The Meta-Post

     So, this was an interesting requirement for a class to have. Blogs could sometimes be fun, but it was occasionally stressful trying to meet the one per week requirement in addition to doing everything else. That said, I really enjoyed it. My blogs weren't the most read that's for sure, but hey maybe someone found something useful at some point.

     A few of the assigned videos/blogs were a little confusing, but hey everything has its downsides. Believe it or not, the hardest part was coming up with ideas once a week. I don't like thinking that often it's way too much pressure on my brain. That's also why my final blog is this boring, and why some of the other ones were occasionally small-scale and "bleh" for readability.

     In any case, it was mostly fun, pretty creative, and way more interesting than most of the other assignments I've had.

Capitalism's biggest Isuue

Notice: I'm not a Communist, but nothing is perfect.

"Better, Faster, Harder, Stronger"

     Daft Punk sums up the goals of most capitalists pretty well: build everything we can better, build it faster, and make it harder and stronger at the same time. And, frankly, that's fantastic for progress. It puts people on the moon, it creates computers, it created the internet, the smart phone, the yada-yada and the blobbity-blabbity. In a time period where discovering things has become far harder than ever, we humans have been able to keep pace at least partially in thanks to it.

Notice 2: Yes, the USSR made it to space first. Yes, they were (extremely technically) communist. However, the actions of the USSR were in competition with the USA, and competition is definitely a concept that applies more to capitalism.

However, capitalism has (in addition to some obvious human rights problems it's caused) a major issue as a concept. 

Here's a chart from my favorite industry:

That chart shows a few problems. Most importantly, it's similar to the beginning of this chart

Recognize the importance of that title? (Notice: It's the number of employees because this is the graph that fits the timeline I'm looking for) The crash of the automobile industry in Detroit. OK, stay with me for one more chart:

     Other than agriculture and goods that absolutely require replacement over a certain time, every industry in America has followed this trend. 

     So, what does this mean? It shows that industries push production much further than demand holds. One of the causes of the Depression, the overproduction of crops, was exactly this. Businesses in capitalism are encouraged to maintain constant growth instead of simply maintaining the delicate balance of supply and demand. Instead of simply holding production steady, business invest massive amounts of marketing to try to appeal to more people. Where this wouldn't be a problem if these products only lasted a short time, it becomes a massive problem when products last the entire lives of their users or even longer. 

Normally, signs of the inevitable failure of production are about the same no matter what the industry: limited real advances in the product (occasionally in comparison to other companies: in the Detroit collapse a big factor was the higher fuel efficiency of competing brands that produced elsewhere), slowing growth of sales (this should be expected, but almost always comes as a surprise somehow), and consumers continuing to use older products from the same category instead of upgrading to obtain the newer products.

Why does this matter? Because somewhere around 90% of all production follows these unsustainable growth charts, and the world economy is definitely not in the best state right now.  

First Woman to Enter the Boston Marathon

I really...don't have a reaction to this. I realized sexism was and is a massive problem, but I also know we have progressed pretty far from the former crappiness of society. I was surprised that the runners themselves were apparently nice until the weird ogre dude tried to chase her down to be honest. In any case, huzzah for women's rights.

None of this surprised me. I was glad the runners were nice, the bad treatment wasn't anything unexpected from the time period, her feeling pressured to make it to prove women can is a typical reaction to anything like that. I'm not a very emotional person, but this really didn't have any particular impact on me.

Are Humans Good or Bad?

     To answer very simply: No.  

  I definitely hate that there's no "middle ground" when we write or discuss something in school. Seriously, conflict resolution does NOT work like that, stop teaching us how to bicker and fail at working things out like every past generation did and congressmen do now. Anyway though, that's a topic for another time.

     So, humans, are we good or evil? Everyone has a different take on this, because no one can objectively say what good and evil are. Let me answer this question with some more questions: Is a dog panting to cool down good or evil? Is a panther eating some cute fluffy thing evil? Is the common cold evil?

     Whether you take God out of the equation or not, every cell, virus, and organism adapted to live in its specific environment, and takes the actions best suited to ensuring its survival in that environment. Every individual human instinctively does what they (through genetic experience) feel is the best way to survive: such actions can neither be classified as good or bad.

     One of the most common(ly criticized) statements that "proves" humans are bad is that unlike every other animal, we have nuclear bombs and flamethrowers and napalm and other things that explode or make fire and that we use them on each other, but animals don't. To counter this, anyone who has seen a video about nature knows that animals almost always compete with each other for resources. Even if we don't need the resources of another human we are currently fighting, humans don't like taking risks. Anything added to the dragon horde ensures another winter or two, and that is the unbeatable subconscious justification every human who seeks war has.

Now, typically, the biggest argument for humans being good is that we often have charities and try to fix our mistakes. After all, the fact that we develop concepts of "good" and "evil" in our own perspectives means that we at least try to be good right?

Maps of human populations counter this easily. Humans are "herd" animals; we stick together to keep faster and stronger animals from kiling us. To have a herd; however, at least some number of people need to stay alive. So, we care for each other with the expectation (at least subconsciously) that it will benefit us.

Humans. We're mammals. We compete for resources, try to survive through the winter, and try to keep the herd alive so that we all survive. There's nothing good or bad about it, it's just the way life is.

10 Interesting Things About Shakespeare

1. No one knows Anything about His Personal Life

Shakespeare is and was this super-duper famous dude, so we definitely know everything about him right? Yeah, turns out we don't know anything about him. We know when a William Shakespeare was baptized, but can't even guarantee it's the same William Shakespeare. Pretty much everything we know about him is based on the smallest amounts of evidence.

2. He and His Team Tore Down and Moved Their Entire Theater

There were three Globe theaters total before the Puritans made life awful and ended it. Due to a dispute between the builder of the first one and its landlord, Shakespeare and company had to tear down and relocate the entire structure while the landlord was away for Christmas.

3. We probably Spell Shakespeare's Name Wrong

Shakespeare's signatures never had the exact spelling that we think of nowadays, and other people referred to him with over eighty different similar names. People currently believe parts of it mean "brandish" and "spear" and refer to someone who is very confrontational.

4.  Shakespeare Wrote his Own Epigraph

Shakespeare is buried in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, his hometown, and he left an epigraph that cursed anyone messing with his bones. Surprisingly, it's worked so far, and no one has disturbed it. Here's the epigraph.

5. Shakespeare was a Good Businessman

Unsurprisingly, Shakespeare made some serious moo-lah from his plays. Surprisingly, he didn't blow all of it. He apparently owned a large amount of property, and even formed a joint-stock company with his actors so that he would make more money from his plays.

6. Shakespeare Invented Swag(ger)

Hate everything modern? Yeah, you can blame swag on Shakespeare. The first time swagger appeared was in Henry V, and it became shorter with time.

7. Shakespeare is Technically Responsible for an Airplane Crash

A long time ago, a Shakespeare fanatic named Eugene Scheffelin brought every bird that happened to  in Shakespeare's plays to Central Park, and when a plane tried to take off, it flew into a cloud of them and crashed. So it's at least partially attributable to Shakespeare.

8. Shakespeare's Wife was Pregnant When he Married Her

Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, was in a definite hurry to get married, as she was 3 months into her preganancy when the wedding happened. Shakespeare had to be scandalous in every way didn't he?

9. Shakespeare was Nearly Arrested

Even though his plays probably faced some legal issues occasionally, Shakespeare got in trouble for more than that. He apparently traded in wool and, even though he wrote The Merchant of Venice, he also lent out money illegally.

10. One of his Relatives was Executed

One of Shakespeare's relatives, William Arden, was arrested for plotting against the queen, thrown in the Tower of London for a while, then executed. Apparently scandal runs in his blood.

Biggest Problems with English Classes

1. Outdated Works

     A specific work I can remember from English class is "Success is Counted Sweetest" by Emily Dickinson. Long story short, the meaning is that people who don't have certain things know the things better than those who have them. Meanwhile, the song "Let Her Go" by Passenger expresses the exact same concept through a medium that teenagers, the people required to take the classes, actually care about and would listen to. Sure, in many cases, there aren't many options to express certain points, but why is it that we haven't looked at a single thing written within the last forty years? People haven't stopped making art or writing books, so why have the programs stopped being updated with the times?

2. Lacking Types of Works

Actually, we haven't ever gone over any songs in English class. It's not like they're written in French or Chinese, and a lot of the time they have some interesting points. Admittedly, I am a fan of 80's music, so my first specific thought for this was "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon. He made the song in direct violation of the UN's attempts to prevent the spread of culture from South Africa during Apartheid, and the song very clearly has meaning. A newer example, "Little Talks" (one of those "know it when you hear it" songs) might or might not tell the story of a woman slowly losing her memories. The exact notes of a song don't usually need looked at to understand its meaning. I won't go into detail on TV shows or movies, but some things are better expressed in these mediums. A character's facial expression is worth a thousand words describing how they feel. 

3. Teaching That Compromise is Bad

Students usually think mock trials and debates are the most fun (or at least interesting) parts of class, but even these hold some massive issues. These teach students that the way to figure out the best solution to a problem is not by calm compromise, but by using various methods of propaganda and loud voices to "prove" that their point is correct. This is what congressmen do right now, and it obviously does not work. At all. Being the more persuasive speaker shouldn't matter, working out problems in a way that actually works should. Even in essays, students frequently have to pick one side of an argument and ignore the negatives of that side instead of trying to fix them. 

4. Massive Differences Between Teaching Levels

Though this may only occur at some schools, it remains a massive issue (and I've accepted that this blog likely won't become massively famous in the future). As someone who has tutored various people in various classes, I feel justified in saying that the difference between honors and other levels of English classes seems massive compared to other classes. Where the difference between my current math class and the Level II classes is around a month's worth of materials, and history classes simply seem less in-depth at lower levels, proofreading essays for lower levels feels like I'm looking at essays from people who skipped entire years of school (I've read essays from younger honors students and from fairly dedicated level two students). The worst part is that even considering this, guidance doesn't seem to have anyone looking for tutors in English. In addition, I've never seen any Level II students win any essay competitions, in all seven years I've known about them (though again, ). The readings different levels do vary massively; the level two class reads books in ninth grade that honors students don't read until much later, and vice versa. This likely has some explanation, but if so no one has ever told me what it is.

    

Fictional Characters I Relate To

Two words: Awkward. Nerds. Even if it's gradually changing, that was my personality for a long time, so those are the characters in anything that I relate to. The biggest ones are probably Dipper Pines (from Gravity Falls) and Doctor Doom (He's a different type of awkward). So, let's go over why.

Dipper

If you have seen the show, you probably think I'd go with Mabel (she wears cat t-shirts), but I think Dipper is more fitting. For those of you who haven't seen the show, Dipper is pretty much made to be relatable to nerds. He's a twelve year old with a crush on a fifteen year old, a very smart kid everyone ignores because he always sounds crazy/stupid, and he constantly tries to fit in with a group of cool kids. Like I said, he's written to be relatable, and his awkwardness around girls specifically is almost a perfect match.

Dr. Doom

No, I don't want to conquer the world, and no I don't mean him in any of the awful movies. In the comics (the ultimate nerd phrase amirite?), Doom is a super genius who has time and dimension travelled to literally every single possible timeline with human life. What he saw? There is no version of earth that is happy unless he is the absolute ruler. That said, he really doesn't have to be such a jerk about it. Anyone who's ever worked with me on anything ever will likely support that I don't trust anyone else to do any work, but to be fair I don't kill anyone who doesn't agree with me, and I can't time travel. He's still the most relatable character in any comic universe I've come across, because frankly in such a position I'd likely act the same way.       

Apple vs Windows/Android

     Apple sucks. Before anyone can get their pitchforks sharpened, I mean the company because everything they do is overpriced. That said, even I have to admit that they make some good stuff. But, when is that stuff actually useful? Come to think of it, when is Windows stuff useful? Or Android?

What? You don't care? Too bad, I have due dates.

Computers

Windows - Even if you love Apple, odds are you have a Windows computer somewhere in your house. Windows computers offer the biggest variety of software, have the most customizability, and, most importantly, can play video games. Windows desktop systems (unlike Apple and the extremely few that exist featuring Android) are (usually) fully upgradeable and customizable when hardware needs reworked. Windows computers also always have the best hardware available, because as soon as something is released it can be shoved into a preexisting computer. Support is usually pretty good, with DIY guides for basically whatever you want if the actual support is terrible.

Apple - Somehow or another, Apple makes the best equipment for creating and editing videos and photos even though all of its computers have absolutely shameful components. So if you're using it for that, good job. However. Other than a few minor repairs, fixing something wrong with a computer by Apple is either impossible, or actually is impossible. In addition, for anything other than video creation (which apparently involves magic), Apple computers are behind Windows computers. Mac Pros, for example, still use a processor type from a few years ago, even with the pretty major advancements made in that time.

Android - For now, these really aren't that common and don't actually really have any audience that isn't covered by the other two. So I'll go over Linux instead! It's practically the same thing anyway. Linux is actually a really, really no-frills system. Like, if every operating system was a pizza, Apple would be a non-customizable special with gold flakes, Windows would be a standard anything you want, and Linux would be a handful of tomatoes, some wheat, and a pig to cut into pepperoni. It's fairly complicated, but believe it or not, Apple's operating system is built off of this. For people who aren't even nerdier than I am, Ubuntu is one of the more popular free linux-based operating systems, and, well, it works.

Phones

Windows - No.

Okay fine. Windows phones are a thing that exist because Microsoft wanted money basically, and currently none of them are recommendable to anyone. The only possible benefit is that they can connect more thoroughly with other Windows things, but even that isn't going very well.

Apple - Once again, amazing low-spec devices. This time around though, they actually get the job done. Other than terrible battery life and an expectably stupid price, they match pretty much every other smart phone in every way. They don't have certain interesting options (like NFC and other various doo-hickeys), but they can make and take calls. Also, it was recently found out that Apple devices are as a whole way more secure than Androids, most manufacturers stop putting out updates for their Android devices relatively quickly which makes them vulnerable to hacking. However, if you don't store your credit information on your phone ,that really isn't a big issue at all.

Android - These are almost literally infinitely customizable software-wise. If it's not available on your device, you can hack it to look like another one. You can also force updates, and do pretty much anything else you want. With all the models out there, it's also pretty likely you'll find one with a feature set perfect for you.

Tablets

Anroid and Apple are pretty much the same as their phones on these, Apple has three main options with a few generations for each, there are a bunch of different Android options and they all have super customability.

Windows - The Surface series is the windows attempt at a tablet, but there are a few two-in-ones that sort of fit here too. These are actually interesting, because they have desktop and laptop grade processers with the full power those offer (which is a lot.) That said, they're hit or miss. I've used a first gen Surface Pro, and it had basically every problem a computer could have. In addition, they lose the main reason to buy anything with Windows on it which is customability; they can't be upgraded at all period. The power is (like Apple desktops) useful for content creators though.

Wearables

Windows - It's a fitbit with a bigger screen and a smaller battery.

Apple - It's really expensive and doesn't have an always-on option, but it's useful for a smartwatch.

Android - Interesting thing here, the processor in (almost all, the original moto 360 is the only exception from an actual brand) of these is a snapdragon 600. In human terms: the same processor in a galaxy s4. Basically, they're as powerful as most android phones and only a little less powerful than even the newest ones. 

Pebble - Weeklong batter life, solid features, lacks power and looks bad, 

All right, that's a description of the major types of things you can use. If you read this far, congratulations, you deserve a cookie. Go ahead and grab one. 

The Things I most Look Forward to in Life

1. Travel - Assuming we don't nuke everywhere into a parking lot, I raelly want to explore the world for a few reasons. First and most important of those: imitation food SUCKS. Iwant to order from restaraunts that don't focus on making the food look authentic, just making food that tastes good. Also, other countries have some pretty views I guess.

2. Feeling Productive - I realize that I probably won't be the president or a super famous actor, but even moving boxes for a company feels more productive than doing school work, which we constantly chuck into recycle bins and trash cans everywhere. I accept the value of high school and know that it prepares me to be a productive member of society, but it still stinks really badly.

3. Choosing what my house looks like - We have a console TV. For those of you who don't know what that is, it qualifies as an antique and is a a giant wooden box with a screen. I want more of an open floor plan in my house whenever I get one, and my furniture wil be "function over form" for sure.

4. Not needing to ask everyone for eveything - This isn't like the "complete freedom" that teens stereotypically and idealistically want. I just want the capability to buy $5 things off of ebay without needing to wait a few hours for someone to get home, drive a few minutes to someone's house or a movie without needing to check six different schedules and calling four people a thousand times each to make sure I can.

5. Controlling My Own Diet - "Oh, you're too thin! SHOVE ALL OF THIS FOOD INTO YOUR MOUTH RIGHT NOW!!!" Believe it or not, I don't want a diet of only Reese's peanut butter cups and Hershey bars. I just want to not have people yell at me for not feeling like inhaling eight plates of pasta.     

Privacy and Freedom or Security?

     So recently, the website Reddit removed a very special clause from the so-called "transparency report" it published this year called a "Warrant Canary." I know, neither of those terms mean anything to most of you, and Reddit probably means very little to you as well. Here's a replacement phrase you might've heard of: Gag Order. That's basically what the removal says: the government took user's data from Reddit, and it isn't supposed to tell people.

     OK, so something happened with the government that Reddit isn't allowed to talk about, big deal right? Well, YES. IT IS A BIG DEAL. The removal of the clause is the ONLY legal way Reddit is allowed to tell people that the government asked for data about its users. Until recently, someone given a secret request by the data couldn't even tell their lawyers about it. If that sounds unconstitutional, that's because the entire CONCEPT is.

     Federal agencies (usually the NSA, which of course has never done anything sketchy. Ever.) is allowed to do this through the parts of George Bush's Patriot Act, which has received partial extensions overtime, though other parts have been removed because seriously even the government occasionally realizes something is stupid.

     So, here's the real point this issue brings up: terrorism obviously exists and terrorists obviously kill people, but at what point does protecting against it cause more harm than good? Every citizen of the United States has a certain set of unalienable rights....but apparently "unalienable" only applies when there aren't threats.

Fun fact: The British were fought by people who counted as "threats." "Threats" keep a government in check and make sure that it doesn't use its power in any unjust ways. Sure, this time the threat really does give the people of the nation a reason to fear, but what is the insurance worth?

"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees" - Emiliano Zapato, Mexican Revolutionary  

Foundations Vol. II

     I sighed after he passed by me. He looked familiar, but I had no idea where I'd seen him before. It was just something about him...his eyes maybe? The shape of his face? I had better things to worry about. "Couldn't even have given me a dollar," I said to myself, "I guess I'll have to wait and get more another time." I sighed again, then stood up. The biggest issue with my homelessness had always been the boredom. I could always scavenge some food up from somewhere, and my car's heater kept me warm enough, but the boredom killed me. So, like almost every other homeless guy I met, I turned to drugs.
     I know the look you're giving me right now, so before you say anything else let me just say that you don't have the SLIGHTEST idea of exactly how boring being homeless is. I had a job, I never had any problems with staying alive, but I could only sleep so much, and every day has twenty-four hours. I worked as a cashier in a Mcdonald's; Before my boss fired me from my office job, I was actually just another desk jockey working nine-to-five.
     So let me explain how I became homeless; my roommate's check bounced and my landlord didn't legally have to tell me. That's it. That's the whole reason. Dumb right? To be fair, I couldn't have covered both payments anyways, so it's not like it would've made a difference. Of course, I couldn't find a place with a shower until I got used to being homeless, and eventually people at work started complaining at the stench. Boom, the boss man fired me.
     Okay, now back to the drugs. I met this one guy, everyone I knew called him Tim. He was kind of a prick, but he had good weed, and that was all that mattered. Never tried to kill me either, so we gradually became friends. I asked him a ton of stuff about his life, and apparently the first time he started drinking when he was twelve because his parents were abusive and his life spiralled out of control from there.
      Him telling me about his childhood always made me think of my own. I never saw my parents much, they were always busy working and trying to get by. They were always pressed for cash and worried about the next payday, almost all of my clothes were bought in a yearly trip to the Salvation Army, etc. Dad died a few years ago of a heart attack, and Mom and I haven't talked since. I kinda miss her, but it's my own fault that I can't see her without feeling guilty. According to my brother Aaron, she's doing all right. Maybe I should see about a vacation to visit them and apologize for everything...

Why All the Presidential Candidates Suck

     Answer this truthfully, are any of the candidates for the election this year actually "good"? Do any of them really seem like the ideal president? The next JFK, the next Reagan, the next Roosevelt? No, they all just really rock at not being good. So why did we go from people like Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, George H. Bush, and John McCain, all of whom were at least respectable individuals, to people like Donald Racist Trump, Benjamin Sleepy Carson, and Hillary E-mails Clinton, who are basically just competing for "Least Bad"?

     First of all, the candidates are the only thing that got worse. The media did. Originally, something done by a president/candidate only made the news if it were absolutely horrendous by the standards of the time. The first Clinton was nearly impeached, Nixon made Watergate happen, Reagan funded a terrorist organization. Nowadays, Hillary's shoes didn't match her shirt. Trump's hair makes the news more often than every other candidate combined. Everything each of them says is recorded and makes it to Twitter in about two minutes. However, humans generally aren't entertained by knowing the "good" things about other humans.

     Ben Carson was the first person in all of literally ever to successfully separate conjoined twins (which took a ridiculous amount of planning, time, and knowledge), then did it again just because he wanted to. Meanwhile he's known as the dumbest candidate (admittedly his political experience and knowledge are lacking, but still calling a neurosurgeon dumb is...well...dumb.) The media's portrayal is everything nowadays, and that is why Trump holds such a massive advantage over the other candidates.

     How many of the candidates have been on television more than five times before they ran for office? This one doesn't need Google: Hillary has some experience from being first lady, and Trump has actually been on television shows way too much. This is why, of all the candidates, he seems most honest: most people have heard him talk in a "real life" setting before, and he sounds the same now. Hillary never became actually famous, and no one's heard the other candidate's viewpoints before, so they can't know if the candidates are telling the truth. This also explains why Jeb Bush was doomed from the start: everyone knew his brother's viewpoints and nobody likes him now that he's out of office.

      Secondly, the main candidates are actually awful by comparison. Sure, Bush wasn't the sharpest tool in the white shed (being my personal least favorite president yet), but he was at least patriotic, good at getting attention, experienced with Washington due to his father, and able to rally people behind 9/11 well. Carson's smart, but he's not good at getting attention (the rest goes for most of the candidates who didn't do well). Hillary's experienced, but she had a massive e-mail scandal. And Trump is Trump.    
   
     Lastly, none of the recent candidates have been important compared to past politicians. What's the absolute biggest issue of this election? Maybe ISIS, maybe the economy, but it's really just the same old stuff. Obama had the recession (the economy may be down, but it's slowly getting better,) Bush had the Iraq War. Any memorable presidents had MASSIVE issues to handle when they got in office, and the public until recently had a longer attention span, so it makes sense that they would be more cautious about certain topics for a while after they occurred (y'know...that gives me an idea for another post...). Trump, interestingly enough, completely solved the problem of not having a problem by making a problem: his wall and deportation policies makes it seem like illegal immigration will doom the entire country forever. Creating such an issue drew positive attention to him from people who think it's a problem. He's the only candidate who actually promises major developments people with viewpoints similar to his, and everyone else is too divided among the other options to present real competition.

     Okay, I'm done with this so I don't give myself carpal tunnel any earlier than I have to or bore you guys to death. I hope this gave at least a few people some insight into the election.

Donald Trump (Except the Wall and Muslims)

     The ethics of what Donald Trump wants to do if he gets into office are quite love-it-or-hate-it, but no one seems to talk about anything he'll do that doesn't involve Muslims or Mexicans. So, naturally, as one of the biggest haters of Trump and his supporters in the school, my first reaction to his website was to think it was...honestly not the worst thing ever. I know right? I thought I'd hate it too. Sure his slogan's everywhere, but at least the url doesn't take you to another candidates site. Let's work though his positions in order:

Healthcare

      Healthcare reforms are fun. Every Republican hates Obamacare, every Democrat hates...every Republican and therefore anything that isn't Obamacare. So of course he wants rid of it, and honestly, even though I think Obamacare was a step in the right direction that had a ton of unfortunate issues, I can agree to that simply to remove the controversy and get SOMETHING worked out. Other than this, The biggest parts of Trump's healthcare reform are basically like this:

1. Allow interstate healthcare - I honestly wasn't aware this was illegal, but making it legal is a fantastic idea, ESPECIALLY in Pennsylvania with all the issues about UPMC and Highmark. Usually, just encouraging competition between firms isn't enough to reduce prices by any worthwhile amount, but when 49 extra states-worth of companies are available for choosing, the effects would definitely matter. 

2. Requiring price transparency from all healthcare providers - if Trump becomes president and your doctor looks more tired than usual, this might be why. Though another excellent idea that would at least prevent the shock of a bill after someone's sick, this could prove to be ridiculously hard to calculate in many cases. Assuming that would be taken into consideration though, two points for Trump. 

3. Let states handle Medicaid - Here's where we start falling apart. Though not a bad idea on paper, some state governments have a tendency to suck really, really badly at doing...well...anything. Admittedly though, this would allow access to some resources the federal government could (if we're lucky) use better.  

4. Letting foreign products into the US market - This really shocked me, and honestly made me doubt that Trump actually hates everyone that isn't American (...a little). Though frankly I'm not sure how big of a benefit this would have, it's certainly at least a little beneficial. The FDA will need more inspectors, and medicines from other countries would get FDA-tested so people from those countries would know that they're safe too. 

Veteran-Care Reforms

For those of you who don't know, the VA is extremely sucky. Tons of veterans die from poor treatment, the administator's have taken advantage of company funding more than usual, and most employees hate it.

1. Increase funding for PTSD, brain injuries, and suicide prevention services for veterans - This....works? I mean, it's not bad, but it definitely isn't specific at all. Every politician promises something or other like this.

2. Increase funding for job training and stuff like that - Again, not a bad idea, just really vague. 

3. Transform the VA to meet the needs of 21st century veterans - Again with the vagueness, but in this one it matters much more. What the h*ll does this  even mean? It mentions providing support for female veterans, but that is the entirety of the next point, and doesn't explain at all what this point means. 

4. Better support our women veterans - Staffing OBGYN at every VA is a fantastic idea. That's all there is to that.

Wait...did I make a mistake somewhere? Why did Trump put three numbered lists here? Why are most of the points the exact same? What on earth? I guess I'll do the last one too since it varies a little bit.

1-2 Fire the corrupt.../End waste... - Wow, fantastic. I'd love to see this pulled off. No politician has ever promised anything like this either! Ending corruption? WOW! WHAT A NOVEL IDEA!!! 

Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it, but sure it looks nice on paper.

3. Modernize the VA - Okay THIS modernization point makes more sense. Again, great on paper, but nothing revolutionary or interesting, even to me.

4. Empower caregivers to ensure our veterans receive quality care quickly - Huzzah for buzzwords I guess? 

5. Hire more veterans to care for veterans - This idea is interesting, but honestly hard to perform. The veterans who desperately need jobs likely don't have full doctor or nursing qualifications, so they couldn't apply or wouldn't actually be effective. That said, it's not a terrible idea for ex-military doctors and nurses.

6. Embed satellite VA clinics in rural and other underserved areas - First of all, underserved is not a word and made this hard to understand at all. Okay, tonal point aside, this is another good idea that I don't actually believe will be pulled off. I have no trust.

Tax Reform

Everybody hates taxes, but everybody needs the things the government uses them for. It's a pretty delicate balance, but right now that balance is messed up badly anyway.

1.  Remove anyone who makes under 25,000 or any married couples who make under 50,000 from the tax bracket - He topped titling them, this makes me sad. Digging through tax stats reveals to me that this is honestly the best idea I've read yet from Trump. Though even I am unwilling to figure out how this would affect the employment of the IRS and the government, this alleviation on lower class households would put their money into the economy instead of needing to buy everything on Food Stamps or from craigslist. This relatively low amount of money can make a significant difference in the quality of living for the lower class, without a significant dent in the government's income.

2. Simplify the tax bracket - This would heavily reduce America's tax income. As noted in the previous link, a vast majority of America's income comes from the upper class, and Trump plans to cut somewhere near 15% from the income tax of the extremely wealthy. This cut is a reduction in the area or around 70 billion dollars from the government (compared to likely near 17 billion from the 50% drop). This amount is absolutely more important to the government than to the people who currently have it.

3. No business would pay above 15% annual income - Google provided me with no information on how much of America's tax this makes up, but this might encourage corporations to create more jobs in America. Of course, that is assuming that corporations would want or be forced to put that money towards people, otherwise, this just makes the "1%" more powerful.

4. Removal of the Death Tax - See, I never knew these existed. Assuming Wikipedia is right, they (practically) don't. This only assists the "1%," and actually even less than that, who have an estate over 5 million dollars. On the state level, this only affects people (who fall below an inheritance that isn't ridiculously high) in four states, and this is assuming he could actually get legislature controlling state tax rates.

5. One-time Outsourcing Jobs Tax - There is no statistic on this, and I can't even speculate on what this would be. Good idea, if it makes enough to cover the changes.

Gun Control

Passing on most of this. I do approve the mental health evaluation stuff, but the rest is either love it or hate it. 

Immigration Reform

Okay, I know I said I wouldn't go into this, but I promise I'll only go into the economics of it and not start screaming over more love-it-or-hate-it ethics. First and foremost, even I will agree that it does in theory work out relatively well economically. Removing an entire group of people from the employment equation would reduce unemployment in America, but it would lead to Mexico getting even worse, which is an issue that would have to be dealt with eventually. Okay, going off this before I make it extremely debatable. 

Chinese-Trade Reform

The undervaluing of the Yuan is heavily debated. No one actually knows if it's still actually undervalued since it has gained about 33% of its value in the past ten years. Whether he is right or wrong on this, the accusation would definitely anger China, and possibly make them cease trade with the United States. In addition, increasing the value of the Chinese Yuan would increase the cost of any item produced in the country drastically, leading to some heavy inflation in every other country as well. Everything else in that section is just a bunch of promises made by every politician every year.

So, discounting the ethics of the wall and a ban on Muslims, what do I think of Trump? Actually, I have no idea. Almost the entirety of his plan relies on the complete removal of illegal immigrants, which has extremely hard to predict effects on the economy of the United States. The rest of what he offers is just the same thing spat out by every politician to get voters, so it can neither be counted for him nor believed in. In any case, that's all he wrote, and I hope this analysis helped some people see everything about the comedian runner.  

Motivation Thing

So...is this channel just short, animated TED talks? That's pretty cool.

My first thought on viewing was "Umm...what?" My second thought was "Oh so that's why people play video games." So that makes sense now at least.

The biggest question this gave me: why? Why do humans feel the need to progress and improve over what we've done? Why don't we, like every other animal, just worry about exactly what we need to survive?

Technically, we still do: I constantly talk about how important our capability to adapt is, and this shows that at least subconsciously everyone probably realizes it as well. The mental need to develop new skills and improve what humans already know allows them to adapt more into different scenarios - what's the point of learning a language if not to be able to live in the country that speaks it? -  so this is one the major benefactors to our continued survival as a species.

Other than making me feel good about my adaptation beliefs, the knowledge gained from study in this video will almost definitely improve nearly every aspect of humanity (eventually). Currently, most people just get jobs for the money, employers give friends extra money instead of making them actually do stuff, and honestly I haven't seen many smiling rich people (though I don't have any statistics to back that up).

Greed makes sense: every animal stocks up for winter, and humans do the same. This proves that there is more to life than stockpiling, which is great for the future sure, but not great for the even further future. Hopefully, every place of employment (and schools) will take this study into consideration in the future, though I doubt it will make any difference for a while simply because humans typically hate change.

How to Build a Computer

This isn't just a normal "how to put pieces together" computer building guide. This will actually focus on what parts you should look for based on what you need, but first a basic "how to assemble" guide should probably happen. For a standard computer, you really just need to know a few main parts:



In order:
Motherboard - the thingy that lets things send information to other things
Processor (CPU) - processes data (the actual computer part)
RAM - where data that is in use that can't stay on the processor is held
Power supply (PSU) - supplies power
Graphics card (GPU) - basically, a processor specifically for visuals
Hard Drive (HDD) - stores data

Basically the best way to assemble a pc is to connect each part where it looks like it fits on the motherboard. I'm not joking, somewhere around 90% of the time this will work without breaking anything if you're gentle. Okay fine I'll be a bit more specific.

First, put the cpu in the cpu-shaped thing (lift the metal thing on the side of the slot, match the golden triangles in the corners of both, and set the cpu down with no pressure) then put  thermal paste on the cpu like that, and put the heatsink (90% of the time there will be one with the cpu, if it didn't come with one your parts are probably too expensive for a first build).

Now, install the RAM in the motherboard. That's really all there is to that.

If you have a case, now would be a good time to screw the motherboard into it. Line up the screw holes on the motherboard and the PCIE slots with the holes in the back of the case. Use a screwdriver.  

Install the hard drive next. Take a SATA cable, connect one end to the SATA connector on the hard drive, and connect the other to one of the SATA ports on the motherboard (HINT: it's the only thing the connector will fit in). There's another connector on the hard drive, but we'll get to that with the PSU. If you're using a case, find the thing that looks like it fits a hard drive and see if it actually fits a hard drive. If it does, screw in the drive.

The power supply (connector types in link) is the last mandatory step for almost every system there is. Now, all you need to do is connect the 24-pin cable (it's the really really big cable end, or the cable that splits and has a 20 pin and a 4 pin together) and the 4-pin cable to the 4 pin connection on the motherboard (most of the time it's near the cpu because that's what it powers.) You also need to connect either a 4-pin peripheral power cable or a SATA power cable to the hard drive. If you have a case, it should go in the bottom by the back, and a few screws go in the back of the case to hold it in place. Attach the cord to plug the whole computer in whenever you're ready to boot.

If you want to game, you have a graphics card. It's almost guaranteed to have the same type of connector as the one in the photo above, so just put it in the slot it fits in (This is called a pcie x16 slot, it will fit in the things next to this that look the same but smaller, but these can't move as much data at once). If it needs a power connector from the power supply, it'll have a connector like the ones you used to connect the psu to the motherboard before, but with six or 8 pins instead. Just plug in a cable with the same number of pins from the power supply. Use a screw to secure it to the case.

Now, you have to boot the computer. This is actually sometimes the hardest part, and you might even have to read something to do it. If you have a case, take the wires connected to the power button and connect them to the power pins, then push the button. If you're lucky, you can find the panel with the pins and they're labelled on the board. If not...you have to google a manual. They'll look like this though. Once you've done that just push the power button. If you don't have a case, just touch both with a piece of metal. That sounds dangerous, but I'm not joking. You can install windows via usb, or, if you're not nerdy enough to know how to do that (which is fair it takes almost as much effort as building) you can just connect a cd/dvd player the exact same way you connected the hard drive (but to a different SATA port on the board) and install it that way.

Okay, that should be it. Just plug in a monitor and boot it. If it doesn't work when you turn it on, check if you missed a cable somewhere, then unplug it and plug it back in again. Yay for technology!  

Author Conversation

Who's Smartest In Class Response

     Don't worry guys, this time I won't be tryng to prove that the study is awful garbage, and actually agree with it. Women receive worse treatment than men in almost every thing there is, other than (sometimes) from their partners, but that depends on the relationship and the people in it.

     I can't figure this out, to be frank. I've tried every historical analysis to see why men would think other men are smarter, and nothing I can think of fits. The only explanation I can think of that would apply at all is that men may have learned throughout history that it takes intelligence to be bold and speak out in groups, but that doesn't account for nearly that big of a skew in the genders' perspectives, implies women wouldn't have learned that as well. Also, that would imly that Donald Trump is smart.

     That leaves good old sexism as the probable cause. I can't find a solid piece of evidence to back this up, but women being viewed as less intelligent would likely have roots clean back in elementary school. If teachers encourage girls to behave better than men and be quieter, that would at least support the last paragraph's point. 

     This explanation also applies to the part of the page about classroom celebrities: if teachers tell girls to be quieter than the rowdy hooligan guys, that definitely prevents them from achieving class clown status. 

     Whether this behavior has an explanation or not, it's a massive problem with no easy solution. Emphazsizing STEM for girls would help, but it may lead to guys being excluded in STEM programs, and that's no better. However, the current system prevents girls from entering the field, so it seems what elementary school teachers teach students needs looked into.

That Thing About Teens

     Yeaaahhh, I didn't recognize ANY of those people, most of the apps, or y'know, fit in in any way shape or form. http://www.businessinsider.com/what-teens-are-like-in-2016-2016-1

     I realize I'm definitely the exception here, and far from the rule, but I feel like that's something that really isn't accounted for. In a sample size of sixty teens, there's a pretty significant chance that they missed entire cliques of people. Based on the photo (the one under the "Who Did We talk To?" subtitle, though I can't say that it's accurate because I wasn't the one doing the interviews) it seems that they interviewed teens I would personally say look "approachable" or "popular." However, two of them are wearing wire sunglasses and that seems far more uncommon in this time period, so I may be completely wrong here.
     "Every teen we spoke to owned a smartphone" automatically says to me that they missed a representative of ten percent of teenagers. Even in the class this is for, two students (that I can think of) don't currently have smart phones and one (yours truly) only bought one a few weeks ago. Basically, I think this study was done pretty badly, but I probably can't argue any of its findings as accurate...or can I?
     Six hours a day on their phones, sure that seems fair. Surely they accounted for the fact that most teens can send messages in just a few seconds, then it takes five minutes until the other person sees it and replies. That admittedly won't matter for all the time, but assuming its what a third of teens do, it would still bring down the average a pretty heavy amount.
     The screen time is also probably at least somewhat off due to the sample size. To emphasize this, the number of teens recorded by the last census was 41844000. 60 teenagers, therefore, accounts for .0001% of this group.
     Sayng social apps are popular is like someone saying newspapers were popular decades ago: obvious. Humans live in groups, of course they want to socialize. The same applies to music apps and the radio. Most of the stars will fade away like their predecessors.
     30% of teens mentioning buzzfeed apparently means they're obsessed with it. That makes less sense than anything else in the article; they wern't "obsessed" with social media even though the numbers were higher. Slang changs constantly, just like celebrities.
     Teens liking Sanders shouldn't surprise anyone, because historically younger people are more liberal and more open to radical change. Also, he pushes for free college for students, which of course gains him some support from teenagers.
     Their conclusion seems like something that could've been written without the study that's backing it. The quote from Trudon as the final sentence is pretty random and unsupported by anything from the study unless they want to say voting for Sanders is smart. I honestly don't see what this study accomplished. Teens use their phones? OH MY GOD WHAT A SHOCKING DISCOVERY! The ridiculously small sample size shows less effort than I've seen in studies about gerbils too.  
   

Most Attractive Literary Figure

     This assignment had me confused really really badly until I read Stryffeler's blog on it, at which point I said "Ohhhhhhhh, wait what?" I attempted to understand what the point of this was, then gave up and started googling random authors whose names I remembered.

I settled on Veronica Roth, the author of the Divergent series (otherwise known as the Second Edition of The Hunger Games). She has a nice face, I guess? I obviously have no idea how to compliment women, but she has bright, smiling eyes, and looks like the type of person who is always smiling. She doesn't have any piercings or tattoos, and I personally like that.

Foundations Vol. I

     John was a lucky b*stard. How he had managed to get by the CFO's questions about his little project was beyond him. He was still being investigated, but the investigation would be a lot lighter now and the suspicion was mostly gone. Unfortunately for you guys, the story isn't about what he did to get investigated. That's a long, hilarious story with tons of corporate failures, drugs, and people in bars with strange accents. You guys probably would have liked that story, but this one's a little different.
     John is a corporate desk jockey. He makes a fair asum of money, enough that he has to wear a suit and tie everyday. Usually, the suit was black and the tie was red. He has a brass clock on his desk with a revolving base. If we did a little digging in his mind, we'd see that he's gone to church his entire life, and that his parents had decent jobs. He doesn't remember what those jobs were, but they paid well enough. He and his brother got new toys on their birthays and at Christmas, and they always had enough food and were warm. Hs parents argued about money occasionally, but they were usually pretty nice people. They donated to the church on Sundays and threw a one or a five in the buckets of Salvation Army Santas occasionally.
     John looked at the clock, swore, and packed his work laptop into his leather satchel. He would have to work at home tonight, and that put him in a bad mood. As he walked towards the parking garage his car was in, he saw a homeless man on the street with a cardboard sign. He passed by without even reading what it said. He wondered for half a second about why the guy was homeless, and mentally decided he probably spent all his money on drugs and couldn't pay the rent. He got into his car and started driving home to his loving wife and kids.

Ten Things That Aren't True about Me

First and foremost: I'm smart. Nope, at best I have a really good memory and at worst I got lucky. My essays have perfect grammar and spelling, but they don't really say all that much. I only remember grammar and spelling becuase it was pushed into my head so hard by my sister, and anyone can learn if somethin's pushed at them hard enough.
Second: All my music sucks. Believe it or not I like a fair amount of modern pop music; I just feel like crappy 80's stuff in school.
Third: I'm good at music. A lot of people have me confused with my sister on this one. I hate playing most instruments and singing for anything other than comedic purposes.
Fourth: My handwriting is always complete garbage. Truhfully, my handwriting only sucks when I know no one will ever be using it again; if you look at forms filled out by me they're usually nearly perfect.
Fifth: I'm fantastic with computers. Nope, in reality I just know stuff that can be taught in three minute youtube videos.
Sixth: I hate school. To be honest, the past two years have been a thousand times better than elementary and middle school.
Seventh: I always say what I mean and mean what I say. I flub words so often that I shouldn't count as fluent in English, and a lot of times people get mad over it. Typing is the only time I mean what I say.
Eighth: I don't have many friends. You guys just don't know them, they uhhh live in....Canada. Yeah, Canada.
Ninth: I'm in ISIS. Nope.
Tenth: I hate America. Admittedly, I hate some of the things America has done and some of the things it is doing. I hate how it forgets it ahd concentration camps, and how it ignores the fact that France basically won its Revolutionary War for it. However, I on't hate the country. Everyone, everything, and every place on Earth has its flaws, and the US's flaws, while immense, are still lower than many other countries.

What I don't Know About Life

     And everyday I ask myself

What is it I'm to know?

Do I learn to improve myself? 

Or Do It Just for Show?

Must I know to Cook And Clean ?

To add subtract and multiply? 

Must I work hard, keep myself lean?

Or should I simply lie down and die?

What On Earth am I to DO?

What on Earth am I to SAY?

Shall I be a businessman?

Add numbers, grey my hair?

Shall I run a hot dog stand?

Leave nothing for my heir?

What the H*ll's the Point of Life?

To err and Learn?

To win against strife?

Or is it just to have a time not caring what I earn?

TLDR

What to do with it.

Why The NRA Sucks

     Notice: This is at least sort of a rant.
     Now that Zach's angry, let me just say that this article has relatively little to do with guns. If Howitzers and RPG's were made mandatory in every household in the United States, the NRA would still be one of the worst groups of people involved in government. Now, let's get to why that is.
     Which is more important, the First Amendment or the Second Amendment? If all guns are outlawed and made illegal, there are replacements. Humans have spears, cannons, harpoons, knives, and many other tools with which they can kill one another. However, if free speech is banned, there is literally nothing else that can replace it. Why did I ask this question? Because the NRA prevented the CDC from receiving funding for research about guns. Whether you are pro-gun or anti-gun, shouldn't every human have the right to know what things cause gun violence? There was an actual ban on gun research, and it was extended shortly after the Charleston mass shooting because "'Guns aren't a disease'" Though this is technically true, mental health issues are, and the entire purpose of the government (in theory at least) is to protect and serve its people.
     This is a question for gun owners and NRA members: what is the NRA to you? Is it a structure representing justice, truth, and liberty? Is it protecting your right to bear arms? If these were true, why does its website have a "best value" membership pricing like so many websites trying to mooch money off of the average American? If it really were such a great representative of the American people, why does over half of its funding come from gun companies? and why is its revenue directly linked to theirs? Though this doesn't completely prove anything, it certainly isn't a good sign for who the NRA actually represents. Gun companies are not the average American, they're companies. If Wal-Mart, McDonald's, and Target funded over half of a group fighting against bills raising the minimum wage to "prevent price raises for the average American", does that group actually have the American's interests at heart?
     The NRA is pretty awful. They limit funding that would (hopefully) help prevent mass shooting, and they likely only exist to keep gun sales high. I can at least understand why some people want access to all the guns they could ever want, but I will never understand why gun owners think these politicians actually care about them.