KI4KQD BLOGGER » Culture Eclipse

TwitPic Now Has A Search Button

Roger — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:31:54 +0000

TwitPic Comes Up With A New Look And Popular Users List

The very popular photo website has come up with a new look and and a search button. I’ve sometimes wondered what would happen if they added a search button. Well, I never noticed one there before if it was there. Did you?

Also at the TwitPic site there is now a popular users list to easily locate celebrities and their pics. The list seems to be randomly done in rotation. I’ve already seen Larry King, Taylor Swift, Ashley Tisdale, and even John McCain. And now Martha Stewart is on the list! There are some that I’ve never even heard of before.

It appears that the current fashion for the celebrity status quo is to exude the casual, informal personification online. As if to take a glance of the ordinary human being, and not the glamorous aura that typically surrounds the luxurious lifestyle. I have much admiration and maybe sympathy for the stars that have been published online without the cosmetics. Were the photos published with or without permission? The photos are very entertaining and some even a little shocking?

But, I’m wondering. Is the website going to take the common element out of the picture? I certainly hope not. Where is the direction they are heading with this? Another celebrity bling page? We’ll have to wait and see I guess.

I noticed the TwitPic Blog. It must have been a huge milestone to hit 10 million users! That is heavy traffic no doubt.

The very interesting thing about all of this is the totally free publicity gained by celebrities. As if they need more publicity. But more free publicity must surely be appreciated by all.

I can merely only speculate the day when the “Thriller” album had risen in its popularity… What would’ve happened on the Twitter page. The whale would surely have been in major trouble!

Wait. I have just spotted TheRealNimoy. LLAP

From New York to San Francisco

Roger — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:37:00 +0000

Mike walks across America from New York to San Francisco

Man walks across America in his Levi blue jeans. The shooting is done using pixilation. The trip began June 17 in New York and ended July 1 in San Francisco. For the actual photography, the crew used a Canon 5D. More >> here

Listen to the original version of the song on YouTube – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home [2009].

Wake Me Up A Political Revolution Has Begun

Roger — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:43 +0000

The American Crisis: The Degeneration Of Democracy Into Government

Trend forecaster Gerald Celente has spoken again. Celente calls the current political system in the United States not communism, or socialism, but pure facism. Which is a merger of corporate and government powers. State controlled capitalism is called facism, according to Celente.

“Fascism, which was not afraid to call itself reactionary… does not hesitate to call itself illiberal and anti-liberal.” - Benito Mussolini

Celente says that the people really don’t have a choice. The obvious two choices are Democrat and Republican. And both parties have become embedded in corporate structured systems, which Celente refers to as mafia. The citizen does not have a third option. This is where the “Tea Party” has originated from. Historically third parties have not fared well in elections.

Citizens in the United States are very angry for many reasons. The so called ruling class has strangled any shred of democracy left in America. Shouting at Congress members has become almost acceptable behavior. Why? Folks simply feel as if there is no one listening anymore. Congress is too big to fail.

Mike Sola, a Michigan resident, literally screamed at Representative John D. Dingell at a meeting in Romulus, Michigan, on August 6, 2009. “I have a question”, was repeatedly shouted by Sola. After criticizing the Obama health care plan, he was politely asked to leave by local police. If you listen closely to the video, the crowd actually takes up for Dingell.

But then again, justice is not always served. Mr. Sola was even harrassed in the middle of the night by opposition. Sola simply wanted to be heard. His son had major health problems. He exercised his right of free speech. He may not have been tactful as some would have preferred, but those “some” didn’t share his burdens.

Please listen to one, out of of many, eloquent speeches delivered by Representative Ron Paul. Ron Paul titles this speech as Current Conditions Or Just A Bad Dream.

Ron Paul’s sobering synopsis: ”A grand absurdity. A great deception. Grandiose schemes built on falsehoods with the morality of Ponzi and Madoff. A government out of control. We have broken from reality. A psychotic nation. Deficits of trillions of dollars spent on a failed welfare warfare system. We police our world empire with troops on 700 bases and in 130 countries around the world. The status quo can not be maintained considering the current conditions. Violence and lost liberty will result without revolutionary thinking.”

History teaches us that if people are miserable and desperate enough they will search a leader that will deliver them out of peril. History also teaches us that bad economic and political conditions make a country ripe for violent protesting. In 1923 Germany was in such a state that Adolph Hitler, a ruthless dictator in the making, took advantage of the times. The rise to political power is well documented in a book written by William L. Shirer. The book is titled The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany.

Those desperate economic times mirror the condition that we currently face in America. Factories have closed down. The dollar keeps shrinking. Familiy savings have vanished. Families we constantly see on television, living in automobiles and not by choice, or out of some evil crime they have committed. An innocent matter of circumstance. Frozen in time, and written off by their government.

Are we in the midst of a political revolution? Or, is it that while we avert political revolution, we unwittingly forfeit our precious freedoms? Is the United States already facist? Are we there yet? Some suggest that we’re already there.

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” – Benjamin Franklin

Total Solar Eclipse July 11, 2010 Photos

Roger — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:59:51 +0000

Jay Pasachoff and Williams College Astronomy team on Easter Island

Solar Eclipse 2010: Finished

Solar Eclipse 2010: Under 10 minutes remaining

Solar Eclipse 2010: 30 minutes until the solar eclipse finishes

Solar Eclipse 2010: Moon moving off the sun (Easter Island)

Solar Eclipse 2010: Just the human eye view (Easter Island)

Solar Eclipse July 11, 2010: Totality

Solar Eclipse 2010: 4 minutes until totality

Solar Eclipse 2010: 29 minutes until totality

Solar Eclipse 2010: (Easter Island) 41 min to totality

Solar Eclipse 2010: Jay Pasachoff of Williams College viewing the solar eclipse

Jay Pasachoff and the Williams College Astronomy team go to Easter Island for the Total Solar Eclipse on July 11, 2010. Thanks to Jon on Twitter for sharing these wonderful photos of the occasion.

On the Williams College Astronomy website, there is valuable information about eclipses and upcoming events.

Easter Island is widely famous for its 887 extant monumental statues called Moai. Annexed in 1888, Easter Island is a territory of Chile. Earthquakes are a common problem in Chile.

Earthquake Jolts Chile - Sunday, July 12, 2010
Source: Xinhua : An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted north of Chile on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake, which occurred at 20:11 local time (00:11 GMT Monday), was centered 273 km northeast of Antofagasta, and at the depth of 99 km, the USGS said.

Dollar Stores Gaining Ground On The Competition?

Roger — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:18:25 +0000

Ah, Family Enjoys Air Conditioning In The Dollar Store…

Today’s economy is very different than economies of the past several decades. We are seeing complexities that dominate our family financial structures. For the first time in America, our purchasing power has stagnated and the signs are there to prove it. We are becoming thrifty out of necessity. Vogue is becoming a movable target.

For instance, shopping at the dollar store could be considered just too bland for middle America. Does this cognition still have any validity today? Passing by the street at the local family dollar store tells a totally different story. The dollar store seems to have become king of the jungle.

Inside, the dollar store is immaculate. The items are arranged admirably and are very easy to get to. The smaller, simpler building is an absolute welcome as compared to the giant overgrown structure that the competition offers. The ambience is welcoming and the air conditioning is refreshing. Overall, a very pleasant experience is to be shared by all at the local dollar store. They have affordable foodstuffs there now also!

Other factors might include today’s gas prices, traffic congestion, unusual weather patterns, and the friendliness factor. Oh, and the unfriendliness on the highway! Wow, that’s a whole different topic… Shopping locally just seems to bring us to a simpler yesteryear. Not to mention spying on old classmates?

Then there’s the local grocery shop that is owned by an oligarch. One seems to find that the prices are unbelievably marked up. Can this phenomenon be explained? Can an expert with an economic background please divulge the mystery of overincreased markups? I find it hard to grasp that the local foodstore oligarch is struggling when I discover that the family owns a hunting retreat in another state and just paid cash for the new SUV, which is parked besides dozens of other vehicles.

I’m mentally disordered at the thought of such gross marginal profits, while the average family is traveling into financial stratospheric condition overload. This new Americanism of overpricing is quite disturbing and I wonder how exaggerated profit margins keep the oligarch in business. Have Americans become oblivious to price awareness? Is there a hidden political agenda that I’m unaware of?

And what is the alternative to the sharp focus in the city? Well, the competition which I won’t acknowledge (Wal-World), has just gotten too big and arrogant for the good of mankind. Again, I am disoriented with the rationalization behind militant shopping fanaticism, which alludes to the complete disaster that occurred not so long ago. The unwillingness to admit the catastrophe leaves one speechless. The raison d’être for this?

Assuming that one makes it alive at the corporate giant’s establishment, one might make an assumption that the company has thoughtfully positioned employees throughout the shop. It would seem that they are strategically positioned in places where profit margins are the greatest.

According to Consumer Reports National Research Center, a new study revealed that many shoppers had issues. Almost three-quarters of respondents, out of 30,666 subscribers surveyed who shopped at Walworld, found at least one problem to complain about, and half had two or more complaints about the store or its staff. And bigger wasn’t necessarily better.

Another problem, a small issue but applicatory nevertheless, is the colossal size of the store. Couple that with inability to locate the product that I’m searching for (which I’ve forgotten), and I have reached an emotional state of anarchism.

To combat my intolerance of this anomaly, I have preposterously decided to indulge in my habit of long-term consumption of excess food. Oh, the wretched gormandizer that I am!

Afterwards, I shall move about aimlessly back to the local dollar store where there’s a bountiful supply of regulated, climate controlled air. Where I shall alleviate the negative effects of compounded stress and psychological demands that I’ve obtained! Wasn’t I here yesterday?

Conan On 60 Minutes Video About Twitter

Roger — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:58:05 +0000

Conan Is Now Star Of… Twitter

Conan O’Brien tells CBS longtime correspondent Steve Kroft about his Twitter debut: “It’s technically not a performance and it really appeals to the comedy writer part of my brain. You’re limited to 140 characters. So, if you wanna say something funny, you really… it’s a great editing tool. It forces you to just write these little nuggets. And the good ones get retweeted and that’s how you grow.” (YouTube Extra: Conan O’Brien Twitter Video)

“So now I’m one of those people that tweets – Hey I just had an awesome ham sandwich! I’m actually trying to think of something funny, and sometimes I spend a long time thinking of a Tweet. My wife will say – you’re an idiot. No one else is working on their Tweet this hard.”

“Mostly I write these Tweets, for better or worst. I write these Tweets. That’s what it’s come to. I was the host of Tonight Show. Now I write Tweets. Yeah. ”

Conan O’Brien Bio: I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account.

Most Popular American Magazines

Roger — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:58:40 +0000

Top Magazines In The United States

What Are The Brits Reading?

Roger — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:59:08 +0000

Popular Reads In The UK

What are they reading in the UK? Americans are becoming more interested in British culture as the internet becomes more widely available. So what are the Brits reading? What are popular reads with the Brits?

Internet Radio For The Car

Roger — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:12:28 +0000

The Information SuperHighway Goes To The Highway

Traditional radio has been with us forever it seems. I confess that I do listen to talk radio occasionally while mobile. You know, the NPR type of programming usually offered on AM radio. Remember AM radio?

I think that radio as we know it is definitely going to go streaming in the car. I know, it’s not quite ready for primetime yet of course. But I do believe that it’s going to happen much sooner than you think. Maybe next week. Why, because of options. Especially the number and variety of channels. Not to mention the superb quality.

Take the website Grooveshark for instance. If you’ve got wi-fi you’ve got beats. Ditto.

Imagine your audio streaming online in the car. This became a reality in 2009 with Blaupunkt teaming up with miRoamer.

And now you’ve got Pioneer getting in on the action. Pioneer has struck a deal with Pandora (Jan 7, 2010, WSJ).

Pandora is joining forces of all kinds to promote the new kid in town – Web Radio. And make no mistake, Internet Radio is going to be the future of radio.

Internet Radio is gaining in popularity. In 2003, revenue from online streaming music radio was US $49 million. By 2006, that figure rose to US $500 million.

A February 21, 2007 “survey of 3,000 Americans released by consultancy Bridge Ratings & Research” found that “[a]s much as 19% of U.S. consumers 12 and older listen to Web-based radio stations.” There were at least 57 million listeners that listened to Internet Radio on a weekly basis. More people listen to online radio than any other kind.

New technology will also allow us to take our iPods and iPhones in the car, and plug them in while we drive. In-dash car stereos will provide us with technology never heard of before. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that these functions could be integrated.

Imagine that! A box that could do it all – phone, GPS, stereo, TV, and probably even talk to us. I do believe that day is fast approaching. This could mean worldwide communication that is mobile and digital. Voice control activation is already an option.

It is quite plausible that Internet Radio could take over broadcast radio within the next 5 to 10 years. And soon enough all cars will be internet ready. According to iSuppli, an estimated 55 million global consumers will have internet access in their cars by 2016.

Find A Toilet: There’s An App

Roger — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 04:19:34 +0000

To Sit Or Squat? That Is The Question.

Are you looking for a public restroom? Is nature calling you but you have nowhere to go? Not a problem as long as you are wireless and have signal…

Finally, a place to find and record bathrooms all around the world. Seriously.

Okay, I can tell that you have no time for humor. The app for the bathroom is SitOrSquat.com.

Just enter an address, zipcode, city, or intersection in the search bar and you’ll be on your way to finding a public toilet. If you’re mobile that’s not a problem.

The portable way to find a potty will work – iPhone, iPod, or Blackberry. You want to text to find one? No problem. Text message the word “sitorsquat” to DOTCOM (368266) and follow the instructions to find the closest bathroom to you. Click here for the video and get instructions for SMS/Text Messaging.

What does “sit” and “squat” mean? To “sit” on a toilet bowl means users were generally comfortable enough to expose their bare bottoms to the cold porcelain seats beneath them. To “squat” over a toilet means that most users were not comfortable touching any part of the toilet seat and so they exercised the “squat”. It is recommended that you squat when the toilet is just plain nasty. But, hey that’s your option.

Just for fun let’s cover the proper etymology for the toilet: the can, the john, the throne, bathroom, washroom, lavoratory, latrine, restroom, potty, outhouse, and commode in the U.S. In Europe one might hear Water Closet (WC), Loo, Khazi, Privy, or Netty. One might say Dunny in Austrailia; or Comfort Room (CR) in the Philippines.

If you’re in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, France, or Latin America in some parts you’ll most likely be squatting. Oh, here’s the manual for the Squat Toilet.

And there’s the pro-hose versus the pro-tissue debate. The Asian Toilet is a whole different ball game. Are you a paper person or a hose person? Or perhaps you use a bidet?