The Digital Reflection

American Idol's James Durbin.

2011-02-24T23:09:00.000-05:00

---Hey guys, I'm doing an opinion article today, so I know a bunch of you won't be completely interested in it but it's something I've been following for a while. I love American Idol, I've watched it since I was a kid and now it's a tradition to watch every season. This one is by far one of the best, the judges are great, the show is just top notch and there are SO many good singers. Well if you follow this season at all, hope you enjoy the article.---

Throughout American Idol's season 11, one contestant has truly shined for me: James Durbin, from the San Francisco auditions. His first impression was great for me. He has a grunge style, wearing a bandanna out of his back pocket, often black vests, and fingerless gloves. I had no idea what to expect, but my first impression left me in a state of amazement. He starts out softly, and his vibrato rings beautifully. Then it happens. He lets out this scream, and my first thought is "Another Adam Lambert?" He carries this note out and ends the song perfectly, and I'm just stunned. I looked at my friend who was sitting next to me, pointed at the screen and said "Him. He's going to win."

James Durbin is a fantastic singer, there is no doubt whatsoever about that, he's proved himself time and time again on the stage, and his last solo before the judges blew everyone away. His screams are not only passion filled and heartwrenching, but they are in tune, which takes ridiculous amounts of pure skill. On the emotional side, I think he's a little overwhelmed, but it can be understood. His father died while he was younger, and he's living on low income with his fiance and their child. It doesn't impact his performance, but you can definitely see it in the interviews. There are a few controversies I've seen so far that I really must express my opinion on, though.

Is James Durbin copying Adam Lambert? I've been hearing dozens of people say "How dare you compare him to Adam?", or "This guy is no Adam Lambert, he should be kicked off." And the latter is correct, he ISN'T Adam Lambert. He's James Durbin. It's obvious Adam is a role model for him, he mentions him in one of his interviews, but they are drastically different. Their singing in general is. While Adam can reach notes that are extremely high, James establishes himself in a low, growly tone at times. Adam is gay, and while this might make some of you think I'm being offensive, I'm not: he SOUNDS that way at times. It's part of who he is, and it resonates in his singing, which is why his higher notes and screams reach their way into people. James' screams, however, are just slightly different.. It's hard to tell for normal ears, but he uses NO falsetto, those are his lungs purely pushing out those notes. Adam Lambert is amazing, yes, but stop comparing the two. They are different people, and while they may both scream, they most definitely specialize in different vocals.

The second "issue" I'd like to address is his background. People tend to compare sob stories to see which is "better", or whoever's life is worse. This is just sick. Does it really mater who has gone through more pain and obstacles? In the end it's a singing competition, and those that cannot sing will not make the cut. James has been through a lot, and he is a fantastic singer, so he is being compared to others, who they say he will have to "compete" against. I really believe that the true idiocy of America is starting to show with all these ridiculous comments. No one really cares who had it worse, they watch to see people sing, and see them do it well.

While I am defending James Durbin heavily, I want people to realize there is a bigger picture than just Durbin vs. Lambert, or if James' story is sad enough for us all. There is a genuinely good person and singer up there, giving his heart, soul, and very well his life to compete in front of us and win. I'm not afraid to pull out the "You couldn't do that" argument, because you COULDN'T. It takes a lot to get on a stage, yet alone scream with all your breath in the correct tone. So stop the hate, and look at the person he is, not others he is not. If you genuinely dislike his voice, or his singing, then fine. But don't bring someone down and announce it to everyone (including him), just because you happen to think someone else is better.

---Comment about what you think below, if you agree or disagree, or what you think about the show. I must admit I was a bit late today because I had a concert to play, but I should be fine for tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and please tell me if you like my editorial articles!---

Lifehacks #1 (1-5): Some easy ways to make extra money.

2011-02-23T22:02:00.001-05:00

---Hey guys, today I'm going to give a few personal tips to make money easily, or save it. They are relatively easy and I recommend all of you to give them a try!---

5 tips that will help you make or save money:

1: Ebay.

Find some extra stuff you have laying around that you don't want and is worth a few bucks, could be furniture, cards, parts, anything useful that would sell. Make an ebay account and put it on up for auction! Make sure you search up the item you're selling first so you can get a sale by undercutting others and price your item fairly. If you have extra stuff and a little extra time, this is a great way to make some more cash.

2: Collect your change.

Don't tell me, you're asking "How does this make you some REAL extra cash?" Well let me tell you something, I went around my house and looked for quarters. I searched in my wallet, in jars, around the furniture and on the counters. I found TWENTY DOLLARS. Now take ALL the change from all the money you spend, put it in a jar. This will add up fast, I've been doing this for the past month and I've saved almost $100 bucks already.

3: Invest in stocks.

This is a FANTASTIC way to make money. Research in companies you like, or companies that make the products you use. Watch the market trend and wait for a low price, then buy it and wait. Not only is buying multiple stocks and creating a portfolio a fantastic way to store your money, it also can help you earn money easily. While it is a bit of a luck game, if you spread your funds evenly you will almost always earn money, and definitely stay even with what you invested. A good example is I bought ATVI (Activision Blizzard) when it was priced at $10.71, then sold it at $12.54. I made 200 bucks easy, just by watching the market.

4: Tutor or teach.

Chances are you are good at SOMETHING. If you're in school, it could be math, science, history, any subject. Maybe you're an athlete and can help people with working out or improving their health. Do you play an instrument? Visit Elementary or Middle Schools and give students a free lesson, then see if they would like private lessons. You can make 30 bucks an hour and easily more doing this. Definitely a great way to make money.

5: Don't buy or spend money on things you don't need.

This is by far the best thing you can do to save money. If you see ANYTHING you don't need, don't get it. There are so many things in your daily life you can avoid spending money on. Today I bought a drink from 7-11, bought Chipotle, and got dinner from my friends restaurant. If I didn't waste that money and got water from a fountain, and ate at home, I probably would have saved close to $30 bucks, easily. Now think, that was just FOOD. If you cut back on other things in your life, clothes, toys, online services, collectibles, anything that is just there to make you happier, then you'll be saving hundreds upon thousands of dollars easily.

---Hope you enjoyed my first Lifehacks article, if you have any questions about saving money or any tips you want to add to this, definitely go ahead and comment! Tell me what you think and share your ideas, until next time,---

~Alex.

Understanding the Dimensions.

2011-02-22T19:22:00.000-05:00

---Today I'm going to share with you my comprehension and understanding of the dimensions, this will ALL be text so please bear with me. This is some very heavy stuff, and you WILL have to think about it. I hope you enjoy it and it makes you think, this is pretty interesting and fun! ---

Physicality:

0-d: A point on a piece of paper, it is a representation.

1-d: Draw another point, and connect them. You now have a line, or a part of a line that extends forever. This represents LENGTH.

2-d: Draw a point outside of the line, this represents a ray, or if you draw two outside and connect them, another line. All the space between these lines and all the possibilities create a plane. We know this second dimension as width.
(Important note: When we add new dimensions, we are including ALL previous dimensions, so technically this is LENGTH PLUS WIDTH.

3-d: This is the easiest to understand for us, because we perceive existence in three dimensions. Take the plane and turn it vertically so it appears as a line. Now add another point, the connection between the second dimension and this point create an infinite amount of planes, which is the third dimensions, or HEIGHT.
(LENGTH PLUS WIDTH PLUS HEIGHT, OR PHYSICALITY.)

Time:

4-d: Now take all the previous dimensions, and imagine them as a point. They represent all physicality, now take another point and connect them. They each represent a physicality, but duration has passed between them because physical matter changes, and they create a line. We know it as TIME. (PHYSICALITY (HEIGHT/LENGTH/WIDTH) PLUS TIME.) PLEASE THINK OF "TIME" AS A SINGLE LINE.

(For easier comprehension of further dimensions, I represent the first three dimensions as a "physicality" instead of giving examples of certain things, because time encompasses all things.)

5-d: Remember how I said to envision time as a line between two physicalities? Just how we jumped from the 2nd to the 3rd dimension, we are going to draw another point outside of the line. The ray that is created represents a possibility, and the fifth dimension is ALL POSSIBILITIES OF ONE TIME LINE. So it's like a line that branches off into rays that represent the possibilities of that time line. (ONE LINE OF TIME AND ALL BRANCHING POSSIBILITIES (TIME PLUS BRANCHES PLUS PHYSICALITY.)) This also is where "time travel" becomes real, as it is bending a line to travel between points (but only in all the possibilities of ONE line.)

6-d: If the fifth dimension is a line with rays extending from it, what if there is another line (with different rays) in time that is NOT reachable from any of the possibilities of the original? For example, let's say you want to become an expert musician, however you are already near the end of your life and all the possibilities that exist in your time line WILL NOT allow this. Even going BACK in this line, you would not be able to become an expert musician. You would have to travel to another line, with different branches that DO allow it. This jumping from line to line represents ALL POSSIBILITIES OF ALL TIME LINES. (THE "PLANE" OF TIME PLUS PHYSICALITY. THIS IS ALSO KNOWN AS A "UNIVERSE".)

(Okay, so far we understand PHYSICALITY, and that time is a line, traveling from one point on that line to another is the fifth dimension (including rays) and traveling from one line of time to another is the sixth.)

Universes:

7-d: Now we are going to imagine another line, but in this line the sixth dimension is a point. So ALL possibilities of all times in physicality is one point. So for us, it's all possible time lines in our universe. The OTHER point is a different universe that is created with different laws and rules. So essentially it is a connection between two universes, which goes beyond time travel into travel between different universes. (ONE UNIVERSE CONNECTED TO ANOTHER. ("PLANE" OF TIME PLUS PHYSICALITY CONNECTED TO ANOTHER "PLANE" OF TIME PLUS PHYSICALITY.)

8-d: Remember how I said that TIME is a line, just as the seventh dimension is? The 8th dimension is reached the same way as we reach the 5th from the 4th. We are adding a point outside of the line, which creates a ray. This is represents ONE UNIVERSE PLUS ALL UNIVERSES CONNECTED TO IT VIA A RAY. (I will no longer refer to time or physicality, as we know that is what a universe encompasses).

9-d: Now remember how with the third, and sixth dimension ,we are reaching points outside of a line and all the rays connected to them? This is the same thing, but because we there are no possibilities that define travel between universes, this would be like folding a line and a ray connected to it, so instead of traveling to that point, as you do through time, you could "jump" instantly between dimensions. We are not reaching a new point, just TRAVELING through the dimension that the point would appear on.

To make this easier to comprehend, grab a piece of paper. Draw a dot on one far side, then the other. If you fold it in half, you can travel "through" the paper (we are imagining there is a hole, because we are dealing with SPACE, not an actual piece of paper) to the other point, instantly. Notice that this not only works with universes as points, but it also works with time (traveling instantly from one time to another, or going to the 6th dimension), and physicality, (traveling instantly from one point of representation to another) all my folding the piece of paper.

Before we attempt to comprehend the 10th dimension, let's discuss what a point is. As we used one point as a "representation" in the beginning, we connected it to another and drew an infinite amount of lines that represent physicality. Next, we took all of physicality, and made it a point, then connected it to another, to represent all physicality in a different state, or time. We took all possibilities/lines of time and made that a point, and called it a universe. We connected it to another and create all the possibilities of all universes.

10-d: As we created all lines with all universes, we must take all timelines and physicalities and all universes, and make them one point. But if we are to continue, won't we need another point to connect it to? There are no more points, and we end here at the tenth dimension: a point, or as we comprehend it, the omni-verse. ALL UNIVERSES, TIMELINES/POSSIBILITIES, AND PHYSICALITIES.

---I hope you found this an interesting read, if you are confused PLEASE TRY AND DRAW THIS OUT! Read my descriptions and draw it, it will make a lot more sense. If you have ANY questions please ask below and I will try and explain it. I look forward to any questions about the dimensions you have, and I hope you got a little "mindfucked"!. ---

~Alex

PS: Youtube "the dimensions" if you want to see a visual representation of this!

Review of Astro Gaming's A40 Headset.

2011-02-21T14:03:00.000-05:00

---Hey guys, today I'm going to review my pair of Astro Gaming's A40's. They're official MLG (major league gaming) headphones, and are becoming extremely popular. I'm going to go through the five main attributes anyone would want to know about in a pair of headphones: Sound quality, durability, portability, comfort, and value. I've gone through probably a dozen headphones now, so I might be a little biased on how AWESOME these are.---

1: Sound quality:

These are by far the highest quality headphones I ever ever owned. They reverberate with a heavy bass in the eletronica I can't get enough of, and convey the harmonic overtones of the orchestra in concertos I enjoy. While not purely made for audiophiles, these are VERY high quality. They're designed so you can speak to teammates while listening for footsteps around you in professional games. The only downsides I can comment on are that they bleed a little (others can hear what you're listening to), and they don't completely get rid of distracting noise. While you definitely won't hear anyone speaking to you, or understand what they say, you can hear things that might annoy you.

2. Durability:

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of material these headphones are made with. They are made out of a very tough plastic. I've bent them, thrown them, dropped them, and they just don't show anything. No scratches, no visible damage, and hardly any weakness. The only thing I've noticed is that the rotation of the earpieces becomes a lot more smooth and a little loose, but I think just a little bolt tighten would fix that, not to mention they were very tough to move when I first got them. These headphones would be VERY hard to break, the headband is sturdy, the earpieces are thick and heavyset, and it's just extremely well made. No real complaints in the section.

3. Portability:

I'm not going to lie, this is a HUGE set of headphones, and if you're the type of person that only uses them casually and keeps them around your neck, you'll be fine. They're comfortable to wear that way and easy to carry. However, they are a bit of a hassle to travel with. They come in a wonderful case that's made out of a cushion and weaved material that is very safe to carry them in, but they take up a lot of space. The case is about 10 inches by 9 inches, and 4 inches thick. It's about he size of a medium-sized wall clock. So while it is a hassle to fit into bags, and you will have to be very conservative with your space usage, it gets points for a free case that WILL protect it, which most companies do not offer.

4. Comfort:

I won't lie to you, I'm under the impression these are about as comfortable as you can get. I wear these for HOURS every day and never get tired of them. I'm talking ALL DAY. Sometimes 8-12 hours a day, and up to 4 hour sessions. The earcups hug your ears and are padded with some insanely soft material that makes them heaven to wear. The headband is hardly noticeable, and features the same material on the top of your head. They're completely adjustable. They rotate horizontally, and have adjustiments on either side vertically so you really can just customize it for maximum comfort. Not only that, they STAY in the vertical position you set them. You don't have to fiddle around every time because the clasps are weak. Both earcups even pivot up and down to ensure you are comfortable. It's amazing. I have to mention this, also: the sound volume is comfortable at almost any level. I once left my sound maxed, and surprisingly while it was loud, my ears were NOT blasted by a deafening wave of sound. The sound controls are incredibly smooth, and it makes up for the minute lack of noise cancellation, but be warned: your friends might want to listen in.

5. Value:

Here's what I got for $280: The headphones, two sets of cords that plug into the headphones (one with only an audio jack, and another for audio and microphone, they plug into a small foot long cable that comes from the headphones), an amp extension (perfect for when I want to play my electric guitar without annoying others), a mixamp, 3 different plates (two that are plain, and one with a hole for the mic, which plugs into either side of the headset) with foam inserts, a carrying case, and compatability chords for other consoles. If you aren't into getting the mixamp (Which to be honest I don't use, that's for MLG participants), then you can grab the headphones, case, and chords for around 200 bucks (probably cheaper if you search around).

Conclusion:

These are top notch, well priced, fantastic headphones for anyone. You don't have to be a gamer to enjoy the high sound quality and insanely-comfortable pads. I would reccomend these to ANYONE who wants a set of headphones they will use for a long time. If you are a gamer and interested, that's all the better. This is the best gaming headset you can get. It's official and licensed with MLG. I give these a 9.5/10, with only a few minor features bringing these down, because they can't be for everyone. Seriously, if you have the money go pick these up, you won't regret it.

Links:
Audio system (with mixamp): http://www.astrogaming.com/products/detail/108/A40-Wireless-System/

Headset: http://www.astrogaming.com/products/detail/4/A40-Headset/

PS: This is an honest review, I'm not promoting this company in any way besides the fact they truly ARE just awesome.

PSS: I forgot to mention, you can customize the side panels that magnetically clip on, and there's an editor you can use to order them. You'll get three for $20.

~Alex.

Violin Instruction Part 1: What does it take to get started?

2011-02-20T11:32:00.001-05:00

---For my first article I'm going to start off with one of my passions: Playing the violin. I've played for 8 years and have gone through many orchestras, camps, and competitions. I play full orchestral music, strings only music, quintets, quartets, duets, solos, I fiddle, play concertos, and I own an electric violin in which I've participated in many bands with. Let's just say I know my way around the fingerboard; and I'm ready to help you start learning as well. ---

The first thing you need to ask yourself is "Why do you want to play the violin?" Is it something you want to follow closely, or just play for fun? I believe both reasons lead to a rewarding art. If you want to create a career out of it, then I whole-heartedly support you. Doing something you love is one of the greatest things you can aspire to. As for fun, who doesn't like whipping out their instrument at a party and showing off? There's also a "middle" path, where you don't necessarily have to make a job out of your skill, but where practicing and joining competitions and playing in orchestras can be a realistic goal too. If any of these appeal to you, then you're ready to start.

The next question you face is "Are you dedicated enough?" Any instrument takes dedication, but there are I few things I think you should realize: If you take 10 minutes out of your day to practice you will still leap through the levels of skill. I have gotten as far as 2 hours a day, and try to keep myself at an hour a day when I can. Practice is the single most important part of learning to play. You can't avoid it, you can't water it down, and you can't skip it. But that's why we're going to make practice fun, and make it something you look forward to every day.

"What else do I need to put into this?" Besides time, the other investment you must make is money. At first, renting an instrument is cheap, but when you reach higher levels and want something better they can really start to add up. Decent instruments can range from thousands to tens of thousands (some even cost more than 100,000). Add in the cost of strings, rosin, a case (usually free until you get a high level instrument), and (if you buy it separately) a bow, and you're looking at some steep prices. The rig I'm running now probably cost about 4 or 5 thousand. Don't let this deter you; remember, I've played for 8 years, and I want to pursue it. If you have extra 100 bucks laying around, then you'll be fine for a while.

If you have just the slightest interest or shred in the violin (or any instrument), go pick it up. Try it out, ask any questions you might have, see if you can arrange for lessons. Now beginner lessons can be expensive, around 20-30 dollars an hour, but they're very worth it if you want to pick this instrument up. If you believe you have the dedication to practice and keep your violin in good health, then definitely go to your closest music store and pick up a rental and sign up for lessons. You won't regret it.

I'll be releasing more articles weekly or bi-weekly on the subject to help you plan what to do. The next lesson I'll be covering how to hold the violin, and how to hold the bow with a beginner bow hold.

Links: None right now, nothing was really cited, just my experience.

If you have ANY questions, comments, critiques, just comment below and I'll be happy to reply. Thanks for reading!

~Alex.

Genesis

2011-02-19T19:21:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Beginning

I'm very excited to say I'm ready to begin blogging. I've had this blog sitting around for a while and I really wanted to make use of it, to share anything interesting I come across and the daily peculiarities that my interests chase. I find myself attracted to very random subjects, including hypnosis, card tricks, and pig Latin. I also have skills that I plan to blog about frequently such as playing the violin. Reviews of movies, music, games, programs, and applications will come through as well, be it the newest album from Gaga, or a Google Chrome app that I fiddled around with for 15 minutes. Either way, I want to provide intriguing, impressive, and invaluable information for all of my followers. Blogs will start tomorrow and I'll keep you updated daily, often covering certain subjects in multiple parts. I'll often cite information and provide links to help with topics that might need more in depth work.

I'm ecstatic to start, and I hope you are too.

~Alex