Supreme Court Not Representing US of A

In class the other day, we talked about how Elena Kagan was in the running to be elected to the Supreme Court. And if this were to come to pass, every SC Justice would have gone to either Harvard or Yale. This is completely mind boggling to me. How can the people who will decide the future of our most important laws have only gone to just 2 upper crusty schools. I've nothing against Harvard or Yale, but to have all of our justices having attended one or the other just makes no sense. There is no way they can accurately understand the whole American people, when making laws and deciding on cases. You're telling me there was no one who went to state school, or even a private institution like Stanford or something who was deemed qualified to be a Supreme Court justice. In fact, there was a Coldbert report episode on this very subject. And while they dedicated most of their time to making fun of Elena Kagan, Steven said one thing that was quite interesting to me. This was the fact that Ms. Kagan would be the youngest member of the Supreme Court at 50 years of age! This is ridiculous! How could the youngest person be only 50? This goes back to my point of America being underrepresented by the Supreme Court. It sounds like hippy drivel, but how can they understand the youth and the changing technologic world... there needs to be some younger individuals on the SC. I don't mean college kids or teenagers, but someone in their 30's or 40's would be quite alright for this position... right? Do you have any ideas or views on this developing subject? Hit me

The Paranormal?

I had an interesting experience today, when I got home after practice. My brother was watching a movie called "Paranormal Activity", and I sat down with him for a few minutes, to see what this movie was all about. I've heard quite a lot about it, (I remember one friend of mine saying it was the honest to god scariest thing she'd ever seen)... but I digress. After about five minutes of watching the film (we were a little over a half hour in I believe) I stood up and declared "This is the stupidest, most fake piece of crap I've ever seen in my life." I mean, the couple is freaking out because the door is moving a little bit, and the plants are blowing around slightly. The part that tipped me over the edge was when their ouija board set on fire. I was like, "really, the board just set on fire on its own." It was the fakest thing I'd seen. There is no way you will convince me to take that movie or any paranormal or ghostly presence seriously. This reminds me of the time in 3rd grade (when I was still in Catholic school) that all of the kids in our grade thought the basement of our church was haunted by the ghost of Bloody Mary or something completely ridiculous like that. Granted, we were gullible 9 year old kids... but still it was an absolutely ridiculous craze. And lo and behold, I just watched a TED Talk on this very subject ...

This Ted Talk in question is by a man named James Randy, and he performs a "fiery takedown of psychic fraud." In it, he talks about how psyhics like Sylvia Browne and John Edward are complete frauds. I totally agree with this, as you might tell by the preceding paragraph. He basically mentions that so called psychics like them are ripping off people who want to try and communicate with their deceased loved ones, and obviously these people have no actual spiritual ability. In fact, Mr. Randi's organization (The James Randi Educational Foundation) is dedicated to uproot these people and educate the public about their fraudulant activity. The funny thing is that the JREF offers a 1 million dollar cash prize to anyone who can demonstrate psychic or paranormal activity. And no professional, except Sylvia Browne(who backed out of the challenge), has attempted this undertaking.

Do you guys have any opinion on this stuff, the supernatural, the paranormal, the weird, the ghoulish...???

People Don't Buy What You Do, They Buy Why You Do it

Tonight, I was looking through some Ted Talks, and found one that intrigued me quite a lot. It was by a man named Simon Sinek. In it, he discussed the idea that "people don't buy what you do, but why you do it." He explained this by using Apple, and how they sell their products, Apple doesn't just say that they make great computers that are user friendly, but they say what they believe in. He also gave the example of the Wright brothers, who were first in flight, but had no funding, no team of experts, no college degrees- and yet they achieved what many who were well funded and well educated could not. This idea was hard to wrap my head around at first, but slowly it came to me. If you get people behind you who share your beliefs, then leading them and accomplishing things becomes much easier. He also gave the example of Martin Luther King Jr.- who apparently gained such a loyal following from spreading his idea, not his plan. The line he is famous for, "I have a dream" is key, and Mr. Sinek makes the point that he gave the 'I have a dream speech', not the 'I have a plan speech'. If you tell people what you believe, or why you want to do what you want to do- they will follow you. If you have time, I would reccomend watching the Talk, it is quite captivating. What do you think about this abstract idea?

You Ain't Got No Legs Lieutenant Dan: JT is finished!!

        After a a very long process, my Junior Theme is pretty much finally done. I've gone from thinking I was going to talk about the economy, to writing about military spending. After my first draft, I had nine pages of loosely connected drivel in desperate need of refinement. And thats just what I did, I looked for more information, I pared down stuff I didn't need, I refashioned my language, and voila'- I was getting closer to a finished product. I used countless online articles, three books, one podcast, and one documentary to write my paper. The biggest change I ever made came yesterday, where I full on cut 3 paragraphs from my paper, because they didn't directly prove my point. They included my portion on "Adams" by George Saunders, which Doc Oc really liked, but in the end wasn't essential to prove my point, so I eliminated the whole block on the subject. I then changed my last pargraph block from talking about asymmetrical threats to talking about how the government is not spending our money as smart as they could be. I think this change helped the clarity of my last paragraph, and fit better with the paper than it did before.
      Now you might be asking yourself, what does "You ain't got no legs lieutenant dan" scene from Forest Gump have to do with military spending? And I have the answer- it doesn't, but why not do it?

Times Square Car Bomb Discovered!

Yesterday, after getting home, I hadn't been in the house 30 seconds, before my dad called me into the TV room. So, I walked in and he explained his calling me. He said there had been a car bomb discovered in Times Square, and I was quite shocked to hear this. So far, no one knows the exact motive for it, but this Huffington Post article explains that there might be a connection to the popular animated show South Park. The reason for this connection is because South Park recently depicted the Muslim prophet Mohammed wearing a bear costume in their TV show. The SUV was parked outside the Viacom building, which owns Comedy Central, the network that South Park airs on. This may sound ridiculous, but if you're familiar with the show, you know what I'm talking about. And after that particular episode aired, Muslim extremists issued threats to the shows producers. According to the New York daily news, the vehicle in question was a Nissan Pathfinder packed with M88's, propane tanks, gasoline, and fertilizer. There is video surveilance of a man exiting the vehicle and quickly changing shirts and fleeing the scene, and thanks to a quick acting street vendor and the NYPD, the threat was contained before anyone was hurt. The car bomb could have shattered windows, done large amounts of damage, and injured dozens of people. The liscense plate was taken from a car in a repair shop, and the car most likely stolen. Police say that this could be a terrorist attack, or it could be the efforts of a "lone wolf". Whatever the case, it was luckily thwarted by a street vendor selling I Love NY shirts, who in an interview gave his message to New York City, "If you see something say something."

JT Update: Chillitary Spending

Early this week, I conducted my interview with Northwestern professor, Johnathon Caverly. He had a lot of interesting points to make, and the interview suprised me a bit. Despite being fairly awkard, I learned quite a lot. I expected him to agree with most of my points, but instead he provided a good part of my Adress the Other Side part. He didn't completely deny my claims, but he took sort of a middle ground on most of the questions, where he leveled with me, but provided a very sophisticated view as well. For example, he didn't agree that the cold war directly led to high military spenidng today, but he did say that a document I'm examing, called NSC 68 represented the philosophy that the United States shouldn't put up with communism. It was very enlightening, and valuable to have someone scholarly who offered opposing views.

JT Update: Thrillitary Spending

After having written a rough draft on my paper, I come to the hard part: editing and refining. My topic is military spending, and my sub-topics are: the cold war, military expenses, Eisenhower's farewell speech, the current Military Industrial complex, the short story "Adams" by George Saunders, and asymmetrical threats. This may sound like jibberish, and it is. The hardest part thus far has been making smooth transitions so the paper flows like a waterfall. That and collecting more statistics and facts, and integrating those in well enough so they actually make sense, and don't seem tacked on. The good news is that I've attained an interview subject, a Northwestern Professor named Jonathon Caverly.

The Future of Games --- And Why We Keep Coming Back For More

I checked out the video that Mr. Bolos wanted to show in class today, Jesse Schell's talk at DICE 2010 on the future of games. He went in depth into the ideas that Bolos previewed to us. He gave many examples of this world that he thought would soon come to be, such as games on the back of your cornflakes, advertisments being beamed into your dreams, pedometers in shoes, a computer to keep track of how many Dr Peppers you drink in one week. I think this is quite an interesting point that Mr. Schell makes, in that many things are being turned into games and you can find games almost anywhere nowadays. Our world may very well be headed in this direction, and I wouldn't necesarily be surprised to see some of these things emerge in the near future.

Now, I'd like to switch gears for a minute. Bolos talked about how certain video games draw people in unique ways, such as Call of Duty: World at War's Nazi Zombie mode, where you essentially board yourselves up in a house, and unload on a literally endless tide of nazi zombies. However, there are a few distinct ways to get a game to sell and draw people in. One is innovation, trying to do something no one has ever done before, think Guitar Hero, Grand Theft Auto, Assasin's Creed, and Rock Band. Another is reputation, basically resting on your laurels, think Halo, Call of Duty, and Mario. Because face it, Bungie could put Halo on a shoebox and it would probably sell like, half a million copies before anyone figured out what was up. Yet another is pretty much copying an idea, and trying to do it better, or at the very least releasing that copy in between sequels of the copied. Think Dante's Inferno and Saint's Row, which are both pretty succesful yet are complete rip offs of God of War and Grand Theft Auto. So I guess my point is, it is pretty easy to figure out the sales tactics and selling points of a game and make an informed decision on whether or not it is worth your hard earned $50 or $60 bucks.

 I also found Sam Gotlieb's Cracked.com article. The article talks about why we are addicted to video games, and one point that stuck out to me went back to today's class about "experience points". It talked about how games dangle prizes in front of you, and make you "pull the lever" in terms of acquiring that prize. Whether it is a shiny new sword, a new cow in Farmville, or looking forward to picking up that weapon you've always wanted in Call of Duty... you will have to play more to get that prize. And to get that prize, in most cases, you will have to pay. Another particularly striking point. This is that companies are moving away from the once simple "here's 50 dollars" "ok heres your game. have fun", but with the onset of online play the game has changed. From games that charge 15 bucks a month, like World of Warcraft, to services like Xbox Live which  also charge you 15 bucks a month- the extra fees for the "complete experience" are everywhere. However, on Xbox Live you pay that 15 bucks you can play any game, from Need for Speed, to Halo, to Lego Indiana Jones online. And this is why Xbox Live is so expensive, Microsoft doesn't care if all of their millions of subscribers are playing just one game, they still get 15 bucks a player in subscription fees. So if you're like me, and only play Modern Warfare 2 online, with the occasional other game, Microsoft is milking us for all we're worth. However, there is another way to make money off of online services, and that is companie selling thier games in pieces, as downloadable content. For example, Bethesda Softwork's Fallout 3 sold very well. However, at first glance it would seem that the company didn't finish the game. This is because they released a total of 5 downloadable pieces, all priced at $10 a pop. Thats a total of $50 for those who downloaded all 5, and if most players downloaded at least 1, maybe more, maybe all 5... that's just a ton of money. So after reading all of that, which I doubt you did, you might think that video game developers and companies are evil... which they're not... mostly. They're just trying to get from paycheck to paycheck, and a genuine few are out to make a quality game that will make their dedicated fans very very happy. Every once in awhile a game will come along that is superb beyond belief... like Modern Warfare 2, and you will want to thank the brilliant minds that engineered that masterpiece.

P.S: So, if you have read this far, I would very much appreciate it if you commented either on the first part... where do you think our world is headed in terms of video games?/ Is Jesse Schell right, or is he criminally insane? Or the second part, what do you think about the experience points concept, subscription services/ downloadable content, video game addiction, or about modern games in general?
P.S.S: (Yes, I'm aware that I kind of sounded like a nerd that whole post... but whatevs)

Tactical Nuke Incoming? Junior Theme 10'

Well, after quite a lot of deliberation, and a bit of luck I've finally decided on a Junior Theme topic. It is on war funding, and the very high price of modern warfare. My question will be something like this: Why is military spending so high today, or why do 50% of our tax dollars go to military? To do this, I will look at where our tax dollars go exactly, and how much money the average American, and Cook County resident has lost due to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. I will look at how much war has cost in the past, and compare it to the prices of vehicles and weapons today. I also plan to look to the future and talk about the experimental technology of today, specifically Predator Drones and the future of U.S nuclear armament capabilities. I will use many sources, from online articles, to war databases, to novels, to New Yorker podcasts, to President Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell speech.

The Automaker's Folly

The last time we were in the classroom, we were talking about branding, and Sam brought up an interesting point. This was how certain car companies, create other brands, if they want to take the company in another direction. For example, Toyota released its youth oriented Scion division in 2002. And Nissan came out with its Luxury Infiniti brand about 20 years ago, and finally Honda owns the 'on the rise' Acura brand. Anyway, these automakers had a good enough reason to create a whole new company, but sometimes a car company just wants to release a single car without going through the trouble of coming up with a whole new deal. For example, Sam brought up the Hyundai Genesis in class, which has its own website, and a distinct lack of Hyundai badges. Hyundai wanted to release a luxury car, but didn't have enough reason, or money, or motive to create a new company. If you look at the sedan version, from the front it looks quite like a Mercedes C Class, but is much less expensive. A second example, is Nissan Motor Company. They released their 911 GT3 beater- the GT-R (pictured at top) in 2007. It is an incredibly fast and powerful car, which is unlike the Nissan we all know, makers of the mid range Maxima, Sentra, and Altima. And if you look closely at it, you will be hard pressed to find a Nissan badge on it. There is a small one on the back, but on the wheel and front you will find the sleek red GTR insignia. Yet another example is the Chrysler 300, which looks strikingly like a Bentley Mulsanne. (See if you can tell the difference!) From Mercedes' AMG division, to the Chevrolet Corvette, to the Audi R8, the examples of this trend in car companies are bountiful. What do you think about branding in cars or in general?

Marketing and Advertising Video Games: Is it worth the time?

I stumbled upon a very interesting video today, called The Marketing Machine it was on how and why
publishers put money into advertising certain games, and how they go about doing it. They talked about one game in particular quite extensively. It was the title Dante's Inferno, an action spinoff of Dante Alighieri's poem, The Divine Comedy. Anyway, long story short it was apparently a mediocre game but the producers decided to put out a comercial for it during the Super Bowl. The four industry specialists in the video discussed why this was either a good or bad idea. Allegedly, some think it was a good idea because it obviously reached alot of people, and sold half a million copies in February, making it one of the best sellers of the month. On the flip side, it may have not been a great decision because, how many people who are interested in a game like Dante's Inferno are going to be watching the Super Bowl. You're not really reaching you're target audience, but it may reach so many people that it won't matter. I thought this was an interesting discussion, and it really shows how advertising extends and is important to all types of products. I doubt any of you have any opinions of thoughts on this, but if you do I'd love to hear you share.

Free

The topic that I think I'm going to write my Junior Theme on is why things are free these days. I will be reading a book entitled Free, by Chris Anderson. I've only just started but it is already quite interesting to me. In it he talks about how the most effective price is often no price at all. From services like Flickr, and Animoto who give the basic package away for free but charge for the premium version, to companies that offer free services and installations like Comcast then charge monthly. The examples go on and on, from free trials for videogames to free samples for food, the concept of no price is boundless. Many people say "there is no such thing as a free lunch", but Anderson argues that it is in fact a very important marketing tactic. He also talks about how the concept of free stretches far back into history. It is an interesting topic that I'm looking forward to writing about it. What do you think about the concept and marketing strategy of 'free'?

Ads- Audi is Rewriting the Rule Book

All the talk of commercials and advertisements in class today reminded me of a commercial I saw last week, while watching TV. It is a new Audi commercial, and it caught my attention. Audi claims they are "breaking the spell", and beating their main rivals (Lexus, Mercedes- Benz, and BMW) at their own stereotypes. They claim they are growing faster than any of their competitors, as well. The commercial depicts a kid looking at a ferrari poster, saying "I've been told to desire a red Italian sports car", a suburban mom standing next to a Lexus RX, two businessmen getting into their Mercedes Benzes, an old man and his wife at a golf course standing next to their Lexus GS, and a short guy and his wife standing in front  of their enormous house with a red convertible BMW. However, it ends with an Audi R8, (their esteemed supercar which they are quite proud of) roaring its massive V8 engine as it pulls up outside the boy from the first scene's house. I actually think this is quite an effective ad, in that it tries to separate itself from its competitors, which are truthfully associated with stereotypes. But I don't necesarily agree with the whole 'lets attack our competitors' stance that Audi is taking. What do you think about thsi commercial, and the direction that Audi is seemingly headed in?

Sly Fox - Nas

A couple weeks ago, when Doc Oc and I were discussing rap music, (as we often do), he mentioned a song to me, called Sly Fox by Nas. I looked it up a few days later, and was surprised by what I heard. I thought it would be your run of the mill rap song, but it was far from that. Nas makes a statement in his song that is essentially completely against Fox news, about how the network has a "secret agenda", and is "always watching". Fox is often referred to as highly liberal and Republican, and some think they often work to help the Republican party in their campaigns and such. Regardless of what you think of Nas, or of Fox news, he is making a very bold statement, and putting himself out there in a way. He is sayingwhat he believes, and is trying to expose Fox news to an audience that might not be completely familiar with their political bias. One verse in particular strikes me as very true:

"They say I'm all about murder-murder and kill-kill

But what about Grindhouse and Kill Bill?

What about Cheney and Halliburton? (Halliburton?)

The backdoor deals

On oil fields

How's NaS the most violent person?"

I like the point he makes is that many people often blame rappers for promoting violence in the youth of America, but Nas says that despite what anyone says, violent in the more mainstream media is worse. Fox produces motion pictures such as Grindhouse and Kill Bill, and that is in some ways, worse damage than anything a rapper could do.

The End of Gatsby

I'm not afraid to admit that The Great Gatsby is one of few books I've read in school that I've greatly and genuinely enjoyed (Slaughterhouse Five, and The Odysey come to mind). Gatsby has so many deep and thoughtful themes running through it, and some of the quotes in the last chapter are mind- bendingly thought provoking. It reminds us that no matter how powerful, rich, or happy we are- we are mortal, and the sad thing is- a bullet can change everything. Jay Gatsby lived life at the top, and he came crashing down. Some think that the novel illustrates the death of the American Dream, and that Gatsby's death represents this downfall. I think this a rather narcicistic way to view the novel, and that the message Fitzgerald wants to tell is that everyone has a "green light" as Gatsby does. And that everyone, no matter how mysterious or powerful has a simple, human side. After the first chapter, I thought that Jay Gatsby was going to be a larger than life character, but he turns out to be a simple man trying to find the love he lost so long ago. And when Nick says, "I realize this has been a story of the West, after all..." (176), I think Fitzgerald is trying to show that there is a place in the world for everyone. I don't think Fitzgerald was trying to illustrate the death of the American Dream, but perhaps the non-existence of the American Dream as it has been idolized and built up as an image. Fitzgerald's view of the American dream is that everyone should find something to drive for, and you will find somewhere to fit in.

The Hurt Locker

I'm going to try my best to make this not sound like a promo for the Hurt Locker, but after our discussion in class I felt the need to blog about it. Personally, I can't think of a movie that deserves best picture more than the Hurt Locker. I saw it quite a while ago, over the summer, so I don't remember everything, but it is a film that does everything nearly perfectly. It avoids any political statements, the sound and explosions are sweet, the characters are deep and real, and the plot is complex while being easy to follow. It opens with the quote "War is a drug", as said by former Iraq war reporter Chris Hedges. Now, Mr. O'Connor said in class today that the flim follows the arc of many vietnam war era films, but I think the Hurt Locker does them all one better. It makes you feel the emotions that the characters are feeling, and it gives you a take on our current conflict you don't often see. It is all summed up by the very last shot, which I thought was incredible. I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it, because you absolutely should. I think that it will be a movie that will stay as a classic, and be regarded in the American "cannon" as one of the greatest movies of all time.

Conan's Parting Words

A few weeks ago my friend showed me a few youtube videos of Conan O'Brien doing crazy expensive stunts, such as dressing a Bugatti Veyron (a car costing about 1.2 million dollars) up as a mouse, when he knew his 20 year long run with NBC was about to enter its death throes. However, when someone told me about his farewell speech and how classy and moving it was, I had to check it out. What I found was a very mature way to say farewell. Though he was legally allowed to say anything about NBC on the air during his final night, he chose to go out with a positive message. He complimented the company and thanked them for their 20 year run, and said he never regretted a thing. But what really got me was the very last thing he said, where he was addressing the young people who watch his program. His message was not to be a "cynic", to look at the positive in life, and take everything in stride- just as he demonstrated. He could have bashed NBC, and went out with a  bang, but he chose to say something positive that everyone can relate to. And I believe almost everyone can take a page out of Mr. O'Brien's book in that way. What do you think of his farewell speech, last few nights on the air, and his firing in the first place?

Its Never Too Late to Apologize: Through the Words of Titus

Danny's most recent post got me thinking about reperations, and I wondered, is it too late to apologize for attrocities like slavery? I was immediately reminded of standup comic Chris Titus' 5th Annual End of the World Tour. In this standup special, he discusses and puts a lighter side on reperations and "whitey's" need to apologize. This segment can be found here. You should take the 8 minutes to watch it, its pretty funny, while being related to class. In it, he describes how some leaders of the African American community are less concerned about being repaid, and would rather someone stand up and make a formal apology. And of courseTitus abides. He makes a good point, the first step to healing is apology. And while the end of the clip may seem a little goofy, when he makes everyone say "I'm whitey and I apologize", he's trying to make that first small step towards healing the wounds made so long ago.

The Future of Transportion and Ray Lahood

I remember watching a Daily Show episode a while ago that quite intrigued me. The guest was one Ray Lahood, the Secretary of Transportation. And as you might imagine, he and John Stewart were discussing the Future of Transportation in the U.S. Usually, I have no idea who the guests on Coldbert and Stewart are, and I just tune in for the yucks. However, this conversation struck a chord with me for some reason. The first point he makes is that they are currently rebuilding America's infrastructure, using a total of 48 Billion Dollars, and are giving many people who were previously unemployed jobs rebuilding America. And I think thats pretty awesome. The next thing they talk about is how the Dept of Transportation is working on building high speed rails in America, which is also pretty cool. Starting with the Midwest no less! Anyway I think the most important point made during the clip is that while many people fear terrorism and whatnot, thers no huge reason to be. As John Stewart says, he asked someone after 9/11 how to stay safe and they said, "Stop smoking and wear a seatbelt." And thats true, you've gotta watch your own back

Product Placement in Movies

Though this post may not be very timely, I watched Minority Report over winter break, and one thing that struck me was product placement in the film. Companies pay to put their products in movies and tv shows, as well as commercials and billboards and whatnot. Anyway it was quite interesting during the scene where Tom Cruise walks into the mall and he is bombarded with ads. The film company could've quite easily made up some fake products and put them in, but instead we get cameos from Guinness, Lexus, and American Express to name a few. Another scene where this comes up is when Cruise travels to the lake house and as the shot pans out, you can see the Lexus badge on the sleek looking future car. If you pay attention you can notice all kinds of products appearing in films, from Audi in I-Robot, to Reese's Pieces in E.T, and where would we be without the iconic "Vote for Pedro" shirts from Napolean Dynamite. I think product placement is healthy, its a way for people to make money, but when it isn't done well, it can be just downright pathetic. Whats your opinion on this?

The Comercialization of Jackson Hole

For nearly every family vacation I've been on as long as I can remember, my family has taken the 2 hour flight out to Jackson Hole Wyoming, where we ski, raft, hike, fish, eat, and be merry. The story goes that my Dad took a business trip out there once and loved the place, and as a result of countless trips out to Wyoming, my brothers and I have fell in love with it as well. Pictured above is Jackon's main street, complete with the world famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, and at the bottom is one of the areas many iconic views of the Teton Mountains. Anyway over the past 9 or 10 years we've been travleing out there, I've noticed a dramatic change in the atmosphere of the town and ski resort. Prices of lift tickets, parking, food, nearly everything has increased and the place is catering more to tourists and less to locals and loyal visitors every year. The moment that this idea for a blog post came to me was when my family was pulling up to the parking lot in our rental car. The price for parking close to the mountain was 12 bucks, and what my dad said intrigued me, he said, "I remember when parking was free if you had 5 people in your car." The lady just smiled and gave my dad his change. And in the locker room I overheard a group of locals talking about the very same issue. Allegedly back in the day, if you bought a lift ticket and a six pack of beer and you knew someone who knew someone you'd get a free ticket no problem. Nowadays, its about $90 for a full day all mountain pass. Another noticeable change in the area is the food. When we first started skiing there, the only food right on the mountain was a bagel shop called Bridger Bagels with no more than a half dozen tables. Now, Cafe 6311 charges 6 dollars for a bagel with cream cheese. It's ridiculous, I understand that they're trying to make money... but it seems they're trying to nickel and dime you at every turn. Another long winded example would be the rental shop, though I have my own gear and no longer rent we all used to. And our first winter the man who helped us out was named Albi Miller, and he was from Winnetka also. He and my dad hit it off and enjoyed chatting, and when it was time to ring us up, we got 6 pairs of skis, boots, and poles for the price of one. Sadly, there is no longer an "Albi Discount", partly because he's long gone, but partly because I know that would never fly now. Its really sad, my favorite place in the world is slowly becoming the next vail and its hard to watch.

The Beginner's Bible

As a young kid I remember being read a book called 'The Beginner's Bible', and looking back now I wonder, why make the Bible simplified so that it can be read to little kids? I remember Mr. O'Connor talking about how in Huck Finn's day reading the Bible was considered to prove literacy and intelligence. So why take that away, why not let kids choose the path of religion themselves rather than have it almost forced on them at such a young age. I don't necesarily agree with that idea, but I understand the importance of introducing kids to faith, both sides make sense. Exposing kids to the Bible from toddler years will teach them the importance of religion, but is that necessarily a good thing?

Why Honda is Saving the World

Yes indeed its another post from the beloved boys in Britain, on Top Gear. And this time I would like to discuss the other 'car of the future' that Top Gear highlighted in the episode on the Tesla Roadster. At the end of the episode host James May travels to California to test drive the Honda FCX Clarity, a hydrogen powered vehicle. The Clarity is only avaliable in California, and looks... just like a four door sedan, it looks no different than the Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys of today. And as James May reports, it drives like them too, just like a normal car. The only difference is that is is fueled by hydrogen, which is just like gasoline, except it is the most abundant element in the world. The one moving part motor is powered by electricity from the hydrogen fuel. The more amazing thing is that filling up a hydrogen car is just like filling up a petrol car, you pull into a hydrogen fueling station (the one May uses is a Shell station) and fill it up like you're putting gas in your petrol-head. It takes no longer than refueling a car today, (you get about 270 miles a tank) and furthermore, hydrogen will never ever run out. The FCX Clarity has emissions of course, but only water vaport will come out of the exhaust pipe, because what do you get when you mix H and O? H20 of course. And now on to the fun stuff, the speed. It does 0-60 in 9 seconds, and boasts 136 horsepower. Now I've been raving about this car for awhile and I'd like to sum it up in the statement James May makes at the end of the segment that the Honda Clarity is the car of the future, because it is just like the car of today. It doesn't go for a dissapointing amount, then take hours on end to recharge, and the fuel will never run out. And that is why Honda is saving us from a very slow, painful, lack of oil-related death.

Cars as Status Symbols

Sam's most recent blog post sparked a similar idea in me. It is pretty common knowledge that cars are often thought of as status symbols. And this got me thinking, in what way are vehicles status symbols? I drive a Jeep, what does that say about me, or what does that say about my dad who bought the car over 10 years ago? In fact my dad bought a Mercedes Benz ML 350 (pictured) recently. It is the first luxury car he owned, and I never really thought about what that told people about him, until a teammate of mine brought the subject up on today's run. We were on the subject of cars, and he asked why dad bought an MB instead of a BMW or an Audi. I didn't know what to say except, "uhh, he liked it I guess." Maybe it says my dear old dad enjoys the height of motor vehicle engineering, or maybe something else. On another note I have a friend who drives a BMW M3, which is basically a 60 grand racecar, and its an absolutely awesome car, but its definetely a status statement. Do you have any thoughts on this subject? What do certain cars say about their drivers? 

An Electric Sports Car??

While browsing for a some 'in flight entertainment' for my trip to Wyoming this winter break, I came across a television show that quite interested me. It is a British car show, called Top Gear, and its on the BBC. It features hillarious hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, and they interview British celebrities, cause shenanigans, and of course drive some awesome cars. And in an episode I recently watched from the 12th season, they highlighted two vehicles that greatly intrigued me. The first of which I will talk about in this post. In this episode, host Jeremy Clarkson test drives an electric sports car called the Tesla Roadster. The Roadster is manufactured only in California at the moment and it is based on the Lotus Elise. And Clarkson's findings are quite interesting. He puts the Tesla up against a normal gas powered Elise in a drag race. And the Tesla kills the petrol powered vehicle, doing 0 to 60  in 3.9 seconds, and reaching 10,500 RPMs in the short drag. Another upside to this car is the cost of fueling it, since it is electric, filling it up from a power source costs just $5.5 dollars, as opposed to filling a Lotus Elise with gas for $65. Furthermore, Tesla claims that even if you drive fast or sparatic, it will travel 200 miles between 'refuelling'. But despite Tesla's promises, both of the Roadsters that Top Gear was provided with broke down one way or another, and the one lasted only 65 miles. However, it takes 16 hours to fully charge a dead battery on a Tesla, and it costs three times as much as a normal Lotus Elise. But keep in mind that it went round the Top Gear track slightly faster than a Porsche 911 GT3, so it is a true sports car. I think that if Tesla makes the charge time shorter, and improves the longevity of the Roadster, it very well may be 'the car of the future'. What is your opinion of the Tesla? The car of the future, or dead in the road? Watch the clip and decide for yourself.