Birthdays!

Birthdays are always very important to me. Some people do not get excited when its their birthdays, but I think it is a very special day. Saturday, April 16th, i turned 19. It is weird to think that this is going to be my last teen year. After this year I will have been alive for a full two decades, it is a very weird thought. So for this birthday I decided I wanted to do something special. I got a few of my friends to go with my to a Pretty Lights concert in Syracuse! Pretty Lights is a guy who is a drummer and a DJ. He has really popular songs and performs an awesome concert! It was really an amazing experience! I was so happy to be with my close friends. We just hopped in a car and drove two and a half hours! We stayed with my friends home friend that goes to school there, she was going to the same concert that me and my friends drove all the way to see. It worked out perfectly. It was spontaneous and adventurous and just what I needed to start off my last year being a teen! I feel like everyone should try and make their birthday special. It should not be a time to think about how old you are, or to just say it is just another day; it was the day you were born, a special day. Going to Pretty Lights is a memory I will always look back on and reminisce.

the importance of light

Light is overlooked as a powerful tool to our essence. In ancient civilizations, light has been the uniting religion for cultures. The sun god was the all powerful being that influenced everything. However, today we over look the importance of light. Today, light only serves the function of lighting up dark places, but light can be used to influence our mood, change perspective and represent philosophy.
Light is dependent upon the darkness that surrounds it. In theater, the actor’s face is under the spot light surrounded by darkness to center the audience’s attention. The darkness is just as important, yet civilization disregards the darkness as important. Light pours onto the night-time skies and covers the stars. The solution for this is to concentrate the light to where we need it, use enough light for what we need and to focus light so that none escapes into the atmosphere. The architect Rogier van Der Hiede shows the examples that architecture need to contain the light within its confines, street lamps need to light only the ground; thereby, he emphasizes using only light we need.
Bright light is ingrained in the culture of the western world. Fluorescent lights expose every spec of dirt in our homes. Westerners use very bright light to leave no surface hidden. Contrary to western believe in bright light, is the eastern civilization’s. Lamps in the eastern world are usually covered in brown paper to soften it and make light warmer and welcoming. The eastern world recognizes the necessity of darkness and incorporates that into their architecture. Thus, Westerners need to learn form the eastern civilization philosophy of light: recognize the importance of the darkness, create warm light and to jettison light thats not necessary.


http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/rogier_van_der_heide_why_light_needs_darkness.html

what we can learn form the universe

The universe is the oldest and biggest thing in existence. If we could understand the universe then we would understand our existence. Where we came from? How we started? Is there god? Could all be answered by studying the initial state of the universe. Stephen Hawking in his TED talk explains this. According to laws of physics like Maxwell’s equations and Einstein's theory of relativity, time and space function as dimensions of space; thus, the laws of evolution apply to the initial condition of universe. The universe, then, can be created from nothing. There doesn’t have to be “Something” before the big bang, there might not be a god.
We are currently alone in our galaxy. Due to the lack of background radiation from alien radio waves or noise, scientists have concluded there are no aliens equal to our civilization within 100 light-years. Additionally, creating human life took 5 billion years after initial conditions were possible to support life. Thus,it will take a longer time for alien civilization to be created. However,due to civilizations self-destructive nature, an alien civilization may have already existed but has destroyed itself.
Finally, Stephen hawking concludes his speech with advice for humans to push forward on the frontier. The future of the human race depends on our exploration due to the limited supply of earth’s resources.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/stephen_hawking_asks_big_questions_about_the_universe.html

This guy is nuts

Susumu Sugawara has to be one of the craziest people alive. He also is probably one of the luckiest. When the tsunami caused by the recent earthquake in Japan was heading toward the small island where he lived he decided to try to beat the tsunami and sail into it. He lended up sailing into 20m tall waves and lived to tell the tale. He is now taking people to and from the mailand on his only remaining boat. This guy is so crazy.

Stumbleupon.com

Recently I was introduced to a new website, www.stumbleupon.com. This website may seem useless and boring to some people, but I find it rather interesting, and also addicting. Stumbleupon is considered a discovery engine that finds and recommends web content to its users. Its features allow its users to discover and rate Web pages, photos and videos that are personalized to their tastes and interests using peer-sourcing and social-networking principles. When you first sign up, you check a bunch of things that interest you and it basically begins to set up a sort of personalized profile for you. Then you click the STUMBLE button, and it directs you to websites/photos/videos based on your interests. You can either ignore them, give them a Thumbs up/Favorite or a Thumbs Down. Each rating adds data to your profile, so the more you use it, the more interesting stuff it delivers. I feel like stumbleupon has opened my mind to many different areas that otherwise I would never be interested in. For example there was an animation of three girls (they had no features, it was just shadows), all standing side by side, with one leg slightly raised higher than the other. If you looked at the middle girl, they all appeared to be rotating in the same direction; however, if you looked at either the girl on the left or the girl on the right, the one you were looking at appeared to be rotating in the opposite direction. I can’t remember specifically, but I am almost positive that this was considered to be in the science category, a category that I would have never been interested in.

Drinking Age 18? or 21?

One topic of interest that seems to go back and forth between the government a lot is the drinking age. Before The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 the drinking age was only 18. After this Act was passed the drinking age was obviously changed to 21, which is what it still stands at today. There are many arguments that I personally agree with about changing the drinking age back to 18. One main point being that at the age of 18 any person is considered an “adult,” treated like an “adult,” punished like and “adult,” so why is it that they can’t go out and drink at a bar like every other adult? Another point is if an 18-year told is allowed to serve for our country in war and also vote for the government positions, why can’t they drink alcohol? No one really thinks that deeply into the topic because it’s only 3 years and people who are already 21 probably say that it’s not that long, but for an 18 year old those 3 years seem like a whole lifetime. The last point that I’m going to argue is when you are 18 you usually still live at home for the most part. Although you only live at home for a couple of months, its still better than nothing, anyway, learning to drink at home in the comfort of your own home with you parents seems much more safe than starting to drink in college when you haven’t really done it even though we all know underage drinking takes place everywhere. Point being there should be people looking into fighting to change the drinking age back to 18 in order for everyone to not only be happy but safer also.

John Galliano's Anti-Semitism

On March 1, 2011 a video surfaced of John Galliano, the head designer of Dior, making Anti-Semitic comments at a bar in France. John Galliano is one of the world’s most famous and accomplished fashion designers. Since 1996 he has worked as the head designer for the Christian Dior label. With Galliano’s creative and artistic abilities, he has been able to make some of the most beautiful, intricate pieces of clothing. Whilst at a bar in France, John Galliano was caught on video saying Anti-Semitic things such as “I love Hitler” and “your foremothers, your forefathers would be gassed” and “people like you would be dead.” In France it is illegal to act upon racial hatred, so Galliano must appear at a court trial. As well as facing legal troubles, Galliano was fired from Dior because the company does not want any negativity around the brand. Many people have boycotted Galliano’s work, including Natalie Portman, who is currently the spokesperson for Dior’s perfume Miss Cherie. She made public statements saying that as a proud Jewish woman, she will no longer be affiliated with Galliano in any way. I think John Galliano’s words of hatred were absolutely disgusting and it’s absurd that such an influential name in the fashion industry can engage in such frowned upon behavior. His words are appalling and it’s upsetting to know that someone you once looked up to can disappoint you in such a manner. To see that this hatred is still so prominent in the world is extremely unsettling and I hope this incident will set an example for how hurtful Anti-Semitism is and for the ramifications of this type of behavior.

BlackBerry Messenger

BlackBerry Messenger or as most call it, BBM, is a quick I.M. app that comes with all Blackberry Devices. When you get a BlackBerry your phone is given a specific PIN which is a combination of 8 different numbers and letters. Your PIN in unique to your phone and no one can have the same PIN as you. When you set up your BBM you can customize your profile with different usernames, update your status, change your time zone, and change your profile picture. Most people only get blackberry’s just because of the BBM feature. Its really just a quick fun way to get in contact with your BBM friends. Other phone companies, such as Android, have tried to make similar BBM apps but were really short lived like KiK, Live Profile, TiKL that open up their services to phones other than blackberrys such as the iPhone. They all don’t compare to BBM because their features or either really slow or no one really uses them. I had an android phone for about a month but I got extremely frustrated with it so I switched to the mew BlackBerry Style and I love it. I believe BlackBerry’s are the best type of Smartphone you can have.

Running Your Team into the Ground: The First Round Running Back Story

I wrote this article last week for my football website. I know it's really long, but it might be interesting to any football fans out there. You can see the article in its finished form at:

http://www.mockdraftclub.com/big-board/ryans/running-your-team-into-the-ground-the-1st-round-running-back-story

As a Bronco fan I often find myself perusing the team's message board for new information, opinions, and the occasional friendly argument. Recently, another poster on the boards suggested that the Broncos should draft Mark Ingram if he was was available with our pick at the top of the 2nd round. I was adamantly against this for many reasons, the primary one being the fact that the Broncos roster literally only has about 5 players on their defense that are starting caliber NFL talent, and I'd like to see the defense get some attention for once. Anyway, the whole idea of taking Ingram and adding him to a backfield with Moreno really got me thinking about the nature of the running back position, and where they figure into the draft each year.

In 2009 the Broncos selected Knowshon Moreno in the first round. Moreno is a fine player who's progressing pretty nicely, but he's nothing special; and to be honest, that was a bad pick. They passed on talented defensive game changers like Brian Orakpo, Brian Cushing, and Clay Matthews to take a slightly above average running back. In that same year LeSean McCoy went in the 2nd round, Shonn Greene went in the 3rd, and Javon Ringer went in the 5th. Many people already like McCoy more than Moreno, and honestly I don't think there's that much of a difference in talent between Moreno and Ringer. Look at the Cardinals in the same year. They took Beanie Wells at the end of the first round over rising stars Louis Delmas, Rey Maualuga, and Jairus Byrd; as well as over a guy that could be there starting right tackle in Eben Britton. These are just two of the countless examples that have shaped my current stance on drafting running backs. For starters, I'm completely against taking a running back in the first round, unless the guy is truly an Adrian Peterson-type talent. Peterson doesn't need to be in a time-share, he's talented and durable enough to carry the rock effectively twenty plus times every game. Backs like Peterson and Chris Johnson not only can shoulder the load, but they can truly change games in just one play with their rare skill sets. But the reality is that running backs with that type of talent are few and far between, and most guys that end up going in the first round are really good backs- they're just not special. There's just no value in taking a back that's not special that high, when you can essentially get the same player 3 or 4 rounds later. Every year running back is the one position that teams consistently find guys who go in the 4th round to undrafted range that have just as big a impact as 1st rounders. Look at some of the top backs from last year alone:

Peyton Hillis
Peyton Hillis, the proverbial man amongst boys, lit the league on fire last year despite being a 7th round pick.

Arian Foster: Undrafted
Jamaal Charles: 3rd Round
Michael Turner: 5th Round
Frank Gore: 3rd Round
Legarrette Blount: Undrafted
Ahmad Bradshaw: 7th Round
Ryan Torain: 5th Round
Peyton Hillis: 7th Round
BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead- Undrafted
Chris Ivory: Undrafted
James Starks: 6th Round

Both Chris Ivory and Legarette Blount were undrafted in 2010, and they both had better seasons than 2010 1st round picks CJ Spiller and Ryan Mattews. Spiller and Matthews were also both out-rushed by their undrafted teammates Fred Jackson and Mike Tolbert respectively. Arian Foster was undrafted in 2009 and led the league in rushing in 2010, over both Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson.

It's not that easy to find a stalwart defensive tackle, elite pass rusher, shutdown corner, or a franchise left tackle at any point in the draft like you seem to be able to do with running backs. Sure, every once in a while you'll find a guy that goes late and develops into one of those types of players; but generally those players come into the league with already elite skill sets, and are gone by the end of the first round. So if you're going to take a running back in the first round, he better be a pretty damn special player- special enough to have as big of an impact on a team as one of the four types of players above could have. Those are the big money, highly valued positions, and as the old adage goes, running backs are, "a dime a dozen." Add the fact that the career of most runners is so much shorter than that of the typical NFL player. There are countless examples of even the best running backs hitting the wall at the age of 30, while players at the previously mentioned positions can play well into their thirties. My running back hate doesn't stop in the first round either. I'd go so far as to say that in the majority of cases, you shouldn't take one until at least the third round. The exception to that being if you're a team like the Patriots who have more picks then they know what to do with this year, and there is a back like Ingram sitting there that would provide a tremendous value.

Ingram is far and away the best running back in the draft, and his vision, patience, and tough running style are going give him a chance at being a really great NFL player. He's actually a much better pass-catcher than people would think, and he's very good in open field. Ingram is a very good player, but I still wouldn't say he's special. How does the rest of the 2011 class stack up against the former Heisman winner? It's not really that clear, and right now its basically a toss-up of about five guys for runner-up in most analyst's books. Daniel Thomas, Mikel LeShoure, Ryan Williams, Jordan Todman, and DeMarco Murrary are just some of the guys that analysts have bought into. Out of those five I like Thomas the best, but I still wouldn't be crazy about spending a 2nd rounder on him. Think about the guys you could be getting in the second round. Martez Wilson, Stephen Paea, Kyle Rudolph, Leonard Hankerson, Marvin Austin, Randall Cobb, and Jimmy Smith are just a few that personally resonate, and I think it would be insane to take a back like Thomas, who would likely need to be a part of a time-share, over potential game-changers like the guys listed above. How much of an impact a running back can have on a team is certainly open to debate; but the difference in the caliber of RB you're getting in the 2nd or 3rd round, to one you get in the 6th or 7th is almost non-existent. James Starks was touted as a 2nd round pick until he got injured in his final season at Buffalo. He then slid to the 6th round! It wasn't like it was a career ending injury either. It was a shoulder injury, and he had already completed rehab before the April Draft. He was still the same 2nd-round talent, he just wasn't as fresh in team's minds. More often than not, the RB's going in the 6th or 7th round are guys that suffered injuries in their final collegiate season, or they are lesser known players from smaller schools than the big name guys.

One of my favorite players in the draft this year is in a situation similar to James Starks. Dion Lewis, an insanely talented back out of Pittsburgh, was considered a top 5 candidate for the Heisman coming into this year after his stellar '09 freshman campaign. Lewis ran for 1,800 yards in his freshman season at Pitt, earning both Big East Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year awards (first to win POY as a freshman since Michael Vick). However, his 2010 campaign was hampered by an injury and horrible quarterback play that allowed defenses to load up the box with 8 guys nearly every play. Despite all that, Lewis still managed to come away with 1,000 yards and 13 TD's. He has tremendous vision and elusiveness, and the cuts he makes have garnered comparisons to Barry Sanders. Even though he's only 5'7", he loves to run between the tackles, where his size actually works to his advantage because defenders often lose sight of him in the trenches. If you're thinking his height is a question mark, consider that MJD is 5'7", Ray Rice and Barry Sanders are 5'8", and Ahmad Bradshaw is 5'9"; so it's not unheard of for small backs like this to be successful. He's one of those guys that doesn't have great measurables, but if you just watch the tape you know he's going to be a star. Because he's such a small back, he'll likely slide to the end of the draft, but I could legitimately see him setting the league on fire in a year or two. For more info on one of my favorite players in the draft, including some game tape, check out this profile I wrote on Lewis.

John Clay out of Wisconsin is also in a similar situation to James Starks. He rushed for 1,500 yards in '09, and won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors. Clay, a dominant, punishing runner with good vision suffered an ankle injury in 2010 that cut his yards down to just over 1,000. However, Clay's yards per carry actually improved in 2010, and if he would have stayed healthy he likely would have ran for more yards than he did in '09. Many criticize Clay for his poor 40 yard dash times, which is fair, however on tape when Clay actually had defenders chasing him down he's much quicker than his 40 time lets on. Clay isn't pretty to watch- he doesn't have great feet, and he's not exactly a fluid runner; but John Clay flat out gets the job done. For more on Clay, check out his profile.

Because of health concerns, Clay might not even get drafted, but I'd so much rather have him in the 7th round than a guy like Kendall Hunter in the 3rd, or Daniel Thomas in the 2nd. It's not because Hunter and Thomas are bad players, it's just that taking them means missing out on a player at another position that isn't as easy to find. Clay would be an excellent goal line back in the NFL, and a guy that teams could rely on when they needed tough yards. Personally, I'd love to have him in orange and blue, because he could really really complement Knowshon's game by softening up defenses for Moreno to slash through, and also close out games when Knowshon is fatigued. Clay never lost a fumble ONCE in his entire Wisconsin career, and with Moreno's difficulties holding on to the ball, a reliable runner like that would be a welcome addition to the Bronco backfield. Instead of spending a 2nd rounder on Mikel Leshoure or Daniel Thomas, that 2nd round pick could be spent on a guy who can come in and start right away, and be a real difference maker for years to come. Martez Wilson, Stephen Paea, and Marvin Austin are guys that I would kill to have next year, and they are all currently projected as 2nd rounders. Instead of taking a back in the 2nd round, the Broncos could also address a position of real need like tight end or tackle. Luke Stocker and Lance Kendricks are both intriguing prospects that will be there in the 2nd round; and as a witness to thousand yard rushers like Reuben Droughns, Olandis Gary, and Mike Anderson, I truly believe that the line is a lot more important than who's running behind it.

Aside from my personal favorites of Lewis and Clay, there are a bunch of other backs out there that will likely go in the 5th round or later that could be just as effective, if not more effective than some of the 2nd/3rd round guys. Taiwan Jones from Eastern Washington is a guy that many people have probably never heard of because of where he went to school, but has a lot of upside. He has a similar skill set to Lewis, but is a little bigger of back and a step or two quicker. Da'Rel Scott from Maryland is another guy who I really liked before the combine because of his blazing straight-line speed, but his 40 time has likely risen his draft stock to the point where I think he is no longer a good value. Hawaii's Alex Green is a trendy sleeper that a lot of draft analysts like because of his size and sneaky speed for a guy that's 6'2", 230. Green runs with authority and would likely be more highly touted if he didn't play at Hawaii. Jamie Harper out of Clemson and Stevan Ridley from LSU are also big bruising, power backs that teams could target towards the end of the draft. Not to mention well-known collegiate runners like Darren Evans and Evan Royster probably wont be taken until the sixth round, if at all. Looking at the class from top to bottom, there are honestly close to twenty guys who I could legitimately see being 1,000 yard rushers, or at the very least- valuable members of NFL backfield. The point here is that there are plenty of backs in the draft that can be just as effective as the top guys in the class, but that can be had 3-5 rounds later; and if an NFL team truly wants to have great draft, they should capitalize on this.

By all accounts, Ingram should have a really nice NFL career; but for every Adrian Peterson there's a guy like Marshawn Lynch, who goes only five picks later than Peterson, but won't even have half the career. In the 2005 draft Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, and Cadillac Williams all went in the top 5! That's absurd, especially considering none of them have made even a first round impact in the league, let alone a top five impact. Don't get me wrong, if there is a truly transcendent back like a Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, or Adrian Peterson, I have absolutely no problem taking him. Backs of that caliber are so talented that they can actually be successful despite the offensive line, and can change games almost single-handedly. But those truly special guys are rare, and more often than not, the guys that go in the first round are nothing more than slightly above average backs. Still, every year teams convince themselves that taking a player who's slightly above average at a perennially deep position like running back, is a better choice than a player that could be an anchor on one side of the ball for the next decade, and every year fans like us have to live with it.

-Ryan J Miller

Today is Thursday. I'll be skipping Friday and going straight to Saturday.

Today I was sitting in one of my classes and there was a slight disruption that temporarily stopped my professor from teaching for a brief 30 seconds. A student in class received a phone call and clearly forgot to put the ringer on silent or vibrate. This is a fairly common mistake made by students and isn't usually that big of a deal, but when a male upperclassman in an engineering class, consisting almost entirely of other male students, has the song "Friday" by Rebecca Black as their ringtone you can't help but to laugh.

Anyone who has heard this awful song or seen the terrible, and at times a little awkward, music video knows that the only reason the song has become such a popular hit is because of how bad it is. I could easily just talk about how awful the song is but I feel like almost everyone already knows how bad it is. The thing that most people seem to overlook is that this song is actually very average when compared to most of the popular mainstream music out there these days. It's been a really long time since the last time I was able to listen to music being played on local radio stations for more than 5 minutes. It seems like only musicians these days that get mainstream attention are the uncreative, talentless ones. There are so many great musicians out there that are being overlooked while others are cashing in on absolute garbage.

UB's Springfest lineup is a good example of what I'm talking about. I like hip-hop/rap music but Wiz Khalifia should not be headlining at any show, anywhere. I would hate to pick out songs for his set list because every song is the same. He doesn't say anything different from one song to another. It seems like no one these days cares about making music with good lyrics anymore. Its all about catchy beats and maintaining a certain image.

Kobi Levi makes art out of an everyday item; shoes. Of course, fashion is a form of artwork, but Levi takes his shoe designs to a whole new level of artwork. Levi, a graduate of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, uses shoes as his canvas choice. Levi's shoes are completely one of a kind. He hand-creates all of them in his studio. All of his footwear is completely functional; they are all wearable. I tried to find more information on where to purchase his footwear or the approximate costs of a pair of the shoes, but I was not able to find any information out online. Until then, I guess most of use will just have to admire his shoes from his personal website, which includes a display of many of his shoes. Currently, Kobi Levi is working on a men's footwear line in Tel Aviv, Israel. His shoe artwork has been featured in exhibitions in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Tokyo, Verona, St. Entienne, and Berlin. Levi is definitely very talented. I have never seen a pair of shoes like his designs. Although I do not think I would ever wear any of these shoes, because of how bizarre they are, they sure are interesting to look at.

Majoring in College

After graduating from high school, I was very skeptical about going to college because I felt as if I was not sure of the type of career I wanted to major in. So, I did not want to waste money and time if I was not sure of what career I wanted to major in. However, with my family’s advice, I eventually decided to go to college. And I must say, being in college has taught me a valuable lesson about life. College is not about majoring in a specific major and getting a specific job or career; it is about finding yourself and what you love to do.

With registration coming up, I was becoming nervous about what classes I should take next semester because I am still undecided. When I went to a meeting with my advisor, she told me a story about how she went to college for four years, got accepted to a graduate school for law, but two weeks before graduation, she decided not to go to graduate school. Before graduation, she explained to me that, going to law school was something that was not for her and she did not want to go anymore. So she wrote down everything that she enjoyed doing, and took her next steps from there.

As of right now, I am just going to continue to take different courses, to find out what really I really enjoy doing. I am still young, so I have lots of time to decided what kind of career I want to have. Honestly, I really do not care; I just want to be happy with my life.

Persepolis

The movie Persepolis gives an insight in how it felt to live in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. As we follow the main character, Marjane Satrapi’s, transition from a little girl to a young woman, we are also following Iran’s governmental problems. Marjane has always been educated and curious about what is going on in the government. She comes from a family of activists who stand up for they believe in. Her attitude, logic and drive would get her in trouble at school because she points out what she sees as wrong and illogical.

Her intelligence, strength and bravery throughout the film were inspiring. There were times when she faltered but her family was always there to guide her. They did not allow her to be repressed by the government and become brainwashed by them. When she was little, they did not allow her to believe the propaganda that her school was teaching her. Also, when she was older and had to cover her hair, they did not let her buy into a false sense of freedom.

It was ridiculous how the government was controlling everything. They made almost every luxury illegal. They made women cover almost every inch of their body so that it would not cause lustful feelings by men, whereas the men could wear whatever they wanted. There was one instance in the movie where she was reprimanded for running because of the way her butt looked. I loved that she yelled at them to just not stare at it then. A woman being suppressed because a man cannot control himself is illogical. Her family saw that these injustices were just getting worse and did not want her to be in such as environment, so she is sent away from her family forever for her freedom. I feel that this movie is a must see because the story is powerful and the animation adds to it.