Sunday, July 26, 2009




Lance looks as if he was so close he could taste it. Taste the sweet victory once more by winning the Tour De France, something he’s achieved an astounding seven times. The look on his face as he stands next to Tour De France champion, Alberto Contador shows disappointment. This man, one of my hero’s has shown the world that he is human after all. I haven’t been following Mr. Armstrong for that long but what I do know is that from his accomplishments he’s been unstoppable and somewhat of a Superman in my eyes. This is the same man who defied cancer and kept it moving. Through adversity, he never gave up, never blinked. Lance is 37 years old and is still out there peddling next to men with more youth and physical stamina behind them. To me, that’s amazing. Why should we settle for what we think we are limited to, God gave us the power to do anything that we set our minds to.
What pushes a person to the limits? Why do some people accept what they’ve been taught and others excel beyond their circumstances? I’ve always desired to be better than where I’ve come from; I want to be greater than present self. Lance Armstrong may have come in third place but he will always be an inspiration in my eyes. He’s shown me that my vision determines how far I go, what sets my goals and where I’m headed. A lot of us subconsciously limit ourselves because we have been taught to. Our goals are common to our surroundings. Just knowing that I am what I think I am inspires me to be great.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Modern Soldiers


Imagine a war being fought without the risk of human casualty. The face of U.S. warfare is changing. It is changing because instead of putting human soldiers in harms way, robotic drones are being used as substitutes. Technology, once again is changing the world as we know it. One of the most important characteristics about the drones is they can be controlled long distance from anywhere in the world. They are much more advanced than the average everyday radio-controlled vehicle.


I like the idea that we have this technology at our disposal. This technology in the future will allow us to save lives. One day we will no longer have to send our brothers, sisters, mothers, or fathers to battle. For many Americans this would be more comfortable than having risk family members and friends to fight in present and future wars. Many troops have been saved or relieved of serious personal injury because of drones that can detect bombs. Throughout history men and now women have been placed on battlelines and died to fight and support their countries. The future of drone warriors has been met with some opposition. The drones have come with some problems because they are new. As time progresses this technology will only improve and other countries will sign on to help save lives and assist their military.
(Image Source: www.cnn.com)

Sunday, July 19, 2009





Did Neil Armstrong really step foot on the moon some 40 years ago? And if so, what’s so special about that moment for humanity? This year is the 40th anniversary of America’s first setting foot on the moon and recently Americans have been questioning the validity of NASA’s accomplishment, suggesting that it was all a hoax or that maybe it was all just to convince all that America’s technology was just as advanced as the Soviet Union. Recently, I’ve had the dissatisfaction of reading some comments on this topic. A few posts mention how the U.S. has managed to pollute the earth and that everything that they touch or have a hand in, they screw it up. Really?!! I mean, come on, do these people have lives? First of all there is always a price when it comes to advancement in anything in life, why should technology be different. I’m sure that these are the same people that own computers which emit carbon pollution, the same people that own vehicles that give off the overwhelmingly popular pollutants that negatively contribute to our environment and common everyday ozone hazardous products. Does it really matter? I’m assuming he did but we have so much to be happy and fortunate for and nothing to complain about. Just look at some hardships of other countries and look back at America and be grateful that we live in one of the most independent and opportunistic places on the globe. So even if Neil hadn’t got to the moon, in a way, everything that we feel, see and hear is beyond the moon. One small step for mankind is just another way of saying we’re making slow, but good progress.

Monday, July 13, 2009


This week’s topic is the new wireless reading device from Amazon, the Kindle which sells for $299.99. The world as we know it is being fully integrated in every aspect of technology. This makes me think of the movies where computers and machines take over, eventually a world dominated by AI, or artificial intelligence. The Kindle comes equipped with 3G technology, using the same connection as cell phones so there is never a need to log on to the internet or subscribe to any Internet Service Provider (ISP). You just browse your favorite book, blog, newspaper or magazine and within 60 seconds after purchasing you have your fine piece of digital literature to
either read yourself or with the text-to-speech function.
Some people might see this as the inevitable advance of technology for the future but doesn’t this make it harder for the book writer and publisher who wish to earn a living publishing and writing books? Technology is getting less expensive, and each time it does it reduces the amount of income the manufacturer, publisher or maker gets. This will eventually cut jobs and extinct some others. Each book download cost but a mere $9.99 and I’m sure there are plenty of paper books that cost 10 times that amount. Even though Amazon has to obtain the license from the publisher before converting ink to screen, there are plenty of computer hackers out there just waiting to manipulate devices like these and many others. My question is will technology bring about more recession and cost some people to change their profession? How soon will it be before books are sold through some random website that decided to illegally make money off of school books? Your favorite campus bookstore would then likely miss a large amount of its business. Don’t get me wrong this device will surely come in handy for school, business or leisure and as soon as I can afford one, I’m in. But at whose expense does our advances in technology affect?

Thursday, July 9, 2009

2-2 Icon Analysis

First, take note that an icon is merely a symbol, and that it represents something that a culture or an individual may cherish in a specific period. The icons that I have chosen are those that I have valued for some time. I’ve always been fascinated with the Italian-made Ferrari, any choice of these vehicles represent accomplishment, prestige and an elite financial status that I’ve valued in the past, some more than others. I’ve also chosen my watch as an icon. This watch is made by Tag Heuer, a watch manufacturer which can get pretty expensive ranging from around $750 to more than $25,000. Cliff Huckstable, a fictional character played by actor Bill Cosby on the 80’s family sitcom, The Cosby Show is one of the most influential black-American icons.


I remember being an 11-year old and wanting everything that a relative of mine had in his bedroom. His bedroom consisted of expensive radio controlled cars, multiple video game systems and games, sports equipment, telephones and few more items. My family maybe at one time had a Nintendo game system, but that was it. My family struggled and we could not afford such privileged items as my cousin’s mother could. One toy in particular that I remember being in his room and that I always looked for when visiting was a Nikko, radio-controlled Ferrari sports car, which I then dreamed of owning. There was also a similar photo of a real Ferrari on the wall above his bed. I thought my aunt and her sons were rich at the time. That small toy represented to me being financially stable, happy and being able to afford above average things for one’s family. Until this day I still want a Ferrari Spider, which costs around $375,000. I know in my mind that the goal of purchasing this vehicle is very reachable but the idea is more important.
Many of the people in my culture and childhood neighborhood care about things that aren’t really important or things that have no real value; material items, especially when things are purchased beyond one’s means. I purchased my watch for $950 plus tax less than 3 years ago and it never leaves my sight. It’s the most expensive item of jewelry that I’ve ever purchased, and it represents to me quality and somewhere along the lines of sophistication. Too, it stands for not conforming to ways of some of my friends’ idea of what’s important. Most people from my community value material items more than family unity, community structure and emotional support, which are the real riches in life. I feel like if I’m going to buy something expensive it better be of quality and have some value, other that street value. It would be safer to say that my watch represents quality, not quantity.
The Cosby Show, to me symbolizes what can be obtained with the right set of circumstances, outlook and motivation. This one show showed me a successful, happy and supportive structure that I lacked in my home and my community, one that was and is obtainable for any family. They had success and happiness; the American Dream.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

My Future in Recording

(Source: www.propellerheads.se)


As a musician, I’ve used and tried more than handful audio-editing software’s, and in doing so I have my favorites. In 2004, I first started off using Cakewalk’s Home Studio, which was decent because it was my first program and I didn’t have anything else to base quality off of. The second one was Apple’s Logic Pro, which showed me audio editing at what I thought was elite, especially because of the one thousand dollar sticker it had, I knew it had to be good, right?Yes and no… There were more plug-in sounds and more effects but what I truly learned these past few years was that the quality is not all in the program itself, but rather in the individual. Once one learns the in-and-outs he can pretty much manipulate any sound he likes, which is the key to becoming a great audio engineer, knowing exactly what and how you want to hear something and knowing exactly how to achieve it. It’s been a few years since I’ve started my journey to becoming the musician I had wished to become and now I’m almost complete. I didn’t say that it was all COMPLETELY up to the musician, did I? Anyways, I’ve been using an economically priced sequencing program named Reason that renders sound by way of MIDI notes, which stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It’s where the data of the sound is manipulated, not the actual sound. Actual sound would use more of the computer’s CPU, this way I can have what sounds like an orchestra and my computer not crash or start skipping. The good thing is that this fall, the company that makes Reason, Propellerhead is releasing my dream-come-true software program that will allow me to edit actual audio for less than the price I’m paying for their current and flagship program. Record is recording software that gives musicians an unlimited amount of audio tracks, along with instrument effects and mixing. This is coming at the best time because I feel that I’m truly ready to start working with other artist and from me reviewing the product, I know I’m going to love it! I’ve been using this program since 2005 and I feel I can make any thing with it, so to give me more tools to work with, hats off to Propellerhead!

American Icon: The King of pop

(Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/)


At some point in my childhood, I remember wanting be like Mike. Michael Jackson, a man who once symbolized everything that was freedom and fame to me as a kid is now gone. Seeing him on stage and on television gave me a feeling that I could do anything with my life; I wasn't limited to being stuck in poverty for the rest of my life. This man had everything that a black person could dream of, I would think to myself, I remember that feeling. Now that he's gone, some of the magic that I've kept inside me seem to have went with him. I don't know why, but that mystical feeling that you get when you're a child; that pure, untainted and positive outlook on life as if everything is gonna be really great and invigorating. GONE! I didn't even think that I still cared about MJ like I did when I was a kid, but when I found out that he left this place I felt a void. Come on now, I have kids and this man has been accused of touching little boys in inappropriate ways, I couldn't feel anything for this man! But do I remember a time? I do. I remember a time when my family gathered around the television when a Michael Jackson video came on, one of the only times when we all had a collective thought or feeling in our home. And man, it was magical! I still remember the feeling that I had when Remember the Time video aired on TV. The magic and the way that he danced seemed so real and touchable. Just thinking about it, I feel like I still believe. I remember a time when Michael Jackson was the only person on this earth that could enable my family to share a precious moment. Are there any more Michael Jackson's left? Am I so blinded by realities and responsibilities in life that there is no room for my mind to gaze off into that realm of magic and infinite satisfaction? I don't know but I'm left with a feeling of just another day at the job and that tomorrow will be the same as today; still looking and in search for happiness. I guess the whole time, what I saw in MJ was what I wanted to see in myself; that I could magically do anything that I wanted to do and not feel like different people from different backgrounds would hold any prejudices towards me. Aw! That's what was so magical and powerful about him. Michael Jackson moved millions and will be greatly missed.


What is Popular Culture?


Popular culture is the influence that history, media, trends and lifestyles have on culture. We are influenced by everything around us from television, the Internet, magazines, sports, fashion, music and etc. Popular culture is all tangible and intangible ideas, concepts and trends in today's media-frenzied environment. Understanding popular culture is to understand a majority of society today. Sociology may be the reasoning behind the study of groups and their history but Popular culture, I think, is the present form of the end-result or "why" being studied. I think any business would benefit from studying today's structure, as trends are a major part of business that frequently changes.
I have selected the glove as worn by Michael Jackson as my artifact. This glove symbolizes the hard work and persistence that him and his family gave to our culture over the years. Michael was and still is loved by millions across the globe. In probably every country in this world, this glove can be recognized as worn by MJ, a cultural icon. This is truly a popular cultural artifact because of its significance of the artist's influence on mainstream America and the rest of the world.


"Remember the Time" video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_n7cftdkl0