were so good...
On either Tuesday or Wednesday (the days are all a blur now), Ashley and I went to see A Night At The Museum. Fabulous movie... one of Ben Stiller's best! I would love to brag and say the entire movie was in Spanish and I understood every word, but that would be a lie. There were about five words I didn't understand. No, just kidding... it was entirely in English, and it had Spanish subtitles. Oh, and the screen was, quite literally, twice the size of the one we have here in Cedar Rapids. I've never seen a screen so big. And out of the, probably, 250 seats in the particular room we were in, there were about... thirty people there.
I found it interesting that, in Mexico, you don't just tip your waiters and waitresses. You tip everybody. The guy who stuffs your bags at the grocery store, the guy who helps you back out of your stall at the grocery store (and no, you didn't ever ask him too either), or the guy who helps load your bags into your car.
Another thing about Mexico... it never sleeps. We're not talking New York City style either. We're talking the entire country! My flight got in at a little before 1 in the morning, and we arrived in Patzcuaro around 2. We drove down to Centro just to check it out, and there were vendors on the street, and the people at the fish market? Already standing at their door ready for business. Um, hello? When do you sleep?? Now, there weren't tons of people swarming the streets, but you also have to remember this was little Patzcuaro... in Morelia, there were.
Every house has a stone wall around it. On top of the stone wall? Broken glass so you wouldn't climb over it. In front of every door to the house was a large metal door for extra security. And I'm not actually sure there is an unlock feature on any of the doors in Mexico. I think they're all lock-behind-you style, just in case you forget. But I could be wrong.
Lastly, the architecture. It was gorgeous! There are so many beautiful monuments in Mexico, from all different types of ancient civilizations. If you love history, fly to Mexico! I was astonished by a man made National Park we visited. But, of course, the most notable and beautiful architecture in the country is the Catholic churches. They're so elaborate and beautiful. Another very important part of the Mexican culture is Catholicism. They're very closed to new beliefs and alternatives because they're buried in 500 years of tradition. Everywhere (and that's not an understatement) there are pictures of Jesus dead. They didn't get the memo that he was raised three days later, and it's pretty sad. At one occasion we went to a disabled and elderly food shelter to hand out cookies, and they invited us to stay for their prayer. I was informed after we left that, in their prayer, they had asked Mary to help Jesus. I think they think of Mary as more of our Holy Spirit, because they pray to her, and she is their intermediary to God.
That's about all I can think of right now for opinion of Mexico. I may add more later if I'm feeling ambitious, and in a reminiscing mood. As for now, thanks for reading, and check out the pictures from the link below!
Pictures of the entire trip have been made available by clicking here. Check them out!