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How will you remember 2010?

Jason — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:57:19 +0000

2010 was an eventful year. From devastating events, such as the Haiti earthquake to the Gulf oil spill. Technology moves forward from the iPad to the LHC. Heroes rose, and heroes fell. Times are changing and it’s sometimes can be difficult to keep up.

For myself, 2010 was a very interesting year. A lot of things have changed, yet some things still remain the same. A year with many firsts and great accomplishments. Yet as another year passes by, I long for what the future may hold even if but a distant hope. A hope that drives me forward even through hardships and failures. I don’t know what surprises 2011 has in store, but I plan to keep on trying. Not to give up, but continue on towards that hope of the future.

BP Spill

Jason — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:14:49 +0000

Apparently the Gulf oil spill isn’t the only thing BP is incompetent with:

What You See Isn’t Real

Jason — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:55:00 +0000

I know green screens are used in movies fairly frequently, but this is just impressive. I would have never guessed that the majority of these shots weren’t on location. I’m just impressed at how much green screens can be used these days and studios’ abilities to make it look real.

Google Chrome OS

Jason — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:06:29 +0000

I’m sure most of you have used Google at some point or another. I personally use it every day, and my job would become quite difficult without Google. As you may or may not know, Google Chrome was released a little over a year ago; Google’s stab at an internet browser. It’s advertised to be fast and small.

More recently, Google has announced Google Chrome OS. Based on Linux, Chrome OS is designed for the internet, and the below video explains that concept in more detail. It’s hard to argue that the internet hasn’t taken a major spotlight on our PCs, but it’s even harder to predict whether or not a desktop os can truly survive when built around the internet. Take a look below at things to come from Google.

Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody

Jason — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:51:06 +0000

“Galileo, mee mee mee~”

Piano Stairway

Jason — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:55:34 +0000

I always find it interesting how music and entertainment can change a person’s perspective on a mundane task. A simple, uninteresting task can suddenly seem more appealing once an objective or reward is involved, and the video below is a perfect example.

According to social experiment 66% more people than normal chose the staircase over the escalator now that it was converted to a “piano”. Of course, one has to wonder if that amount would decrease over time if something like this was “normal”.

Symphonic Fantasies

Jason — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:20:35 +0000

Something happened today which I wouldn’t have expected to see for a long time. I’m a big fan of of video game music, and hold it in high regards when compared to other genres and forms, but I’m especially excited when there’s an orchestra involved. Symphonic Fantasies today streamed their full concert live and in high quality from Cologne, Germany available for anyone to see.

The concert was split up into four “fantasies” of the following Square-Enix games:

Fantasy I: Kingdom Hearts
Fantasy II: Secret of Mana
Fantasy III: Chrono Trigger
Fantasy IV: Final Fantasy

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, those sets are available below. While nothing can match the experience of being there, I hope you enjoy the fantastic arrangements put together and this amazing sets of work inspired by their original composers, and performed by the WDR Radio Orchestra.

Secret of Mana Fantasy Parts 1 & 2

It’s been a while since I’ve played Secret of Mana, so I’m not as familiar with the music, but there are still some great themes here. You should be able to recognize Into the Thick of it halfway through the first part if you played any of the game. This fantasy closes out with a very somber and reflective rendition of Rose and Ghost.

Chrono Trigger Fantasy Parts 1 & 2

Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite games of all time, and the soundtrack is no exception either. Opens up with a very familiar Scars of Time from Chrono Cross, eventually leading into Chrono Trigger. Out of all the orchestral arrangements I have listened to of Chrono Trigger, this is my least favorite but the rest of the fantasy does not disappoint. Just wait until you get to the amazing ending with Frog’s Theme!

Final Fantasy Fantasy Parts 1 & 2

If you are at all familiar with Final Fantasy, this portion just blew me away in a fantastic mixing of melodies in a completely new way that has not been heard before. Words for this fantasy do it no justice, so please just listen.

Encore: Final Boss Fantasy

After what seemed like 10 minutes of well deserved applause, an encore was played highlighting the final themes from all of the above. One of the most impression portions is near the end with that amazing percussion solo by Rony Barrak.

Olympus Pen

Jason — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:50:07 +0000

I know this is another stop motion video, but I really like stop motion videos. This is another creative take on 60 years of the Olympus Pen, and just looks really cool.

Lego Millennium Falcon Stop Motion

Jason — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:16:22 +0000

I loved Legos as a kid, and I would probably still play with them today if I had some sitting around. Not sure if I would have had the time, creativity, or the pieces to put something like this together though.

Man on the Moon

Jason — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:20:12 +0000

40 years ago, July 20th, one of the most amazing feats mankind has ever accomplished was done so by the Apollo 11 mission; man landing on the moon. I only wish I could have been around at the time to see this amazing feat live, but even 40 years later I am amazed and fascinated that this was accomplished using only 60s technology. Space exploration has made some leaps and bounds with the Shuttle project, and the international space station, but I feel empty considering we’ve all but abandoned missions to the moon. Thankfully, NASA plans to return to the moon by 2020, and I’m excited to see even higher quality footage and photos from those upcoming missions.

More recently regarding the 1969 Apollo missions, NASA has found the original tapes and has been undergoing a project to restore and update these videos to their original quality. In addition, I highly recommend you check out the Project Apollo Image Gallery providing high quality images from Apollo 11 in addition to all of the other Apollo missions.

If you consider all the factors going into the Apollo 11 mission, it’s quite an amazing feat that I feel will be unchallenged for quite some time. In only a short span of 8 years time from Kennedy’s speech to Congress, to Armstrong’s small step onto the Moon’s surface was the task accomplished. I dare you to find a goal of that magnitude being completed and accomplished successfully in that short time span today. It saddens me that today the world is shrinking and that we’ve almost lost the thrill of exploring the unknown. My hopes is that with the 2020 missions and beyond that ideal will be rekindled again, maybe eventually bringing way to a manned mission to Mars or beyond.