Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Final Blog

If this blog was a magazine subscription, I am ready to cancel my subscription. So here is my final blog post. To all my fans and the 700+ page views that I have logged over the year, I am sorry, but I have to do whats best for me and retire from the blog game. I dont know what I will do with all this time on a thursday from around 8-8:30, but I know I will use all that nee time wisely. I have enjoyed writing for nickobblock, and I appreciate the oppurtunity, but I am ready to move on. 
So whats next? In the immediate future, I will just be hanging out, enjoying my new half hour of free time, far away from this blog. But dont get me wrong, it's been real, it's been fun, it just hasn't been real fun.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Insider Info of Car Mirrors

I have an aunt who is an engineer for the US Department of Transportation. She does many interesting things involving technologies that can do incredible things like prevent car crashes by allowing the vehicles to communicate with each other. Those technologies are already in some cars and they are now standard in all new cars. She also told me about some of the ideas they have for the future. She told me that in a short time, side view mirrors will be obsolete and off all cars. Instead, a camera will be pointed backwards from the side of the car, and the picture will appear on a high technology wind shield. This will save on gas mileage by making the cars more aerodynamic, and it will also prevent mirrors from being sideswiped and broken off, because they will no longer be there. This is something currently in the works, and, in fact, on the day I talked to her, she had the privilege of test driving with mirrors on the windshield in the fancy simulator below at the US Department of Transportation at the Volpe Center in CambridgeMassachusetts. She personally was not a fan of this but she recognizes it can save a lot of money by giving cars better gas mileage, and she knows she just has to get used to a major change like that.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

The Aztecs

Thinking back to the last time I was about to graduate on to a new school, I found myself trying to remember what it was like a the end of 8th grade at Parker Middle School. Those were great times being the top dogs ready to go on to high school, but I can remember my history teacher making us learn about the Aztecs right up until the final bell. Those Aztec were actually a very interesting people. Some compare them to the greatest of earl civilizations like Rome, but I am not sure I agree. I know that they could really take care of themselves, and they were excellent at building structures and farming, but those were some WILD dudes. Human sacrifice was actually the number one thing in their religion. Every day the priest would just rip a bunch of people hearts out then roll them down the stairs of the temple, and no one would bat an eye. Sure they were advanced, but that is some savage behavior.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Robot Games

An article on USA Today titled Are robots the future of the Olympics? Talks about plans started by the Government of Dubai announced last month to host the first "World Future Sports Games" in December of 2017. The event would feature sports games between robots. The events include ping pong, running, driverless car racing, drone racing, robot soccer, and even swimming.
As a sports fan, I really hope that robots are not the future of sports. The thing that makes sports so intriguing is the human aspects within them. A robot will not let its emotion take over in crunch time and perform at any higher or lower level. It is also hard to root for a player who you can not identify with on an emotional level. I think that robot competitions like the one RMHS recently hosted are very interesting, but there are still human faces behind the robots that I know personally. A robot olympics would not be something that could interest me after the novelty of the incredible technologies on display wears off.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Random

This is my twenty third blog post of the year for this class. It is also three days late. I have a bad case of senioritis. I am tired. I would not mind eating something right now. I certainly have writers block. I just figured out what I am going to write about. I will type whatever I am thinking as my mind wanders. Kanye West's new album "Life of Pablo" is a very impressive work. He is still kind of a jack ass though. "Ultralight Beam" is the best song on it. Chance the rapper has a fantastic verse on it. I do not think that my audience for this blog listens to rap music, but I would certainly recommend listening to "Ultralight Beam." In fact, I will link to it in this blog. As I reread what I have written, it seems that my mind focused on Kane West and it was not as random as I would have hoped, but that is okay. Instead, I am spreading the word of "Yeezus." I kind of hate myself for saying that "I am spreading the word of Yeezus," but whatever, I will keep it to keep the integrity of this blog that is my stream of conscience.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Spring

Dear Spring,

I'm sorry. I don't know what I did to drive you away but I'm sorry. Please just come back. My old roommate winter moved back into your vacant seat, and that guy really sucks.  He already dumped like six inches of snow on the ground. He just makes me feel cold too. But that's the opposite when I'm with you. The week or so that we spent together was magical; consistent 60 degree days, outdoor basketball, street hockey. But apparent I was just a fool being toyed with. Is that how your going to treat me? I just remembered that you bring allergies back. You know what... don't come back because I hate you.
...
I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. You know I love you. It's probably just stupid winter getting me riled up. I need a spring breeze to warm my icy hart. So come on home, Spring, I miss you.

Sunday, March 27, 2016

NCAA Tournament Again

As a write this, the 'Elite 8' is set. There are only 8 teams remaining in college basketball, and this tournament has certainly been madness. My two brackets have been busted but I am okay with that because there has been some great basketball. Emotions are running as high as ever as teams, especially the seniors, play for their basketball lives. These seniors have been working hard for the past four or five years of their life on their college team, and this is their last chance for basketball glory unless they find their way onto an NBA roster, which is only the case for the elite. It is sad to watch dreams and careers be crushed on a full court shot, but it is equally amazing to see careers get extended and possibly ensure they will never die by hitting an iconic buzzer beater.