Where'd the Role Models Go?

"You've killed all our leaders, I don't even have to do nothing to you, you'll cause your own country to fall."

-Stevie Wonder

Who are the role models of today? Do they deserve to be considered role models? Have they been fabricated during an attempt to form a totalitarian society? Earlier today I saw some young women who appeared to be emulating the style of Kylie Jenner. Now this is not an attack at who she is but more a reflection of who she isn't.

Looking up to heroes has paved way for the greatest changes in mankind. Although heroes still exist we are constantly being force fed a repertoire of individuals that have been carefully selected by the same media conglomerates that are rubbing shoulders with pharmaceutical giants, agriculture monopolies, corrupt politicians and war profiteers. 

In top-secret documents released during the 90s it was made to the public that the C.I.A. had closely been watching many controversial famous artists. Their fear appeared to be related to a possible revolution. Could it be that our government realized the power of expression through art and music and decided that the only way to stop an uprising was to control all media? Don't get me wrong, I love a good Justin Timberblake song but what happened to freedom? It's something we all wanted and it appears to me that we still haven't gotten it.

Love Yourself - A Tribute to Robin Williams

From one clown to another, you will be missed Robin Williams!

I would like to dedicate this song to one of my favorite artists of all time, Robin Williams. It makes me sad that there is so much sorrow in the world and such a beautiful amazing person would be hurting so badly.

"Love Yourself" is a raw recording directly on my Mac! Sorry for the quality and THANKS for listening!

Graphic Design in the Future

Technology changes so quickly and right there trailing closely behind are the trends that define design. We've gone from stone carvings to elaborate 3D visual effects with the last few decades jet propelling art into an ultra modern science for the mind.

What will a logo look like in 2030? First we have to think of the medium that people might be using by then. I believe that we will no longer be connected to devices and they will either be worn or implemented into our bodies somehow. According to Science Fiction movies the future has a lot of holographic images everywhere. Will flat 2D design become obsolete?

With the rise of virtual reality will experiences no longer be third party? In other words will going to movies actually be to experience the movie through digital augmentation. Could logos become more than just an image but also a feeling, a scent, a sound?

Mobile applications might become downloadable through nanotechnology that is injected into your bloodstream somehow. You might have to upgrade hardware that is installed in your brain. Maybe design will disappear only to become a uniform tool for a totalitarian society.

It's interesting to look at what is achievable today then theorize the endless possibilities laid forth to an upcoming generation of artists who will bridge the gap between reality and realism.

Learn more @ http://creativesinside.com

How Domain Trolls Have Ruined Creativity

First off, what's a domain troll? If you have ever tried to buy a domain maybe you noticed that the url you wanted was already taken but instead of someone using it, it's for sale for some outlandish price.

Domain trolls lurk online waiting for new domains to come out and they buy up thousands of domains. Then they sell these domains for insane prices to unsuspecting good folks like yourself who are trying to launch their next idea.

This seems all in well if you are a terrible money hungry troll like person and although in some cases individuals will buy these domains to launch their ideas, I am sure that most of the time people's amazing ideas are quickly squelched by these inflated prices.

To give you an example the other day I became aroused by the concept of launching my own non-profit organization, which is something I have always wanted to do. I thought the perfect name would be "Better Earth" and immediately went to my domain name provider to buy the .com so I could get started building my idea right away! However to my demise www.betterearth.com was already taken and it's now for sale for $4,500. This is not the first time this happened to me! I would have to say that over 50 great ideas that I've had throughout my life online have hit these incredibly ridiculous domain troll walls.

So my thoughts are this, what about everyone else out there who has had an amazing idea or even started a company unknowing to the fact that their domain was already purchased by a troll trying to re-sell it to them for $25,000.

Have Domain Trolls contributed to this totalitarian corporate ran monopoly that we call home? I say yes and shame on you. Stacking up money through the hopes of peoples great ideas.

This needs to be stopped. It is destroying creativity and when Earth tilts on it's axis that very essence of ideas will be all that can place the globe back on the shoulders of Atlas.

What Happened to Hip-Hop?

As a child of the 90's I was drawn into hip-hop culture at a young age. For me it was all about a feeling about unity, free thought and love. One of my first tapes was De La Soul is Dead and by the time I was 13 I knew all the lyrics to every one of their songs. It was fun and happy. They had some jokes but most of it had a positive vibe. I had already discovered Leaders of the New School, A Tribe Called Quest and got into Black Star (Talib Kweli and Mos Def) then along came, who I think is the greatest hip-hop group of all time, The Roots.

I used to enter freestyle battles, go to hip-hop clubs and concerts but then it all came crashing down. At some point the message of hip-hop changed and I lost the connection. I was disheartened when I saw some of my hip-hop heroes go on tour for Kool cigarettes. At this point I had been intro electronic dance music for awhile so at least I had something to fall back on.

Now several years later here I am again forced to listen to hip-hop music by mainstream society and let me tell you I am disappointed.

I swore when I was a kid that by the time we reach 2010 racism would have been a thing of the past and all humanity were to come together and celebrate life in unity, love and respect. Instead I feel more segregated than ever. Segregated and let down by something that I used to love so much.

I love The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and he always makes me laugh but behind that laughter is sadness. My heroes who I thought were going to lead a musical revolution, The Roots, are now just a band for laughs on a syndicated mainstream show? They do say that laughter is the best medicine and I need it because life is full of melancholy.

So my point is, what happened to hip-hop? I saw an article on World Star Hip-Hop a few months ago that was written from the point of view of an anonymous record label executive who wanted the public to know that in the 80s he and others made a deal with private jails to fade out all the positive hip-hop and focus on the negative stuff. Well whatever the case I think we as a species and hip-hop have taken several steps backwards on our path to righteousness. When will it all end?

Free Electronic Press Kits from ReverbNation.com

APIs – What They Are and What They Do

API stands for application programming interface in the language of computer programming. These kinds of applications have a variety of uses, but the main thing they are created for is to specify the modality in which some software components should interact with each other in order to make the whole system functional.

Starting from APIs’ main purpose, they are able to access databases or computer hardware such as video cards or hard disk drives, just as they can also be used to make the work of programming graphical user interface components easier. Another thing that you should be aware of is that there are two main types of APIs:

Sometimes APIs come in the form of libraries that contain specifications for routines, object classes, variables and data structures. 

Other times, especially when we are talking about SOAP and REST services, APIs come in the form of specifications of remote calls which are exposed to APIs clients.

What are the forms in which we can find an API’s specification? Well, these kinds of specifications can come in a variety of forms, including: the programming language’s libraries, such as Standard Template Library in C++ and Java API; International Standard, such as POSIX; and vendor documentation, such as the Microsoft Windows API. Some examples of APIs are the following ones: ASPI for SCSI device interfacing, Cocoa and Carbon for Macintosh, DirectX for Microsoft Windows, EHLLAPI, Java API, ODBS for Microsoft Windows, OpenAL cross-platform sound API, OpenCL cross-platform API for general-purpose computing for CPUs & GPUs,  OpenMP API, OpenGL cross-platform graphics API, Server Application Programming Interface (SAPI), Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL).

What you should avoid at all costs is to mistake APIs for ABIs. In order to do so, you have to understand the differences between them: ABI stands for application binary interface and, of course, is a binary interface, whereas API stands for application programming interface and is source code based. 

If you want to learn more about how API's can help you succeed then check this out:

http://numerousactions.com

The Prominence of Lying

I've noticed just how rapidly the increase of lies has become on a global and also personal level. I remember when telling a lie was a terrible thing and when someone did it they were generally wrought with deep regret. Nowadays it seems like anyone will lie about anything to achieve whatever selfish goal is on their mind.

The False Messiah from DeviantArt.com by biesjd11

I am most disappointed in everyday people who lie to get ahead. However I blame major corporations, the media and politics for setting the precedent.

When your own government is blatantly lying to your face to protect the interest of a few chosen people it sends out a very negative message to society. People are supposed to not only trust but also look up to their leaders. This therefore makes me question our leadership altogether. It used to be that leaders were chosen by the people based on their actions. Now we are force fed a group of people and asked to choose between them who we want to control the most important facets of human existence.

Sure this is just a blog and I am just a solitary voice. Yes you've watched the same documentaries as I have and realized there is a huge sham. Ok, I get it but when will we as a race unveil the guise protecting the wrong and bring good back into light?

There is no excuse for the overall behavior of humanity. It is time to embrace our virtues and return to innocence!

Why Marijuana Should NOT Be Legalized

I was a good kid, got good grades and was really close to my family. I grew up loving animals and wanted so bad to become a veterinarian one day. My family was prepared to send me to the university of my choice and my grades were on track. Then one day when I was 13 playing basketball with my friends one of them pulled out a joint.

At this point there wasn't much education about marijuana, I took DARE class in elementary school and they taught us that marijuana was not addictive. I figured hey, why not? It couldn't hurt to try it! After those first few puffs I was hooked. Marijuana became a new favorite past time and it really brought out my creative side.

As time went by my love for marijuana increased along with my adoration of music and art. I no longer wanted to be part of the "herd" and cast aside all of my aspirations to become a musician. I fell off at school and gathered a "who cares" mentality.

Now 23 years later I look back at my life and I can truly say, "I wish I never discovered marijuana." All I was doing was masking my problems and when I finally got my head out of the clouds they were still there.

So here we are pushing the legalization of a DRUG through the government. I understand that T.H.C. helps sick people but that doesn't mean it needs to be smoked or glamorized. By legalizing marijuana we are sending a message to the youth that it's ok to smoke marijuana and from my own personal experience I can say that this will have lasting negative effects on society. It has been proven that marijuana affects brain development and during our teenage years it is SO IMPORTANT that we have a healthy brain.

My advice to all the potheads is, stop being so selfish! Do you deserve to go to jail for smoking a little pot? No not at all and my issues with the Department of Corrections is for another post, but this movement is sending a really bad message to the youth of America.