I’m Happy To See Solar Energy Is Still A Thing

After viewing “Gravity Squeezes 40% More Power From These Solar Panels” on Mashable.com

This article caught my attention because I have always been very interested in other forms of energy. The article is about a Princeton undergrad who developed a way to get 40% more energy from a solar panel by making it turn to follow the sun throughout the day.

I haven’t heard about anything new in solar energy in quite a while. I was starting to get worried that it had reached a dead end. This would be disappointing to me because I am a strong believer in alternate sources of energy. Fossil fuels are limited and decreasing rapidly. The way I see it, we should find some other way to get energy now before they run out, rather than waiting until it is an absolute emergency.

I feel like oil companies have done everything they can to hinder renewable energy. It is unfortunate that the oil companies and electric companies are very powerful and have far too much influence, because they are holding the nation back from making great progress in technology. If new companies stepped in to replace these companies with renewable, self producing, clean energy, everyone but the current companies would benefit. However, because these huge corporation are so influential, they decide when we stop needing their products. This backward form of capitalism is holding the entire country back. It is time that the corporations give up and allow what is best for everyone. Could you imagine if you never had to pay an electric bill again after installing solar panels, or never having to stop for gas because your car is solar powered? Even though the push for new forms of energy seems to have slowed down, I am really hoping to see some great progress in the next few years.

‘Welcome To Night Vale’: A New Spin on Podcasting

Upon reading the article “‘Welcome to Night Vale’ Is the Eerie Podcast You’re Dying to Hear” on mashable.com

If you do not already listen to the ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ podcasts, I highly recommend you start. This article caught my attention because I am a huge fan of the ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ series. Although the article itself was directed toward individuals who have not yet listened to the podcast, it still influenced me to write something about ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ in hopes that I may assist in spreading the word about this wonderfully strange podcast.

‘Welcome to Night Vale’ is a podcast based around a fictional town called Night Vale where bizarre and unexplainable things happen every day. The story is told in the form of news broadcasts voiced by Night Vale resident Cecil Baldwin. The events that occur in Night Vale vary greatly and don’t seem to be limited by any sense of reality or single unifying theme. They include monsters, angels, unexplainable events, supernatural occurrences, and much more.

The weather segment in every ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ episode is in the form of a song by various underground artists of a wide range of genres. The song usually has nothing to do with weather whatsoever, which only adds to the oddity of the podcast.

Another interesting addition to the podcast is the occasional advertisement. Cecil will often read out advertisements for real companies and products, such as Subway or Tropicana Orange Juice, but the advertisement itself will be spooky, usually having seemingly nothing to do with the product. This use of modern culture helps the reader to link Night Vale to the real world. It is also very funny.

One of the most interesting aspects of Night Vale, in my opinion, is that no matter what happens everyone acts very calm. Even though unordinary and impossible things are happening every day, the people, including Cecil, don’t seem to take much notice. Because these things happen everyday, the residents of Night Vale seem used to it. Therefore, the reader is shocked and puzzled by the events while the mood of the podcast remains calm.

This podcast is a must read for anyone who likes scary stories, supernatural and eerie events, dark humor, or giant, five-headed, fire-breathing politicians. I strongly suggest giving it a listen.

Happy Halloween!

Another Post Complaining About Windows

In response to reading the article “Windows 8.1 Available Now” on Mashable.com

To be honest, the wasn’t an article I intended to post about. I began reading it because of an excerpt under the main title on the homepage that said “marks the return of the start button.” At first I was thrilled that the new Windows update was bringing back the good old fashioned start button, but as I read on my dreams were thoroughly crushed.

As the article developed, it became clear that the start button was not the same. As the article stated, “the new button is just a quick doorway back to the Start screen (and doesn’t have its own pop-up menu, as in previous versions of Windows).” This isn’t the same start menu we all know and love, this is an imitation. It just opens up the stupid new start screen that is the icon of Windows 8 and all its failures.

Maybe I just cannot accept change. Maybe I need to let go of the past and welcome Windows’s new look. Maybe I am slowly becoming the next generation of old men who cannot accept modern technology. But the Windows start screen is so inconvenient, and I cannot bring myself to like it. In what way is a whole new screen an upgrade to a pop-up menu? The menu made an easy to navigate list of everything you could ever need to find. The start screen, however, lists a select few items on a side-scrolling page, and wastes excessive space on clickable boxes you could hit with your fist. It is obvious that Windows 8 was focused on the concept of touch screen use, but it didn’t have to be made to hinder regular, mouse using people. Also, searching on the new start menu is not intuitive at all. The pop-up menu was nice because the search bar appeared right in front of you (for Windows Vista and 7), since it was most likely what you planned to use anyway. The Windows 8 start screen is cluttered with distracting boxes and unnecessary visuals, and gives the user no inclination that a search is even possible. By instinct, the user has to know to just start typing. Then a search menu similar to the one Windows users are familiar with will appear.

The update for Windows 8 is not a fix, it is a tease. In my opinion, Windows should go back to the previous interface for all non-touch screen devices, or at least make such an option available for people who would like to upgrade but don’t have the money to buy a brand new touch screen computer.

Google Cares About Our Safety

In response to the article “Google Street View Comes to Large Hadron Collider at CERN” on mashable.com

http://mashable.com/2013/09/26/google-street-view-lhc/

I am so glad google is watching our backs for us and making us aware of the current status of highly dangerous machinery. Google has always been there for mankind since it was first created in 1997. For this I feel we should all take a moment to pray to our all-seeing, all-knowing google gods.

In case you don’t know, the large hadron collider is a particle collider. In fact, it is the highest energy particle collider ever created, and its invention is a great feat for engineering and mankind. The large hadron collider, created by CERN in 2008, is used to study particle physics and holds great potential for our understanding of the universe. The large hadron collider has even helped us to recently discover the existence of the Higgs boson, which is an elementary particle that is assumed to be what gives matter a mass.

Big, complex machinery like the large hadron collider can be very scary for your everyday citizen. We have no idea what potential it has for destructive purposes, or if the machine itself will one day turn against us. The fear of not knowing is one of the greatest fears of all. This is why we must thank google. Now, at any time we choose, we may go on google earth and look at a street view of not just the large hadron collider, but the entire CERN laboratories. You’d better not do anything crazy, CERN, because the world is watching you now.

For more updates on the large hadron collider and the fate of mankind, here is an interesting and useful website I found. I hope you enjoy!

http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

The New iPhone Galaxy S4

In reaction to reading “iOS 7 Makes the iPhone Feel Reborn” on Mashable.com

http://mashable.com/2013/09/20/ios-7-review/

Does anyone else think that iOS 7 looks strikingly similar to the Android “Jelly Bean” OS? Just some of the features and aesthetics seem strangely similar. Is Apple trying to imitate their lead competitor to steal the attention of some Android users? If so, I am deeply disappointed. Apple has always been, in my opinion, about being innovative. Imitating the competition is not innovative at all. What happened to the Apple that released the first iPod touch and iPhone? It has been a long time since Apple has released a groundbreaking product. Maybe the creativity died with Steve Jobs because the company hasn’t had nearly the same standards since his passing. Not to say that iOS 7 isn’t good, it just isn’t anything new. If Apple’s grand scheme is to become Android then I think this may be the end for them.

Another thing I would like to point out is that Facetime supports “audio-only” calls now. I think this is great because before it did this I would have had to open my phone and use THE ACTUAL PHONE TO CALL SOMEONE AND MAKE A REGULAR PHONE CALL! Again, this doesn’t ruin iOS 7. It’s a redundant add-on that can easily be ignored, but did no one really notice this? There is nothing innovative about a phone that makes phone calls. Apple has really been slacking lately, in my opinion. Don’t even get me started on the new MacBook Pro.