Steam Engine: From Fun to Functional

Steam is powerful stuff. I first figured that out when I burned my face trying to find out where all of those bubbles were coming from in a boiling pot. But steam isn't just an evil spirit protecting the secret of the bubbles, steam can be harnessed to do great things. From the steam engine to nuclear reactors, steam directed toward a worthwhile goal is a fairly recent application considering the history of steam.

The first recorded steam engine was way back in the first century A.D. in Greece. 

An aeolipile, a.k.a. spinning ball face-burner.

This thing was only for fun and to show off the properties of steam. Whee! But finally, after 1600 years this novelty became useful in the invention of the steam engine in 1690. Wow. That is a really long time. Fascinating compared to the principle of human flight. Think of it. The first recorded instance of human "flight" was a parachute-assisted fall from an observatory in 1783. Less than 200 hundred years later, we landed on the moon! Do you realize how awesome that is?

So the question I have is what do we have now that is not living up to its potential? What area of science or technology is going to change the world next? We have a few candidates, from new medicines or telecommunication. What do you think? I think anything is better than getting your face melted off by vaporized water.

Crowdsourcing: Wins and Losses

Do you want tons of people to work for you for little to no money? Boom! Crowdsource it! But beware, by giving your task to a community doesn't mean that it will be done right or in the way that you want it. In fact, there might be something deliberately wrong with the end product. Here are some examples of crowdsourcing at its best and worst.

Blunder:The Mets get Rick Roll'd


Do you remember Rick Rolling? No? Well, check out the new trailer for the Dark Knight Rises that just came out!
In 2008, the New York Mets opened up a vote for what song would be played during the 7th inning stretch. Seeing a fantastic opportunity for shenanigans, the internet community flooded the polls with Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up". The song won by a landslide and the Mets obliged.

Lesson: Always retain control of your project, or else you will be messed with during the 7th inning of a Mets game.

Wonder: The Encyclopædia and Wikipedia


Crowdsourcing isn't a new thing. One of the earliest incarnations of the Encyclopedia occurred in the 18th century, gathering information from around the world, from hundreds of people. This collaborative effort to gather the world's information in one place for everyone to have exemplified the the spirit of the French Revolution. Now, Wikipedia is the poster boy of accessible information. But there are some issues. Iffy credibility and deliberately misleading information plagues Wikipedia and prevents it from becoming a viable source of knowledge for some people.

Lesson: Knowledge is power, gullibility is hilarious. 


Blunder: McDonald's Mutiny


Very recently, McDonald''s wanted to hear everyone's stories about their favorite McDonald's memories and post them on Twitter. What could go wrong? It's not like thousands of people would recall that one time where they got food poisoning from a Big Mac and didn't leave the bathroom for three days...right? The Golden Arches pulled the hashtag #mdstories after only 2 hours of activity.

Lesson: Don't just expect people to do what you want. We know when we are being used.


Crowdsourcing can be a very powerful tool...when used correctly. But when everything goes wrong, at least it is pretty hilarious to the people watching it all fall apart.

Digital Data: Until Death Do You Part

When I die, I want to be cremated, have my ashes mixed with cement, and dropped to the bottom of the ocean to create an artificial reef. Simple. It will be fun for my posterity to visit my grave site, rather than a somber experience. 

My wife or daughter: "Do you guys want to go visit Grandpa?"

Many grandchildren: "YEAH!!!!!"

"Grab your scuba gear, we're going to Hawaii!"

You're welcome, posterity.

I miss you Grampa...oh look, a puffer fish!

But what will happen to my stuff when I pass on? I'm not talking about my sweet T-shirt collection or my dining monocle; those will find loving homes. I'm talking about all of the digital stuff I have acquired over the years. My music, movies, pictures, and various accounts throughout the World Wide Wed will no longer have an owner when I kick the bucket, right? Right?

What happens to my online accounts?

In this day and age, it is not uncommon to have two or more email accounts, a Facebook account, a Twitter account, and numerous other accounts scattered throughout the web. Right now, the safest thing to do is to record your login information so that it can be passed on to the next-of-kin so that the information can be handled safely. Facebook has the option of memorializing the account, basically freezing the account in time. Only confirmed friends can access information, and can post to offer their condolences. If someone does not pass on passwords, proper identification is required for further action to be taken. Death certificates,birth certificates, and "proof of authority under local law that you are the lawful representative of the deceased or his/her estate" are the demands Facebook makes in order for a loved one's account to be deleted forever.

Is there no other way?

Currently there are no common options of absorbing another person's account after they pass on. Each individual has ownership that is non-transferable. A few sites, such as Legacy Locker and Entrustet, offer services to make sure that your digital legacy is handled correctly. Entrustet can even help find digital assets of loved ones that have passed on.

There you go. Make sure that you keep a safe record of the accounts that you frequent around the web. 

Or just throw your computer to the bottom of the ocean. I'm sure it will make a great artificial reef.

Social Notworking. You read that right.

I am not going to lie to you, reader. At its peak, I had a MySpace. I currently have a Facebook. I am trying to figure out how to work Google+...slow progress there. Social networking has been a part of my life for the past 6 years . But as time has passed, my love for Facebook has grown cold. My Space lays dormant. My Google+ stream is more like a trickle of muddy puddle water. Why do I hesitate to dive into the vast ocean of digital interaction? Let me tell you about some observations I have observed and some studies I have studied.

The Duck Face, a crime against humanity

1. EVERYONE ASSUMES YOU ARE A NARCISSIST FOR HAVING A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

You are familiar with Narcissus, right? Well, a study was done concerning vanity and Facebook. (It' true! There are scientists that are actually paid to do this kind of stuff.) No matter how into yourself you think you are, anyone viewing your profile will assume the worst. Check the study for yourself.

2. MISCOMMUNICATION ABOUNDS ON THE WEB

hey what r u doing. nuthin. This kind of communication rubs me the wrong way and I just found out why. Most of our communication is nonverbal, so a personal conversation is vital in understanding what a person means. Our interactions with people face-to-face have become extremely limited, so our conversational skills have declined drastically.

3. SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE ANYTHING BUT SOCIAL

More Facebook studies! As Facebook usage increases, the user becomes more shy. The more "friends" a Facebook user has, the less likely they are to have friends in real life. Isn't that sad?

Now, I know that everything about social networking isn't bad. Important news can fly across the world very quickly through Twitter and other sources. But think about your online interactions. Could they be spent in the real world rather than through digital mediums? Try actually having lunch with your best friend rather than commenting on their wall, "OMG! We NEED to hang soon, k?;P" Ugh. It hurt to type that...

Hey, everyone! Check this out! Check me out!

Let me get this out there. I hate social networking. I hate YouTube, Facebook, blogging, vlogging,and everything else in the same ilk. Nevertheless, I know that my opinion is not shared by millions of other people. So my goal here is to figure out what the big deal is, or else I am going to be left in the cyber-dust. That exists, right? Cyber-dust?

Over the next few weeks, I will be looking into cyber culture nowadays and where it came from. Is this focus on ourselves new, or are we just repeating ourselves? Tune in to find out! Read my blog! Follow me on Google+! Subscribe to my YouTube channel! Learn everything about me and my dog! Let the great experiment begin!

Students: Is Some Assembly Required?

Ring! Back to work, people! These students aren't going to make themselves!

Public schools are still run like factories, with batches of students and bells signaling shift in production stages. Here is a fascinating video about what is wrong with our school system today.

Caveman or Caviar? Am I Caught Up?

I live in the future. I use a device that shoots microwaves into my food to make it warm. I use a little plastic rectangle to talk to my brother in Colorado face to face. I take pictures and send them to my mom in the blink of an eye. This was the stuff of fiction not too long ago. But am I on the cutting edge? Or am I behind? Does my aunt know more about the World Wide Web than I do?

No she does not. But I do not admit that I am at the top of my game when it comes to things of the future. I only recently started reading eBooks (which are incredible, by the way). Podcasts are not part of my daily routine. And sometimes (I find this hard to admit), I check my analog watch to see what time it is. Programming is completely foreign to me and I wouldn't even know where to begin learning about it. Am I going to become on of those stubborn old people, constantly complaining about "newfangled devices"? Does it even matter?

On a scale from 1 to Borg, I think I am about a Geek Squad. Meaning, I know a bit about technology, maybe even more than average, but I still have a ways to go. But I don't worry about it. I don't think my robot butlers will hear many "back in my day" speeches from my future self. I get to learn every day.