According to CNN.com, the teen birth rate is up for the first time in 15 years. Reasons for the rise are not clear; however many attribute it to the federal-funded "abstinence is the way to go" health education in schools that urge kids to skip sex altogether, rather than teaching them the fundamentals, such as the use of condoms and other forms of contraceptives.
This issue will certainly bring back the debate on whether teaching abstinence-only health education in schools is efficient or not.
--
In other not-so-relevant news (cough), I really want to watch "Juno," which finally opens in theaters next week. You know, the movie about a pair of naive teen friends who end up having sex, thus resulting in a pregnancy. Looks like a pretty decent film.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Greatest and/or Sickest Marketing Ploy Ever?
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Things I Own: The Sonic Alert SB200 Sonic Boom Loud Vibrating Alarm Clock
How many times do I have to mention that I have trouble getting up in the morning? Well, I do, and I am constantly trying to find new ways of getting my body to cooperate with my schedule.
Anyway, my friend Steve turned me onto the Sonic Boom SB200 Sonic Boom Loud Vibrating Alarm Clock ($25.39) (What a mouth full :x). What makes it different from most alarm clocks is that along with it’s ear-peircing alarm, it has a small puck-like dongle that vibrates to wake you up.
Does it work? Find out and see more pictures after the jump....
The alarm is like any other alarm clock except for a small puck (about 4 inches wide and 1 ½ inches tall) that is tethered to the clock.
You stick the puck under your pillow or bed, and when the alarm goes off, the puck vibrates like crazy. The vibration is very strong and noticeable.
If the vibration isn’t enough to wake you, the alarm also features an adjustable, mind-splittingly loud (113db) beeping alarm. You can set the alarm to either activate the vibrator, the beep, or both simultaneously.
Another convenient feature the Sonic Boom has is a battery compartment in the back that allows you to put in a 9v battery in so if your power goes out or if you unplug the alarm, the time won’t reset.
I’ve had the Sonic Boom for about a month now and have found it to be very effective. I keep it under my mattress and the vibration alone wakes me up. When I add the loud alarm, there is no way I’m oversleeping. In fact, I don’t even use the beeping alarm because it startles me awake, which then causes me to just quickly turn the alarm off and go back to sleep :x
This is probably the best alarm clock I’ve ever used. However, it is not perfect.
The over 6 foot long wire that connects the puck and the clock may seem long, but I’m the kind of person who likes to put their alarm clock as far away as possible (so I have to stand up to turn it off), so the wire was a bit too short for me. Granted, they sell an extension wire for $8.89, but I don’t think it’s worth it.
Also, the puck is a bit bulky. I have a nice thin (5in) mattress, so I keep it under there. But there, I can feel a lump when I lay down. This doesn’t bother me because I’m a deep sleeper, but it may get to others. I also tried to sleep with it directly under my pillow but found that to be pretty noticeable and unbearable.
Lastly, it has a very small snooze button. Unlike most alarm clocks, the snooze button is the same size as every other button the clock. This makes it very easy for you to press “alarm off” instead of “snooze” and not really tell the difference. I don’t even use the snooze button any more because it’s so tiny.
Overall, I think the Sonic Alert SB200 Sonic Boom Loud Vibrating Alarm Clock is a great product for those who have trouble getting up in the morning. The vibration and the alarm sound are tremendously strong and not easily ignored. Aside from some design problems that can be overlooked, the clock is great.
Pros:- Super shaky vibrating
- Loud alarm beeps
- Back-up battery power
- Wire is a bit short
- The puck is a little cumbersome
- Small snooze button
Size comparison
You can set the brightness of the display. Under that is the volume control.
Boo for small snooze buttons!
The back has a the battery compartment and the wire plug-ins.
Profile view.
The power brick. Not too big, not too small.
The Hills with James Franco and Mila Kunis
There are a lot of things I love that I find hard to defend. Britney, glitter (the shiny stuff, not the Mariah Carey movie), cheesy plain-bad romantic comedies, the Hills. Seriously, these girls do nothing but go out to Les Deux every other night and have 'fake' drama, but there's something about the show that keeps me glued to the TV every Monday night. And any other night MTV chooses to repeat it, which I might add, is a lot. This clip from FunnyorDie.com aptly summarizes the show. It's pretty hilarious, and it's exactly what every other scene on the Hills is like- awkward pauses, hair twirling, girls being annoying girls, guys being douche bag guys, the absolute mundane-ness of life covered in the glitz of the LA scene. In other words, I LOVE it. Haha.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Just Another Day
A Song For June- Victory Is Mine
I heart music. If you heart music, send yours to lifeinboxes@gmail.com and we'll let the world know too. And no donations needed folks so JK.
Monday, December 3, 2007
[Feature] So You Think You Need a Second Life?
On a recent episode of the Office, we find out that the character of Dwight Schrute has been spending a lot of time on the virtual online community Second Life:
Dwight Schrute: “I signed up for Second Life about a year ago. Back then, my life was so great that I literally wanted a second one. Absolutely everything was the same...except I could fly.”
That is definitely an interesting take on the online phenomenon that is Second Life. And it is probably a unique take on it, as most of the people on Second Life use it to escape reality, not to supplement the greatness that is their current life.
For those of you who are technologically challenged, Second Life is an internet-based virtual community, massively multiplayer online game (mmog), that launched in 2003, with over 11.5 million registered users currently. The Second Life community is entirely based on the active interaction of its “residents” (users), who create avatars (the user’s representation of him/herself) to do said interaction with other users. You follow?
Second Life provides a platform to create a new self- look however you want, go by whatever name you want, and do whatever you want, all without the pesky repercussions that might follow if done in real life. It is basically a world in which you could act out your wildest fantasies (Flying? Transporting? Meaningless sex with strangers? Not a problem!) It is pretty impressive that Second Life has continued to grow and thrive even with its slow loading time, difficult navigation, the requirement of a computer with a graphic card capability, the hours necessary to create and perfect your avatar/life/world, and the fact that you have to buy fake stuff with real money.
So then what is this fascination of living out a second life? Is it the anonymity of acting out a dream life behind the safe haven of a computer screen? Is it the idea of meeting new people without having to actually meet them? Whatever it is, this virtual world is something millions of people are addicted to, and spend a good part of their lives on. The thing about Second Life is that you’re not playing something in solitaire; everything you do affects other users’ avatars, and vice versa. It is about connections and how those connections propel your second life forward. It’s about developing relationships with strangers and connecting with them on all sorts of levels, sometimes to the point of becoming ‘intimately’ involved. After all, coupling and marriages are perfectly acceptable traditions in real life, so why not in Second Life?
Then if one is spending all this time online, chatting and interacting with another person that they’ve never actually met, to the point where their avatars are dating, or having sex, or are married, what does that mean in real life, especially if he/she (or both) have real-life significant others? It might sound ludicrous, but it happens more than you think. This is a great article that poses the question of whether a virtual affair is real-world infidelity. It highlights something I’ve encountered over and over again in my Second Life research- the intimate relationships people seem to create with in this virtual community, and how often they become as important as, or indistinguishable from, real-life relationships.
There’s always stories about people meeting through social networking sites like myspace and getting into real-life relationships (can we say, dangerous??), but to become involved with someone through a virtual world, and have that bleed into how you live your real life? I would say that yes, even without actual physical interaction, the emotional investment into the relationship and this made-up world signals something along the lines of infidelity.
I started with a quote from the Office, and I’ll end with one:
Dwight Schrute: "Second Life is not a game. It is a multi-user, virtual environment. It doesn't have points, or scores, it doesn't have winners or losers."
Jim Halpert: "Oh it has losers."
I’m not saying I completely agree with Jim. Escaping reality can be fun, and completely necessary at times. But everything is only ok in moderation. If you're spending more time living in a virtual community instead of interacting with the living, breathing, real people in your life, then maybe Jim has a point.
This is America
Living in a mostly immigrant-populated area, suspicions of couples deciding to get married for the sake of a U.S. citzenship has been the talk of the town. But there's a chance that such a scenario may be coming soon in a television near you, America.
A Los Angeles company is touting a new reality game show called “Who Wants to Marry a U.S. Citizen” that aims to create televised matrimony between legal citizens and immigrants who have temporary visas. (MSNBC.com)All I can say is WOW. All-time low, America.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
What are you doing this weekend?
Forecast
Fri: 44° Sunny
Sat: 37° Mostly Sunny
Sun: 39° Light Wintry Mix
See
Opening This Weekend:
Awake (starring: Jessica Alba, Hayden Christensen, Terrence Howard)
The Savage (starring: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman)
Thirty Free Hours at the New Museum
What: Seven stories of contemporary art opening this weekend with 30 consecutive free hours for your viewing pleasure.
Why: Get Lost at sunrise on Sunday.
When: Sat., noon-Sun., 6 p.m. Go at offbeat hours to avoid crowds.
Where: New Museum, 235 Bowery, at Prince St. (212-219-1222).
Go
Details Block Party
What: a free block party that will feature discounts up to 20% off at some of the area's busiest shops, including Theory, Tracy Reese, Banana Republic, Puma, An Earnest Cut & Sew, Calypso, Scoop Men, Rebecca & Drew and more. Participating restaurants will feature free Bollinger champagne tastings, food tastings and discounts.
Where: Meatpacking District
When: Sat., 12-5 p.m.
http://www.meatpacking-district
Shop
Sports Authority Family & Friends Discount
What: Save 25% on a single item
Where: All Sports Authorities
When: Today until Sunday
How: Download the coupon here: http://rapidshare.com/files
