biased articles

okay, first off, I want to remind anyone reading this that this blog is used for sharing my opinions, the arguments, opinions, and pretty much everything else on this blog exist as second, third, or even fourth hand data. I intend to tell you about stuff that I find interesting, so that discussion, research, or at the very least thought take place.

I am merely stating this so that I do not seem hypocritical in my following statements. When I want stuff to be taken as absolute fact, I try to do so much research, you wouldn't believe it, and I reference everything.

However, this is all well and good, but when someone does not take time to bring in all information relevant to the topic: historical motivations, economic and political situations, geography, etc. well, that is not just sloppy, that is actually dangerous. Without proper background checks, one may increase the risk of igniting an already unstable social or political situation, and causing someone trying to do some research no small amount of stress.

When you fail to include the background of the situation in your report, it makes it easy for people to refute anything you say, and unless you can provide references, anyone can say that you are wrong.

Just Standing on my Soap Box

First off, I want to start by saying that I really love having a blog, I really do. I mean, how else am I going to get a bunch of people to listen to my opinions about stuff, I mean, aside from yelling(which I've tried, it doesn't work)

Anyways, I'm getting off track, and before I've even started no less...

So, it would seem that the school system has been trying to get more involved with technology.
I suppose that, this isn't a problem in itself, heck, it could conceivably become a good thing! Unless the technology prevents the students from learning things which should be fundamental!(like learning how to calculate sine, cosine, and tangent, or doing basic math drills [I shouldn't have to think about what 7^2 is, I should just know it!])

Anyways, it would appear that my school has deluded itself into thinking that allowing cellphones to be used with the classroom is a good idea! This seems to me to be a bad idea...

Yeah, so I just wanted to rant a bit about this, but I've already covered the points I wanted to make, so, I'll leave this with you guys.

Hope you've all had a good year so far!

Happy New Years!

Well, that's it everyone. It has been a good year, but I think I speak for everyone when I say HAPPY NEW YEARS!

A lot of stuff happened: the world didn't end (twice), Obama got reelected, some Korean song got famous, I started learning Java, and a whole lot of other stuff happened.

So, I will let you go and do whatever it is you were doing, an leave with this...

And have a great year people!

Silly Injury

heh
So, last week, by which I mean the thirteenth, during P.E. we were playing British Bulldog, and some time ago, my phys.ed. teacher thought it would be a great idea to change the rules for it a bit. Instead of tagging someone to make them It, one would have to either tackle them or lift their feet off the ground. The more I think about it, it seems pretty dumb to me, like really really dumb.

So, anyways, we were doing that. I was It(yeah, the guy who can barely lift his own little sister, trying to do that) anyways, I was trying to grab onto someone, so I could try and lift them up, and my pinky finger got caught in his shirt. He ran off, there was a tearing noise, next thing I know, my finger can't bend.

Turns out, I broke my finger on this guys shirt, fortunately, a minor fracture. Unfortunately, I tore a tendon. Clean off the bone...
Went in for surgery Sunday, now just waiting for the finger to heal up. So long as I don't do anything idiotic with my hand, I should be able to get the splint off the day after Christmas.

So, that's what's been going on in my life. The only other thing that may be worth mentioning is that I am attempting to audition for a voice acting role for some YouTube thing. While I'm holed up at home, going to see I can get that audition recorded.

Well, that's pretty much what's been going on in my life.
Later's, ☮

Ignorance is Bliss

Every once in a while I step out of my fortress of solitude, my domain of knowledge, and enter the internet proper. I have often forgotten at that point why I strongly dislike researching certain things. Like religion or politics. Mainly images involving those subjects. I forget that, while many people can be quite rational and intelligent, a lot of people are complete ignoramuses, and like to hate on other people's beliefs.

One normally won't notice it unless one uses certain search terms, like "shari'a family law" or "Imam family laws," at which point you see a lot of, quite frankly depressing stuff. Stuff that makes one think that maybe peace and tolerance is impossible. I hope that these thoughts are wrong, but it is the impression given when I look at the minority of people, you know, the ones who actually happen to be morons and do/say stupid stuff which can cause some serious contention, and negative connotations for the majority who, in reality, are actually nothing like that.

Aside from your excitement that I've actually updated this thing, you're probably asking yourself "why is he talking about this?"
Well, I'm doing a project in my religious studies class about a couple of religious groups: Islamic faith (specifically Shari'a Law) and Jewish practices (specifically Brit Milan)

I had have to do a visual presentation for on as well, so I chose Shari'a Law (though I was tempted to do a visual presentation about circumcision)now, positive visuals about Shari'a law are hard to find though, what with some parts of the United States government being against it, and several hundred ignorant citizens in many countries, combined with the percent of Muslim people who actually do conform the the stereotype regarding them(yeah guys, you are really not helping anyone with those stunts your pulling!)

Anyways, I am having some trouble finding the visuals, and some of the things that I have found kind of make me, upset, for lack of a better word.

Anyways, thanks for listening to my rant. On a lighter note, December 21st: end of the world! Four days after that: Christmas for all you Catholics out there, and those who just celebrate it anyways!('cause there is absolutely no reason you can't) Eight days prior to that will be the precise date of the ancient Roman holiday Saturnalia(which is still sort of celebrated nowadays), one day after the end of Hanukkah! Enjoy!

Good Evening Followers

As some of you may or may not be aware, we had been planning to go to Hawaii for some time. A year and a half to be exact.

 Well, yesterday, we finally got on a plane to Honolulu, well, technically it was a plane to Seattle followed by a plane to Honolulu, but you get the picture.

 All I can really say about this place is that it is truly beautiful. It has been warm since we arrived last night, even the rain is warm!

Something Funny

Ok, now, I am sure that many of you have, by now, heard about the Samsung vs Apple lawsuit, right? With Apple trying to sue Samsung for making a product that was similar to theirs? If you haven't I would recommend looking it up. (Actually, this sums it up quite nicely.)

Yeah, this post is pretty much my opinion about a sales report I read online regarding the aftermath of this lawsuit.

It was hilarious, I mean, seriously. Samsung lost the case, yet they proceeded to make a huge profit anyways. It was something along the lines of a weekly increase of 7% for their sales, and then after they lost, the Galaxy S3 gained a sales increase of about 15% for that report. After which Samsung's sales sort of "flat-lined," no real increase or anything, right up until Apple announced their latest iphone. which once again caused Samsung to have another sales spike, again about 14% increase, after which it went back to the 7% average.

There is a logical cause and effect which can be inferred from this: such as, after Samsungs court defeat, the people wanted to be sure that they got a Galaxy S3(which some consider to be a better phone) before they were taken off the market as some feared; or it could be that the lawsuit just acted as free advertising for both companies, and as it may be possible that the GS3 was a better phone, at least in the public eye, that it increased sales figures for both companies.(I do not know if this is the case however, as I have not had the fortune to stumble across a sales report for the iphone models over the same time period.)

Another thing was with the release of the newest version of the iphone. People expected it to be better than it was, I guess. People with money, who wanted to buy a new phone, who had been holding off until the iphones release, who were dissapointed in the lack of improvements that they had been hoping for. These people would then go out to buy that phone that they still wanted, so they went with what was already out, and that they new worked for what they wanted. Thus, sales spike for the GS3.

Either way, I found it amusing that every time that Apple made a move that would surely put them ahead of Samsung, Samsung just went right ahead and made a larger profit. It's like, if business was a somewhat high-stakes game of chess, and every time Apple tried to put Samsung in check, Samsung takes it's king out of danger and puts them in check instead, and it does so slightly better than Apple does.

That is just how I am seeing it though, it may be nothing like that at all.
C'est la vie