This next one is dedicated to my Droid
I'm probably the only girl you'll ever meet who refers to her Droid X as "cute" and fondly refers to it as "Baby" whenever it utters "DROID," as it's programmed to, when I get a text or hook it up to my laptop to be charged.
But it's true, I do think it is an incredible piece of technology. And when I like things, I tend to find them cute, regardless of how inappropriate that term is in respect to their actual physical appearance.
When I first got my Droid in the mail, I was a little apprehensive because I've never been very apt at dealing with new technology. In fact, I held off buying an iPod until 2006, when the nano 2nd gen came out. If that's not bad enough, I used an old-school film camera until, like, the same year, when I was, like, 16. Who does that? Well, me. I've never been very good at change. It's something I'm working on, 'kay?
Anyhow, this is a disclaimer. Don't take anything I write in this post to be expert opinion. I'm just a clueless consumer fiddling around with a cool device, figuring it out as I go, and carelessly writing about what I happen to think.
According to my Twitter (what's the point of using my memory anymore?), I got my Droid X three days ago in the mail, on the 27th. I had never actually physically held or examined one, previously. I just went online, read the description, figured it sounded good, so went ahead and bought it. Definitely not the best way to make purchases, but this far I'm a happy, happy consumer.
I got it from Verizon for about 200 bucks. I could have gotten a free Blackberry Curve, but whatevs, I needed either a Droid or an iPhone for my major. They make us design apps all the time, and none of my profs react well when I say "I don't know what an app is or how one works."
Why didn't I get an iPhone, you're probably wondering. Well, I despise Apple. Sorry. Shocker, I know. No one has reacted well to that statement, especially not my Apple-loving profs. I think the corp. sponsors my uni or some shiz.
Anyway. Enough rambling. When I got my Droid out of its packaging and into my hands, I was a little surprised by the size. It's actually quite big. Definitely bigger than the lame LG enV2 I've had for about a year. But even more shocking, it's bigger than an iPhone (Albeit still cuter in my opinion. Dumb Apple products).
At first the size was a little disconcerting to me, but it actually began to grow on me. It's like a mini tablet, or iPad, right in my palm. It's big enough and developed well-enough that I can easily and comfortably access the web, check and read the latest news, my email, Facebook, Twitter... You, know, all that important stuff. Meanwhile, I can easily carry it around with me and call people when I get myself into trouble with the cops. Perfect!
One thing that kind of freaked me out at first was the syncing of all my Twitter and Facebook contacts into what would normally be my phone-book contacts on a regular phone. You know, before the future hit.
Actually, it still kind of freaks me out. Not because I personally mind seeing updates on random people I barely know, but because society's rules tells me that should make me feel like a creeper. Some, ok, let's be honest, MOST of these people I do not know very well. Most I've only ever met once or twice and never even gotten their numbers. It's just a little strange that I have all their info accessible to me, right here, under my fingertips, whenever the hell I want or need it.
Even one of my good friends freaked out when she called my phone with hers to hear my ringtone (Communication by Mario Piu) and saw that her Twitter profile pic came up along with her latest Twitter status.
I don't know whether or not I should take her discomfort personally, but regardless, I can say that it would be a little weird if some random kid I just met called me on his Droid and was able to see all my social-networking info. But then, I guess not, because for all that info to come up in the first place he'd have to have me on his Twitter and Facebook... Hmm. I raise a good point. I guess it's not so bad.
Anyhow, all this awesome computing power comes with a price. My phone has frozen twice in the short time that I have owned it. All my excessive, aggressive social-networking was too much for its tiny processor, apparently, poor little thing. I had to forcefully restart it both times. It's behaved itself since then, but I'm a little worried. It's still new at the moment and relatively devoid of used memory space. What will happen when I clog it full of gigabytes of useless data? Will it be sluggish and constantly freezing on me? That'd really suck. But I don't know. Maybe it's just mine. I haven't taken it in to be checked yet, because I'm a busy lazy college kid and I can't be bothered to. But if it freezes up on me again, I will. Especially since my summer classes end this week and I have no good excuses not to.
Now, remember what I said somewhere earlier in this post. If you were looking for a dependable, accurate, well-informed review of the Droid X, go to a technology-oriented website or blog. This post is really just me procrastinating starting school work and expressing my love for my new "Baby" out to the world. : )
Kuwaiti women: Have your wedding cake & eat it too!
Here's some good news.
Kuwait just realized that 50% of its population are women, who may not necessarily be attracted to the other 50% of the population.
Well, forget attraction. Not sure where I was going with that, but I kind of know where I'm going with the rest of this post. So let's get there.
Kuwait has a sucky Citizenship Law that limits Kuwaiti women's marriage options.
Currently, for a Kuwaiti woman to marry a foreigner would be like committing social suicide, since her children won't be able to gain citizenship. The only way for the children to become naturalized is if the Kuwaiti mother divorces her husband and remarries a Kuwaiti, or if she becomes widowed. On the other hand, a Kuwaiti man may marry a foreigner and his children will have no trouble getting the nationality.
Why is there a double standard? In both situations the children are equally half-Kuwaiti, and both should be able to gain the nationality. Right? Seems logical enough, to me.
Anyway, opinion aside, it appears that the Kuwaiti parliament is just discovering that in this globalized world, just as not all Kuwaiti men are seeking out Kuwaiti wives, Kuwaiti women are not always seeking out Kuwaiti husbands. This is creating a lopsided population structure, since Kuwaitis constitute only 31.44% of the population.
The proposal for change has been finalized and is ready for presentation to the Council of Ministers. Cross your fingers!
It's been a long time coming, but it's good news. Rejoice, feminists (and practical people) of Kuwait!
Here's a link to the original Arab Times article.
“Is the iPod the bong of the future?”
Okay, so I ran into a ridiculous article online recently that I want to share with all of you. I don't know if any of you have ever heard of I-dosing, because I hadn't, but maybe you are all more informed than I am. Anyway, Gizmodo's article "Help! Teens are Using Digital Drugs to Get High" delivers the juice, sarcastically, on the latest shenanigans parents have to fear their teens may be engaged in. Apparently, kids are getting high off mp3s available for free and for purchase online that induce a state of ecstasy. And no, they're not talking about Trance.
I-Doser designs binaural tones designed to put the listener's brain into a state equivalent to a high achieved by narcotics and recreational drugs. You get all the "benefits" without the internal damage. Interesting concept, right?
Well, being the curious, up-for-a-challenge gal that I am, I decided to give it a try. I'm planning on listening to Gate of Hades, which, from what I hear, is what most I-dose beginners start with, since it's free and all. But before I do that, I'm going to the bathroom. You never know man, you never know.
Hmm. Maybe I'll record myself and upload a reaction video to this AMPhetamine. All the cool kids are doing it!
Alright, going for it in 3, 2, 1...
Ok, that was... an experience. I didn't end up urinating all over myself, thankfully, but it couldn't have been much worse. Here's my reaction. And yes I know I look awful. It's been a long day. It's 12:55 am, dammit! Hahaha
My I-dose experience (I'll embed the video later, I have to wait for it to be approved and stuff atm)
Anyway, I wouldn't describe what I experienced feeling as a state of euphoria. Quite the opposite, really. It was as much fun as pulling nails.
The strange static, white-noise sound is designed to give the listener an adrenaline rush by igniting panic. In my opinion, it's very similar to the sounds and music used in horror films that are specifically designed to put our hair on end. My heart began beating a little quicker and I felt tense and flushed. My fight or flight instincts were kicking in, for sure. Covering my eyes and being in the dark only intensified the feeling of foreboding and discomfort that the music generates. Definitely NOT my kind of high, haha, I think I'll stick to caffeine. And Trance.
Big Brother is on Twitter
So, this is a blog, right? I guess that means I can kinda talk about my life. Well, just a few days back I had an “accident” and ended up throwing up all over a “friend.” We didn’t know each other well enough to remain friends after the incident, but, I did check this individual’s twitter page one last time and saw that he had tweeted about my unfortunate episode. While commencing to insult me, he also said some racist things. Needless to say, I was angrryyyyy. I tried to send him a mean, hurtful text but I don’t think I really got my point across. Lame.
BUT. There might still be hope for me and my revenge, thanks to karma. A little birdie told me (Get it?!) that every public tweet in the history of Twitter will be archived digitally at the Library of Congress. Hear that?? The government has got its eye on this little turd and his racist tweet about me and every other, in his words, “native from an islamic country.”
So yeah, from now on he, and everyone else (racist or otherwise), better watch what he tweets! Big brother's got his eye on you and whatever you tweet may just come back to peck you on the ass!
Revenge is tweet.
By the way, I have a secondary blog I did for a class of mine that covers pretty much anything you could possibly want to know about Twitter. It's called Digging for Worms. Check it out, if you're interested!
Another Asshole Arrested?
So, it’s been one hell of a week. It’s terribly cold, dark, rainy and boring as hell in Eugene. It’s Spring, and the fact that the weather hasn’t yet gotten the hint is a little depressing. It’s also the end of a short spring break, and quite frankly, the reintroduction of structure into my life is irritating. To make up for days like this, I scroll through troves of websites that, usually at the expense of unsuspecting others, give me lots of glee. I’m talking about sites like “Emails from an Asshole,” HollaDaddy.com and other trolling treasure troves. This afternoon I was scrolling through dontevenreply.com without any trouble until I had to get up and go to campus. When I finally get out of class a couple of hours later and return home, I discover this:
I don’t know what to make of it. Has John Lindsay really been arrested or is he just trying to get people to buy his book? Or is it an April Fools prank? Yeah, that’s probably it, lol. I guess I could try and do some internet stalking but I don’t really care that much. Just thought I’d share : )
What do you guys think?
Congratulations, America!
You now have comprehensive health care, for the first time in US history! : )
The health care bill was passed yesterday, March 21, 2010, but will be fully implemented in four years. It will be financed with a combination of spending cuts and tax increases.
Here’s what I’ve been able to gather on what it offers so far. The bill will:
- Expand Medicaid to cover lower-income people under the age of 65. Under the new rules, households with income up to 133% of the federal poverty level, or about $29,327 for a family of four, would be eligible.
- Create an insurance exchange, or marketplace, where people will be able choose among a variety of private policies that suit their needs.
- Provide much more competitive and accessible private insurance online shopping centers for people who are not able to obtain coverage through an employer.
- Prohibit insurance-companies from denying coverage to those with pre-existing illnesses or canceling people’s coverage when they get sick.
- Eliminate the Medicare prescription drug program’s “doughnut hole,” replacing it instead with $250 rebate and 50% discount on brand name drugs to those who were in the coverage gap.
- Allow people to leave their current job without fear of losing their health insurance.
- Require all Americans to carry insurance or pay a $700 fine. The details of which, according to the NY Times, are that in the first year, uninsured consumers would owe $95 or 1% of income, whichever is greater. But, if the individual continues to go without insurance, the penalty will continue to rise until it reaches $695 or 2% of income. However, families who fall below the income-tax filing thresholds would not owe anything. Nor would people who cannot find a policy that costs less than 8% of their income
- Subsidize those who are unable to shoulder the cost. For example, small businesses will get a 35% tax credit to cover employees, and those employing fewer than 50 full-time workers will not be required to provide coverage. Larger employers, however, will pay fines up to $2,000 per worker if they do not provide coverage.
- Provide coverage for as many as 32 million people who have been shut out of the market because they are considered to be too sick by insurers or because they cannot afford insurance premiums.
- Require families with an annual income above $250,000 to pay an additional 3.8 % tax on their investment income and contribute more to the Medicare program from their payroll taxes.
Despite the many benefits this bill will provide, it is not unanimously supported. Three dozen states have filed legislation that, if passed, will reject the health bill’s mandate and benefits. Republicans are expecting the bill to increase the country’s deficit, which is a real possibility. They feel that they will make big election gains in November thanks to the passing of the health care bill. Democrats counter that the benefits will speak for themselves. I do hope so!
I think, as with anything, it will start off bumpy; but, in the long run, it’ll totally be worth it.
I’m excited, are you?
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Sources:
Bernard, Tara Siegel. “For Consumers, Clarity on Health Care Changes.” New York Times. 21 Mar. 2010.
Lockhead, Carolyn. “Houses passes historic health care bill.” San Francisco Chronicle. 21 Mar. 2010
My eye!! It burns!!!
So, this morning, I discovered what it feels like to have your eye melted out of your head by acid. Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but close enough!
I was sold this contact solution called Clear Care that comes with it’s own little contact case. Now I found out through a similar experience a while back that this solution is NOT saline and should NOT go directly into your eye, but somehow my eye recuperated much quicker after that accidental encounter than it has this time around. (Not that that’s an excuse on my part, I’m just worried!)
Let’s talk about what Clear Care is. According to their website, the solution utilizes “the exceptional cleaning action of hydrogen peroxide” to disinfect lenses. In addition, I was told by the sales person that it dissolves protein build up on contacts.
Now back to what I was saying. I SQUIRTED some of this INTO MY EYE. FUUUUUUUUUUUU-!!!!!!
For the record, it was an accident. Anyway, immediately my eye clammed up and started to burn mercilessly and I couldn’t pry it open. Instead, I stumbled around the bathroom clutching at my face and howling numerous cuss words in quick succession. Finally I managed to force my eye open and pull the offending contact out. I rinsed my eye with saline and eye drops and tap water — any and everything on hand. However, instead of recuperating within a few hours like it had the first time this mix up occurred, it has continued to burn, itch, tear and swell throughout the day. It took me a long time to be able to focus on objects not immediately in front of my face without having my eyes tearfully roll up into my head. My eye is also very sensitive to light and I had to turn down the brightness on my laptop screen to be able to write this.
All in all it’s a bummer.
I checked their website and they said swelling and irritation should diminish after 24-48 hours. Wish me luck!
Now the broader message of this post, aside from warning you against being a bumbling idiot who doesn’t read labels and ends up mistaking acid for their saline solution, is that 1) you should not buy Clear Care because the possible costs out-way the benefits, and it’s a very simple, painful and, God forbid, costly, mistake to make and 2) Clear Care should redesign their bottle. Instead of having a safe looking blue and purple bottle, it should be BRIGHT yellow and red! I’m not even kidding! It too closely resembles the bottle of saline solution that comes along with it to neutralize the hydrogen peroxide. To give them credit, the sticker is encompassed by a red border with warning text. But when you’re half blind without your contacts in, stumbling around half-asleep in the morning (or night), this little red label does not stand out enough to make a difference.
So yeah. Just a warning to the interwebs. And to Clear Care, too, I guess, if my eye doesn’t get better soon they should be prepared to meet with my lawyer(s)! *Angry face*
Oh, and apparently I’m not the only one.
I’ve read and seen numerous posts all describing similar experiences. BEWARE!
Hello visitors!
Welcome to Hal Ayam, a theme-less blog in it’s first hours of operation. The title is Arabic for “These Days,” and I plan to write about just that. I’ll share videos, articles and pictures about anything and everything that catches my interest, ranging from reality TV shows to fashion, politics and current events. Please stick around and tell me what you think! : D