The Musings of Scott

Get your geek on

(continue reading…)

Popularity: 17% [?]

It was a busy week for hacking news

(continue reading…)

Popularity: 17% [?]

The title says it all so let’s skip the introductory paragraph that you were going to pass over anyways for the 5 reasons I think Google+ is a game changer in the social realm:
(continue reading…)

Popularity: 37% [?]

By some miraculous feat I managed to have not have caught this video during the past 5 years. Being a geek, gamer, and internet addict I have 0 excuses for missing this. Needless to say, I only recently stumbled upon this but it made a lasting impression on me:

(continue reading…)

Popularity: 21% [?]

“It is little short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not already completely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry…. I believe that one could even deprive a healthy beast of prey of its voraciousness if one could force it with a whip to eat continuously whether it were hungry or not…” Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Recently I read about a group of Psychology students claiming that the age of the (costly) Textbook is coming to an end, especially considering the internet is an up-to-the-minute library of everything you need to know about anything. Open Source Texts are nothing new, and there has been an increasing abundance of free education grade material on the internet. You can learn more in 1 hour wondering around Wikipedia than you could sitting in a lecture during that same time. I am of the opinion that the cost of higher education exceeds its value, especially considering you can access the same information for free. Be it degree inflation or over subsidizing education, a college degree simply isn’t worth what they charge for it.

Has the wage Gender gap been closing due to fairness laws, or have more couples been forced into dual careers to achieve the lifestyle they were raised to expect? That is for dwindling folks who are finding time to get married anymore.

Simply put, the current American Dream is of the pipe variety. Information is global the second you put it on the internet, and despite any clever methods to curtail it, people will take it, consume it, share it, and remix it (with and without paying for it). How can you compete on a global scale when we put arbitrary costs on how much learning your skills should cost? The modern student faces ~10 years of debt (if all goes well) to recoup the cost of their piece of paper with a brand name on it, while a third world competitor learns the exact same skills and knowledge for free by showing some initiative. Performance will always trump credentials, and we live in an age where individuals have an unparalleled potential to demonstrate their abilities.

I am always learning about a variety of subjects and hobbies at once, and I encourage you to also push your mind to capacity. Just because information is free doesn’t mean we should devalue it!

Get Inspired to Learn:
http://www.thersa.org/
http://www.ted.com/
http://bigthink.com/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
A benefit of Netflix being bullied by movie & TV studios is the awesome selection of documentaries and science programing.

Find Resources:
101 Killer Open Courseware Projects from Around the World: Ivy League and Beyond
iTunes U
Youtube
Wikipedia
Find Discussion Forums, Bookmarking Groups, Twitter Feeds, Blogs, etc, on your subject. The learning power of the crowd is an incredible thing!

“However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?”- Buddha

Do!
Too much time is wasted in our society not doing anything! Apply your knowledge via some creative medium, outlet, project. Combine interests into realms of knowledge, teach yourself new skills. Experiment, try, fail. (learn)

Popularity: 18% [?]

As a long time zombie fan, I am kind of happy there has been such a surge in zombie popularity. (I documented the steep increase in zombie movies recently) Because of the plethora of competition out there, as well as plenty of well established zombie franchises, it’s tough for a new comer to stand out from the herd.

Last year, AMC struck cable TV Gold with the Walking Dead. With the internet eating up their niche, now even non-premium movie are turning to original content to stay relevant. The Walking Dead was well executed, it premiered on Halloween, had superior production quality, and was based on a popular Graphic Novel with an established fan base. Like any other drama it hosts a diverse set of developed characters, who over the course of the season you come to better understand the back story and motivations of. Instead of being in an emergency room full of unsavable patients, the story is set in a post apocalyptic everyday world full of unsavable monsters. It was a gamble on AMC’s part, but ultimately a good one. The Walking Dead ended up being my favorite new series last year.

Now the latest fine piece of fine Zombie comercialism that inspired me to write this post. Dead Island by Techland immediately got me (and others in my network) instantly intrigued. The artfulness won over the Ad crowd, and the originality excited all of us zombie enthusiasts. I dare say that in a market where the quantity of zombie games & movies have skyrocketed, there has been very little innovation to speak of (Zombieland was the last example of supreme creativity). They’re building a lot of hype with no clear release date, so Techland better be able to back it up with a good finished product!

This teaser released this week drew in not only gamers, but all zombie fans. From a marketing perspective it’s unorthodox presentation style instantly draws in the viewer (I don’t think a “watch the whole video it’s worth it” is necessary), but manages to tell some very complex exposition without a narrator thanks to some very creative editing. The icing on the cake of this video is the soundtrack, the sorrowful and relaxing music paints a sharp contrast to the horrific scenario unfolding in reverse. The detailed characters look quite realistic (with in game graphics that portray emotion as well as an actor could), and this looks like another genre-bending cinematic video game. The question will be is when we can expect to experience it, and if the gameplay is as artful and creative as their promotional content. Enjoy.

Popularity: 12% [?]

We recognize that a multi-billion dollar corporation decided to support the Tibetan people’s struggle and help The Tibet Fund raise urgently needed funds. The Superbowl broadcast drew unprecedented attention to the issue of Tibet at a critical time in the history of the cause. Tibetans have spent 50 years in exile from their homeland. While they have succeeded in establishing a democratic system of government and creating a settlement system to care for the refugees, continuing poverty is taking its toll on the communities in India and Nepal.

-The Tibet Fund
Who is now not getting thousands of people ushered to their site thanks to the “offended”
(continue reading…)

Popularity: 25% [?]

Charlton Heston warns us what becomes of those who disregard our ongoing competition with our Ape brethren for evolutionary dominance.

View Image

Popularity: 20% [?]

In the spirit of Benjamin Franklin, I am donating my latest Zombie Survival tool to the world, so that it may best benefit mankind. I give you The Flamesaw!

Popularity: 35% [?]

It has been a while, so I made you all a nice little geeky cartoon:
(continue reading…)

Popularity: 28% [?]