Technological Symphony

Check this out: Stanford has a mobile phone orchestra!

In a revolutionary combination of computer design and instrumental performance, students are learning to make their own musical Iphone apps to play in concert. They conceive, design, and perform the avant-garde instruments themselves.

Some say this is not real music. Why not? Is not music simple the alteration of sound into something meaningful? If one were to listen to a performance by these students I bet no difference could be found between a “real” orchestra and a digital one (under the assumption the students have had sufficient practice).

This raises the bigger issue of what is real in a technological world. No, I’m not talking about The Matrix. Is using Google Scholar an adequate substitute for rummaging around in a library? Are christmas cards sent by email looked down upon? Is a video of your child’s piano recital good enough to send to grandma (or should you fly her down from North Dakota to hear your little darling play)? Can technology replace what we perceive to be physical interaction? Perhaps not replace, but certainly enhance.

It really all comes down to your mind. Is it closed to new possibilities? Then maybe you should skip the next E-Beethoven concert.

Agriculture Makes a Virtual Comeback

A NY Times style article recently discussed the allure of Farmville, a Facebook-hosted online game.

Like The Sims, Farmville represents the calm, fair cause-and-effect lifestyle that we often dream of. You plant a tree and it grows. You forget to water your squash and it dies. There is no war, no bug infestations, no cancer or two-headed pigs due to pesticide use, and no recession.

It’s addicting. Because it runs in real time, players find themselves planning their day around their crops. THe articles mentions a man who sets his alarm for 1:30 am for harvesting.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say we all want to be farmers. On the contrary, we go to college so we won’t have to to work on a farm (except the Agriculture majors), but it certainly provides a dreamy, albeit time-consuming, break from out fast-paced urban lifestyle.

Players in NFL With Concussion Will Need Doctor Approval to Play

An opinion column from Scientific American discussed how, in light of recent discoveries that NFL players who suffered concussions had a higher likelihood of brain damage and dementia later on, the NFL will require its players to get an OK from a neurological specialist (not just the team doctor) before being allowed to play.

Football fans may groan, but in the end this new rule could save your heros. With the proof, and common sense, at hand that poorly healed concussions lead to brain damage I say let the guy rest!

What good is it to have a powerhouse player get hit time after time until he cannot remember his last name let alone the name of the play? Not good at all.

Had Tebow sat out of the LSU game after his concussion during the Kentucky game, Florida may have suffered a bit at first, but the rest of the team had the ability to pick up the slack (yes, I realize Florida is a college team and not in the NFL; bear with me, it’s the only example I have).

And if they lose the game because of the exclusion of one player, then maybe that team needs to rethink its strategy.

Stop Worrying, Experts Say

A recent NY Times article described how swine flu mutations have been found in 75 people nationwide and how the World Health Organization is telling people to basically calm down over it.

As with all flu strains, swine flu was bound to mutate at some point to become resistant to Tamiflu, but thankfully it has mutated at a slow rate. When compared to the sheer amount of people infected with swine flu in the past year, 75 new mutations is hardly a cause for concern.

I do feel bad for these 75 people. A few close friends of mine had swine flu, and they said the first few days before the medicine kicks in feels like you’re dying. Of course, you don’t die (usually) but experiencing the full force of that flu must really be a headache.

But with all strands of flus and colds, mutations will happen. That’s why we have a flu season every year and people don’t build up immunity. The best thing to do is get vaccinated as soon as the shot or nasal spray become available, and simply stay calm. It’s just a flu.

Prisons and Torture. What Else is New?

The NY Times just posted an article online about a top secret prison in Afghanistan that doesn’t apply to the order to close secret prisons. It’s so top secret that White House officials can’t even comment on its existence.

Somehow, I’m not surprised. The fact that even my own country holds innocent people against their will isn’t a shock. It’s become part of our post-9/11 life. If you say “bomb” in an airport, you get detained. If you have too long of a beard and a tan, you get detained. If you start yelling at police in Punjabi, you get detained. It seems silly, but we adjust. This newly uncovered secret prison slides right into this mold.

Is it fair that several innocent goat herders were scooped up by the military and held for months because they had a name similar to a known terrorist? No. It is necessary? Probably not. Still, I am unfazed, and that in itself is a problem.

Yes, I am extending my own emotions to stand for those around me, but hear me out. There is a certain level of apathy that comes with each new discovery. I recently learned Guantanamo hasn’t closed yet. I was more shocked by my level of misinformation and not with the information itself. It was found that Iran has secret bomb-making sites. And? It’s Iran. You really didn’t expect that? For all I know, there is a top-secret POW internment camp under the golf course beside my house. I really wouldn’t be surprised. In fact I’d like to bring them sandwiches (without getting shot).

For some reason I am not appalled, horrified, or disturbed by these discoveries. It seems like the military has always, and will always, do things the general public considered immoral in order to do what they think is right. And likewise, the public will ignore what the military does, because we view them as our protectors, and like a small child we watch them whip our neighbor playmate, unsure of the transgression but certain that he did something bad. What we fail to realize is Dad is drunk and the neighbor kid just stumbled onto our yard at the wrong time.

Thanksgiving in Space

For all of you who were concerned about American astronauts not being able to celebrate Thanksgiving while in space, worry no more!

It appears that NASA stockpiled the International Space Station with turkey dinners and all the accessories. Some kind-hearted, or greedy, astronauts then smuggled some dinners onto the space shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle left the International Space Station recently, and the astronauts are on their way back home, but they will be able to munch on turkey as their shuttle orbits the Earth.

I think this is a rather adorable story if it works out as I’m imagining. I would like to think that there was a meeting among the astronauts on the Space Station, and they all agreed to sneak on packets of turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing for the returning Americans to enjoy. After all if a Frenchman were returning on July 14th, or if an Englishman were orbiting on November 5th, and I was on that station I would certainly make a big deal of their holiday. It’s silly little country-specific celebrations like Thanksgiving that really bring a sense of nationalism, and I appreciate that the astronauts recognized this.

Interactive Doomsday

Now you too can recreate doomsday! Only on a two-dimensional calendar.

An interactive feature of a Mayan calendar accompanies an article on why the Earth will not be destroyed in 2012 (as if any intelligent person didn’t already know that). Personally, I think they just ran out of room on the rock.

The feature, while it’s rather limited, is very cool. They put the five indications of time on the Mayan calendar: the bak’tun, the k’atun, the tun, the uinals, and the k’ins. You can flip through them to create a new calendar day, as well as see what today would look like on the Mayan calendar. It even goes up to the 6000 ADs and back to the BCs, if you flip the Bak’tuns back far enough.

Good news world! I went through the 2012 calendrical year on my computer, and it did not crash, nor did the world explode, so I think we’re going to be ok. Relax, stop freaking out about doomsday prophesies, and remember back to Y2K.

Personally, I think the Mayan calendar could catch on. No one would be able to tell when I have a date if they steal my planner and every day is marked with little faces. Besides, isn’t foreign communication hip now?

When Issues Collide

A recent NY Times article discussed how Grady hospital in Atlanta will no longer give free dialysis to illegal immigrants.

Honestly, I’m torn. On one hand, I don’t like the idea of someone getting something for nothing. It drives up the cost of everything else, and is hardly fair to the rest of us. On the other hand, I have a heart. If these people don’t get dialysis, they will die within a week or two. So what to do? Treat them or let them die? I realize that that there may be other options, but really that’s what it comes down to. State and federal government don’t seem to want to make any decisions about illegals, other than a stern warning against coming here (in English, of course).

I’m not a fan of illegal immigration; however, I realize the motives are nobel, albeit uneducated. No one actually tells these people the truth about America, particularly “you will be excluded from all rights, and there is actually a painfully time-consuming legal way to do this.”

I’m not a fan of the current legal system of immigration. I have many friends who have been in the U.S. since elementary school and are currently in American universities learning how to better this country, but they can’t even vote.

However, the issue still remains that we have illegal immigrants in the U.S. and, according to the article, they account for 20% of health care costs. Should we treat? Should every hospital become a charity organization? It’s easier to decide when dealing with things that are necessities, but dialysis?

I don’t have an answer to this. Call me a bleeding liberal, but I can’t reconcile the part of me that just simply won’t throw these people out to die. Grady has a good system for the moment (three months of free dialysis, free flights back to Mexico, and some money for food) but it’s obvious driven at trying to get these people back to Mexico (assuming that’s where they hail from). It’s an out-of-sight-out-of-mind plan. It doesn’t solve anything, other than give a false sense that the problem is fixed. The problem isn’t being fixed; it’s just being shuffled around. What’s the answer? I have absolutely no clue.

Social Experimentation Gone Girly

I just stumbled upon this amazing blog about a 365 day experiment about personal appearance. This is the ultimate “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” meets “Julie and Julia” experiment.

It is called The Pretty Project, and it is hosted by a tomboyish woman who has taken an oath to pay more attention to her appearance for one full year to judge how she is treated and what that means for our society.

Day one found her being witty and nearly broke getting a pedicure. Day 24 brought a realization that she is the ugly duckling of her friends; a realization no woman wants to fully embrace. On day 55 she reflected on her new-found self worth. And on day 85 she got the “I’m impressed” look from her boss at her new attire.

I just found this blog today, but WOW. I’m impressed. Not only is this woman dedicated enough to stick with a project for a full year, but she’s willing to sacrifice her money, time, and reputation to do it. I will certainly read more, and I recommend that you do as well.

Single Mothers in the Army… What?

A NY Times video focused on a single mother who willingly enlisted with the army after 9/11. She said it was her duty and her calling. While I can understand that, I don’t understand how you could leave your two children without another parent. The children stayed with their aunt and grandfather, and from the photos it looked like they weren’t very happy about it.

I hate to rag on brave soldiers who have served our country, but I believe priorities are important, and honestly my children will come before any other “calling.” Not only is this woman a single mother, but the children are fathered by two different men. If I was in that situation, I would at least make a commitment to not mess up their childhood any farther. It’s difficult enough having to face the harsh reality of father abandonment while children, but then to have your mother willing leave you to go to Iraq? It’s no wonder the son’s grades fell.

There was a quote that said the mother would sometimes rather be back in Iraq, because it was easier there than being home every day letting her kids down. Whoever thought Iraq would be somewhere to run away to?

Thank goodness the mother realized the mistake she was about to make. She almost reenlisted for a second deployment, but stopped herself when she realized the stress of leaving her kids to face middle and high school alone would be too much. She said she’d been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and she had forgotten how to love her children. Thankfully she remembered just in time.