While keeping household items natural and organic, I still have an endless amount of technology that is used on a regular basis. They’ve both made a huge impact on my life. The biggest part of IT that has made an impact on me is Internet Access.
While most millennials are obsessed with the opportunity to contact anyone, anywhere, anytime, I’m more interested in using today’s technology to learn. Before the 1950’s, when computers first started being developed, information could only be found in books or through other people. People had to leave their locations to go to the store or library to get these books and these books weren't up to date. Everything was manual.
Nowadays, everything can be done at the click of a button. Any kind of information you could want can be found on the internet. You can access the internet from any system, anywhere you could want, at any point in time. The access to this kind of information allows us to learn as much as we’d like, with no limits. Our only limits are our own priorities and choices, but if we choose to devote ourselves to learning, all we have to do is pull out our phone or computer.
While this has many positive outlooks to it, there can also be negative ones. Just as easily as you can look information up, someone can look you up. If you posted a picture that you wouldn’t necessarily want anyone to see anymore, an employer could find it after it was deleted. Any information that you post on the internet is out there for everyone to see and you can’t get it back. Other times, you might stumble across information that you’d rather not know. In these cases, the internet’s strength is also its greatest weakness.
The way that the Internet has personally impacted my life is to be able to learn about healthy alternatives through it. I’ve spent hours on end reading information and watching videos about the thousands of ways that our everyday choices can be done differently. I found that blogs are usually the most helpful when looking for natural remedies, recipes for toothpaste and face washes, and ways to cook foods. On the other hand, videos are much more helpful when it comes to tutorials on how to actually make those things. I find most of my information by starting on Google and searching for keywords, based on what I would like to find. If there’s something you’d like to find, there’s a Google search box at the bottom of my blog to help you out! If you’ve read my other posts, feel free to look up anything I’ve mentioned, such as “Camera ISO”, “Dachau”, or “Viveport.”
Friday, September 30, 2016
It's Good to be Avive
In the news, you’ve probably seen tons of stories about innovations in virtual reality games. In my boredom, I was watching videos of current virtual reality games that had become popular. Tons of games have been released, allowing gamers and non-gamers to become involved in an adventure, in the safety of their own homes. While these games typically involve exploring and fighting, HTC has taken this to another level.
HTC, a Taiwanese consumer electronics company, that was founded in 1997. They were credited with creating the first Android smartphone as well as other innovative creations, over the years. In the last couple of years, they started dabbling in a new genre of consumer electronics; virtual reality.
Back in April, HTC and Valve released the HTC Vive, a virtual reality headset. This amazing technology takes the scale of the room it is in and creates a 3D space within the gaming environment, seen through the headset by the user. The user has two handheld controllers that allow him to interact with objects inside the gaming environment.
On September 30, HTC announced the Viveport System, an app store for the Vive. Viveport allows the user to download about 60 games, currently. This number is small because the company’s goal is not to have a massive quantity of video games available, but a limited number of detailed non-gaming experiences. These “games” include meditation, planetariums, safaris, and even surgery simulations. Not only are they meant to entertain, but to simulate experiences that the user would not necessarily be able to experience. While this platform may seem advanced, considering it was just created, it still has room for growth.
As the technology is further developed, other companies will want to become involved. This platform can become a tool for learning and not just entertainment. Hospitals can use the surgery simulation to better prepare medical students for future situations that they can’t experience by studying their textbooks. The guided meditation game can help patients who are suffering from anxiety or other symptoms. Gyms can use the technology as a fun and creative way to motivate people who would otherwise stay immobile. The options are endless for what this company could do. They could make a huge difference in the world by preparing people for life experiences that they cant learn without experiencing first or second hand. Not only could the world benefit, but the company could make millions of dollars off of cooperating with schools and businesses, or even the government.
As for the actual games, there are multiple games for users looking for excitement and fun. One game that amused me was the “Plank Experience”. One video I saw had two users, that created a plank for each other to walk on, while setting up fans and other things in the room to enhance the gaming experience. The actual goal of the game is to walk across the plank and then walk back. While this may seem easy to walk across an object, placed on sponges in the middle of a room, the headset allows the user to see a completely different environment. In the visual goggles, the user sees that he is standing on a plank, hanging off of the side of a building, thousands of miles above traffic. Sounds a little bit harder, right?
Other games include zombie apocalypse scenarios, boxing, and sword fighting. While only one user can play at a time, eventually the company will find a way to include a second headset. This way, two users can share the same space and environment, to work together in games, or even the simulation experiences.
If you haven’t heard much about the Vive System or If I sparked an interest, I encourage you to check their website out. Here is the link:
HTC, a Taiwanese consumer electronics company, that was founded in 1997. They were credited with creating the first Android smartphone as well as other innovative creations, over the years. In the last couple of years, they started dabbling in a new genre of consumer electronics; virtual reality.
Back in April, HTC and Valve released the HTC Vive, a virtual reality headset. This amazing technology takes the scale of the room it is in and creates a 3D space within the gaming environment, seen through the headset by the user. The user has two handheld controllers that allow him to interact with objects inside the gaming environment.
On September 30, HTC announced the Viveport System, an app store for the Vive. Viveport allows the user to download about 60 games, currently. This number is small because the company’s goal is not to have a massive quantity of video games available, but a limited number of detailed non-gaming experiences. These “games” include meditation, planetariums, safaris, and even surgery simulations. Not only are they meant to entertain, but to simulate experiences that the user would not necessarily be able to experience. While this platform may seem advanced, considering it was just created, it still has room for growth.
As the technology is further developed, other companies will want to become involved. This platform can become a tool for learning and not just entertainment. Hospitals can use the surgery simulation to better prepare medical students for future situations that they can’t experience by studying their textbooks. The guided meditation game can help patients who are suffering from anxiety or other symptoms. Gyms can use the technology as a fun and creative way to motivate people who would otherwise stay immobile. The options are endless for what this company could do. They could make a huge difference in the world by preparing people for life experiences that they cant learn without experiencing first or second hand. Not only could the world benefit, but the company could make millions of dollars off of cooperating with schools and businesses, or even the government.
As for the actual games, there are multiple games for users looking for excitement and fun. One game that amused me was the “Plank Experience”. One video I saw had two users, that created a plank for each other to walk on, while setting up fans and other things in the room to enhance the gaming experience. The actual goal of the game is to walk across the plank and then walk back. While this may seem easy to walk across an object, placed on sponges in the middle of a room, the headset allows the user to see a completely different environment. In the visual goggles, the user sees that he is standing on a plank, hanging off of the side of a building, thousands of miles above traffic. Sounds a little bit harder, right?
Other games include zombie apocalypse scenarios, boxing, and sword fighting. While only one user can play at a time, eventually the company will find a way to include a second headset. This way, two users can share the same space and environment, to work together in games, or even the simulation experiences.
If you haven’t heard much about the Vive System or If I sparked an interest, I encourage you to check their website out. Here is the link:
Thursday, September 29, 2016
A Thousand Words
For those of you who don’t know, photography is one of my hobbies that I am most passionate about. As I’m sitting here, looking through pictures that I’ve taken over the years, I started thinking about why I love photography.
There are so many different perspectives to photography because it spans across multiple departments. It’s an art in that you can express your thoughts, feelings, and opinions through one picture. There is math involved with the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO used in the actual process of photography. Psychology is used in the thought process behind what is being photographed, how it is being photographed, what the motive is, and what the intended outcome is. Even science takes a part in photography because of how a camera uses multiple mirrors behind the lens to create reflections and capture the picture. Then, technology takes that information and transforms it into a code that can be read by multiple devices, allowing it to be seen anywhere.
The thing about photography that intrigues me the most is the story behind the picture. There are two perspectives to this: The story behind the picture itself, and then the story behind the subject in the picture.
In the summer of 2013, I toured across Europe for 10 days. I traveled across Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, and the Czech Republic. During all of that time and out of all of the things I saw, nothing impacted me more than what I captured in this picture.
Halfway through the trip, the group I was with stopped at the Dachau Memorial, the former, German Nazi concentration and extermination camp. We toured the area and and listened to the stories behind the different sectors of the camp, taking in all of the awful information. We walked through the gas chambers, where prisoners were convinced that they were going to be showered off, then held their arms up to be packed in as closely and tightly as possible. After this, we visited the crematoria, where the bodies were transported to be burned. We saw the bed chambers, where the prisoners slept on the stacked, wooden boxes, each about 5’ wide to fit at least 3 people. Then we saw the prison cells, where I took this picture.
Inside one of the barred, bed-less cells "Home Sweet Home" was etched into the paint on the wall. The man that was kept in there was no different than anyone else. He was captured with thousands of others and stuffed onto a cattle car, so tightly that he didn't have to stand because the pressure of the other bodies held him up. He arrived at the largest concentration camp and walked through the gates that say "Work sets you free." He was then forced to work until he was no longer well enough to do so, due to starvation, sickness, or exhaustion. The man lived every day, not knowing which would be his last, but knowing that the stench that hung in the air was the smell of burning, rotting flesh. These are only some of the horrors that he would have had to suffer through, but imagining the worst couldn't compare to what he endured. He was dreaming of "Home Sweet Home” in spite of all the horrors he experienced.
For me, this picture is a story of hope. That even someone who has been through the worst can still find peace. Today, people who have so much to be grateful for believe that they suffer. Maybe if they understood what real suffering is, and what its like to be optimistic and find peace in those situations, they would be more appreciative.
There are so many different perspectives to photography because it spans across multiple departments. It’s an art in that you can express your thoughts, feelings, and opinions through one picture. There is math involved with the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO used in the actual process of photography. Psychology is used in the thought process behind what is being photographed, how it is being photographed, what the motive is, and what the intended outcome is. Even science takes a part in photography because of how a camera uses multiple mirrors behind the lens to create reflections and capture the picture. Then, technology takes that information and transforms it into a code that can be read by multiple devices, allowing it to be seen anywhere.
The thing about photography that intrigues me the most is the story behind the picture. There are two perspectives to this: The story behind the picture itself, and then the story behind the subject in the picture.
In the summer of 2013, I toured across Europe for 10 days. I traveled across Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, and the Czech Republic. During all of that time and out of all of the things I saw, nothing impacted me more than what I captured in this picture.Inside one of the barred, bed-less cells "Home Sweet Home" was etched into the paint on the wall. The man that was kept in there was no different than anyone else. He was captured with thousands of others and stuffed onto a cattle car, so tightly that he didn't have to stand because the pressure of the other bodies held him up. He arrived at the largest concentration camp and walked through the gates that say "Work sets you free." He was then forced to work until he was no longer well enough to do so, due to starvation, sickness, or exhaustion. The man lived every day, not knowing which would be his last, but knowing that the stench that hung in the air was the smell of burning, rotting flesh. These are only some of the horrors that he would have had to suffer through, but imagining the worst couldn't compare to what he endured. He was dreaming of "Home Sweet Home” in spite of all the horrors he experienced.
For me, this picture is a story of hope. That even someone who has been through the worst can still find peace. Today, people who have so much to be grateful for believe that they suffer. Maybe if they understood what real suffering is, and what its like to be optimistic and find peace in those situations, they would be more appreciative.
Some Information about me
For anyone reading, my blog is about natural alternatives to everyday tasks, such as cooking, health care routines, and creating a nourishing home environment. Here is some background information as to why I created this blog.
While living with my parents had its unfavorable moments, it really was an opportunity to live in an environment that supported and encouraged a healthy lifestyle. A huge part of this involved our meals, which we typically spent together as a family. Food played a huge role in our relationships, to the point that I typically told my friends that if my family liked that person, they’d give that person endless amounts of food. Cooking for someone is like a love language to us, similar to making a birthday card from scratch, since all of our food was completely homemade. This way of living was made easy by our house being located in the center of a farm. My family took advantage of this and used the extra land to grow organic vegetables for us to eat, raise cattle used for meat without any hormones, as well as start a honeybee colony that provided multiple jars of honey. Anything that wasn’t homemade, had to meet certain criteria. Some of the characteristics required of the food bought included organic qualities, and lacked any types of refined flours or sugars, artificial substances, and unnecessary dyes. Everything was kept as natural as possible, allowing us all to stay healthy. If by some chance anyone did become ill, we had a way to naturally cure the ailment. With essential oils, plants, and herbs stocked up, we were prepared for anything from the common cold to anxiety attacks.
Being raised in this kind of environment definitely changed my perspective of everyday things that other people see differently. Eating only natural foods, I haven't been able to eat the fast foods or freezer foods, that most people seem to eat on a regular basis, without regretting it. These foods tend to make me feel sick, my skin feel gross, or for me to feel exhausted for the rest of the day. It had me wondering, is this really just me because I’m used to feeling healthy, or is everyone just so used to feeling like crap that they don’t even notice it anymore? At this point, my curiosity about these natural and organic substances was growing. I started doing research on the effects that different vitamins, minerals, and nutrients had on our bodies, as opposed to the substances hiding in fast foods, frozen foods, and other store-bought items. It became something more than just doing what I was taught to do—it was choosing to do something every day that I knew would benefit me in the long-run, even if it wasn’t always cheap or convenient.
After moving out, maintaining the lifestyle has been much harder because I’m having to be more self motivated and I don’t have anybody else there to make up what I can’t do, like I used to. I want to continue eating healthily but I’m struggling with some of the same issues that other people tend to. When I come home from a 9 hour shift, my first choice isn’t to start cooking a meal from scratch. I’d much rather go pick fast food up and save myself the little time and energy I have left, even though I know that it’s going to leave me feeling worse than I already felt. So as I learn to battle these temptations and learn from my mistakes, hopefully we can all learn and benefit from them together.
Throughout these blogs, I’ll be posting about my tips and techniques on how to live a natural, healthy lifestyle. Some of these will include the tricks that I grew up with, while others I will be learning from and improving upon, as I go about my day-to-day schedules. Along the way, I’ll keep you updated and stay in touch, so feel free to say “Hello” and leave a comment. Otherwise, enjoy!
While living with my parents had its unfavorable moments, it really was an opportunity to live in an environment that supported and encouraged a healthy lifestyle. A huge part of this involved our meals, which we typically spent together as a family. Food played a huge role in our relationships, to the point that I typically told my friends that if my family liked that person, they’d give that person endless amounts of food. Cooking for someone is like a love language to us, similar to making a birthday card from scratch, since all of our food was completely homemade. This way of living was made easy by our house being located in the center of a farm. My family took advantage of this and used the extra land to grow organic vegetables for us to eat, raise cattle used for meat without any hormones, as well as start a honeybee colony that provided multiple jars of honey. Anything that wasn’t homemade, had to meet certain criteria. Some of the characteristics required of the food bought included organic qualities, and lacked any types of refined flours or sugars, artificial substances, and unnecessary dyes. Everything was kept as natural as possible, allowing us all to stay healthy. If by some chance anyone did become ill, we had a way to naturally cure the ailment. With essential oils, plants, and herbs stocked up, we were prepared for anything from the common cold to anxiety attacks.
Being raised in this kind of environment definitely changed my perspective of everyday things that other people see differently. Eating only natural foods, I haven't been able to eat the fast foods or freezer foods, that most people seem to eat on a regular basis, without regretting it. These foods tend to make me feel sick, my skin feel gross, or for me to feel exhausted for the rest of the day. It had me wondering, is this really just me because I’m used to feeling healthy, or is everyone just so used to feeling like crap that they don’t even notice it anymore? At this point, my curiosity about these natural and organic substances was growing. I started doing research on the effects that different vitamins, minerals, and nutrients had on our bodies, as opposed to the substances hiding in fast foods, frozen foods, and other store-bought items. It became something more than just doing what I was taught to do—it was choosing to do something every day that I knew would benefit me in the long-run, even if it wasn’t always cheap or convenient.
After moving out, maintaining the lifestyle has been much harder because I’m having to be more self motivated and I don’t have anybody else there to make up what I can’t do, like I used to. I want to continue eating healthily but I’m struggling with some of the same issues that other people tend to. When I come home from a 9 hour shift, my first choice isn’t to start cooking a meal from scratch. I’d much rather go pick fast food up and save myself the little time and energy I have left, even though I know that it’s going to leave me feeling worse than I already felt. So as I learn to battle these temptations and learn from my mistakes, hopefully we can all learn and benefit from them together.
Throughout these blogs, I’ll be posting about my tips and techniques on how to live a natural, healthy lifestyle. Some of these will include the tricks that I grew up with, while others I will be learning from and improving upon, as I go about my day-to-day schedules. Along the way, I’ll keep you updated and stay in touch, so feel free to say “Hello” and leave a comment. Otherwise, enjoy!
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