CAT ATTACK e.05

Today, I bring you A true cat attack. Sort of reminds of me a jack-in-the-box... I mean cat-in-the-box.
Finally, I can say that I'm continuing with the box theme!
(Click link ^)

"atoms as big as suns, and galaxies as small as atoms"

Sorry for my recent departure. I know there's a few people *cough cough* who have been having cat withdraw.

The Bill Nye Audio is currently being edited. Hopefully, once these seemingly endless assignments are over with, I'll have an article about the discussion he had, and possibly post the audio itself.

In the meantime, let me set your mind loose upon this video. This is Carl Sagan, an astrophysicist, and one of my idols. He is credited, as is Bill Nye, as one of the first scientists to make science accessible to everyone. Sagan could explain the universe in layman's terms without dumbing it down so much for you. This clip is from his 13 hour documentary called "Cosmos". It his attempt at explaining the universe, and everything (it always comes back to Douglas Adams!).

Keep your eye out for the remake of "Cosmos" co-hosted by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

CAT ATTACK e.04

Sticking with the theme of boxes from last week, here's a photo of Grumpy Cats arch nemesis, Sourpuss. I can't tell if he's extremely upset about the size of the box, or upset that the box is actually a trap set by Grumpy Cat. No cat can resist a box, and having a box that you can't roll around and rudely display your cathood is just so infuriating. 

Edit: Apparently that box theme was not from this blog....

Source: Jimjamalam (Reddit)  http://imgur.com/f0udC18

CAT ATTACK e.03

Today comes two of the most beautiful creatures ever to walk this planet. Look at them! Look at how cute they are! How can your heart not melt looking into the eyes of such an innocent life? I've always wanted a cub of any species. I believe that these are leopards, but if you feel you know what they are tell me! Seeing as you can't reasonably have a leopard as a pet, I will one day attempt to sponsor one at a sanctuary. 

CAT ATTACK! e02

Today comes a personal picture from the collection. The cat out of focus in the back is mine, Tony, and the cat in the foreground is my roommates, Arvo. I felt they deserved to enjoy some of the limelight that their long lost cousins have been basking in recently.

Degradation of Bubble Gum

                                           Source: Take Part - http://www.takepart.com/sites/default/files/styles/tp_content_wide/public/XX0Ea1dh.jpg

Big Red, Double Bubble, Hubba Bubba. I'm sure you've all guessed the connection by now. They're all brands of gum! In 2012, 374 trillion sticks of chewing gum was produced, and over 100 000 tonnes of chewing gum was consumed.

Now, where do you think all of this gum ends up at the end of the day? I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count. Back in the wrapper? Alright, I can accept that. In the garbage? Ha, don't make me laugh. How about on the ground? Now you've got it! Where are your sources, you ask? How do you know this, I hear you saying? Look at the sidewalk! Those disfigured, round, dark 'spots' on every sidewalk and road in the world are my sources. You see it everywhere you go, especially in large cities. People are enjoying their quaint Sunday afternoon in the local market of the city. Strollers are gliding by with parents ecstatic to introduce their offspring to the various wonders of the world. Attempting to cross the street, you peer to your left and find the gentleman beside you carelessly spitting his piece of gum on the ground, awaiting the next passerby to transport it on the bottom of their shoes.

That piece of gum is now out of your mind, never to return to your consciousness until the next piece is being unwrapped. What's the problem with this? Well, gum doesn't die. That is to say, gum is NOT biodegradable. That piece of gum you spit out 5, 10, 15 years ago is still occupying that space on the sidewalk, continuously being trampled upon. I'm not advocating human rights upon pieces of gum. I'm advocating environmental rights. Try and picture 100 000 tonnes of gum scattered all over the world, occupying various terrains and land masses. That's right, you can't. You can't conceive what 100 000 tonnes of gum is, it's just too much! Now, multiply that by your age. In my case, that comes to 2.5 million tonnes of gum being tossed into our soil, water reserves, filtration systems, land masses, and so forth. I hear you saying, "if 100 000 tonnes of gum is consumed per year, then your equation above assumes that all gum consumed is being thrown on the ground". Technically, yes I am. Where does garbage go? To a landfill. Where does loose pieces of gum end up? In our sewer systems. So, yes, all gum consumed will eventually be sitting somewhere on this planet, never to disintegrate.

"Fine, I'll humor you. Gum is stupidly bad for our environment, but as long as a market is available for it, gum will continue to sell. So, what do we do about it?"

The easiest thing you could about it, you can begin today: chew a piece longer, chew less pieces, or don't chew at all. In no way does that solve or even patch the problem, but it will help in the short-term. There are several companies currently working on developing soluble, removable, and degradable gum for consumers. There are some companies who have already developed this, including Revolymer and Chicza Mayan Rainforest Gum. Unfortunately, Revolymer has just recently pulled out of America. It is available if your'e willing to order it from the UK. Chicza is a little more accessible, but not by much. You can purchase Chizca on Amazon, or if you ever make a trip to the US, it is accessible in many whole food shops and cafes.

Why not try some alternative? Try using mints. They come in the same flavours and intensities, and there's no waste after! Have you ever tried just chewing on mint leaves? That's also a great idea, especially as you get all natural flavours without preservatives and sugars.

Source: Reza Kashkoee - http://golmangoli.blogfa.com/8902.aspx

This is the "world's most dirty attraction", The Wall of Gum at Seattle's Market Theatre.



Sources
http://www.statisticbrain.com/chewing-gum-statistics/
http://www.examiner.com/article/most-chewing-gum-is-chewing-poison-here-s-a-better-alternative
http://www.confectionerynews.com/Ingredients/Scientists-develop-biodegradable-non-sticky-chewing-gum-using-cereal-proteins
http://www.confectionerynews.com/Manufacturers/Rev7-branded-degradable-gum-exits-US-as-maker-seeks-licensees

CAT ATTACK e01

It seems that no one can get enough of these cute balls of fur. So, I've decided to spend 15 minutes a day to bring you the best in new and funny cat pictures. That's right folks! This will be your one-stop-shop for all things cats: memes, gifs, pictures, you name it! I can sense your excitement.

Breaking down the barriers...

Do I feel stress when I feel I'm under-prepared?
Do I lack the confidence of my group members to actually complete the tasks at hand?
Do I feel superior to those around me, making their thoughts and opinions obsolete?

Maybe all of the above. I am definitely one to over prepare. There is nothing worse to me than not having a plan. Never will you see me going out on a whim; there is always an itinerary. This could easily be my downfall. All my life I've been told "let loose", "relax", "stop caring so much". I don't know about you, but I was raised to always care and never to run into anything head-on. How do you stand in front of a class, awaiting to begin your discussion, when you don't know the overall feel of the subject at hand? You have no idea what your group members will be discussing, and what views they will take or advocate. You have no idea in what order your slideshow will go in; the overall direction of the discussion is now compromised. How are people comfortable with this approach?!?

I feel that my attributes may also be my downfall. I contemplate most all of my decision and thoughts; over-analyze my situations and roadblocks. I always thought this was a great competency. Who wants to make a decision that will do more harm than good? Then again, how do you learn if you don't make any mistakes? I'm scared to make mistakes, worried to take a step back. Life is all about progression, is it not? This just goes to show how far confidence can take you in life.

It must seem like I could be a Psychology subject. Chapter Four: Discerning the Mind of a College Student.

And now you've learned why I feel compelled to take Psychology in University.

Douglas Adams 1952-2001

Source: Science is a Verb - https://www.facebook.com/ScienceIsAVerb


I had always heard about The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, but blew it off numerous times. It never seemed to have much of an appeal to me. Then again, I really wasn't an avid reader. I only ever managed to finish the Harry Potter series, and spending hours staring at words really didn't spark any emotions.

My roommate, who was just a co-worker at the time, lent me The Hitchhiker's Guide. After just finishing The Hunger Games trilogy, I was craving something to keep that rush going. You know, the rush where you have only two chapters left in a series and your tapping your fingers with angst as to the final outcomes. Suddenly the book is finished, and with it comes a sense of completion but also void.

Finally, after years of deciding that there was always something better, I was reading The Guide. I was glued to it instantly. From the first sentence to the last, my attention could not be drawn away. I brought the book back to my friend. He asks, "looking to borrow the Restaurant", which is the second installment. I look back at him and say with complete confidence, "nope, but I'll take all four from you!"

Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series opened my eyes to many different authors and styles. After finishing them, I immediately dove into Brave New World by Alodus Huxley, and became familiar with Orson Scott Card, George R. R. Martin, and testing the waters of Issac Asimov.

What brings me to talk about Douglas Adams' today is a video I saw on Facebook via Science is a Verb page. This video (link below) was recorded at UCSB, in which Adams' gave a talk about various endangered species, and included origin, adaptation, and eventual demise at the hands of human beings. This talk is called Parrots, The Universe and Everything. He takes a firm Conservationist view on the world and the various situations we see ourselves in.

I noticed something as soon as Adams' begins to discuss his ideas; he writes exactly how he talks. As a casual writer, this blows my mind! I believe this is why he is so successful, and how he brings his own humor and emotion to his work. I feel as if I am reading a new entry into the Hitchhiker's series while I watch this talk.

The last thing that stood out to me was a phrase he mentioned. At 1:11:55 Adams' says ,"We do something with intention. We boil an egg so we can eat it."

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZG8HBuDjgc

Welcome To All!

...including myself! My name is Mathew Couturier, if you cared not to read the sidebar. I created this blog waaaay back in April of 2010. It was a different life for me at that time. As you can tell from my previous and only posts, I was studying as an artist. Specifically, a video game artist.

I was attending classes at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, for Video Game Development. To be honest, it's really not that different than an artist of any other genre. The only difference really comes down to technology. You start your concepts and designs on paper, then transfer to digital.

 I was 21 years old at the time. Picture your typical young adult, believing he has an infinite understanding of the world because he knows it rotates once every 24 hours. That was me, living with my high school sweetheart, in a brand new environment. I had just moved to Toronto after spending 20 years in my hometown of Ottawa. Like most whipped young guys, I picked up and left my life to follow my heart. No, not school, education, or a career, but for a girl. After five years, a broken relationship, a college failure, and a soul feeling lost, I decided to make my way back home.

Now here we are! Or, I should say, here I am. Four years older now (25 in May, 2013), I am currently attending Algonquin College for Police Foundations. I am in my first year, second semester. For the first time in my life, I can say that I made the best decision of my life. The teachers that I've met, the students in my class, and the people that I have met through volunteering and participating in school events have made the  biggest impact on me since my early teenage years. I have learned more from these people than I have from almost everyone I've encountered in my life. If you guys are reading this, thank you!!!

Now, currently attempting to complete my third trial in college, you would think that I have a bit of a grasp as to what I plan for myself. In reality, I still have no idea. It always blows my mind to think all the way back to elementary and high school, when teachers would tell you to prepare for your future career, to figure out what you really want to be, and that you can be whatever you want to be. I have no idea what I want to be!! I'm still stuck on my childhood dream to be an astronaut. To this day, I would offer my life in exchange to spend some time in space. But let's be realistic, why don't we. I am almost math-illiterate, without any understanding of a single physics equation. E=Mc2? Sure, energy equals mass something squared. I've decided that astronomy and physics will always be my hobby, something that will keep me from losing my mind when dealing with all of life's ups and downs.

That leads me to some other areas of interest. One of them is the reason that I have started to blog, Journalism. I've always thought that I was a good writer. I have to give a lot of credit to my current Issues in Diversity professor, Mr. Willis. Our assignments consist of online journals relating to First Nations people and diverse cultures, as well as written Media Report summaries. Essentially, all of our assignments involve research on a topic and a written component explaining the topic researched, including our personal thoughts and opinions. Mid-exam, Mr. Willis approaches my desk. I see a slight tap on the corner of my desk. I look up. Mr. Willis, with a clear and strong voice, says to me, "Mat your journals are excellent. You could be a writer". You watch a lot of these movies where a speech or phrase suddenly inspires the protagonist to do something good or complete a personal goal. That's exactly how I felt in that minute. I took it directly to heart. That one phrase has led me to this blog today. Thanks Mr. Willis!

My other field of choice (at the moment) is Psychology. The brain fascinates me, as I think it should everybody. I've always been awkward in social situations. I find it very very hard to understand people, what they do, why they do it, and why people say the things they do. This is where psychology steps  in. Having the ability to learn how the brain works, from the conscious to the unconscious, is amazing. Fruedian theory also interests me. I am determined to figure out why so many people feel his theories are obsolete.

One thing I plan on accomplishing with this blog is to try and explain, all the while learning, some new scientific concepts in everyday language. I'm a firm believer in self-teaching. Absolutely, you learn extremely well from others every day of your life. If you can teach yourself one thing that you didn't know yesterday, you will live a more complete and understanding life. Not only will you leave this world more intelligent, but you will make every one around you that much more informed.