The Luxuries of Summer

It's been quite a while since I have decided to write something about anything. This summer has been an interesting one. Working the least I probably ever have in my life had left me with those extra hours everyone wishes they had to do those self-inspiring actions, like: walking around in your underwear, sleeping in until 1200, and generally doing fuck all. Yes, this has been my summer! All those conversations about taking summer French courses, attempting the gym everyday, working towards future essentials like security and firearms licenses have all washed down like the tall can of Mad Tom I'm drinking now. If you have never tried Muskoka Breweries Mad Tom IPA, go now. Hit your local Beer Store or LCBO (if you're in Quebec, depanneur; in the States, the store (is it even available in the US?)) and drink back that can of smooth, bitter, and downright delicious beverage.

But that's what summer is all about right? Enjoying the warm, humid, sticky weather with a brew or two at your local patio, friends in tow. When really I'd rather be sitting in a classroom with like-minded people interested in learning the knowledge of the past and the inventions of the future. Don't get me wrong, there will still be brews and BBQ's. I guess to cut it short, I miss the pace of always having to be somewhere at sometime, doing something.

Now we've come full circle. Remember at the start of our conversation. I had mentioned my interest in taking summer courses or introducing myself to new hobbies. This is the mind of a 25 year old college student still lost in the least puzzling, straight maze called life. Is it lack of an achievement or goal oriented mind? Extreme laziness? Low esteem and/or confidence? I'll figure it out one day.

So, I have instead decided to submerse myself in some modern entertainment: music, movies, TV, and video games.

Music

Daft Punk - Random Access Memory
This is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. Solid from start to finish. I feel this is the most "pop" like album from Daft Punk. This album will, if it hasn't already, expand Daft Punk's fan base. My all-time favorite album is Alive 2007. Sure. it's a live album. But it's so raw and aggressive, keeping the funk flowing through you for an hour and a quarter.

Kanye West - Yeezus
Horrible. I'm gonna do what I did with 808's & Heartbreaks, never listen to it again. What happened Yeezy?

Cosmograf - The Man Left in Space
My new favorite album. Everyone who knows me would probably think I like this album solely do to its content matter; space. This is a prog-rock album, bringing you back to the days of Pink Floyd and Zeppelin. It's solid, with some psychedelic solo's with a slower tempo. I lose myself to this album every time it is on.

Movies

The Thing (1982)
Your standard trapped in an isolated area with a monster afoot horror movie. It was enjoyable, with Kurt Russel showing us his toned down version of Snake from Escape from New York.

Forbidden Planet (1956)
This movie has made me appreciate older films. Great concept with intergalactic colonies and ancient alien races. With the technology we have today, why can't writers create great story lines such as this and integrate them. If they story isn't good, the visuals don't matter!

Blade Runner (1982)
Harrison Ford strikes again. At least I believe it's Harrison Ford. I'm too lazy to use the Google feature, and would rather get embarrassed web wide instead.

Brazil (1985)
Think Monty Python mixed with some twisted and delusional ideas.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
This was a good movie! There seemed to be a lack of climax nearing the end of the movie though. It's actually a plausible scenario if you think about it.

Gattaca (1997)
One of my top ten movies to date. The storyline really hit home. Maybe not being genetically altered or a superior being. but the willingness to go to such lengths to achieve a dream in the stars.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Awesome.

Mad Max I, II, III

Primer

The War of the Worlds (1953)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Sorry, I'm not linking them all.

TV

Game of Thrones S3
Falling Skies S3

Video Games

Skyrim
The Last Remnant
Final Fantasy IX
Warframe
Tomb Raider
NHL 13

Milky Way Interactive Map

This is an interactive star map of our galaxy, the Milky Way. You can zoom in and out of not only our own solar system, but 119 617 nearby stars. There is a tour functionality that will bring you to our star, and help you to visualize a light year. You can click on any star in the map, and details as to the star's heat, history of discovery, and where you can find it in the sky will appear.


100 000 Stars Interactive Map


The app is called 100 000 Stars. This is a brilliant tool created by SeeingStructure from Visual.ly. You can click any of those links to bring you directly to the developer's page, homepage, and the app itself.



Source: SeeingStructure (http://visual.ly/100000-stars); 100 000 Stars (http://workshop.chromeexperiments.com/stars/)

CAT ATTACK SPECIAL EDITION!

Today is a special edition of Cat Attack. This one goes out to my friend who seemed to have a horrible Easter weekend. No one deserves to have a bad Easter weekend. Lent is over, and you can finally reattach yourself  to the one thing you gave up, even though it had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. How can you go wrong??

 Hope this cheers you up!!! What is it? Why, CATS X 5!!!

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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.