Digital Mania

            What media devices do you carry around with you on any given day? I took a personal inventory just to try and find some gauge on how I was doing in this digital age of communication.

 First and most important is the phone. Although the latest models have impressive names to match numbers and capabilities, it’s still a phone. Or, is it? Mine keeps me connected to the important people in my life and on time. It is set up for automatic speech recognition, Bluetooth and GPS navigation. I can text, e-mail, take pictures and download games. It also has the ability to access the web and data services. An upcoming assignment will require posting our writing by phone to our blog site giving us real world applications through high tech media skills.                                                         
As a staff writer for The Queens Chronicle my digital audio recorder is always on hand. It can transfer files to my computer for storage and quick transcribing of the best quotes to send to Googledocs for my editor’s approval. My back-up digital recorder, however, cannot do this. It’s all manual.
Another important item is my digital camera. I’m told it can also do video. I guess it is time to break out the manual. My second digital camera is used for back-up when batteries fade.
My PC lap top is too clumsy to carry around. And, although I really have a lot of alternative sources to Web browse, for Christmas I’m putting an Apple on my wish list.
 -Julie Post

Austrians question airport body scanners

         In Austria, scientists are questioning the legitimacy of the new full body scanners in airports. They want to know, is there a better, faster, way to the same job. Many people find the scanners to be embarrassing, thinking that these machines take some sort of clean nude photo of the occupant. Really though, it takes a vague picture searching for irregularities. There have been discussions about the fact that the machine emits low levels of radiation, and that any person who would be working near the machine for hours on end could be running a risk for accelerated cancer development. This fact has sparked an international discussion about weather or not Europe will adopt the machine that is already being implemented in most major airports in the U.S. and Canada. The Austria science team who raised these questions has begun plans to develop a new, better way to scan in airport security that will hopefully be safer, and easier. Personally, I hope they find what there looking for. Having been through the current scanners I can say that there odd, overly sensitive, and slow.

- M. Tilley

Downloading

            Most of us all do it, whether or not we admit to it is another story. What I am talking about is downloading! Movies, music, software etc can now all be found on the Internet free of charge. Now the fact of the matter is, being a college student, who has a lot of debit and no money to his name like myself, downloading is a definite attractive way to get my fix. Now I know its wrong and by downloading I am not supporting the creators of the product, but its right there and its hard not to!!! To be honest this is the first time I have even thought about this subject. I bet many of you are the same way. Do you even think that you are stealing when you are downloading a new song or movie? Or do you not even see it as stealing? I am interested to see what you all think about this subject because it is something that is so current and heavily debated upon in our society. For example, hip-hop artist T-pain has recently stated that he will not release another album unless the music market becomes substantially better. This is a result of people not buying their music anymore. It says nothing about the quality of the music being produced, but that it’s just not worth buying when your able to sit at your computer and get it within seconds. So that’s enough about what I think, tell me what you guys think!? I’m excited to see what you guys have to say!

-- Ross Radcliffe

Just the Way You Are

Music can elevate our minds to infinite levels.  Sometimes we listen to songs to pick us when we're down.  Athletes listen to music to "get crunk" and to get pumped up before games.  Sometimes we listen to music that somehow seems to fit perfectly with the mood we're currently in.  The first time I heard Bruno Mars singing "Just the Way You Are" on my Pandora, I definitely had a moment.  It wasn't so much the fact that he's singing to a girl, telling her that she's amazing.  Rather, I fell in love with the song's message:  You're amazing, just the way you are.  Simply put.  This can be directed to any and everyone.

The general principle of self-value is one that I most certainly live by.  I believe that you have to know you're wonderful just by being your plain ol', regular you.  You were created the way you are for a reason, and you should never have to change to meet anyone else's criteria.  Acquaintances, friends, and significant others will cycle in and out of your life as you grow older and gain life experience.  You can't always rely on people to pick you up when you're down.  So you have to know that you're unique and unlike anyone else in the world.  Sure, it seems like a simple principle, but so many of us need to hear this.

This is so important to me because adapting this trait creates an instant spirit of optimism. Once you know you love yourself and accept yourself, without a doubt, then your friendships and relationships will flourish; for you're no longer relying on someone to make you believe you're amazing.  The beauty of it is, you'll already know, and hearing them tell you will only compliment this.

-Brittani Hunter

I Wonder....

You want to know what keeps me lying awake at night? Wonder. This may seem childish but yes wonder keeps me from being able to get a good night sleep. I wonder about everything from why I do what I do , to how I constantly beat myself up over the dumbest things. I wonder if ill be able to pull myself out of this persistent funk that I am in. I know everyone has their days where they feel down but why do I waste my time dwelling on these moments when it is so unnecessary? I wonder what would be different if I were in a different place or how I would be if certain events hadn't occurred. I am always in a state of wonder just before I fall asleep. As this maybe good for some people , for me it is extremely counter productive. I work my self into a tizzy trying to sort out what I can't control, and I wonder why I am a mess. Tonight I wonder about these things again... I stop and write it down and realize that I can not control other people and I am beating myself up over not having that control. I know what I need to do but for some reason I can not put that into an action and again I wonder why not? Right now in this time the only thing I can control is what me, myself and I am doing. If someone doesn't want to do something or act in a certain way then I can not help that. I need to stop my wonder, or do I? Why do I not wonder about how I can better myself ? This is a good alternative to wondering about changing others. This new revelation will be what I need to better my value as a human being, I wonder if this will work.

http://web.me.com/mpersch11/mattjasonsblog/Welcome.html

-Jason Cuzzupe

Lambo, The BlancPain"

The new Lamboghini Gallardo LP570-4 Blancpain Edition is tribute to the special Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo race series that both Lamborghini and Blancpain, the self-dubbed world's oldest luxury watchmaker, sponsor. The race series is designed for Lamborghini enthusiasts and utilizes a special Lamborghini Gallardo model with 562 hp and striped down to 2,800 pounds. Lamborghini calls the Super Trofeo the fastest one-make race series in the world. It is also the only one-make all-wheel-drive motorsport series.

The Lamboghini Gallardo LP570-4 Blancpain Edition is the product of two the very best brands in their respective sectors worldwide. Lamborghini, of course, is well known as one of the best exotic-car manufacturers. Blancpain was recently voted the "Best of the Best" among the world's most exquisite watch brands by the "Luxury Institute" in New York. Each Blancpain timepiece has been assembled by one single watchmaker in Switzerland since 1735.

This lambo is capable of handling the dash from zero-to-62 mph in 3.4 seconds and past the 124-mph mark only 6.8 seconds later. The car’s rear spoiler slows the car’s top speed to 199 mph from 202 mph in the Superleggera.

The interior is finished in black Alcantara with yellow accents and visible carbon fiber. Blancpain logos adorn the exterior and are also featured on the seats and cockpit in yellow stitching.

- Scott Marsicano

The New MacBook Air

After looking at the new MacBook air on the Apple website, I am highly impressed with Apple’s ability to make such amazing products. One of the things that amazed me the most was that you could leave your MacBook air asleep for 30 days and come back to it, flip it open and it’s ready to run. That’s incredible that a battery can last that long, not to mention it can last 5-7 hours when it is in use. Apple also mentioned that it has a retina display similar to the iPhone 4. If it is anything like the screen on the iPhone then it must be incredible. The only thing that I wish it had more of is storage space. It only comes in 64, 128, and 256 GB of flash storage. If I am going to pay $1000+ then I would like to have more room to store my information. However, if I was a business traveler always traveling, then it might not bother me as much. Another thing I read in the news is that TSA airport security said that it is so small that you can leave the MacBook air in your bag instead of having to take it out for the X-ray machine like all other laptops. As of now, I’m not going to buy one because I am happy with my MacBook Pro and I feel like it is portable enough as it is. 

- Clay Chapman