Get Out of My Head, Witch!

"I think, therefore I am"
-Rene Descarte

As humans, we think a lot. We think about dinner, relations with friends, family, and/or/at same time as work. But lately, I've found myself in a particular pattern of thinking that you may have in fact found yourself. I have been thinking for other people. That's right! I can tell myself what you think about crap before you do!

Now, before I proceed, I must say that my powers are not unique and I never said anything about being correct. For example I think that certain personages might not appreciate certain content, and a thusly throw these ideas in my mental garbage bin. Have any evidence been put into consideration for this? No, but that is not the point.

We have created a society that is self-censoring. Any current students of English may find this to be a tired and overused thesis, but the fact that your favorite (ahem) blogger has experienced it may bring the point home that much more. We decide what others expect of us and act accordingly. The person in question may be dying for you to do... whatever it was you were thinking about, but this point is moot. This does not mean you should shout profanitites at the top of your lungs in public, (but if you happen to do so, make sure someone films it, 'kay?) but you should still free yourself to be a little bolder.

This post, unlike every single other post I've stained the internet with, is a work with a group in mind. This post is for all the people who have ever told themselves "Naw, no one wants to hear that". Be not afraid. Contempt for the bold is worth more than ingorance of the timid.

I'd Like to Thank the Academy

The empowerment that one gains from blogging is amazing.  I don't like something I see or hear about, and I go blog about it.  And then, and this is the best part, all the people who agree with me read it and agree more.  The people who often don't agree with me don't read it, and I never hear their opinions.  Its win-win!

Now here's to hoping that that little spiel didn't drive you away, because I have here now the point I would like to make.  As I was watching them award Kathryn Bigelow (congrats on the 2 gold "no longer only" men) the oscar for Best Picture (the only part of the Academy Awards I watch), I was suddenly struck by a rather unusual thought.

It went something like this:  Imagine if no one watched the Oscars...  If they still took place, but no one lined up outside to see the "stars" and no one watched them on TV.  If the only people who knew anything about it, the only people who decided who won what, the only people who's lives it actually touched; were the celebs...  and the producers, and the directors, and the few unknowns.  Now as I was turning this scenario around in my mind, the proverbial "it" put out its shoulder and knocked me to the pavement.  Truth be told, what I just described there is pretty much how the Oscars work:

The award recipients are chosen by AMPAS, of which the largest voting bloc is actors themselves.  As the Oscars are voted on by members of the entertainment industry, usually the largest films that touch (read pay) the most people do the best.  Not surprisingly, the Oscars have been sometimes boycotted.  The most notable of these is probably Marlon Brando who turned down his Oscar for Best Actor in The Godfather.  George C. Scott called the Academy Awards "a goddamn meat parade" and refused his award for Best Actor in 1970.


As a huge movie fan (the Apple page with all the upcoming movie trailers is my homepage) I respect all film-makers, actors, and the incredible gifts of entertainment that they are able to create.  However, the outdated and rather exclusive club that has become the Academy Awards has to go.  Look past the glitter and lace.  Is it really about the film-making or just about who dropped the most cash?
*Cough-cough-avatar-cough*


I'd like to thank my producers, my family, and most of all my fans...  Without the ten of you I'd be nothing!
-Torwch

SCIENCE and Science

There is a very large and very important difference between science and SCIENCE.  As of late, I have become very worried with the general public's lack of knowledge concerning this.  Here are a few examples to refresh your memory:

Science:  Improving the efficiency and "intelligence" of the robots that work inside car factories.
SCIENCE:  Building a two-story tall mecha in your backyard [source].

Science:  Testing drugs on animals before humans.
SCIENCE:  Testing the RAGE virus on animals before it escapes and kills off most of the humans.

Science:  Building the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) which is 6.9 km long.
SCIENCE:  Building the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which is 27 km long.
SCIENCE!!! :  Building a collider that can probe beneath the planck length.  Required circumference: Neptune's orbit.

Science:  Studying the patterns of bee movement in their hives in an attempt to learn the "language."
SCIENCE:  Glueing microchips to the bee's backs that can control their behavior and releasing them into the wild [source].

Science:  iPod Touch
SCIENCE:  iPad

Science:  The government
SCIENCE:  The Pentagon


Obama Axes Pentagon Plan To Build Billion Dollar Tank In Shape Of Dragon

It is my life goal to become a SCIENTIST.  What about you?

Post other examples of SCIENCE and Science that you guys come up with...
Cheers, Torwch.