Songbird

Songbird is an application that is cross-platform, and it’s a music player. The thing that makes songbird different though, is that it also acts as a fully functional web browser, based on the Mozilla platform.

Now since it’s Mozilla based, that means that it also has plugins to improve your browsing experience, like the IE Tab, NoScript, and AdBlock for Firefox. It has plugins for Twitter and Last.fm that let you update your last.fm, as well as tweet your current song.

A major plus for a lot of users is it’s Apple iPod support (except the iPod touch and the iPhone). It also includes support for all other mp3 players, as well as DAAP support (used in playing a music/video library that is on another computer in the network, generally iTunes).

The best thing I like about it is the fact that it uses less resources than iTunes alone. Around the same amount as Windows Media Player, but it includes a browser.

What else can be asked for?

Support for other IP devices for media streaming. Songbird lacks support for music streaming to Windows Media Center, and consequently for the Xbox 360. This isn’t that important, but I’m sure it would make a large amount of users happy.

Also, it has a pretty interface.
Screenshot

http://songbirdnest.com

Twitter v. Plurk

This has been an issue that I’ve been contemplating recently. Twitter and Plurk are two platforms that serve the same purpose, to micro-blog. They’re both allow for small messages (140 characters), to which are responded by your friends/readers/followers. It’s not that aspect that makes them different, it’s that Twitter’s Tweets are like “people holding up signs on the street,” an impersonal form of communication (so stated by Matthew Hughes; Plurk’s Plurks are a home of conversation between your friends and yourself.

I agree with Matthew on his view, 100%. The only issue I have is the accesibility of Plurk. With Twitter, you can tweet from text, email, API programs, and the web interface (taylored to both mobile browsing and full browsing). With Plurk, it’s all of the afformentioned minus text and email. They still have a mobile interface, but I think that the mobile internet is still crippled to an extent, thus preffering other means of access. Plurk has an API out as Twitter does, but the API release is unofficial, and possibly subject to error or malfunction.

Overall, I do enjoy the more personal experience that I recieve while on Plurk; people actually read your plurks, and respond. It’s almost like a chatroom, but without the trashyness. Also, it seems like Twitter is for the internet elite (Youtubers, CNET editors, presidents from huge corporations), and not so much taylored to the smaller population of part-time bloggers and internet lurkers. It’s like myspace for the popular kids, without the shitty mirror pictures, or two BFF’s posing in a picture with pursed lips and way too much fucking makeup. (Major plus).

I’ve found the best picture I’ve ever taken

He was rubbing his head on my leg, which was something that he did often to express his affection.

He was a good dog.

My thoughts on religion

Today, in my English class, we have an assignment that we do as a class. This assignment encompasses reading an article from a Time magazine, or one of the million others that are in the classroom. The one that I read was written in 2006, and it was explaining an even that was happening. A “megapastor” had preached that he believes that God’s intention was for people to be rich. He was a protestant pastor, and he got this idea from the whole concept of God wanting the best for all of his believers. He even got one man in particular, to move across the United States to go live in the city in which he preached. The article was also explanatory of the opposition. Another megapastor had countered him, and said basically that it was a lewd claim, and the man was misinterpreting the bible.

My thoughts of religion are simple. I have no problem with the concept of it. It’s something people believe, and in return feel gratitude and happiness, and are sure of a grand ending. A heaven. That concept I have 0 problem with. None whatsoever. What I do have a problem with, however, is the way that some of the Chrisians or Muslims, or what have you, go around using their religion like a stiletto. They walk high with it, acting like their shoe (religion) is the best, and those who don’t believe are going to hell. I also dislike the fact that there has been many many deaths, robberies, and other crimes in the name of God. The crusades, for example.
At one point, I did a research project on the Cathars, an ancient Christian sect. The catholics killed off all of them in a huge crusade, because they thought that the Cathars were not followers of God, but rather heretics, all because of their rituals. Sure, there have been countless deaths due to other reasons, but there has been an obscene number due to religion.

When it comes to religions where there is no god, like satanism (or at leas that version of it where its mainly for yourself), well. I don’t have much to say to that, if you’re not bothering anyone.

Excuse the illogical pattern, this was written over time, so the train was lost.

Two things

First:
I wonder how the search for “concept art characters” results my blog?

Two:
I think I’m going to get a domain for my blog. Currently, it has jbell2.com, but that domain is not fully in my control. Thus, I want to buy one myself but I don’t know what the domain should be. Anyone got an idea? If anyone reads this, I’d appreciate your constructive comments.

Also, I plan to start blogging more, once I get the domain.

Scam Much

A screencap from http://en.wikpedia.org

I went to go to http://en.wikipedia.org. I accidentally left the second i out of  “wiki”, and look at the above screenshot.

The source code of this page includes a javascript:

<script src="http://www.cpalead.com/gateway.php?pub=8573" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script>

And a frame:

<iframe src="http://www.wikipedia.org/" height="100%" width="100%">

Way to scam people. Seriously. Someone should tell Wikipedia, or someone of the like.

My school’s proposal and my response

At the start of this year, my school disctrict has made a new policy for dress code. It’s still in review, and it would replace the current one. They have a website where parents can fill out a survey and provide feedback for this proposal.
As it stands, our current dress code is:

All color ranges of Henley, polo, or rugby shirts are permitted (striped or solid).
1.  All color ranges are permitted (solid or striped)
2.  Approved styles are:
9  Collared polo shirt
9  Collared rugby shirt
9  Turtleneck or mock turtleneck
9  Henley shirt (RRHS: no more than 4 buttons)
9  School Spirit T-Shirts (must have principal approval)
9  Must be long or short-sleeved (not sleeveless)
3.  Must be cotton or cotton blend (no see through material, no shiny material, no denim material)
4.  Insignias can be no bigger than 3 inches by 3 inches
Note:  No shirts of any other styles except those listed above are allowed.  No skin should be shown between the bottom of the shirt/blouse and the top of the
pants/skirt when arms are stretched upward.  Shirts worn out can be no longer than fingertip length.

Then pants are just basically Blue Jeans, or Khakis.

The proposed dress code is any shirt, as long as it isn’t “disruptive, racist, sexist, promoting drug abuse, sexual, or any derivative thereof,” and doesn’t contain any logos bigger than 3in x 3in.

Here is what I wrote as the response:

The purposed dress code is more efficient than the current dress code. As it stands, families are in financial hardship. Prices of the shirts that are dress code easily run $8/shirt. Even at Walmart. The efficiency of the students being able to wear regular t-shirts is huge. We don’t have to spend 100 dollars at the beginning of each school year.
Also in regards to the original intention of preventing gang activity, and the other behaviors relating thereof, school dress code is not going to prevent any crime. If it does, it would not be a large number. Gangs are usually organized. Organization is working around obstacles. The school probably was an obstacle, so that suffices to say that this organization took place outside of the school.
Naturally, the Administration works against this crime on campus. This is obviously within their duty. But in reality, they don’t have much jurisdiction after school hours.

On why I hate my chemistry teacher (with a sidenote on people).

I was taking the quiz that I had to today, which I ended up getting a 46.45% on because my teacher doesn’t know what he is doing. Here is a list of questions off the test, and what I did (and why it should be right. I’m giving this to my teacher on Tuesday.)

MOLC=molecules/atoms/particles; mol(s)=Mol

Which one has the greatest number of atoms?
1. All have the same number of atoms
2. 3.05 moles of helium
3. 3.05 moles of argon
4. 3.05 moles of CH4
5. 3.05 moles of water

1; molc given * (6.02*10^23)/1mol.

What is the formula weight of iron(III) sul-
fite?
1. 400.0 g/mol
2. 296.0 g/mol
3. 352.0 g/mol
4. 136.0 g/mol
5. 344.0 g/mol

Fe2S3
56*2
+32*3
112+96=208g

How many fluorine atoms are in 4.0 moles of
fluorine molecules?
1. 6.6 × 10−24
atoms
2. 4.8 × 1024
atoms
3. 2.4 × 1024
atoms
4. 1.5 × 1023
atoms

moles to molecules
mols*(6.02*10^23/1mol)
=
2.4*10^24; number 3

How many moles of oxygen atoms are present
in 3.0 moles of sulfur dioxide?
1. 12. mol
2. 3.0 mol
3. 1.5 mol
4. 6.0 mol

3 moles of SO2; 100/3=.33; since there is 2 oxygen:1sulfur, oxygen has 66% of the mass. 66% of 3 is 1.98; so there is 1.98mols O. not an answer.
so i put 1, assuming that it was meant to be 1.2, not 12.
the closest logical answer

One mole of H2 contains (the same number of,
more, fewer) atoms than/as one mole of He?
1. more
2. the same
3. fewer

1mol H2=2g; 2g*6.02*10^23molc=12.04*10^23 molc; 1mol He=4g; 4*6.02*10^23=24.04*10^23molc. fewer.

SIDENOTE ON PEOPLE

A friend: I got a five-day internet pass.
A responder: what’s a five day internet pass?

Are you kidding me.

New Years

The original intent of this post was to be one of those insightful  essays on my resolutions, but truth be told, I didn’t make any. I do have plans, though. Which will get followed through. Here they are.

Finish highschool without any chaos, or anything that could disrupt graduation.

Appreciate everything I get. I’m not going to be a statistic of our societies downfall, like almost everyone else in existance.

Start College, and don’t let my procrastination get the best of me like it did in highschool.

Make friends. Don’t be a hermit, and sit in my dorm room acting like life isn’t there.

Also, on the concept of College, I’m going to make sure that I visit my family every other weekend. It’s a 3 hour trip from Portales, NM to here, my house. I can’t let my dogs be lonely, nor my parents and grandparents. They mean a lot, and I wouldn’t want to miss out on anything.

Get a job while I’m in college. Books won’t pay for themselves, nor will gas.

My birthday is in two days, but I don’t see it as such a big deal. The only thing that is important that is changing is the fact that I get into trouble, I don’t have the safety of my parents. Though that isn’t huge, since I’m a good person, and don’t break the law in huge instances. Everyone acts like the world is going to hit you in the face the moment you reach 18. But it isn’t. It’s just one more year of being corrupted by humanity.

What the fuck people

Today, I was looking for a good USB headset that I could use for my computer for VoIP. I searched Best Buy, and I found one with good specs. Naturally, however, I looked at the product reviews for it since I hadn’t bought it. Here are some of the review comments that people gave:

What’s great about it: Mostly comfortable, good quality sound
What’s not so great: Ears hurt a bit after extended use (Rating 4/5)

What’s great about it: easy to use, great sound
What’s not so great: get uncomfortable after a bit (Rating 4/5)

What’s great about it: light weight great sound
What’s not so great: hurts my left ear a bit. (Rating 2/5)

Plus the 1 million other derivatives of the same complaint, all giving the headset anywhere from 2-4/5 Rating because they’re ignorant people that do not realize that after extended use of anything that attaches to your head WILL CAUSE SOME DISCOMFORT. What the fuck people, honestly?

I don’t understand why everyone whines about the stupidest shit. Guess that’s what the internet is though.