Where's The Beef?

Remember those old Wendy's commercials back in the 80's when the old lady (Clara Peller) would always speak her legendary catch phrase Where's The Beef ? Well, thanks to the recent miracles achieved in the field of science, we may be asking that question in a serious manner.

Stepping Back...

July 5, 1996, Dolly the sheep is the first mammal to be cloned by human beings. She is cloned from an adult somatic cell. Dolly dies due to lung disease on February 14, 2003. Speculation runs through the scientific community on whether or not more complex organisms can be cloned through the same method used for Dolly. Against much opposition an controversy, cloning and research related to it continue to proceed through the years, and the research does not cease.

December 29, 2006, reports from the Food and Drug Administration have concluded that cloned meat is in fact safe for human consumption. Milk from cloned animals is safe to drink as well. The FDA also reports that if the food is virtually the same as regular, natural meat, then it will not be required cloned food to carry a label saying that it is cloned. This means that the consumer will not be able to tell the difference between meat from a cloned animal and meat from a "regular" animal. Although meat from cloned animals may not hit the market while you are reading this, it will not be far off from now either. Cloned meat may hit the shelves in a year, or ten years, depending on production of that food, and whether or not a large number of people show side effects that are serious enough to pull the food from the public markets. Interestingly enough, this whole situation, as of now, is only pertaining to the United States. Other countries have not made it clear on what their stance on cloned food is yet, but if it does turn out to be safe, the United States may have itself another good which it can make money off of. America could export meat left in right, which would help both the economy and countries that have food shortages as well.

Where is the beef?

Will It Blend?

Human beings are a species interested with destruction. For as long as man has been around, he has destroyed things; on purpose or by accident. Yes, we are a destructive entity indeed...

The folks over at Willitblend.com continue on with that tradition. Using a household blender, they show just how powerful this appliance can really be, and how you can take out your frustrations on that ipod that keeps freezing up on you. (Just kidding) It is really similar to the old Will it FloatDavid Letterman Show, when regular objects that can be found around the house are tested to see if they will float or sink in a tub of water.

I saw this segments that were sometimes done on the ipod blending video on Youtube, and I thought it was pretty interesting how it blended into such small pieces. (I hope Apple doesn't see this !) Go to the official Willitblend website to see more of this kind of stuff, or visit their Youtube page here. Happy blending !

About a Little Over a Year Ago...

This is one of my posts from last year, but I found it to be quite humorous...

The Short PSP Summary!

Sony's Playstation Portable is actually a very remarkable little machine. It can access the Internet, display photos, play music, games, and videos. Of course, you've all heard that before, because those are the basic highlights of the PSP. The PSP has initially impressed me, because I thought that Nintendo's Dual Screen was going to be the king of the handheld market once again, and that there would be no real competition at all. Well, the PSP changes my view on that. I actually believe that it is a better handheld than the Nintendo DS, due to the fact that it can do about 100x more. While the DS is still just a handheld game system, the PSP is a handheld theater, mp3 player, gaming machine, photo viewer, and web browser at the same time. I just thought I would throw together this quick little review for the thing, since it is 3:00 in the morning and I have absolutely nothing to do. So, without further ado, my short review of the Playstation Portable!

Appearence:
Black is the perfect color for the system, accompanied by a large LCD screen, and the buttons and analog stick all fit into place nicely on the lightweight system. The UMD (Universal Media Disc) slot is in the perfect place, and it all comes together with the PSP logo printed on the back. Pretty nice looking machine. The only problem I have with the build of the PSP is how easily it can pick up fingerprints. The thing looks constantly dirty if you do not wear gloves while using it. Rating: 4/5


Software/Games:

The PSP's operating system is very stable and secure, and although it does crash sometimes, it is really nothing to serious to give it a down rating for. The PSP's game and movie selection, while limited, is good for the most part. Highlights so far for the system include Hot Shots Golf, Burnout Legends, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Katamari Damacy, Madden, and Metal Gear Ac!d. The system's Internet browser is also a really nice utility, although it needs more memory to power it, meaning that it will not display very large web pages without having some kind of error occur. Movies are plentiful, but they are not coming out as quickly as they were at launch. Probably because people were not going to spend the same amount of cash for a PSP movie when they could get the DVD instead. Music also plays very well on the PSP, but only with headphones. The standard speakers just do not pump out a lot of noise. Homemade videos can be put on the PSP, but it is a REAL pain in the neck to do; but if you are good with the basics of a computer, (Changing file extensions, names, etc) then you should be fine. Rating: 3/5


Durability:

If one thing is for certain, it is that the PSP can take a licking and keep on kickin. The magazine Popular Mechanics had recently had a little bit of fun trying to break the PSP and test its limits, and they were suprised that the little system could take so much. When put under a water source, the system still managed to turn on and operate; with some severe problems of course, but the main point is that the thing managed to work after being exposed to water. The PSP can easily survive dings and smacks, but do not throw the thing at the ground in a fit of rage. That will break it for good.
Rating: 5/5

Overall Package:

The PSP is a good system overall. It has very few problems both externally and internally, but these problems can be easily fixed and they do not occur often. The PSP would make a great gift for someone who wants to have a good time on road trips or when away from their computers. Good picture quality in games and films, good music quality, a sufficent Internet Browser, and lightweight make it the idea source for entertainment on the go, but remember, it is a handheld; so you won't see any next generation graphics on the games or anything like that, but for a handheld system, they are actually quite remarkable indeed. Final Rating: 4/5

Ok, I am officially tired now, so good night all!

The Special Western Bacon

Yesterday in the afternoon, I went on a perilous and daring journey to a Carl's Jr. (Hardee's as its known in the Midwest) What was so dangerous about this journey you ask? Well, this particular Carl's has a reputation of spitting in people's food. So, when you visit there, you'll usually get something like what the cop got in his burger in the movie "Super Troopers." I was so hungry though, and I was not going to settle for some McDonald's hamburger, because I wanted to eat something that was actually tasty. So I ordered a Western Bacon Cheeseburger, one of Carl's best, and opened it up to find something amazing. They had given me... a DOUBLE... Western Cheeseburger. Now, I came under some speculation here, that maybe that extra patty was hiding a big ole' wad of spit underneath it; so I carefully examined the burger's sectors. I actually felt like I was in the middle of hunting down a wanted criminal or something.

Top bun - Clear

Top patty - Clear

Bottom patty - Clear

Bacon strips - Clear

Bottom bun and onion rings - Clear

After I had officially declared the burger 100% spit free, I proceeded to step two: Eating it.

And now I have learned how it feels to be a food inspector.

Is Fast Food a Weapon?

Is Fast Food a Weapon?

Earlier today while watching the news, I came across an interview with a self-proclaimed food adviser. The interview was going through smoothly until the woman was asked to rate, on a scale of 1-10, how dangerous fast food in this country really is. She chose not to rate it from 1-10, but to give her own opinion on the fast food industry in America. This opinion was not very supportive of the fast food industry, because she calls fast food a "weapon" that can be fatal to the human race.

Now I agree, burgers and fries can be very bad for us, and it can and will send your body into a wreck if you eat enough of the stuff, but the reason that I, personally, do not consider it a weapon, is because you have the choice of eating it, or avoiding it. If the government required you to shove fifty chicken nuggets from Burger King into your mouth everyday, then yes, those nuggets are being used as weapons; but to say that fast food is a weapon that will lead to the downfall of mankind is going a little bit over the edge. Like I said, it is not a weapon because you have the choice to eat it or to not eat it. It is your fault if you become morbidly obese my friend! Not McDonald's, because they did not force you to eat your food! People who have filed court cases against fast food joints because they have gained weight must be obese in the head, because they are the ones that walked into the restaurant and ate the stuff in the first place!

Today's Society

Some parents today seem to blame obesity on the fast food restaurants, claiming that the ads of these places target children and lure them into oblivion with their Happy Meals and their Super Strong Kids Meal specials. While this may be true, it still does not force the child to go into the restaurant and eat the meal. Parents who blame the restaurants for their child's obesity should take this into consideration:

1.) You do not have to drive your kids to the McDonald's down the street if he is hungry. Even if he begs and moans for McDonald's, you still don't have to do it.

2.) If your kid can drive, and you are still worried about his weight, then threaten to take away some liberties that the kid has. (Becoming a little too paranoid)

3.) If your child is still going to McDonald's after you've said that you are worried about his weight, then just LET HIM EAT THERE. He obviously does not care about his health, and neither should you.

4.) DON'T FILE LAWSUITS

Also, if you really want to blame something for obesity on the rise in America, consider the fact that a large percentage of the population has access to a computer, and that person will sit at that computer. All day. With no exercise at all. This is especially true with the Myspace generation, where everyone talks to each other online rather then going outside for a while. Fuse this with the television, and you've got yourself a completely immobile child who will only get up to get a soda, or to find the television remote.


The End is Near!

I highly doubt that. I mean, come on, if the human race is going to become a fossilized treasure for other "unknown species" to find then at least it is better then leaving this world through nuclear warfare. I think that fast food poses no threat to anyone except those who eat it on a frequent basis, and they don't stop eating it. That is not the fast food company's fault, but your own. Besides, wouldn't you rather die eating a cheeseburger instead of a nuke on your face?

Team Fortress 2

Most people who play computer games have heard of the title Team Fortress 2 at some time or another. The game was first unveiled back in 1999, promising a gritty and realistic online-combat experience. Many gamers were anxious for the title to come out, and the screenshots that were provided by Valve looked promising. Suddenly, information about the game stopped reaching gamers, and many thought that the game had been canceled.

Nearly seven years later, the Valve Corporation releases a trailer for "The New" Team Fortress 2, showing that the product had not died; it had just undergone some major changes over the past years. The new game is based off of Valve's Source Engine, (because if it was still based on the HL1 engine it would probably have been rejected by today's standards) and the style and concept of the game have been changed substantially. From what the trailer shows, the game has gone for a more cartoon-like style; aiming to be a comic book experience or something along those lines. Although the main objectives of the game will most likely be the same, the whole feel for a sense of real world conflict has been ridden of through this change. For better or worse? I truly do not know. From talk in online game servers though, it seems to be a mixed bag, with some people for the change and others against it. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Hal Fishman: A Legend In Television (1931 - 2007)

Today, the news industry lost one of its greatest entities. Hal Fishman, the longest serving news anchor in the history of television, passed away this week due to colon cancer. Fishman was a legend in Los Angeles for his "cut and dry" style of delivering the news; never sugar-coating the facts from his viewers. Hal is survived by his wife and son. He was 75 years old.

This news really saddens me. When I first heard that Hal was hospitalized, I was certain that he would speedily recover and be back on the news floor within a week or two. Unfortunetly, a few days after his initial hospitalization, there were reports that he had cancer in his colon, and that it had eventually spread into his liver.

Then I knew that there was not much time left for Hal.

He was the only reason I watched the KTLA news, and now that he is gone, I guess I'm going back to KABC. I'm really going to miss his friendly face and no-nonsense style of newscasting.

It is a sad day indeed. Rest in peace Hal, and God bless.

Rebirth Occurs Again!

Another blog born out of the blue today! After a year of blogging abstinence, I finally got the initiative to begin writing again. Many things have changed since my last post over at Randomization at Its Worst, which is now virtually defunct; and it has been a busy time indeed. For one, my family and I have moved out of that old apartment and into a nice house nestled within the confines of Buena Park. I've grown a year older since my last post, and with that growth comes a good deal of responsibilities. AP (advanced placement) courses in school are the main burden of this year, but with determination and perseverance I believe I'll pull through them just fine. Well, I don't want to ramble on about how much things have changed, because that is quite a boring subject to read about I'll bet!

Geez, it is just really nice to be able to write again!

- Riess