Funding Ideas Worldwide

You may have heard of Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Peoplefund.it, and RocketHub. But do you know what these sites are for? They're sites where people post ideas and prototypes for new ideas that they have so people in the public can choose to fund the projects that they feel are cool or choose not to fund if they aren't cool or useful projects. 

I Have personally funded a few different projects on Kickstarter and having these websites is a great idea. It is good for the inventors/entrepreneurs who are trying to market their new product because it lets the public see the project and if the public doesn't like the idea then it reduces the risk and the loss for the people who had the idea. It is also good because it gives consumers a chance to decide what they think is a good idea and it gives them a chance to be one of the first people to own the new project or be included in certain other incentives that the inventors/entrepreneurs decide to promote often at a reduced cost to the consumer.

Is Fantasy Too Much?

Fantasy football is a huge game played by millions worldwide every year. There are a lot of different sites and ways of playing. Some of tyne more popular sites in the US are NFL.com and ESPN.com. Most sites are full season sites where you draft a team and play with that same team all season. In those leagues you are allowed to trade players and pick up players from the free agents list. There are also some single-day or single-week leagues where you can pay a few dollars to enter a game and after you pay you draft a team from a list of players and have a chance to win some money.

The prospect of winning money leads some fantasy owners to go on rants on social media sites directed at the players themselves. Some players don't care about these rants because they understand that there are going to be people that like them and people that don't like them no matter what happens. But, on the other hand there are some players that hate the whole prospect of fantasy leagues because they're not real leagues and the players don't deserve the backlash they get for having a less-than-perfect game. I personally think that it adds to the fun of watching football. I have 3 different teams and for me it gets me more excited to watch the games that come on.

Woman Saved By Dog Rescued From Shelter

Woman Saved By Dog Rescued From Shelter

 

 

        Sara Pelchat from Lakeland, Florida was sleeping one night when suddenly she was woken up by her dog that was barking, licking her face, and pulling on her shirt trying to get her attention relentlessly. Finally Sara forced herself to get out of bed, then she realized that smoke was flowing throughout her house.

            As it turns out a plastic container was left on the stove and a burner was left on. The smoke from the burning container set off a close by fire alarm, but Sara was fast asleep and didn’t hear the alarms.

            The crazy part is that Sara hadn’t even owned the dog for two weeks, she had just adopted the dog (named Brinleigh) from SPCA Florida.

            I guess that makes adopting a dog from a shelter an even better thing to do, I mean it could save your life…

Apple and Samsung Make Final Pitches to Jury

Apple and Samsung Make Final Pitches to Jury

Apple Inc. tried to persuade U.S. jurors to keep intact a historic verdict it won against Samsung Electronics-Company last year, while the Korean company argued that Apple has overstated its injuries from patent violations.

At closing arguments on Tuesday in a San Jose, California federal court, Apple attorney Harold McElhinny told jurors that their verdict would be important for protecting American companies. However, Samsung attorney William Price said Apple grossly overstated how integral the five patents at trial actually are to the iPhone's value. 

During the retrial, which has been unfolding over the past week, Apple asked the jury to award $379.8 million, while Samsung argued it should have paid $52.7 million.  
With this huge retrial, people will be watching closely to see how it plays out and what will be the next step. Some say that if Apple wins, Samsung will have to change a lot of things and stop selling some of their phones because they infringe on the patents. Also, if Apple is awarded money in the verdict, they may also go after other businesses such as Motorola because they are also running Android which has infringed upon some of their patents.

Everyone wants Snapchat

Snapchat is a social media app popular with the young ground these days. It’s an app where you send pictures or videos to anyone of your contact list. They can usually last up to 10 seconds depends on the time limit put on it. After it’s open and viewed. Snapchat claims that the picture or video is gone forever. It’s a very fun app to use for people who are obsessed with taking selfies. Also it’s 10 times after then sending a picture through a text message.             

Snapchat Logo

  Snapchat is growing fast and a lot of companies are trying to come after it and buy it. Snapchat was created by a 23 year old that kept hearing about his friend that wanted a faster way to send out pictures. The 23 year old name is Evan Spieleg is a college dropout that currently lives at his dads. He claims snapchat is still young and hasn't reach the potential it can yet. It’s still growing like crazy. Even I’m a fan of snapchat and so are many of friends.

CEO of Snapchat Evan Spieleg

A couple weeks ago Facebook offered snapchat 1 Billion dollars but Evan turned it down. A couple of weeks after Fb offered snapchat 3 Billion dollars yet Evan still turned down the offer. It seems like FB really wants to own snapchat so it can control more things and be involve in the lives of more teenagers. Later on in the week that Fb offered 3 Billion dollars. Google got in on the action to offer up 4 Billion dollars. Yet Evan still won’t bit and give up the company. I guess Evan sees some potential no one else sees at the moment. When I heard this news I was shocked that company are offering that much money because I don’t think any snapchat users will think it was worth that much. Maybe one day he might sell the company but right now it doesn’t seem like he’s giving it up for any amount of money. 

Real Life Batman

Becoming a real life super hero is a dream sought after by children all over the nation. Usually this wish never comes true and is forgotten as one ages. However, for Miles, a five year old from California, this dream did come true. Miles was a make a wish child in San Francisco who had been suffering with leukemia for three long years. His wish was to become a real life superhero and fight crime in Gotham City. This wish touched the hearts of city councilmen and the make a wish foundation who decided to make his dream come true. On November 15th Miles with the help of an adult batman entered San Francisco in the bat mobile to the applaud of hundreds of citizens. He then went on to fight the Penguin, master the Riddler, free a damsel from distress, and at the end of the day received the key to the city from the mayor himself. According to Miles parents, this

was an amazing way to add closure to the long three years of treatment that had just ended in june. However, like all superhero's not everyone was happy with Miles. Posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram mocked the situation and complained that the money used to do this could have been spent on children all over San Francisco who are starving everyday. Despite these haters the message that dreams can come true will be spread all over the nation.

TVs Breaking Grounds Again

After leaving the bulky TVs. It was time for the thing plasma screen TV’s. It hasn't even been that long we been in the plasma screen era. But all of the sudden companies went from big giant screen TV’s to curved TV’s. A curved TVs sounds like a sweet idea, it’s like a surround sound system but not having the need to by the separate equipment’s.  Also the curved TVs takes away from the glare of the sunlight coming through the drapes. Another thing about a having a curved TV’s that benefits humans is that we tend to have curved field of vision so having a TV’s that relates to are needs is a big factor! 

First Curved TV by LG

    

 More benefits from curved TV is that, the resolution is better. Companies in a couple of years are trying to move from the HD display to 4k display. This is a huge transition because 4k display makes HD look like SD display so it’s a big deal. Curved TV’s will use OLED technology to give a better user experience. Also with the OLED panel you can interact with your smartphone. It can stream videos, photos and makes gaming looking even better.

77in 4k OLED TV

 The downside to curved TV’s. First, it’s very expensive because of the new technology and all the benefits. A curved TV can go for at least $17,000. Also there might be some bugs and system complications. A curved TV might be the next evolution but right now do we really need it? Also curved TV are way too big. At a certain point it starts to look more like a home theater instead of the living room TV set.  

Xmen Days of Future Past: Can't Come Soon Enough

So I recently watched the movie Xmen: First Class and was very pleased with the direction Matthew Vaughn and his team went with the movie. He did a great job fleshing out the relationship of Professor X (James Mcavoy) and Magneto (Micheal Fassbender) along with creating a believable precursor to Xmen I. With this being said I am now excited for Xmen: Days of Future Past coming out on May 23, 2014.

Xmen: Days of Future Past will connect the characters of the original trilogy with the characters of Xmen: First Class. The plot sounds like it's going to be centered, once again, on wolverine. His consciousness is sent into past via some time travel method, probably another mutant. He is sent back to stop an event which leads to the demise of mutants and humans. Now many events are still vague, but if it shares some similarities to the comic of the same name the Xmen will have to stop an event which causes great fear of mutants from humans and leads to the future that holds the demise of humankind and mutants. The future will probably contain as did the comic book internment camps for mutants supervised by Sentinels.

Sentinels. Anybody who's loves Xmen comics will know that these are the giant robots made by Trask Industries to destroy mutants, and now they're finally being brought to the big screen.

They'll need to further the transition from mystique who is the innocent girl confused about her mutant power to the mystique who is a cold blooded killer in the original trilogy. They also should do something about Alex Summers who in the comics was Cyclops's younger brother, but in the movie is just a few years younger then Xavier. They also need to have cooler powers other then energy based and teleportation which is most of newer Xmen characters.

Either way I still cant wait for another installment by both of the extraordinary actors who play Magneto, Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellan, and Xavier, Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy. Along with many other great characters all with the great guiding hand of Bryan Singer and his team. Six months is to long to wait.

Good News For The Bad Grandpas

Last Saturday night my boyfriend and I went to Marcus Theatre to see Bad Grandpa on our date. Not being the stereotypical girl I wanted something completely inappropriate and funny and Bad Grandpa definitely delivered just that. This was, by far, the funniest movie I have ever seen. I laughed through the whole thing.

Being a Jackass movie of sorts it was obvious that there was going to be shocking stunts and ridiculous scenes. What I didn't expect was an honest plot that the movie stuck with. I was certain that a full movie about an old man whose wife dies a couple days before he gets stuck with getting his grandson to his father was going to be impossible. A person can't make a movie about a trip to give a kid to his father. Oh yes, apparently they can.

I think the greatest part is that I saw a little bit of my step-dad in the grandpa's personality. I could see him doing some of the things that the grandpa in the movie did. There is at least one person in every family that would match one of the characters in the movie. Not only that, but the whole movie was made from skits that the crew did in public to real people. The reactions of the people are real.

I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who needs a laugh and who doesn't mind partial nudity or the humiliation of real people. It is rated "R" for a reason.

Political Prisoners in Myanmar

Myanmar released 69 prisoners on November 15th in "amnesty" or pardoning of offenses. Myanmar has recently shifted from military rule to democracy. Most of the prisoners were minorities. For nearly 50 years, Myanmar's military rule had detained several thousand political prisoners. Nearing the end of the rule about 2500 prisoners were detained with many being tortured (Huffington Post). Political prisoners can be anyone who could potentially or literally be harmful to the government. From activists and politicians to journalists and comedians.The political prisoners have been released because of the change in rule, which led to a regulation change. 

Now, if comedians can be detained as political prisoners what can stop governments from detaining any person on the street? What is the limit to what can and can't be done by government officials.There are many prisoners who are not even declared. Those people have families who have not been informed of their whereabouts and this isn't even just in Myanmar but in countries all of the World. If so many people can get away with what is happening to these people, how is that right? There will be no limit to their power and the different governments will be able to get away with so much more and so much worse. It all starts from the many people. However so many countries do not recognize the people who make up society. Nothing can effectively be done if only a select few people are the ones deciding what happens for all the people. And this is being shown through what is happening in Myanmar. They are going from a government based in closed sessions where only a few if not only one person is controlling everything else to a government where there is discussion on what is best for everyone.

For the "Love" of the Game

                                                           For the "Love" of the Game

               For a few weeks now my boyfriend Tyler and I have been intertwined in an NFL fantasy football league. Although I first felt that joining the league would be quite boring, it turned out to be one of the most competitive and thrilling things we have done in a while. To be perfectly honest I may be too intrigued with the 2013 NFL season, and while I am currently the leader of the scoreboard, with my Sea hawks defense; I would never think of trading something or anything of emotional value and attachment, like this woman, who shall  remain anonymous, did last week. She made headlines for pawning her wedding ring in exchange for two tickets to the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs NFL football game, merely because she hadn't been to a game in a while. The rings, one an engagement ring, the other, the wedding band, were valued at $3,100 and had come from a previous marriage. The man that bought the rings is planning on proposing during the Kansas City Chiefs game on December 1st, 2013.
                                                                                 

Don't get me wrong, the Denver Broncos are my 

second in command as far as favorite teams go, but my question is why the sudden urge? Why this year, why this game? The articles I read didn't give a reason, but I'm not sure one is needed. perhaps it was one of those life is too short to put off tomorrow what you can do today kind of moments. 

             

                   The woman said the four tickets plus two San Diego Charger's game tickets are going to be a gift for her husband's 40th birthday. It does make you wonder though, how lucky some guys are, if their lady forgoes something as sentimental as a wedding ring, trading with it all of the laughs, tears and memories. This trade gives whole new respect to the sporty , " One of the guys"  type ladies that every girl strives to be for their boy, and that takes guts I certainly don't have. For now my boyfriend can be happy enough with me managing his waiver wire, the open market if you will for unwanted NFL players; and perfecting his team in contrast to my own. Andrew Luck, don't fail me now!

The new Riddick movie certainly doesnt dissapoint!

Vin Diesel's movie is an action-packed ride!

Another movie that I went to recently is the new Riddick movie. 

I have always been a big fan of the older Riddick movies and when i heard that they are going to be making a new I became ecstatic, to say the least. I knew that this movies was definitely going to go on my watch list. When the day finally came to go see the movie; I was not disappointed. The movies was quite the spectacle and the CGI was gorgeous throughout the whole thing. Although the plot wasnt anything to marvel at, I didnt really go to see the movie for a superb plot, I came to watch Vin Diesel kicking-ass and taking names, and he does just that. The was rarely a moment of the film that made me bored or lose interest. I wouldnt recommend this movie to everyone. Its more on the side of a "dude" movie and not one that id suggest to a grandmother, for example. I would; however, recommend this movie to someone who likes to go on action trips and just wants to enjoy a movie without having to think to hard on a confusing plot line.
 

What could we expect from Star Wars VII?

Episode VII concept Art

   With the new Star Wars Episode VII film coming out in 2015 many fans of the Star Wars movies and universe are left wondering what they can expect from new director J.J. Abrams. 

After Disney bought the franchise from George Lucas in 2012 many fans got scared that Disney would ruin the franchise they love (although some can argue that was already ruined by the prequels). So what can we expect? From interviews and rumors for one we can expect the cast from the Original Trilogy like Mark Hamill playing Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher playing Leia, and Harrison Ford playing Han Solo and of course the return of the droids R2D2 and C3PO. But what do fans want to see? From internet blogs and talk from YouTube videos fans really want the new trilogy to include the expanded universe characters such as Mara Jade (wife of Luke Skywwalker), Ben Skywalker (Son of Luke and Mara), Anakin, Jacen, and Jaina Solo. As well as some of the plot details from the expanded universe books. Its hard to tell what the plot will be for the new movie but being somewhat of a Star Wars fan I will provide my 2 cents for what I would like to see or expect. 

For starters the cast will be what is described as above with the original characters and their sons and daughters. They are all living on Yavin 4. Luke Skywalker has started to rebuild the Jedi Order again and has been training young Jedi Padawans for a while now. While there seems to be a period of peace after the emperor was destroyed, there are still parts of the empire that remains. The remains of the empire are scattered across the universe trying to rebuild what they lost. At the same time while the Sith was destroyed there is a new Sith Lord hidden waiting for his time to reveal himself. Which is another question on who would be the villian?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG4_A72DBY4

This is just a few things i would like to see for the new movie and trilogy. I really would like to see the expanded universe come into play with these movies and i cannot wait to see what J.J. Abrams has in store for us. 

                                      

The Pink Star diamond

The "Pink Star" diamond

The "Pink Star" diamond was sold at an auction last week.  It was sold for $73.99 million.  This oval shaped diamond was 59.60 carats.  David Bennett, a chairman of Sotheby's jewellery in Europe brought down the hammer in a Geneva hotel after an intense five-minute bidding race between four contenders.  The winner was a bearded man who was in his sixties, who declined to identify himself, claimed that he was representing another individual.  The man who bought the diamond said it was for an anonymous person whom he would not mention to reporters.  The final sale of the entire ring and "buyer's premium," or commission fees was $83.02 million.  The "Pink Star" was cut and polished from a 132.5 carat rough diamond mined somewhere in Africa in 1999.  In 2010, a diamond called "Graff Pink," a 24.78 carat fancy intense pink diamond was sold at an auction for $45.75 million.  The"Pink Star" sold for almost double that amount.   It's crazy that someone is willing to spend that amount of money on a piece of jewelry.  We hear about our economy being in a whole and struggling with trying to pay off debt, yet you hear about people spending money on pointless things instead of donating to help those in need.  People need to spend their money on things that are necessary instead of things they want.

People say this diamond has significant beauty and the in the past only royal people would own diamonds such as this one.  In today's society, if you can afford it why not buy it.  People are so worked up with dying young that they feel the need to spend their money as soon as they have it in hand and if the do save up they spend it on brand new cars, jewelry, houses, ect.  

Launch of the PS4

Launch of the PS4

The PS4 is scheduled to be launched tomorrow November 15^th. In preparation for the big launch some stores will have a midnight launch tonight. Best Buy will be one of the stores participating in the launch and they advised buyers to come very early especially if they did not pre-order a PS4. They will process all of the customers that pre-ordered a console before they process any of the customers who are just looking to buy one.

The place to be will be a GameStop in San Francisco, which will be holding a special event starting at 6 p.m. The event will feature free food, giveaways, and playable demos. There is also a launch going on at the Standard Hotel in New York City, which will be giving out 444 PS4’s. The only problem with this launch is that a line has already formed outside of the hotel with all kinds of crazy people who are excited to get the gaming console.
Some key features on the PS4 include the new DualShock 4 controller, being able to play while downloading, and adding a second screen on either your iPhone or Android. Adding a second screen really comes in handy while playing games such as Madden and being able to call the plays through your phone or tablet will allow you to secretly call the play without your opponent seeing it. It can also be used to watch your kill/death ratio on shooting games. 

The PS4 will be competing with Microsofts Xbox One, which is $100 more expensive than the PS4 but some people may see it worth it. Now we will just have to wait and see what everyone else decides about the two devices. Which will be superior?