Y2K, and other theories...

Warning: This blog post may reflect on current events as well as when the world ended in January 1st, 2000, at 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time. Also contains subtle sarcasm and personal opinion.

Lately we've been pressed into the fear that the mayans may have predicted the end of our world on December 21st, 2012. I've been quoting to plan on speaking to a friend about said end the of the world events on the 23rd. This however sounds fairly familar to me, as in 1999 we were all begining to deeply worry about our computers come the turn of the century.



A Programing flaw involving computers was about to appear during the new year. What kind of flaw? Computers were programed with the year in two digits. While we saw 1999, the computers saw 99 instead. Int he new year, they would go to 00. My reaction now is as simple as it was back then when I was 14... So? Apparently this bug is capable of causing a system to shut down and fail. ON a personal computer this isn't as huge an issue, but on everything ran by a computer, water, eletrical, transportation, etc could cause a great deal of problems, in theory.

People, known as Alarmists for various reasons, began to over emphasise the problems involved in Y2K, a world where programmers couldn't do anything to add two digits to all computers. The entire world would be blacked out in one day, and could last weeks, to months, to even years before it could possibly all come back. Nuclear plants would explode under no control, water filtrationw ould fail, as would our means to power. This frightened many people specifically because it hit against their comfort.




Working fast, programmers and workers began to patch, update, and fix all hardware and software linked to this glitch a ways before the the turn of the century, but still the masses were worried that on that January morning, the lights would go out and never again.. and thus the world we live in is a technological failure, in eternal darkness without hope power or........ oh wait, nothing happened. There were some computer failures around the world, notably in Korea, but the world moved on.

And now we have a new fear and alarmist nation going for 2012, a prediction by the Mayans centuries ago. Less of a prediction and more a fact, that is when the cycle of their calender ends. Unlike Y2K, 2012 has no 'reasoning' on how the Earth bites it, or even if it does. Just that this is when the Cycle ends. However you feel about the 'end of the world' scenario, please take a moment to think, research, and listen to both the ravings and the statements to form your own opinion. Don't blindly follow the raving looney on top of the hill saying the sky is falling cause 'this dead civilization predicted it.'


EAK

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem
http://www.answers.org/urbanlegends/y2kcs.html

"Great Scott!"

When you think of a time machine, how many of you think of the DeLorean DMC-12? Yea, I see you raising your hand. Originally designed in 1976, productions of the first DeLorean DMC-12 began in 1981 in Northern Ireland. "The DMC-12 featured gull-wing doors with a fiberglass "underbody", to which non-structural brushed stainless steel panels were affixed. "(Wiki)
Few cars support the gull wing, and the DeLorean wasn't the first but one of the well known models that did. The Gull-wings provide many different challenges for it's unique means of opening, specifically on counterbalancing the weight when the doors are open, keeping them light, while strong enough to survive impact. DeLorean's fix for this was to use a solid-steel torsion bar to counterbalance the door. Hard enough to withstand impact while light enough to be part of the door. Things didn't end well for the company or the car however.

In 1982, John DeLorean was arrested under the suspicion of trafficking drugs. While he was found not guilty, his company did go bankrupt, and the Delorians siesed production. Over 9,200 total cars were made, and today only 6,500 are known to still exist. At the moment, they are rare, but parts are available. Over priced, but available.

With little doubt in my mind, the majority of the popularity of this vehicle had to ahve come from the movie series, Back to the Future, which a scientist named Emmit Brown (Christopher Lloyd) invents a time machine using a delorean. One of my personal favorites, it released in 1985 and had back to back sequels in 89 and 90.

Given the choice of obtaining one of these fine vehicles... I'd go for one with a Flux Capacityer, and Mr. Fusion... Though I'm not sure about the Hover Conversion for $39,999.95



EAK

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_to_the_Future_%28series%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeLorean_DMC-12
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gull-wing_door

the first compact disc

The first compact disc project was launched in 1978 following Philips' failed design with video disc technology. It was later produced in 1982, in a factory in Germany after years of development by Philips and Sony.

The original video disc technology was inspired by an Italian, Antonio Rubbiani, who in 1957 experimented with the idea of a laser technology that could read information from a disc without any physical contact.

In 1970 Philips began work on what was called the ALP (audio long play) - an audio disc system to rival vinyl records, but using laser technology.

The original plan for the size of the CD was 11.5cm diameter, but Beethoven had other ideas - his 9th symphony would not fit on one disc. At 74 minutes it was the longest recording of a symphony, and when Sony insisted that it fit, the CD size was increased to 12cm to accommodate the extra data.

Two years earlier, Sony and JVC digital audio disc -systems had been appraised and accepted at the DAD conference. However, with Sony's launch of the CD system, almost all other hardware companies announced that they would market products based on the Sony and Philips standard, thus the CD design as we know it today became accepted as industry standard.

The first fifty titles released on CD targeted a wide audience, and included classical, popular and rock releases.

Names for the new audio format included Mini Rack, MiniDisc, and Compact Rack, but the team at Philips settled on Compact Disc because it would remind them of the success of the Compact Cassette.

One of the first CD players. Looks a little bit like a microwave!!



Blanche
Information from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6950933.stm
http://www.newscenter.philips.com/main/standard/about/news/press/20070816_25th_anniversary_cd.wpd
http://news.sel.sony.com/en/corporate_information/company_of_firsts
http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-20/h5.html

Lets start it with Episode 4.

In 1977(Long time ago), one of the most inspirational films was brought to the world, (In a gallaxy not far far away).



Episode 4, A New Hope. (Probably should be One and ignore the prequels entirely....

George Lucas having finished his project, THX 1138, began coming up with the concept of Star Wars. It wasn't until the mid 70s did his ideas bring togeather into several drafts of a script, all very different from the Star Wars we know. 20th Century Fox CEO, Alan Ladd, Jr. was persuaded into funding the film. He invested in the young Lucas, and not the technical weight that would soon come to the series. Industrial Light and Magic was founded to create all the special effects that were new and unique to the era.



Production of the film proved to be a great challenge, weather problems delayed shooting the first week, technical equipment fialures, and actors not getting along or uninterested in the script. Even with all the problems, Lucas and his crew pushed on, after a delay from their initial release date of December 76, to Summer of 77. In it's first private screening, the lack of special effects seemed to diminish the film to Lucas's friends...Except for Mr. Steven Speilberg. 20th Century Fox however, loved it.

Upon release, it was an instant hit and one of the first true blockbusters. Winning our hearts, our minds, seven accademy awards and third in most grossed film series (Trailing behind James Bond and Harry Potter) Star Wars is still one of the greatest and most inspirational films ever made. Good enough to obtain 3 prequals, 2 sequals, and an unprecidented amount of books, comics, shows, and toys. (And on the 4th day of star wars...)

...I however kinda wished they avoided the prequels entirely, but that's me...

EAK

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV:_A_New_Hope

Rage Against the Machine, 1990s

"Rage Against the Machine (sometimes referred to as RATM, or more informally simply Rage), is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1991. The band's lineup, unchanged since its formation, consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk. The group are considered one of the pioneers of nu metal.

Rage Against the Machine is noted for its innovative blend of alternative rock, punk rock, rap, heavy metal and funk as well as its revolutionary politics and lyrics. Rage Against the Machine drew inspiration from early heavy metal instrumentation, as well as rap acts such as Public Enemy, Urban Dance Squad, and Afrika Bambaataa. The group's music is distinguished primarily by their powerful stage energy, de la Rocha's rhyming styles and Morello's unorthodox guitar techniques.

In 1992, the band released its self-titled debut album, which became a commercial success, leading to a slot in the 1993 Lollapalooza. The band did not release a follow-up record until 1996, with Evil Empire. The band's third album The Battle of Los Angeles was released in 1999. During their initial nine year run, they became one of the most popular and influential political bands in contemporary music.


RATM burning the flag of the United States at Woodstock 1999.

Integral to their identity as a band, Rage Against the Machine voice revolutionary viewpoints highly critical of the domestic and foreign policies of current and previous US governments. Throughout its existence, RATM and its individual members participated in political protests and other activism to advocate these beliefs. The band primarily saw its music as a vehicle for social activism; de la Rocha explained that "I'm interested in spreading those ideas through art, because music has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges and to establish real dialogue."*1



sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_Against_the_Machine
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rageagainstthemachine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNUAWj1WdXw

kristen

Grunge Music, 1990s

"Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song dynamics, and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics. The grunge aesthetic is stripped-down compared to other forms of rock music, and many grunge musicians were noted for their unkempt appearances and rejection of theatrics."*1








Here's grunge band, Pearl Jam performing the song "Alive."

"The early grunge movement coalesced around Seattle independent record label Sub Pop in the late 1980s. Grunge became commercially successful in the first half of the 1990s, due mainly to the release of Nirvana's Nevermind and Pearl Jam's Ten. The success of these bands boosted the popularity of alternative rock and made grunge the most popular form of hard rock music at the time. However, many grunge bands were uncomfortable with this popularity. Although most grunge bands had disbanded or faded from view by the late 1990s, their influence continues to impact modern rock music." *1

sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbhsYC4gKy4
*1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grunge

kristen

The Sitcom

Probably the first televised show, that wasn't the news, to air was a Situational Comedy. Yes, the Sitcom. Named to seperate itself from standup for sketch comedy, Situation comedy could also be considered dramatic comedy as it involves a situation, place and characters in a comedic way. Starting as radio programs, it didn't take long before the invention of the TV brought it's first Sitcoms, The Albert and Costello show, I Love Lucy, and more. Lucy, ironicaly being one of the first shows to record and save their show in order to begin a well known trend, Reruns.

The 60s brought about the rise of many other sitcoms that are considered classics today. I dream of Jeanie, bewitched, Gilligan's Island, Batman, and many more. Color began to be introduce to a wider audience and was the standards towards the later 60s. Some shows began in black and white, but later took advantage. Family shows began to be more popular with the rise of the Partridge family and the Brady Bunch.



Sitcoms still are one of the most popular genre's of televisiont oday, though few can truely live up to the names of some of the original classics that came about in the 50s and 60s.

EAK

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situation_comedy
Years of watching Nick at Nite.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Following a series of arcade game successes in the early 1980s, Nintendo made plans to produce a cartridge-based console. Masayuki Uemura designed the system, which was released in Japan on July 15, 1983

The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in the year of 1985. In most of Asia, including Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines, the game councel was known as Famicom Family, and was released in 1983. In South Korea, it was known as the Hyundai Comboy and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics. In Russia, although it has never been officially distributed by Nintendo and there were no official representatives, it was known as Dendy. In South Asia, it was known as the Tata Famicom.

For its North American release in 1985, the NES was released in two different configurations, or "bundles". The console deck itself was identical, but each bundle was packaged with different game paks and accessories. The first of these sets, the Control Deck, retailed from $199.99 and included the console itself plus two game controllers. The Deluxe Set retailed for $249.99 and consisted of the console, a R.O.B. accessory, an NES Zapper (electronic gun) and two game paks: Duck Hunt and Gyromite. Today, I think you can purchase an NES system for like $40.





As popular as this video game councel was, the NES changed the way we enjoy entertainment even to this day with the newer systems such as Microsoft's X-box and Sony's Playstation. The NES started off a huge boom for video gamers that has forever encouraged newer ways for entertainment.


Some of the first series of games made were classics such as Super Mario Bro, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Popeye. Later games like Mega Man, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Super Mario Bro 2 & 3 were produced and hit it big in the video game world. Every teenager relyed on the NES growing up in the late 80's.




The NES was the best-selling gaming console of its time that helped revitalize the US video game industry following the video game crash of 1983 and set the standard for subsequent consoles in everything from game design to controller layout.



-Paul

sourses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System

First computer mouse

In computing, a mouse is a type of pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface.

The first prototype computer mouse was made in 1963. The name mouse originated with the original design, which consisted of a wooden shell housing small rolling wheels and inner parts, with a cord dangling off the rear. The cord has since been moved to come off the top but the name stayed the same.

"Douglas Engelbart received a patent for the wooden shell with two metal wheels in 1970, describing it in the patent application as an "X-Y position indicator for a display system." His version of windows was not considered patentable (no software patents were issued at that time), but Douglas Engelbart has over 45 other patents to his name.



Currently, Douglas Engelbart is the director of his company, Bootstrap Institute in Fremont, California, which promotes the concept of Collective IQ. Ironically, Bootstrap is housed rent free courtesy of the Logitech Corp., a famous manufacturer of computer mice.

Blanche

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa081898.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_(computing)

Givenchy & Audrey Hepburn post-WWII

In 1952 the French aristocrat and fashion designer, Hubert de Givenchy, founded the The House of Givenchy in Paris. He was widely known for having designed most of the personal and professional wardrobes of clients such as Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, and others.

From Famous Women and Beauty: Hepburn and Givenchy first met in 1953 during
the shoot of the film "Sabrina". At that time the twenty-six-year-old Hubert de Givenchy was already the rising star of French couture, competing with the famous forty-eight-years-old Christian Dior. The technique of Givenchy was influenced by his mentor and friend Cristobal Balenciaga. After he had worked for the well-known Lucien Lelong and Elsa Schiaparelli, the young designer opened his own salon in Paris in 1952. His clothes were revolutionary for his time: feminine, yet very simple, and beautifully tailored.


The movie Sabrina would win only one Oscar - for the costume designs. Another designer, Edith Head, was given the credit, and Hepburn was so upset she called on Givenchy to apologize. It was the beginning of a friendship that would last a lifetime, and Hepburn later went on to help market Givenchy's design, seldom allowing him to pay for the use of her name in his ads. Together they created a brand that is still recognizable today.

In 1957 he gave her a surprise gift: an exclusive signature perfume, L'Interdit, which her friends loved so much that she later insisted that he put on the market. He did so in 1957. She had become his prototype of ideal woman and had a great influence and importance in his life.He spoke of her constantly during his lifetime as being the inspiration behind many of his designs.



Blanche
http://www.luxtex.net/givenchy.html
http://www.famous-women-and-beauty.com/hubert-de-givenchy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_de_Givenchy

Fall of the Berlin Wall

1989 marked the destruction of the the Berlin Wall that separated the German ccommunist eastern Belin to separate itself from western Berlin and was dissolved with the fall of communism in Germany. The wall was in place from 1961-1989.

Here is a synopsis on the wall's history: "The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a concrete barrier built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) that completely enclosed the city of West Berlin, separating it from East Germany, including East Berlin. The Wall included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses.

The separate and much longer Inner German Border (the IGB) demarcated the border between East and West Germany. Both borders came to symbolize the Iron Curtain between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc.

Before the Wall's erection, 3.5 million East Germans had avoided Eastern Bloc emigration restrictions and escaped from the GDR, many by crossing over the border from East Berlin into West Berlin. From West Berlin, emigrants could travel to West Germany and other Western European countries. During its existence from 1961 to 1989, the Wall stopped almost all such emigration and separated the GDR from West Berlin for more than a quarter of a century.[1] After its erection, around 5,000 people attempted to escape over the wall, with estimates of the resulting death toll varying between around 100 and 200.



During a revolutionary wave sweeping across the Eastern Bloc, the East German government announced on November 9, 1989, after several weeks of civil unrest, that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans climbed onto and crossed the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, parts of the wall were chipped away by a euphoric public and by souvenir hunters; industrial equipment was later used to remove almost all of the rest. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on October 3, 1990."*1



kristen

sources:
http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/
*1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall#The_Fall
http://www.heroism.org/class/1980/berlinwall.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdZVsFjWnbI

Mouse Trap Game

Mouse Trap, which was originally titled "Mouse Trap Game", is a board game first published in 1963.

The original version, designed by Marvin Glass and Associates from Ideal, allowed the players almost no decision-making, thus making it almost impossible for youngsters to keep up in the game.

In the 1970s, the board game surrounding the Mouse Trap was redesigned by Sid Sackson, adding the cheese pieces and allowing the player to maneuver opponents onto the trap space.


Mouse Trap has never changed as for as the rules of the game over the years though the colors and shapes of some pieces has been slightly modified over the years. There are several stages which form the mouse trap, though most stages are comprised of multiple pieces. A 1990s ad campaign for the game involved a song which listed most of the stages of the mouse trap.




Kids to this day are still playing the very famous board game that all stated in 1963





Paul

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_Trap_(board_game)
http://www.wwwk.co.uk/culture/toys/mouse-trap.htm

Woodstock 69'

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Woodstock was probably one of the biggest sub-culture music festivals in history, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music", it was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969.





Woodstock was the era of the so-called "hippie". The "hippie" subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from "hipster", and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. These people inherited the counter cultural values of the Beat Generation, created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as marijuana and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness.
Woodstock 1969 was basically a 3 day period of people united as one listening to psychedelic rock, ingesting several psychedelic drugs such as marijuana and LSD (hallucinogens), and taking sex to a whole new level. Nothing really phased any of these people who were apart of this Piece Revolution that took place during a horrific time of war for the U.S.

Woodstock 1969 (lineup)

Richie Havens
Swami Satchidananda
Sweetwater
The Incredible String Band
Bert Sommer
Tim Hardin
Ravi Shankar
Melanie
Arlo Guthrie
Joan Baez
Quill
Keef Hartley Band
Country Joe McDonald
John Sebastian
Santana
Canned Heat
Mountain
Grateful Dead
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Janis Joplin
Sly & the Family Stone
The Who
The Grease Band
Joe Cocker
Country Joe and the Fish
Ten Years After
The Band
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Johnny Winter featuring his brother, Edgar Winter
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Sha-Na-Na
Jimi Hendrix





Paul Miller

Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_Festival
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie

The Watergate Affair

"The Watergate scandal was a political scandal in the United States in the 1970s. Named for the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., effects of the scandal ultimately led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, President of the United States, on August 9, 1974. It also resulted in the indictment and conviction of several Nixon administration officials.


The scandal began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972. The men were connected to the 1972 Committee to Re-elect the President by a slush fund and investigations conducted by the Senate Watergate Committee, House Judiciary Committee and the news media.


President Nixon's staff conspired to cover up the break-in. As evidence mounted against the president's staff, which included former staff members testifying against them in a Senate investigation, it was revealed that President Nixon had a tape recording system in his offices and that he had recorded many conversations. Recordings from these tapes implicated the president, revealing that he had attempted to cover up the break-in. After a series of court battles, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the president had to hand over the tapes; he ultimately complied.


Facing near-certain impeachment in the House of Representatives and a strong possibility of a conviction in the Senate, Nixon resigned the office of the presidency on August 9, 1974. His successor, Gerald Ford, would issue a pardon unto President Nixon."*1

Here is a clip of Walter Croncite explaining the Watergate affair:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

kristen

sources:
*1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal
http://www.watergate.info
http://www.cbsnews.com

Malcolm X

Malcolm X (originally born as Malcolm Little) was a civil rights activist who was most active in the 1950s and 1960s. Malcolm's father was involved in the civil rights movement when Malcolm was young so he was exposed to activism at a young age. As Malcolm grew older he became involved in illegal activity and was sent to prison for eight years. While in prison he was introduced to Islam and became Muslim.



Upon his release from prison in 1952 Malcolm involved himself in the civil rights/racial segregation movement. He was also involved in the Nation of Islam organization and became a great speaker and icon through this movement. Malcolm became increasingly extremist in his views,"while the civil rights movement fought against racial segregation, Malcolm X advocated the complete separation of African Americans from white people. He proposed the establishment of a separate country for black people as an interim measure until African Americans could return to Africa. Malcolm X also rejected the civil rights movement's strategy of nonviolence and instead advocated that black people use any necessary means of self-defense to protect themselves."*1



Malcolm was assassinated while giving a speech in 1965.

Here is an excerpt from one of Malcolm's speeches:

kristen

sources:
*1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X
http://www.malcolmx.com/
http://www.brothermalcolm.net/