Monday7: Stocks, Dark Matter and Godzilla

I'll get the less exciting things out of the way. The stock market has apparently, been dropping and/or going wild. Some analysts are comparing graphs of today's situation with other "bubbles" that burst in the financial world. Admittedly it all goes over my head and admittedly I don't care.

Scientists have recently discovered an anomaly at the center of the galaxy that appears to be the first sighting or physical evidence of the theorized dark matter. The center of the galaxy is an extremely happening place. Scientist found a burst of gamma radiation coming from the center after "subtracting" or normalizing regular gamma radiation that can be accounted for by stars, etc. It's not definite as there are possibilities that it could be something else. Either way, it's exciting news.

There's a new Godzilla trailer that came out today. It's over two minutes long and gives us a better glimpse into our characters and the "birth" or "discovery" of Godzilla. I saw lots of radiation signs so that could be fun. The movie will be epic and from the looks of it, humanity does not stand a chance against the lizard from Japan.

A billionaire is selling his mansion somewhere in Utah (it looks like Park City) there are some pretty crazy photos of everything this mansion has to offer including; couch in the bathroom, kitchen and living room that are part of the master suite, 5 bedrooms, full theater room that comes stocked with popcorn and goodies. In short, awesome, it's selling for something around 14 million. Don't forget about me if you buy it.

Today is world health day. Every year the WHO has a theme for world health day. This year's focus is on a particular kind of virus (name escapes me). Basically, mosquitoes are bad, look out and get rid of standing water.

There is a powerful car ad that you will probably see circle around. The message, in short, is don't text and drive. The consequences are deadly.

I caught up on a video posted by the Vlog brothers on YouTube. He got together with some animators (from another fantastic channel whose name is in German so I can't tell you what it is) and put together a video criticing our current prison system. The united states houses 25% of the world's prisoners. We hold more prisoners per person that South Korea and Russia! Yikes! It's serious problem, I recommend looking up the video if you're interested.

We've got another week ahead of us, keep your mind sharp and your brain active.

Wednesday2: Government Biotech, Microsoft and English

It's hump day. Really, there's nothing unique about Wednesdays other that the way it's spelled and our infatuation with its camel association (see Geico). I digress.

DARPA, which stands for something about defense and other cool things, is a branch of the defense department dedicated to research into new technologies. (It does more than that I'm sure) The article I read talked about some of the projects its working on which include highly intelligent prosthetic limbs controlled with your mind. They are also researching artificial intelligence. The article claims that if anyone is going to develop progressive AI (an AI that can improve itself) it will be them. They also discussed the possibilities of genetic manipulation to create elite human soldiers that are organisms, but not truly human. If that didn't send chills up your spine then you need to go see a chiropractor.

Microsoft announced some updates to it's operating system "Windows 8." Basically people were lost without the start menu and they had to bring it back. It's probably a smart move but in my opinion people need to get over it. They also announced further developments of their voice assistance "Cortana." This is of course, a reference to the AI in the Xbox game Halo. It is apparently very proficient and functions on par with Siri and Google Now with some added bonus features.

Amazon also had an announcement of it's own. They now offer a $99 streaming box. Basically a Roku but from Amazon and a few additional features. Could be good, look it up if you want to learn more.

I saw a funny video that anyone can appreciate but bi-lingual people may appreciate more, especially ESL learners. It ran through, in a Dr. Suess style, some of the blaring idiosyncrasies of the English language. Like how "brought" rhymes with "lot" and "drought" rhymes with "doubt." Think about that for a minute....

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is looking more and more interesting.
In N Out, Forever 21 and many others are actually very religious companies. (in addition to the often publicized Hobby Lobby and Chik-fil-a).
NASA broke up with Russia.
The most popular job in Utah (and Idaho) is Forestry Technician. - It's odd, but just as odd as CA being farmers.

That's it for today. I've read and watched a lot more but that's all that's coming or worth mentioning. What did you see today?

Thursday; A rainy day and other things

One of the first things that comes to mind today were the reports of President Barak Obama meeting with the Catholic Pope. I overheard on the radio that such encounters are usually politically motivated, which is interesting. Shouldn't the most powerful man of the free world want to meet with one of the most charitable, influential and examplared spiritual leaders for reasons other than politics? How about some spiritual guidance? Even just shooting the breeze with the Pope sounds like an awesome opportunity.

Big news in the tech world as Microsoft's newest CEO [insert his somewhat hard to remember name here] announces some changes and developments for the company. The big announcement was that office products (Word, Excel and Powerpoint) are now available as apps for the iPad. Hurrah! I don't own an iPad so it doesn't directly effect me but from the screenshots I've seen all the apps look and function wonderfully. This also signifies a different direction for Microsoft by focusing on providing software products regardless of whether you use a Microsoft platform or piece of hardware.

An interesting article from Business Insider discussed why consumers aren't ready for wearable tech. Without going into too much detail it essentially boils down to a few points. Too expensive, not trendy/fashionable, socially odd, and wearing something on your body is much more "intimate" and committed than carrying a phone on your pocket. It's going to take some getting used to.

That's it for today, I tried wracking my brain for more but alas, the internet robs my memory of the precious moments I shared with it today. Until tomorrow evening.