Sweet Enlow

Last Wednesday, Steve Jobs unveiled his latest creation, the iPad.  Like all Apple products, the buzz surrounding this thing was incredible.  On my Google news feed, it held as many headlines as Haiti and the State of the Union.

I dont know what to think about the iPad.  Its supposed to be a mix between a computer and a smart phone, but I always keep thinking, “what is the point of that?”  It has an e-Reader which looks great, but I wouldnt use it.  Its ability to read the news I think is likely the strongest point in my opinion.  I guess they have incredible apps for it.  It plays movies etc… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8iau3whFI&feature=player_embedded# 

I am personally a big fan of Apple products – cleaner, simpler, better looking.  But the iPad release caused me to contemplate the US’s cultural approach to Macs. 

I keep thinking about how the Mac laptop is so popular among females in college.  I remember when my high school girlfriend got her MacBook Pro, she would contemplate opting to “stay in” for the evening just so she could mess around with the picture-manipulator-thing.  This was the beginning of my noticing…  It has gotten so bad now that I find myself almost judging a girl for not having one, thinking “whats her deal???”  Ridiculous I know.  The Mac laptop is now one of the necessary purchases for a young female entering her college years, along with a couple hundred dollars worth of gear from “The Container Store.”  How about the music scene?  If you are a DJ, you must to have a Mac.  Even though PCs can do the exact same thing, a Mac is a prerequisite to being good (Oddly enough, I have seen GirlTalk actually use a Panasonic WorkBook).  The same goes for editing music, film, and graphic design.

What I personally noticed is that Apple has seemed to have penetrated the “Hollywood scene” making it the centerpiece of all Celebs.  Because of the celebrity obsession here in the States, pop culture has created this aura around Apple products as if its a sign that you are hip to the times – if you don’t have on your kind of boring right??  Think about everyone’s favorite TV shows.  Ari Gold’s office computer is a Mac.  Carrie Bradshaw writes her column on a Mac laptop.  Jobs is an innovating genius, but arguably the most brilliant thing he has done, in my opinion, is penetrate the inner circles of the entertainment industry for the display of his products.

I hate to say it, but I think a large reason I like Macs is because of this reason – that and they are simply better looking

My sister just recently adopted an American Pit Bull from the pound last week and it gave me inspiration to write this post.

Let me say upfront, Pit Bulls are, by far and away, my favorite type of dog.  A combination of ”Bully breeds” with terriers, Pit Bulls possess just about everything I like in animals (humans too!) – athleticism, beautiful hair, muscular structure, and toughness.

Pit Bulls have such a bad reputation that I wanted to take some time and attempt to debunk all on the nonsense surrounding these animals.  Yes, Pit Bulls receive their name from fighting in Pits – whether against a Bull (literally) or other dogs.  However, what most don’t realize is that during the evolution of the sport, the dog’s handlers would not breed any of the dogs that were aggressive towards humans.  What that means is that when these dogs were fighting each other to the death, literally, a handler was supposed to be able to step in between the two dogs and stop the fight to immediately.  If the dog didn’t stop and showed aggression/bit the handler, they wouldn’t breed that dog.  Because of this, Pit Bulls are not inherently aggressive towards humans.

Now, obviously there has been Pit Bull attacks on humans.  However, I would argue that this is almost entirely due to neglect and mistreatment by the owners than just the idea that Pit Bulls are inherently aggressive towards people.  Not feeding an animal, chaining them up, and displaying overall neglect will cause any animal to be hostile towards humans. 

The biggest problem with Pits is not their aggression – many types of dogs attempt to attack humans annually – but rather the damage they can do to a human.  They can easily kill a kid and often times severely injure, if not kill, an averaged size woman (they of course are not exactly easy for a man to handle either).

A buddy of mine was telling me that in England, they call Staffordshire Bull Dogs (the original Pit Bull) “Nanny Dogs” because the owners can leave their children with them, go on an errand, and come back to their children entirely safe.  Most dogs could not do this.

I love dogs, especially big ones, but Pits are the best.  Don’t hate own them because of poor owners and terrible environments.  They are incredible dogs and are likely the only type I will ever own.

I have been thinking lately about the importance of pictures for the representation of one’s aesthetic self… of course due to the rise of Facebook and the lack of social options here at the Institution. 

Everyone and their mom(s) (literally) check out other people on social media these dayz…  However, one should realize that, for most, pictures are not a very good indicator of one’s actual attractiveness… at least for the face.

Most people are not photogenic (my entire family is awful).  Lighting, timing, and qaulity of camera are all but a few of the variables that go into snapping a great photo.  I would be willing to bet that the people that actual do take great pictures are the ones who actually work on being photographed well… whether consciously (deleting a picture and taking it again) or subconsciously (taking an absurd amount of the same picture).

I think about this because 1. I am not photogenic and I wanted to be viewed objectively and 2. The people that I consider highly attractive usually have pictures that do not justify their scale of actual attractiveness.  Many times I’ve shown a picture thinking that this person is great-looking only to get a mediocre response.  I know they would have felt differently had they seen them in person.

Total stream-of-consciousness post I know, but just think about it the next time you scope facebook…