The Procrastination Trap

Here we are. The bane of high school and college students everywhere.

You're given weeks to do a project, which would be simple, but who can deny the temptations of more desirable activities such as hanging with friends, playing games or sports, and watching some good ol' tv. We tell ourselves over and over to focus on schoolwork, but it rarely works. Everyone's got this problem, in one form or another. But how do you solve it?

Well, I'm here to say that it's possible. Through an honest desire to cure oneself, it is entirely easy to turn a potential problem into the solution. What do I mean? Well, perhaps waiting until the last minute isn't such a bad thing. For example, it heightens the desire to do an activity substantially. Out of the need to accomplish an assignment, motivation skyrockets.

The only thing is, you have to strategically procrastinate. By this, I mean plan your work. Compose a list of the meaningless tasks you see as potential hazards to your project. By doing this, you will gain peace of mind in knowing the things that lie before you. And then it's time to work. You will switch up between working on your large goal and doing the small things. Slowly but surely, you will begin to accomplish your large goal, while feeling satisfied in completing the small tasks that you have written down. Your list will become your loading bar toward the end game.

If you're anything like me, this will help tremendously. I find myself thinking of all sorts of compromises to stave off working on large projects, and through making a list, I can organize anything and everything that needs to get done. Try it out, and if it cures your problem, you're welcome. If not, you tried: no harm done.

Summer's On Its Way

Ah, the time of year when it's warm and bright, when you can stay inside and stay up all night. It's about to be summer, and everyone knows it. But what are you going to do?

A lot of the people I know will spend that extra time studying and preparing for the school year to come. LOL. But seriously, what's better than hanging out with friends and maybe some family, chilling out and having fun all day long? Nothing I can think of. So that's where I'll be found all summer long, in the company of fellow fun loving teenagers.

But that's not all. I had almost forgotten about the five weeks of intense "learning" I'll be doing due to my admission into the Governor's Scholar Program. While I'm very glad to have been accepted, I can't help finding myself a little disappointed to miss out on such a long period of summer fun with friends. But I simply keep telling myself that I'll have fun with the new people I meet there. After all, plenty of other high school students are going to be at similar camps and things, so I'm not in the minority. Plus, I've decided to have a little extra fun with it.

I was thinking of how to mix up my experience, and I've come to the conclusion that it may be entertaining to act a little differently around the members of the camp. I haven't chosen how to act yet, but among the possible faux personalities are: Hardcore Conservative, Stuck-up Snob, and Foreigner. So, I'll pick one and stick to it. Hopefully it'll be worth some good laughs, and an interesting series of events.

My Music Review

So I know everyone's been wondering this very questions, "What music should I listen to?"

Well, I'm here to help, because I've decided to share knowledge of music, as well as my adept ear for classy music to influence whoever will listen. So here we go.

Easy Listening

Red Hot Chili Peppers - If you've never heard of the good ol' peppers, you've missed out. Cruising into the popularity scene in the 90's, they've maintained a significant role in music ever since. They've got some big hits, like "Under the Bridge" and "Scar Tissue", but unlike most bands today, their music is of such a quality that you could listen non-stop for hours to every song on an album of theirs.

Heavy-ish

Chiodos - Not for the faint of heart, this music will surely get your blood pumping. They're not of the same variety as most, and aren't too heavy for someone interested in an array of music genres. The lead singer makes the band; but along with the inventive melodies, Chiodos has constructed a truly unique sound.

Feel-good Music

MGMT - While I'm sure not everyone could agree with me, MGMT is by far one of my favorite bands. Their songs truly inspire me, and every time I listen to them, I feel a little better. They have an interesting electric/techno-ish sound that's catchy.

Well, that's all I'm going to grace you all with tonight, so investigate and hopefully you will take a liking to these artists.

Attaining Happiness

When you think of being happy, how do you see yourself?

I ask this because many would say that they want to be rich, good looking, have a nice house or have a hot boyfriend/girlfriend. They may not even say it out loud, but I would venture to guess that there are plenty who quietly yearn for these things. But what really would make you happy? I'm talking smooth sailing, relaxed, raw joy that seems to only be achieved after work is over and old age has caused an end to a hectic schedule. And even then, it's not a guarantee that you'll be happy and old.

I'm not claiming to know the secret to happiness; there isn't one. I believe that we make our happiness ourselves, and that we're all in charge of this. When you let the bad stuff take over your mind, you'll find it very difficult to keep the shiny outlook that you'd like. So what I'm saying is this: take things into your own hands, and out of the world. Take responsibility for your own actions, and through this you can revel in the bright side of things. Keep telling yourself to block out the bad, and you'll be able to. It's a common rule that you tend to find what you look for. Look for the good things in life, and you'll surely find them. But you have to believe it; if you don't, there's still some part of you that's saying you're not going to be happy, and you have to get rid of it.

To wrap up, it's all in your head. Over time, controlling your emotions is achievable, and should be learned by everyone. It IS possible, I'd know. As collected as I am now, I was once an off the handle anger junky. But not anymore, for I've learned to control my own happiness. And man does it feel great.

Hypo"critical" Situation

Have you ever heard the phrase "do as I say, not as I do"? This phrase is often used when one is caught committing an act that they have previously put down. I find it disturbing that the phrase is so common, because it means that many many people are hypocrites to their own causes.

For example, I've observed situations before in which a parent lights a cigarette, while simultaneously disapproving of the action with their children, claiming to know better and that the entire act is wrong. Now I'm no advocate to smoking, but it shouldn't be the case that the current smoker tells a non-smoker not to smoke. It just shouldn't work that way, and most of the time doesn't. Studies have shown that a non-smoking parent who teaches their kid of the errors of cigarettes has a greater chance of their child being a non-smoker than a smoking parent who claims has personal experience on the subject and disapproves of smoking. It's just that simple; hypocrisy isn't trustworthy.

All that being said, I think we should hold ourselves accountable for the hypocritical things we do. Even knowing this, I find myself acting in opposition of the values I uphold. But the point is, we should do our best to keep our ideals straight, and to not act in blatant disregard. However, in doing so, we must not become so close-minded that we fail to recognize other points of view as possible, because we are just shifting to an extreme, and living life in extremes is easy; learning how to maintain a balance is the difficult thing to do.

All in all, to battle and understand hypocrisy, we must understand that most people act on a situational basis, disobeying ideals for the moment to carry out behaviors that contradict them. While this isn't a cut and dry issue, I think our behaviors should match our ideals, however you see fit to do so. If you wish to form your beliefs around the way you act, go for it. If you want to choose a set of ideas to abide by, reform your behavior and maintain it. Either way, you will be avoiding hypocrisy, and you will most likely find that you are peaceful in the knowledge that you choose your actions or basis for actions; they don't choose you.

What if...

Ok, bear with me here.

Imagine a world where everyone is held to a higher standard. Every man and woman looks out for one another, simply for the greater good of every other person; every child is taught to value everything about a person, and are swayed from common hypocrisies in favor of focus on variation as a positive.

We would combine the world into one nation, by the people of Earth, for the people of Earth, and the World is regulated by a government that receives no pay. Everyone is allowed to vote on all bills, on every single election. This leaves less room for corruption and enables the people to directly affect their world. The ability to vote on such issues is made easily accessible, so that anyone may vote publicly or privately, based on preference, through public stations or wristwatch-like devices. Both test for DNA authenticity, as well as other factors of identification, in order to vote effectively. There would be little need to rig or sway political elections, as the politicians would have notably less power and would lack paychecks. These people would lead out of sheer recognition of the need for a leader, which would lead to highly intelligent representatives. There would be no parties; this only distracts from the traits of the individual, who would be held to the highest standards.

All healthcare in this world would be provided at legitimate prices, without overinflated "bs" to overcharge customers. With increases in technological advancement, the jobs of doctors and medical professionals will become less strenuous, and therefore this would be possible.

 Education would be viewed as the priority; children would be placed according to their likes and dislikes, and would be set on a track towards improving their happiness over a lifetime, contrary to the system today in which many see their happiest days as kids and teenagers. So many more things could be achieved, if only we had the desire, and we would fight for it (verbally of course).

I can foresee all of these things happening fairly soon. Their limitations will become irrelevant in the near future due to advances in technology, and the opportunity for worldwide happiness will be on the horizon. Will we take that chance? Who knows. But I can tell you one thing: If we don't stop forcing people to jump on the bandwagon, or we don't stop treating others as though they are merely here to hinder our success, we won't make it to this future. Just some food for thought, I may be ranting, but I just had a vision of such a bright future that I thought I would share it.

You're wrong! *Lalalalalalala* I'm not listening!

You're wrong. I'm right. End of story. Queue 15 minute conversation. You're
still wrong, I'm still right, and we're both angry at each other. What have we
solved? Too often this is the way things go when having a conversation/debate.
One or both of the parties involved will stay completely firm in their
argument, giving no room whatsoever for open-mindedness, and turning a blind
eye to the only way to learn. By rejecting even the idea of being wrong, the stubborn
person has denied logic and reason. In denying the possibility, they have shown
that they are overly prideful.

However, I suppose that's not the entire story. Many people have lessons or
beliefs instilled in them from day one, and it is remarkably difficult to
change such things. Sure, there is some degree of pride in knowledge such as
this, but whether we wish to believe it or not, we believe in these lessons
because we were taught that they were the right things to believe. It's as
simple as that. For example, regardless of your religious affiliation, your
parents or guardians probably taught you what to believe and how to believe in
it. They taught you this from day one, and in doing so blinded you to other religions.
I'm not saying this is bad; without doing this, they would consider themselves
bad parents. According to most belief systems parents are required to teach the
religion and make sure the children follow it, so it would follow that this is
the way to do it. However, this is a prime example of a truth that has been
pounded into memory and tradition, giving no leeway for new information.
Sometimes, this can hurt more than help. So, it's not always entirely the
stubborn person's fault that they are stubborn, but unmoving negotiators still
hold themselves to some level of pride due to their "correct"
beliefs, and you will always be wrong if you differ.

The point I'm trying to achieve is that we should always keep an open mind
to the possibilities. In the end, we can only benefit from guided
open-mindedness in our vast attempt to learn, whether it is learning about the
meaning of life, or simply disproving some faulty math lesson. Now I know that
not everyone will agree with me that open-mindedness isn't always good;
sometimes, they would say, it shows inability to stand firm and hold ground. I
find that this is especially prevalent on matters of religion, when people will
not give the time of day to anyone with differing opinions. But I would ask
such people to answer these questions: Why are you so afraid to question
yourself? Are you so afraid to be wrong that you won't take the chance? After
all, why not shoot for the only two possible outcomes: Prove yourself wrong and
be better educated, or strengthen your own knowledge through proving it to your
debate opponent.

Well, that having been said:

                          

A Swift Kick in the Rear

I think that is exactly what our society needs sometimes in order to keep it functioning. It sounds harsh, but look at some of the normalities that have begun to form because of lust for power, lack of motivation, and greed.

If you make all A's I'll give you fifty dollars son!
If you would only do the dishes, I will give you an allowance of ten dollars a week.
Why improve the design when we can continue our current design and maintain profit?

These statements represent the country we live in today. The first statement, a common barter made between parent and child these days. It is seen that with a great enough incentive, people will do what is needed to receive it, especially when the incentive is monetary. So the parent exerts their power and receives results. On the other end, we have the child, who might not want to try harder in school, but will certainly do so if it means fifty dollars towards a new video game or a few movie tickets. So, in their greed, they do what is needed to receive the reward, disregarding the grade as only a means in which they can profit. This is the mindset that kills productivity and innovation.

All too often, we see the same scenario portrayed in many different fields, especially business. Nearly gone are the days when creating something new, exciting, or innovative is done for the sole purpose of never having been done before, or to solve a problem to it's fullest. Now we are left with people who are short-sighted and see only as far as a paycheck when it comes to a new idea. For example, in the mid 1950's we saw new and creative engines that could run efficiently enough on gas to achieve upwards of thirty mpg (miles per gallon), and weren't all too costly. Now, we are having a fuel crisis, and the new hit vehicles are achieving twenty to thirty-five mpg, sixty years later.

Why is this happening you ask? It's because there is profit to be made in the forgetfulness of America. At the time, gas was considered cheap, and the new thirty mpg cars were thrown to the side as unattractive and useless. So, the technology was forgotten, and was broken out again in 2001 as the brand new invention of the 21st century. We had hybrids and fuel-efficient technology thrown upon us in heaps, completely set up to bring in a huge profit. In turn, "Efficiency Aware" Americans everywhere flocked to purchase the fuel efficient cars, hoping for a less astonishing number at the gas station. However, now these cars were twice the cost of their non-efficient counterparts, and for no apparent reason. We chalked it up to costs for new parts and research work, but the fact is they are no more costly to produce than their counterparts, and the research has been here all along. What's more is the fact that we are capable of achieving even higher mpg ratings, in the sixties to seventies. But the defining factor is profit. If you are a company seeking to maximize their profits, and are sitting on the technology to produce cars with seventy mpg ratings, but will make the same profit with thirty mpg cars, where is the motivation to change the market? It's lost in the marketing scheme, left for ten years from now when everyone hopefully has thirty mpg automobiles.

It is so sad to think that we are falling victim to this mindset, but seeking understanding in this matter could prove useful in a variety of ways. The fact is that once we understand that the average American is influenced by money, we can solve various social, economical, and medical problems that stem from this mindset.

I think the treatment of diabetes patients illustrates my point. I watched a speech by a man who was talking of the "last mile" problem with innovatory ideas. He spoke of how we can create and revolutionize all we want to, but if we don't understand the way people think, we will never get them to fully maximize the potential of the product. He talked about insulin in treating diabetes, how all the research had been done and the problem has effectively been solved. However, when it came to treating the actual patients, it was found that as many as twenty-five percent suffered some sort of diabetes related harm, such as blindness, loss of a limb, or chronic pain. The problem, he said, was in getting people to use the insulin. This was solved by the cheap and effective insulin pin, which provided an easy injection of daily insulin to a diabetes patient. The harmful effects suffered by diabetes patients plummeted thirty percent. In understanding human mindsets, they had overcome a barrier in treating patients to the fullest.

So in closing, I ask you to be aware of the way people think, the way you think, because it is often crucial in understanding many of the growing and staggering issues in the United States, and even the World, today.

TED: Ideas worth spreading

During my daily stroll through the world of the internet, I happened upon a news report of a convention being held by a group called TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design). TED brings together an enormously diverse population of inventors, innovators, and average thinkers that are believed to hold some sort of merit in their work. I read over a few of them, and slowly began to grasp the concepts that they showed.

For example, a man named Blaise Aguera presented a project that he and his team have been working on. It's based on an idea called Photosynth. This is an idea that combines two cutting edge technologies. One of these new technologies is based on taking such high resolution images that the need for multiple web pages will be irrelevant, as we can just zoom in further to get a more detailed version of the image. While this may not seem like an amazing idea in itself, the mechanisms behind it are linked to another possibility that they have shown with Photosynth. In a demonstration, Aguera uses a common photo uploading site, www.flickr.com, to compile images of Notre Dame Cathedral and morph them together to get a full physical representation of the subject. You can actually see Notre Dame, in full detail, based on thousands and thousands of pictures, from cell phone cameras to professional photos containing many mega-pixels. The possibilities of such a technology are endless, as this makes it possible for your photos to be tagged based on details someone else tagged in their own photo.

http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_demos_photosynth.html

Another interesting presentation by Derek Sivers offers some insight into our culture, and its effects on our view of the world. For example, he explains a story in which you encounter a Japanese man on the street, and he asks you what the block you are on is called. You reply by saying the street name. But this won't suffice, he wishes to know the name that represents the entire block. You tell him that the blocks are simply the spaces that are divided by the streets. In the inverse of the situation, you ask a Japanese man in Japan what street you are on. He doesn't understand, and instead tells you that you are in block 17. Confused, you say you wish to know the street you are standing on. He tells you that the streets are simply the spaces that are left between blocks. Sivers shows by this simple story how different our views of the world can be, based on where we come from. For example, he tells of doctors in parts of Japan that feel it is their job to keep you healthy. So, for every day you are healthy, you pay them. If you become sick, you do not pay them, and they make you well at no cost, because they failed to keep you healthy. This goes to show how things can work one way, and when completely reversed, can continue to work.

http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different.html

There are so many more stories and entertaining presentations on this website, but it would take ages to write about them all, and it would be foolish of me to do so, seeing as they are already there for anyone to view.

So, in conclusion, I'll leave you with a funny picture that illustrates my distaste for the new iPAD, and my recommendation to view this website.


                           

End of the WORLD! Or at least the part we like

Have you ever contemplated the end of human life? Who will do it? When will it happen? Where will it start? There isn't an answer for most of the questions that arise, but I think it would be a safe bet to say that human life may not make it much further than a few more centuries, if that. It's quite a sad subject, but it may be true.

Think about it. Over the past century, we have begun using fossil fuels, and subsequently have started to run out. That's 100 years of industrialization and we are already close to expending the last of the one resource that keeps the world running. OIL.

There really is no logic behind why we continue to use this resource the way we do. It kind of goes back to the thought that as an individual, we are smart, and as a society, we are stupid. We somehow cannot bring ourselves to come together and do something innovative, and instead keep delaying the inevitable. How is it that we can continue like this?

Well, enough of this depressing subject.

Canada: Neutral...ize

In this blog entry, I will be discussing the country of Canada. Up North in the Great Beyond, it lies in wait to wage massive war on anyone! Just kidding though, it really has no point, except to mooch off of the United States and use our diplomacy, while tweaking their foreign policy so as to remain as neutral to everyone as possible.

It comes to my attention that a possibility presents itself if you take into account the fact that Canada has no aggressive interaction with anyone. Perhaps they are biding their time, so that they can attack us when we least expect it. Well, we should be ready, because they could have crazy unmatched military strength, bred in secret and used for the sole purpose of our takeover.

But really though, I do believe that they will remain the most neutral of all countries, the only one to not participate in anything significant. And so we will continue to be friends, because they won't do anything to anger us. =]

The Average Person Has One Ovary And One Testicle

So over my miraculous travels of the past week, I have gathered several topics for thought.

*in reference to communicating your ideas clearly* 


"Next time don't use the words 'suck' and 'stuff'" 


"Yeah, it's bad to suck stuff"  TWSS (Thats What She Said)

As you can see, I've started off with a weekly that's what she said, and there are many more to come. However, for now think about this.

Sometimes while I'm driving around listening to some dope stuff chillin with my home slices and mixin mad rhymes, I like to think about what these songs would sound like if told by your average white guy. How would it sound if a "high-class" male were to recite the lyrics to Drop It Like It's Hot?

When the prostitute-employer enters the house
Drop it as if it were hot
Drop it as if it were hot
Drop it as if it were hot

When the pigs attempt to get at you
Park it safely, like it's hot
Park it safely, like it's hot
Park it safely, like it's hot

And if a male that is associated on the shadier side of things gets an attitude
Pop it like it's hot
Pop it like it's hot
Pop it like it's hot

I don't have some sort of vendetta against rap music or anything, this came from my itunes library. But I just think it's interesting how something like this can be translated into simple slang, then put to a beat for magnificent results.

Anyway, onward to the next issue at hand. Haiti and the catastrophic events there have been widely publicized over the last few weeks, and there has been immeasurable effort put into recovery and aid. However, I would like to present my viewpoint on the subject. For the past few decades, and long before that, Haiti has suffered tremendous hardship. In spite of this, we turned our heads. That is, until a major natural disaster known the world over destroyed even more of their impoverished country. As soon as that earthquake hit, we were in there helping and saving lives, donating and feeling good about ourselves after another "job well done".  It's unfortunate that we are the way we are, but that's how it goes and there aren't any signs of a change. Alas, I'll step down from my soap box.

Also, to lighten the mood a bit, I will share with you one of the many hilarious photos that I have stumbled upon, and which will be truly appreciated to those of you who feel the way I do and wish that this man had never become popular.



Well, that's the end of today's post, because it's going on 2 o' clock in the morning, and I've run out of creative interest. I also challenge you to understand the title of this post, because it's true. Night ya'll

I give this my SEAL OF APPROVAL!

(This seal is in no way affiliated with anything nor is it with any organization of any interest to you or anyone else. Stop asking, and don't question things. As you were.)

The First

As comes with all new things, the first step always arises. In this situation, I must complete my first blog entry. As comes with the name of the blog, I am expected to include many different and unusual topics, so I think I'll settle for an idea I had earlier today. As a high-school student, many events take place, some easily forgotten, that have interesting or significant ramifications. I have decided that in order to capture such happenings, I will maintain a regularly updated series of notes. The notebook will be on me at all times, and a list of my encounters will be recorded for later writings. Every week, readers will find the raw notes in a blog on here, followed by a description of the significance of each, to help them understand the raw on-the-spot notes.