My newest love...what took me so long?

Recently, I have been migrating from Foursquare to Yelp because I think Yelp is superior in many ways. Don’t get me wrong, Foursquare is very good and I have to give credit to them for coining the term “check-in” in the world of social media. The innovation of check-ins gave Yelp, an already unique reviews based service, new wind. I really like what Yelp has done with places you’ve checked in in the past. It reminds you that last week you went to a new restaurant and asks if you want to review it. Amazing.

Another strength I see in Yelp is that it offers more information about a specific establishment. Yes, you can see who the “Duke” or “Dutchess” is (al la what Foursquare calls “Mayor”), quick tips, and addresses, but you also can see prices, in-depth reviews, and ratings. I also like the numerous profile options they have, it makes for a more rich and content driven social media hub. I want to also use Yelp as a tool to develop a writing style that I don’t ordinarily get to exercise — plus, I want to have fun! I love to eat and I live to eat!

After a few inner-discussions with myself,  I have decided to attempt to make Yelp Elite 2012. I need to beef up the number of reviews I have on Yelp, but I feel that my writing style and knack for flavor are strong. I hope to make it big!

When I was younger, I used to go to this burger joint often (Hamburger Habit in West LA). They would have the news on all day, but muted. Naturally, the TV would put subtitles on. I realized one summer afternoon that there were many mistakes, especially for live news broadcasts. My guess is it was a recorder sitting in a room alone trying to record everything like a court reporter would. I understand that flying solo on a live broadcast and not being able to edit your text can be daunting, which is why I would see many errors during such an event. I think that having multiple people working on the same project with tasks delegated evenly (Crowdsourcing) this type of transcription is a great idea, and I would love to see what people come up with when it comes to translating events live as they happen.

One thing that comes to mind is how the selection process works, but I caution anyone in the UniversalSubtitles.org committee to tread carefully as you could potentially get rogue typists trying to undermine PBS or any other stream and/or broadcast. For a better idea on the ongoing debate of crowdsourcing, read the comments over at ArsTechnica – State of the Union Address to get Crowdsourced. This is an exciting frontier, made possible by progressive thinkers alike, as crowdsourcing gains followers, believers, and supporters.

Watch the video after the jump!

My male-instincts to fix the situation soon kicked into gear. I turned to the one person in my life that causes massive chain reactions in my brain and makes bad things melt away like butter in a hot pan; my girlfriend of three glorious years. At lunch, I spoke with her and she made me realize that not everyone is in a place in life where they had imagined or originally dreamt they would be. The conversation caused me re-think my day/week/month and to analyze the aspects of my life that I do have. It opened a door I forgot about; a portal that swung me into a mood of bright optimism. She made me observe details I had been overlooking the past few months and reminded me of the great resources I have. For this I am grateful.  

It is convenient and most easy to find certain aspects in life that one does not have to turn against oneself. Negativity never benefits anyone; I find that people who thrive on negativity are only out there to cause harm (Does that really help anyone other than themselves? How selfish). The moment we focus our positive energy to the things that make our lives possible, namely, the people and resources that surround daily life, that we are able to move forward and live to our potentials.

This is perhaps why I have embraced social media and am holding on for the ride. I hope to have a positive influence on as many people as I can, but also have an impact on the people that really matter to me. Lately, I have shifted to strengthening the bonds I have with people, rather than meeting as many people as I can. In my days of university I was on a meet and greet frenzy. Parties, classes, and living arrangements all made this possible. But outside of the realm of the college lifestyle, I have come to realize that the saying from Chris Mathews,

“It is not who you know, it is who you get to know,”

really rings true to me now that I have had the time to let that quote marinate. Yet, the last few weeks I have struggled to maintain my relationships. It feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to be social between heavy work schedules and sleep. I have, more often than not, resorted to social media to wet my social appetite. I know it is not the same as real human contact, but it makes it easier to keep up with my friends and their activities. I have been thinking about the notion that social media has the ability to suck you in and alienate you from the rest of the world by showing you what you are missing out on. I raised this question to my friends via Facebook, and they seem to disagree. It is my guess that people who believe in this theory (I found out about it somewhere on Twitter) are the very ones who get sucked in and loath in their own self-alienation. I think that it is what you make of it, and if you believe in it then you are more prone to living it.

Anyways, I wanted to just take the time to get my thoughts out in words because I really haven’t made a meaningful, down-to-earth, from my heart and brain post in a long time. It’s very therapeutic to get my message out there for others to follow, even if you don’t really know me. The last two and a half months have been very hectic for me, and it has showed in the lack of posts here. I really miss seeing my friends in flesh and bones.

Now it’s time to go off and do something productive before I socialize for real. Party time!

A true, non-stick surface that isn’t Teflon. It almost beckons you to watch it sizzle…

Just lubed up and ready for action

Another great song by Glitch Mob is the remix of Derezzed by Daft Punk from the highly anticipated album Tron: Legacy R3C0NF1GUR3D. I think they did a fantastic job on the music video. It gets me hyped for the near future release of Tron: Legacy on DVD and Bluray. Enjoy: