October 29, 2007

Carb counting within a nice walk

We are becoming a society without patience. As new technology surfaces we are continually held captive through instant gratification. Eventually wherever we reside will be similar to living in New York City, where anything you want is attainable anytime. While Internet speeds become faster, and social networking sites become more accessible from our cellular phones, we are moving faster and faster throughout our daily routine. We have become so impatient we skip voice mail messages because ten seconds wasted is ten seconds of annoyance. Yet, 15 years ago leaving a message meant recording your voice on a cassette answer machine. How fast will we be going in the next 15 years?

Today’s trend is instant self-gratification. How fast can I lose twenty pounds? How fast can I download the latest Brittany Spears album? How fast can I make a fortune? How fast can I locate the pizza delivery number? How fast can I look up the movie times on a Thursday night? It all comes back to technology, from benchmarking your jogging stats with Nike Plus, to getting directions to the airport on MapQuest, technology is taking away the search and effort out of our lives.

We seem to run more, especially now since we wear high performance running shoes. We seem to multitask more while watching Entourage on HBO, looking up information about the show on IMDB, and talking on the phone all simultaneously. There are numerous benefits of our technological advances as a global society. However, we are all becoming more of a conqueror and less of an explorer. We have declared war on obtaining our goals the fastest way possible, and forgotten about the struggle of self-identity and reflection.

Moving from one place to another has become strictly about transportation or exercise. Life passes us faster than even these days. What does it mean to slow down this sprint to the finish line? When we bring down the rapid tempo, we allow ourselves to capture the moment entirely. We allow ourselves to go in a state of mediation and reflect upon life. There is the old cliché, “stop and smell and the roses,” which is the thesis of slowing down life. This feat is our own personal therapy session.

Putting the brakes on living is as simple as going for a walk. Your mind cannot process clearly unless you give it the time to. Running is beneficial for your health, while it keeps your heart strong, strengthens your legs, and burns calories. Walking is beneficial for your mind. It clears your head, allows you to appreciate your environment through all five senses, and relaxes your psyche. Going for a walk is a gift to you, as everybody needs a timeout to reflect about his or her actions. Just as the timeout chair you feared so much in kindergarten you deserve a timeout today because patience is a virtue, and that virtue is under attack.

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October 8, 2007

Carb counting the inevitable darkness

Yesterday around 7pm I started staring at a computer.
At 5am I stopped to take a brief slumber.
At 9am I started to gaze at the bright pixelated screen again.
At 6pm I stopped.
STARING AT THE SCREEN: 19 out of 24 hours

Repeat on average once a week.

MY DESTINY
Squinting while staring at the computer causes painfuly dry eye

While you squint you blink less frequently. The less you blink the dryer your eyes become, and over a period of time can lead to a painful eye problem called dryed eyes.

Staring at a Computer Monitor Too Long Can Ruin Your Vision

Glaucoma is an eye disease the generates slowly over time. It is prominent in those people who focus on the computer screen for excessive amounts of time. And there also appeared to be a significant link between these and heavy computer use among workers who were near-sighted.

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October 6, 2007

Carb counting the nightmares of the record industry

Lets face it. CDs are being phased out. There was a time when obtaining new music meant going to Harmony House or Best Buy and purchasing a CD for $11.99. A reasonable price, considering it usually averaged out to be a dollar a song. We are living in a post AOL, MIRC, Napster, Kazaa, Morpheus, Soulseek, Limewire, Poison, Aquisition, My Tunes, Our Tunes, Torrent...world. My point is obtaining new music is a daily felony for myself and millions of other Americans. Music is free, and when it isn't I'm only buying it for $2 on Allofmp3.com which is legal now. There are many loopholes when you open up the law to entail an international community.

The record industry just doesn't get the situation. They raise the prices while in a crude panic. They raise the prices and we turn to cyberspace. They shut down a torrent site and another one comes up. It has even evolved into the search for music being obsolete. Visit a blog like deb4ser and just download the latest hipster music trend all packaged into one convenient location.

But don't forget to log into the iTunes music store and buy an album or two after.

What's the next step? What formula of change will finally phase out the record industry one angry band at a time?

Radiohead reached a milestone in bringing music to the people. Their new album "In Rainbows" completely changes the music production scene. A popular, talented, innovative band like Radiohead decided to drop all record labels and produce their album on their own. They are asking their fans how much they are willing to pay for their new album. Then on release date it will be available to download. All they need is a domain name on the web and a dyer need for change.

Radiohead isn't the first to conquer the hold the record label has on them. Harvey Danger released their most recent album as a free Torrent download. Their Reason. After you’ve downloaded the album, you can choose to buy the CD online or make a contribution via PayPal or snail mail. Why wouldn't a band with the funds to produce their own album adopt this business model? By cutting out the label their earnings are theirs and not the suits that manage them. Are we witnessing the origin of a creative management revolution?

Here's the thing, with Radiohead's experiement, their fans are generously rewarding their actions by paying more than a record label would ask for.

THE RECORD LABEL'S DAYS ARE NUMBERED

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