iPad 2 Just Confirmed Delivery

I know what you're thinking, iPad, why do you need an iPad, I will answer that simply with, "cause it's freakin sweet." Sure the iPad might not be the most necessary $500 purchase for you to make but hey sometimes you have to splurge and treat yourself to something. A lot of people say "iPad is just an oversized iPhone or iPod touch," and I would say, "perhaps the iPhone is an undersized iPad." Okay I'll stop with the question and answer portion, but seriously, yes the iPad might be a bit of a luxury, something I do not NEED right now, but I bought one anyway haha. I'm actually really interested in using it, and not just for playing a blown up version of Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja. There are some functions I am really looking forward to, like tethering it to my HTC Thunderbolt, and the ability to even plug my guitar into the iPad and edit songs on the new Garage Band for iPad. Like I mentioned, it might be totally unnecessary at this point, but I did wait through the release of the original iPad and now I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon

City Shot

New Photo

Bad Teacher

This is something that I think most students can relate to, getting a bad professor. I am currently in a class this semester that simply put is miserable. The professor is a high leveled professor at this University but let me assure you, her ability to teach is lacking. The class is long, haha, lets just say two and half hours feels like forever. Throughout the semester there have been several assignments where she simply has the assignment written on our syllabus but absolutely no explanation or outline of what she wants. It really has soured my opinion on some of the classes at Fordham. It really takes away from the experience that college is supposed to deliver, us students pay a lot of money to attend and learn at an institution like Fordham, and it really is a major let down when a professor who has clearly been here for years has simply stopped caring it seems. Sure she is smart, she is knowledgeable, but is it so hard to comprehend that not everyone is cut out to teach no matter how smart they are. Not everyone is cut out to be a professional athlete, or medical professional, so why think that everyone that gets a Masters Degree or PhD is cut out to teach our nations young people. Bottom line, not everyone is a great teacher and this course has really made my semester less than stellar.

ps Professor Leshi, this is not an entry about you haha

New Photo I Took-HDR Photo Of Keating Hall

New Look and Name

Since I decided to give in to the critics and start using super duper swell grammar, I have decided to clean up the look and change the name of the blog as well. All of us really like it!

*Cast members of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia are in no way affiliated with this blog haha

-john

Giving In :( Haha

So, I like to think of my writing style as something casual, something people can read almost as if they are having a simple conversation with me. As many of my followers and classmates have pointed out I tended to shy away from using proper grammar in my blog, and today I am officially making the transition to proper grammar, per request of many who reviewed my blog.I will even edit some previous posts to bring them up to the grammar code that is drilled into our tiny heads as grade school students.
This brings me to my topic for the day which is the idea of growing up, the fact that last week ws my birthday and I turned a whopping 23 years of age. It finally seems to be hitting me that my days of being a young kid are over, when it comes to reality. I have a simple philosophy that I live by and that is just to be happy, don't let people bring you down. It's important to realize that everyday you live can't be an amazing day. Everyday you wake up can't be a beautiful warm sunny day. People don't realize that you need crappy rainy days, and cold winter nights, so that those beautiful warm days are like paradise to us. Moving forward it's weird to move onto a totally new stage of your life, and whether you want to admit it or not, you tend to leave part of your last stage behind, not everyone and everything can make that transition. I, however, am going to make sure some things stay with me for as long as possible, my best friends from grade school I still am in constant contact with, despite being hundreds of miles away and only seeing each other a few times a year. I also am going to make sure I don't lose my childlike personality and idea of just being happy. One of my good friends has a great quote that we constantly say, "being mature is over-rated." I know, I know, kind of childish but I really do believe the happiest people I know that are adults, really show an immature side to them, now I'm not saying to make fart jokes in the middle of a business meeting, or anything of that nature.
I do think that men especially need sometime to just let loose and be "a kid" again, whether its playing paintball, or going out drinking like you're in college again, no matter how awful you might feel the next day. I really believe that this type of behavior is necessary for men to stay stress free and on top of everything else in their lives. I've met a lot of successful businessmen and a large majority of them seem absolutely miserable, despite being very successful, I guarantee these guys have been acting "proper" and 100% mature for decades and it really an show. Now everything I'm saying here has no scientific support, or any support at all for that matter, but it is simply something I've noticed. You might think, "why the hell would I listen to this guys crazy observations about life?" I mean you don't have to, this is all something I am simply just throwing out there, but just because you might not agree with me, doesn't mean I'm not right.

-john

If You Don't Know Ray Lamontagne, You Should Listen to Him Immediately

NBA Playoffs Rapidly Approaching-Going to Miss Nash

It is coming up on my favorite part of the year. The time of year when the NBA Playoffs begin. These last few weeks of the season have been very exciting, with teams still jostling for playoff position. The top 3 teams in the east, Bulls, Heat, and Celtics are only separated by three games. Personally I don't have an allegiance to one team, I've kind of grown up just enjoying any good basketball game. I was introduced to basketball at the age of 2 and have been hooked ever since. My favorite players have been Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire ever since their years together on the Phoenix Suns. It was a big let down for me when Amare left Phoenix this last summer for the glitz and glam of New York City, but I understand why he moved on and have to say it has been very exciting living in the same city one of your favorite players is playing for. After bringing Carmelo Anthony in late February, the city certainly has been buzzing for New York Knicks basketball for the first time since probably the 1994-1995 seasons when Jordan retired for baseball.
Last season the Phoenix Suns made a great run through the playoffs and made it very exciting for me to root for Nash and Stoudemire, but this year that excitement will be missing. Nash has been my favorite player to watch for almost a decade and I even based my own basketball game off of his. It will be sad for me to watch the playoffs this year without Nash present. The Suns have fallen out of the playoff picture and despite making it to Western Conference Finals last year, they have all ready been eliminated as a playoff team.
Nash isn't getting any younger, at 36 years old, he continues to defy his old age and still play at an incredible level, while still makes his teammates around him shine. Sure the Suns might be out of the playoffs, and not nearly be the team they were a year ago with Stoudemire, but Nash still managed to lead the league in assists this year for the fifth time in seven years. I still think of Nash as being the best offensive point guard in the game, the way he plays the game is unmatched by anyone else in the league, even the chris paul's of the league. The one bright point is that it seems the Suns are finally realizing that Nash probably will need to move on from his franchise player role in Phoenix and help a contender bring a championship home, only question is where will that be; New York, Miami, Dallas, we'll find out this summer.


john

New Photo- Lightning In A Bottle

Click Picture for More

Being Disconnected

So to make an incredibly long boring story shorter I just recently went 5 weeks with no cell phone (not by my choice), and it definitely gave me a totally different look at how things would be if I didn't carry my usual smartphone device.
I have to say that being "disconnected" for those 5 weeks was not all bad. I initially thought that it would be hell, because i'm thinking to myself, "how will I check sports scores when i'm out? How will I keep up to date with what's going on? How will i respond to emails? All these things passed through my head, but ultimately it just hit me that having a phone that can do all that was a major luxury and not a necessity no matter how much I thought it was. It was weird not having a phone, suddenly instead of me texting people and being "connected" to everyone that had my number, I all of sudden was out of touch, people had to work to get in touch with me, which I must say was nice. I would show up at my dorm room after class and have about 5-6 messages on Facebook of people asking me to call them. When I was home for spring break, people had to call my house phone! Yes my landline at my house! I know some people that don't even know their own landline numbers anymore because people just never use them. So after that 5 week period passed I picked up a brand new HTC Thunderbolt and this phone literally is the complete opposite of not having a device. This thing syncs my Facebook and Twitter into one and updates them constantly. It is truly amazing, but not having a device for that long of time was definitely strange but also very cool to experience because it had been so long since I had been disconnected. Like I said, the only advantage is that people have to reach out to you, you do a lot less work finding plans and kind of just get pulled into plans. I must say, it was nice.

Timeless Music

Today's music is without a doubt very different from music 50 years ago, or even 15 years ago for that matter. The age of "pop rap" is upon us and offers poorly constructed lyrics with a catchy beat and chorus. Don't get me wrong some music put out today is great, there are some truly great musicians out there, but do you think the music that is being put out right now will survive the test of time similarly to lets say The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, or the Rolling Stones? I really hope everyone just answered "no" in their heads. The artists I just listed are among the legends of rock n roll and music in general, Bob Dylan's second album, first album with 100% all original songs, "The Freewheelin Bob Dylan," which did I mention is a classic, featured such songs as "Blowin In the Wind,"(which was famously written by Dylan in just ten minutes), "Don't Think Twice It's Alright," and "Girl From The North Country," all make up this great album that was released in May of 1963, and did I mention Dylan wrote it when he was at the just so tender age of 22, truly amazing.
I really feel that 60's and 70's era was THE era of music, THE era of pure expression through art. That is why you see these amazing artists last 30, 40, even 50 years, and surviving generation after generation. The crazy fact is when our parent's (the baby boom generation) are old and grey they will be playing classics like The Beatles "Hey Jude" or Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man," and thirty years later much of our generation will be too.

john

Back From A Short Break

hello all, back from spring break..very relaxing time

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez

Doing Their Own Thing..But People Continue To Hate On Them

so recently two people who have been in the news and just been getting bad mouthed is of course charlie sheen, the loud mouthed, drug addict, who did i mention is hilarious in two and half men. the other guy who i think gets alot of flack that he doesnt deserve is everyone's favorite boy toy justin beiber..haha alot of people will question me on that one but if you look at it the two people are quite similar. both are just living there life like they want to doing what makes them happy. now for bieber that is singing girly songs and attracting girls as young as 11 and as old as 27, sheen is doing the same, just what he loves, which in his case happens to be drugs, hookers, booze, ect..basically his character from two and half men has passed through to reality. anyway i dont understand how people can criticize these folks, when they are clearly happy with things, if you want to criticize sheen for spending thousands of dollars on drugs and hookers, go ahead, if you wanna call bieber a "bitch" and make fun of him for prancing around on stage, fine do it, but realize bieber is prob making more money this year than you will in the next 10 and sheen is just being sheen, so remember this the next time you're about to do something stupid or lame, would you want people judging you..i think not

Some Pictures I Took

ClIck the Photo For More

Unlocked Phones- Moving America More Towards Europe's Mobile Model

Will the Google Nexus One Self-Destruct Android?

Leading up to the release of the Google Nexus One, many have wondered if by creating their own device is Google putting a self-destruct timer on their coveted Android platform. My thinking is that it will maybe cause a split in some partnerships but ultimately Google will hang on to their most valued partners. Around many of the forums I have looked into many people have asked recent purchasers of the Motorola Droid if they will get envious of this new “Google Phone?” Many have answered, “No.” The Nexus one will have a 3.7 in OLED display and will run Google newest version of Android 2.1, while the Droid has 3.7 in non-OLED display, and runs Android 2.0.1. All in all the Nexus One isn’t that big of step up from the Moto Droid. Sure the Nexus does pack a super fast 1 GHz Snap Dragon Processor, but software wise 2.1 isn’t that much better than 2.0.1. As for the rest of the Android ecosystem the Nexus One might put a little dent but nothing crazy that won’t be repaired with future device releases. The Nexus will be released initially on T-Mobile’s network (kind of a downer) but will come to Verizon in the spring of 2010 (very excited). However, being a Droid owner myself, I am not finding myself being in anyway mad at Google about my purchase of the Droid. The Droid is a great phone and other great phones are the horizon everyday that improves on present day technology. Google is making a huge effort to totally transform the way Americans go about purchasing cell phones and their plans, and making changes to such an established market is going to have its rough patches, but Google is trying to keep all partners happy. CEO of Motorola was even on Stage with Google and HTC at the Nexus One release and more importantly, on the Google.com/Phone website there is a Verizon option that is not yet available but underneath it reads “Can’t wait for your Verizon Nexus One? Click here.” That click here link brings you directly to the Motorola Droid’s page on Verizon’s website.

            Therefore as you can see Google is doing its best to make everyone happy. Like I said trying to make major changes to an all ready established process will have its bumps but what Google is trying to do, releasing unlocked phones, letting you choose what phone you want and what service provider to choose is an amazing idea and would totally revolutionize the cell phone industry. 

Great Up and Coming Film Makers

I know you have a minute..so watch!!

LUNCH - Rocky Mountain Fun from Mike Dempsey on Vimeo.


LUNCH - Mike Dempsey from Mike Dempsey on Vimeo.

Bob Dylan

Ads

Does anybody else think that online ads during videos being played online is getting a little ridiculous

Song Of the Week

This will be a small segment that I will share once a week..this week's song is....

A great quality video of Jimi Hendrix playing "Hey Joe" at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival..enjoy

Photos By A Friend of Mine (Mike Dempsey)

Everyone should take a quick break from facebook and check out my buddies flickr account..go now, do it

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45965543@N03/

Quick Tech Review-Google Maps Navigation Beta

           So I finally have gotten a chance to try out and test the newly released Google Maps Navigation, and let me just say I am impressed. Google has Garmin and Nuvi shaking in their boots about this very exciting release. I put my Droid into the Motorola made Car dock and the Droid obviously fits nice and snug, and the massive 3.7inch bright screen makes viewing the Navigation application a pleasurable experience. The app also comes with Google’s voice recognition software that actually works amazingly well. I press the voice command button and say, “navigate to J. Crew,” (because as you know I have to stay stylish) a list of the closest stores pops up as the Navigation app launches, I choose my desired destination and I’m off.
        My first Impression of the software was that it was very visually pleasing. I previously owned a $150 or so Garmin and the look of the software on it was very “pixely” and choppy. The Google Maps look is a lot easier to use and work with. As I continued driving I realized I had become rather parched and was hoping to find a place I could stop off to get a drink and perhaps a bite to eat. Hitting the Layers button in the Menu allowed me to add a number of different “layers,” such as Gas Stations and ATM’s and Banks, and Restaurants. It was so perfect how the UI of the app was designed. Another great but subtle feature is in the bottom left corner there is a light that is either lit up green, yellow, or red which represents the traffic for the route you have entered. If the light is red there is the option to re-route even before you come in contact with the traffic. As my drive continued the voice of the person did get somewhat annoying being it sounds like a very old fashion robot, but honestly it’s a small small price to pay for this app, and did we forget to mention it’s FREE! About to arrive at my destination Google Nav gives me a street view of my destination just incase I don’t know what it looks like, which is another great help.
      All in all the app worked great, I know some people have complained of the app telling them to turn onto one-way streets, but I’m sure those tiny kinks will be worked out in version 1.0 because remember this is a beta; To sum up, owners of Motorola Droids, or Nexus One’s or whatever other hacked device that might have this app, be happy and grateful Google is giving something so great away for free. Until next time

johnnb

cold

walked around the city for a little bit yesterday..can it seriously get any colder

Starting Up

first post for the new blog..just saying hello