Kaltaris Weblog

I’m a huge music buff, I’ve played guitar for as long as I can remember and grew up on the influences of Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles.  Here lately I’ve been noticing the music scene becoming very stagnant…Why does everything sound the same? What is this talentless trash that people seem to flock to today?  The truth is, there are hardly any artists any more who are in the slightest bit original.  While I don’t expect most artists today to be able to inspire the kind of brilliance in song writing that is characteristic of Bob Dylan, it still seems like everything blends together in today’s music scene.  I believe the sad truth is that almost everything has already been done (ie how many more original Simpsons episodes can they possibly come up with?). With information and communication technology being what it is today, ideas and art are shared so rapidly and so thorough that one would be hard pressed not to be completely absorbed into it.  With this information so readily available, and the exposure to music and art so greatly heightened all the original ideas are being used up in the blink of an, to be replaced my monotonous repetition and mimicry.  Truly sad.

Several major motor companies have released completely electric and electric/hydrogen cars this year, and several more are expected to go into production next year.  About freaking time.  This technology has been around for decades and we’re only just now starting to see EVs come into production? So what’s been the major hold up?  Petrol.  The big oil companies have been hindering production of this alternative form of transportation because it would ruin them, destroying the public reliance on petroleum based fuels.  But the time has finally arrived where the general public will not allow it, as gas prices are at an all time high and climbing, and we begin to see the reality of crude oil shortages.  Many individuals throughout the country and even the world have been converting their vehicles to run off of nothing but battery bower for years now.  For a mere $4000-$5000 anyone can easily convert their vehicle to be completely electric.  The downside?  Battery technology is a bit behind the times since we have been so reliant on the combustion engine for so long.  This means that to get a vehicle to run completely off of electricity you would have to install about 20 regular sized car batteries just to maintain enough power to drive 50 miles.  With the advent of new large capacity lithium ion cells manufacturers are finally able to produce vehicles with significant torque and horsepower which can travel up to 250 miles before needing to be recharged.  This is the way of the future, and I’m excited to buy my first EV within the next few years.

Of all the blog content on the web, most of it seems to consist entirely of personal asides and experiences.  Most people tend to rattle on about personal experience and their future expectations…Technology and entertainment seem to be the most frequent area of discussion, with bits of personal meandering rhetoric thrown sparsely into the mix. To specify further still, video games, entertainment media, and current events take the limelight in the current state of things.

My current favorite blog epitomizes this to a solid degree.  I find many of my most idle moments passed on the domain of geekologie.com, where a formidable mass of media is funneled to my eager (if complacently disposed) eyes. Sadly this blog seems to comprise a vast majority of my media and news intake…but when you find yourself thoroughly disinterested in economics and politics, what else is there?  The future, my friends, the future of technology and an array of creature comforts…little else seems to catch my eye in the blogging world these days.

All in all I would say I spend an average of 40-50 hours a week on the internet.  At least.  Seems like a lot, but in truth I can’t afford to spend any less.  I work for the university doing computer support, so I’m infront of a computer constantly for at least 20 hours of the week, and thats just for work.  Outside of work I’m pretty consistently bogged down with projects, most of which require either research or some form of application on the web.  Being an ATEC student I spend a minimum of 15 hours a week on projects alone.  Whether a conceptual model or webpage layout, almost all of my projects require some form of interaction with the media offered online. Outside of being a crucial tool and requirement of my trade, I probably spend another five to ten hours online for purely personal/social interests.  Lets face it, it’s hard to keep track of friends and family without some form of internet communication.  If not for my limited social time spent on the internet, I would have lost track of most of my friends from back home and high school.

The “Growing up online” video was pretty much what you might expect in the wake of an era of ever increasing internet activity at home and abroad.  The simple truth is that unless you live in a shack in the woods you have to rely on the internet for just about everything today.  Go try to apply for a job at any large company in town and you will find that no one accepts paper applications anymore, they will immediately direct you to their website.  As far as “internet addiction” goes, I think the topic is more case specific than the video led you to believe.  Most individuals don’t get addicted to the internet in general, they get addicted to specific content.  Chat rooms, blogs, instructional websites, and social hookups…pick your poison, these are some of the most frequented sites for said “addicts”.  Internet bullying, flaming, and harassment are mostly issues dealt with by younger, more immature individuals, and in these cases I think a lot of blame can be placed solely on the shoulders of the parents.  Children are very impressionable, and given the wide array of content available on the internet parents should strictly monitor their online activity.  All things in moderation, with proper context.  Many parents claim their ignorance of the ways of the web is what prevents them from better instructing their children, however we are fast approaching an age where that will no longer be a valid excuse.

I find it amazing how anyone has time to waste..well, time while pursuing a degree full time.  This semester alone I have had to change living situations, let go friends (and people who were more than friends), and even change my diet just to make time for school.  Wicked, horrible, cruel education.  I’ve lost count of all of the students I have known over the years who waste their time with ridiculously pointless and unrewarding hobbies and lifestyles while attempting to complete a four year degree.  WoWtards, alcoholics, stoners, and social catastrophes….how do they do it?  I’ve been victim to a few vices over the years, but being three years into a degree tends to suck ever last little drop of spare time out of you.  What happens in most situations when you find yourself in desperate need of something?  Some people change lifestyles, some people borrow money, some people steal.  If there is but one thing I would commit the crime for it would be more time.  And maybe a Tesla Roadster.

As per stereotype,  the Republican party seems to maintain their stoic all-business approach in the conventions and debates that follow.  I found it interesting that during the convention Obama’s lead in the polls dropped four points.  The significance? I have NO IDEA.  I’d like to think people are starting to realize that we need a leader more than a figure head.  I’m no supporter of either leading candidate, but I can’t help but feel that McCain’s solid stance is swaying a few votes.  Obama parading around Germany in fashion befitting someone who was already in office did not set well with many of our allies.  Really, these aren’t conventions or elections, they’re popularity polls.  Makes one lose a bit of faith in the systems that be.

My parents are staunchly republican, so I’ve had to hear bits and pieces of the news fodder that has followed their convention.  I suppose the only thing of interest I gleaned from these happenings was the mention of peaceful antiwar riots that followed the convention.  Hmmm…seems to me the conventions take place to nominate new candidates and institute change…so why the riots?  Yes lets blame a whole group of partisans for the action of one of their incumbents…as if they have no clue people are pissed off about the war.  I like to think they are doing their part to put someone else in office who will qualm these malcontents, the protests seem a bit…over the top.