Three Minutes Can Get You Three Years

Just recently I found myself praising the Muvico Theater in Rosemont, IL. Unlike traditional movie theaters, the Muvico has a 21 and over area which includes a bar and grill. You don’t have to worry about rushing to finish your drinks, as you can continue imbibing as you watch the film. Because you are paying for a premium experience, you can relax during the movie as you sit in cozy couches in a balcony isolated from the rest of the theater.

Unfortunately, my opinion of the Muvico Theater has gone quite south based on a recent incident involving 22 year old Samantha Tumpach and her family. The family was hosting a surprise birthday party for Samantha’s sister at the theater as “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” was projected onto the screen. During the festivities, Samantha used a point and shoot digital camera to film some of the celebration. An worker noticed Samantha’s actions and immediately contacted the police.

The camera was seized and analyzed. Examinations of the recordings show two short segments of New Moon captured, totaling less than four minutes in length. Even as the recordings took place, Samantha and her peers could be heard talking in the background.

Despite the seemingly harmless nature of the recordings, the crime itself can result in harsh penalties. Muvico managers insisted on pressing charges, causing Samantha to spend two nights in jail as she awaited a bond hearing. She is now due in court on the 17th 11th of December. If found guilty, Samantha can face a felony charge potentially resulting in three years in prison. All for three minutes of footage recorded sloppily with a digital camera.

Based on the details reported of this story, it is evident that Samantha Tumpach is being used to set an example. However it is clear that this example is being made unnecessarily and unfairly. While a crime may exist in the technicalities, it was clearly not intentional and there was no threat of financial loss to the theater or film industry.

As enough harm has already been caused to Samantha and her family, one can only hope that negative publicity garnered from this situation can have a lasting effect. Media attention given to this situation has even prompted New Moon director, Chris Weitz, to express his support for Samantha. Meanwhile, if you would like to contact the Muvico Theater to express your distaste for their actions, there phone number is (847) 447-1040. I for one, know that I have made my last visit to that theater.

Update: Charges have been dropped. I still will not visit the Muvico any time in the near future!

Itunes' Little Secrets

When Itunes was upgraded to version 9 a few months ago, it brought with it a handful of new features and design revisions. Some were heavily touted, others slipped in as Easter Eggs. In this post I will discuss a couple lesser known newly added features.

One annoying quirk of previous versions of Itunes was that all the content in your library was grouped under the "Music" folder. All television shows, whether purchased from the Itunes store or added to Itunes, were grouped under a subfolder of the Music folder. As were movies, podcasts, etc. Itunes 9 introduced the capability to restructure your content in a more sensible manner. If you upgraded from a previous version of Itunes, launch the application, hit up File>Library>Organize Library. Select the box to "Upgrade to iTunes Media organization". Sit back and relax and let Itunes do its thing. If you did not upgrade from a previous version of Itunes, there is no need to go through this process, as your library is organized by default.

A second little known but quite handy feature of Itunes 9 is the ability to add content to your library without actually launching the application first. Itunes has become a bloated slug as of late, so it would be nice to add some files without bogging down your resources. Once your library has been reorganized using the method described above, navigate to the location of your Itunes library. You should now see a folder called "Automatically Add to iTunes". Admittingly, it is not in the most convenient of locations. What you can do, however, is create an alias of this folder and move it to the desktop. You can create the alias by cmd-clicking the folder and selecting "Make Alias". What I did was move this Alias to the desktop and rename it "Add To Itunes". As the name states, compatible files added to this folder will be added to Itunes. If Itunes is closed at the time, the files will be added to your library the instant it is opened. The files will also be removed from this folder and organized with the rest of your media. There you have a quick shortcut to adding files to Itunes.

The Philosophical Ramblings of a Modern Mind

Do you ever look back at the great philosophers of our time and wonder who will be the next distinguishable figure to emerge? From Socrates and Aristotle to Nietzsche and Camus, all were men many people disagreed with, but few had trouble respecting. But who are the great philosophers of today? Is anybody even sharing their philosophies any more? It could be quite possible that the greatest philosopher of today will not be recognized in this lifetime. It took almost a hundred years before Søren Kierkegaard was taken seriously. Or has the information age made the need for philosophy moot?

Far be it for me to suggest that my name be breathed in the same sentence as those mentioned above. However, I think it is important for anybody to be able to share their views on life without fear of judgment. I feel that when we hold our tongues, we only limit ourselves. With tact and proper foresight, there is no opinion that should go unshared.

The Uberman. Like Nietzsche, I feel that as human beings, we should be always striving to achieve more. What that more is, is up to the individual. The existence of the human race is based on evolution, and it is our responsibility to contribute, even if it is on an personal basis. Never at a point in our adult lives should we succumb to the lack of motivation or will power. When we have reached the accepted age of retirement, our focus should be redirected from advancing in life to capitalizing on our life’s achievements. When we have given up on advancement, we have given up on life.

The weak will exist. Without weakness, there would be nothing in with to distinguish the strong. We should not shun or distance the weak, but show tolerance toward them. It should be realized that weakness is relative. Where one excels, he/she falters elsewhere. But when in the role of the weak, stand aside and make way for the strong. It is a constant mistake of society to focus on weakness and neglect the strengths.

We are who we are. We do not decide who we are. It is the environment that we grow up in that determines our personality traits as adults. We can attempt to change who we are, but we cannot vanquish our core essence. Any change we implement is a constant effort. When we grow tired or discouraged, that effort diminishes and the change reverts back to its true nature. For instance, if a person is naturally a dishonest, he/she can try to be honorable. It is only a matter of time before that person stops trying, thus displaying the true colors of deception. This should not be taken as discouragement, but as a reminder that all we can do is accept the circumstances, as the physics of nature is out of our hands.

Trust is all or nothing. To trust conditionally is to not trust at all. Genuine trust is more than a decision, it is a commitment. There are times when the ability to trust will be greatly challenged. It is those times that define the true nature of trust. Trust is irrelevant if it disappears when needed most. Trust can certainly be broken. But be it circumstantially denied, it never truly existed.

Agree to disagree. Not everyone will view the world through the same perspective. Throughout the history of man, society has waged wars of varying degrees against those that disagree with the general consensus. As a human race, we should be evolved to the point of civility where we can agree to disagree with those of differing world views. One of the hardest challenges that I have had to overcome was to accept that people will have their own philosophies on life that may be contradictory to my own. They are just as entitled to their world views as I am to mine.

Well that is enough rambling for one night. I can go on forever with this stuff. My no means do I suggest you should agree with my opinions. I think the goal of any philosopher is not to convert others, but at the very least to encourage them to analyze life and formulate their own philosophies.

Post Production

Gosh, who has time to blog any more? When schedules get rough, it seems that updating a blog always takes a backseat. Well anyway, I am currently pursuing a second degree at Harper College, in Palatine, IL. As part of a final project in Marketing class, I was given the opportunity to produce a couple of short videos. One is a commercial, the other a documentary. Both very amateur. However, if I ever become a famous name, these videos can serve as my early work.

The goal was to conceptualize a new product and progress through the marketing plan. My team decided on a Parking Detection System; similar to a GPS device, but with the ability to point out available parking spots in crowded lots.

You may notice The King from the Burger King commercials in the videos. This is in reference to an inside joke amongst our class.

The Disney-Marvel Acquisition

As has been the talk of the nerd crowd lately, The Walt Disney Company has announced their intention to acquire Marvel Entertainment, pending regulatory approval. Most comic book enthusiasts gasped at the concept, worried about the watering down of their favorite masked heroes. However, there is much good that can come out of this acquisition. The following is a list of ways that both companies can benefit the purchase.

Marvel can now leverage off of the power of the Disney owned Pixar to successfully reboot some of their superhero franchises on the big screen. While the fantasy worlds of such heroes such as Daredevil and Ghost Rider are compelling in print, something often gets lost in translation during the filming of the movies. Pixar has proven that they are not afraid to create animations toward an older audience. Hell, let’s ditch The Incredibles and give the Fantastic Four another shot.

Next spring, sci fi enthusiasts are going to have a void to fill as LOST ends its final season. What a better way to continue the mythology of the series than in an ongoing monthly comic series? If the acquisition goes through, Disney would own both Marvel and ABC, thus allowing the two to collaborate. This would also be a great way to explain the origins of the island, as well. Dharma Initiative graphic novels, anyone?

So far, we have covered movies and TV shows. How about video games? While Marvel has been no slouch when it comes to game adaptations, Disney has also earned it's respect for their partnering with Squaresoft on the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Kingdom Hearts allows you to play as Disney characters in a role playing game setting. Currently on the fourth entry, it has often been pondered where Disney was planning to take the series next. With the purchase of Marvel, the answer suddenly becomes very clear.

So how about some real life excitement? Six Flags has superheroes from the DC universe all over their theme parks. So, it would only be natural for Disney to fill its parks with some Marvel themed rides. Swing around New York with Spiderman, or navigate through the futuristic settings of the Baxter Building. Introducing a Marvel themed portion of the theme park will entice those that are too old for the kiddy rides, but too young to have kids of their own.

Edit: Shout out to John Struan for highlighting my mashups (http://superpunch.blogspot.com)

Death of an IT Guy

The university and sorority life was never for me. So immediately after I graduated High School, I felt the best decision for me was to pick a trade. I always had a vested interest in all things electronic, so I decided on a two-year degree at ITT Technical Institute. The degree was in Electronics Engineering Technology, though I soon found out that it was an endangered profession. Two years of learning how to create and troubleshoot circuit boards and components did not prepare me for the culture shock I received when I began my working career.

I soon discovered that as technology became more advanced and sophisticated, we no longer needed humans to fill those technical positions. Components were placed on surface mount boards using pick and place machines. Circuit boards were so cheap to create, they were considered disposable. Thus when one needed repair, it was no longer practical to pay someone to troubleshoot and fix it. Just toss it in the bin and replace it with one of those new boards over there. Not to mention that the only employment I could find were contract positions that always ended with entire departments being let go, often due to outsourcing to other countries. Some job security I had.

So after a failed stint in the Electronics field, it seemed clear to me that the only sure fire career was in Information Technology. The growth rate of the personal computer is unlike anything history has ever seen before. Society has become so dependant on computers that it would be blasphemy to even think that a company can be successful without a complicated network configuration. To the consumer, computers are like a status symbol, the more you have, the more successful you are in life. I surely don’t need to tell you that.

Within a short amount of time, I redirected my focus. I took some classes at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, obtained some Microsoft and CompTIA certifications, and found permanent employment rather quickly. I started off as help desk support, and within a couple of years was promoted to network engineer. And while the field of Information Technology currently seems glorious and ever-growing, I cannot help but notice a sense of deja vous.

In comparison to how advances in science and technology lead to the diminished need for human interaction in the process of building and troubleshooting circuit boards, managing a network of computers no longer requires as many skilled technicians as the silver age of computing. In efforts to cut costs and limit overhead, computing solutions such as virtualization, application streaming, desktop publishing, etc., have not only reduced hardware requirements, but also the need for people to administrate them. With cloud-storage eliminating the demand for storage area networks (SANs), it also takes with it a couple employees that may have overseen the data management and backup reporting aspects. Essentially, a different form of outsourcing.

So what does the future hold for positions in IT? As it seems the current trend is heading, instead of entire business departments dedicated to Information Technology, at the most only a handful of bodies are required to manage the network. I predict that the typical IT department will consist of a minimally skilled help desk team, as well as a couple of specialized network engineers to manage the network. There will be no middle ground. Thus in order to secure a position in tomorrow’s IT department, an individual needs to find his/her niche. Find an particular aspect of network engineering, such as virtualization, and focus your studies specifically on it. Certifications are always a plus, if not a requisite. Then, excel like no other in that area of expertise, and hope the next technology trend does not make your niche obsolete.