Giving Thanks

So, Thursday was Thanksgiving here in the U.S. Sorry I couldn't post anything then, but family and all were here. Plus, who would post a blog when there's turkey and chocolate pie to eat?

What I wanted to do was post what I'm thankful for, and maybe even get some comments letting me know what everyone else is thankful for. So here's my list:

• My family. I know this sounds cliché, but my family has been there all 18 years of my life, and they will remain there for me even as I get ready to go off on my own to college in August. I love them with all my heart (even my annoying older sister), and I really am thankful for them.
• My nephew. Yes, he falls into the "family" category, but he also gets a category all his own. This two-year-old has shown me that age does not matter. He's smarter than a lot of adults I know, and way more generous. It seems to me that a two-year-old knows more about being human than most other humans. And for this insight, I thank him. Love you, Squish!
• My friends. I have many friends, but only two I would consider best friends. I've known them both four years, and I can't imagine having not met them. I know they're both there for me if I need them, and they know I'm there for them. This kind of love is something anyone would be incredibly lucky to have. I thank them both, and (if you're reading this, you know who you are!) I want you both to know I love you :) .
  
• My opportunities. I have a 100% scholarship (minus books) to a prestigious private school that I could never afford otherwise. The past four years have given me the opportunity to apply to some amazing colleges, including several Ivy League universities. I am thankful for that. Which brings me to...
• ...QuestBridge. This is a scholarship program about which I learned from my guidance counselor. If I win a scholarship from them, I get 100% tuition to MIT, my dream school. I am a finalist, and I find out Monday night (via E-Mail) if I have it or not. Even if I don't, just the opportunity to apply for such an amazing offer is something that I can't help but be thankful for.

Overall, I am thankful for many things, even if I don't say it often (I would never be this "mushy" in person, believe me). So I'll say it now: Thank you family, friends, and Fate. Thank you for all you have done, are doing, and will continue to do, and I'll try my best to return the favor to each one of you.

So, now that my diary moment is over, I'd like to hear from you guys. If anyone at all is actually reading this (I know it's a fairly new, relatively unknown blog), post your Thanks List. I'm sure we'd all like to see what you have to be thankful for, whether it be a new baby, a new television, or just the food on your table. Lord knows that sometimes, food and love are all we need!

Happy thanksgiving,

-IMP ;) :)

Pseudo-hologram idea...

If you read my first post, you'll see I mentioned, in addition to poems, songs, and stories, I will sometimes post ideas for inventions. And here is one of them.

Go here to see where it all started: http://if.invisionfree.com/topic/5028913/1/#new
Read through it all, as the idea has evolved throughout that thread.

Basically, I was inspired by the CNN "holograms" (video explanation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD2362cHM_U) to figure out how a real hologram could be created. Now, I have never taken any electrical or mechanical engineering courses before, and I plan to start only in August or September. So I don't know too much about the subject, but this is what I've come up with.

Since (as far as I can see) there's no way to project images onto thin air, any hologram must be faked, such as by projecting a 3D image from a 2D screen (so that looking away from the screen makes the image disappear). So I've come up with my idea that should make fake holograms seem as close to real as possible.

The idea is that instead of trying to project the hologram into the room, we project it only to the viewer's eyes. A pair of glasses would have 2 small LCD screens inside them instead of lenses. On the outside, two cameras would capture whatever image you're looking at. Around the frames of the lenses would be two (one per lens) sonic (SONAR) emitters. Perhaps each pair of glasses can emit a slightly different supersonic frequency to identify unique viewers.

Now, in all 8 corners of the room (top-left-front, top-right-front, bottom-left-front, bottom-right-front, and all 4 for the back wall) would be sonic (SONAR) receivers. These would pick up the emissions from the glasses and, using a technique similar to that of the ZPen, determine location of the pair of glasses that emitted the sound.

All of this data (the camera image and the location/orientation of the glasses) would be sent via bluetooth to a computer nearby. This computer would have software that renders an interactive 3D object, such as is doen with video games. But before each frame of the "video" is rendered, the virtual camera is moved to match the position/orientation of the viewer based on SONAR data. This 3D object or character is then overlayed on top of the cameras' images, then sent back to the glassses for display.

From what I can tell, this would produce the illusion that a 3D object or character is actually in the room, and even when you move your head it seems to stay where it is. Another advantage is that each pair of glasses can be processed individually by the software, so multiple viewers can see the same "hologram" from multiple angles at the same time.

From research and some estimation, my best guess is that one pair of glasses and one set of transmitters, plus required software, would collectively cost about $200. But seeing the applications of such technology in university lecture halls, theme parks, advertising, product pitches, etc., and seeing how flexible it would be (simply downloading new files for the software could create new "holograms" with the same system, without needing to buy any more hardware), I think $200 is reasonable.

What do you all think? For those with experience, could this idea work? Why or why not? And for everyone else, would you be willing to pay $200 for a pseudo hologram? Again, why or why not?

Let me know in the comments!

-IMP ;) :)

Some poems and the beginnings of a song

Here are some poems I wrote, to get my Blog Ball rolling. I wrote these on November 4^th, before the election results were in, hence the "Why Vote?" poem. And unless you've read Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle", you won't understand the "Nationwide Cheer" poem. Just know it's satire, as is the "Sandbox" poem. I like satire. It's like sarcasm with a purpose :) .

Anyway, here they are.

Preparations

As its hands creep closer to midnight,

Are we ready for the clock to chime?

Are we ready for the soldiers' courage;

Ready for the innocents' murders?

Are we ready for the prideful patriotism;

Ready for the hidden prejudice?

Are we ready to fight for our country;

Ready to kill for it?

Ready to die?

Are we ready to end the wars;

Ready for the destruction left behind?

Are we ready for all of this?

Are we ready for any of it?

Why Vote?

I vote because I have a voice.

I vote because my voice matters.

I vote because my voice makes a difference.

I vote because my voice longs to be heard.

I vote because my voice will not be silenced.

Most of all, I vote because I can.

Robots

Robots.

Everywhere, robots roam.

They carry out their programming.

They are unaware of their existence, unaware that they are robots.

They long to be something more. Convince themselves they are intelligent.

They are stupid. They know only what they are told to know.

They believe they can think, but their thoughts are predefined.

They call themselves “humans”.

I call them robots.

Dreamland

What are dreams, if not reality?

As I sleep, somewhere my dreams are real.

Somewhere, I am president; somewhere I am a prisoner.

Somewhere, the world is ending; somewhere it has only begun.

Somewhere, I have the girl of my dreams; somewhere I have lost her.

Somewhere, I know everything; somewhere, I know nothing.

Somewhere, I am happy; somewhere my depression is overwhelming.

Somewhere, everything happens;

But right here, I am content to dream.

Linger

Stay with me.

Don't leave, I beg.

But you will leave anyway.

You always do.

I love you so, but you are fleeting; I have no chance to tell you.

Stay with me.

Please, Peace; linger on.

The Journey

We walk the stairs, climbing forever upward.

We pass clouds, and it gets colder.

Yet the warm rays of the Sun comfort us;

We will soon be Home. Heaven is near.

Now we are falling. Dropping quickly, faster and faster.

The stairs have dissolved under us, they offer no more support.

We hit the ground hard, but do not die.

Instead, we keep falling, through the ground, digging ditches with our bodies.

It gets hot; we sweat and gasp for breath.

Hell has received its bounty, and we are no longer deceived.

Heaven is not for Man. Not anymore.

Sandbox

We love our country; we are forever loyal.

All hail those lines in the sand!

They separate us from the savages.

They keep us safe from cannibalistic primitives.

We alone are evolved; we alone are advanced.

The others have their own sand lines;

But their lines are pointless. They mean nothing.

They are outside our borders, outside our sandbox.

They must pay; they must not intrude.

Our sand lines protect us from them.

All hail the lines in the sand!

Nationwide Cheer

Granfalloon!

They yell the word, loving how it sounds.

Granfalloon!

The slogan resonates, filling all with pride.

Granfalloon!

I tell them what it means.

Granfalloon!

They do not see--

Granfalloon!

They are a granfalloon. They are deceiving themselves.

Granfalloon!

Stop! Do not shout the word! Do you not see--

Granfalloon!

It is not a title to be proud of! Please, stop yelling it!

Granfalloon!

Enough! This is not right!

Granfalloon!

The Purpose of Poems

Poems.

Why are they here?
What purpose do they serve?

They neither hurt nor heal.

They do not protect, they do not caress.

They cannot feel, observe, nor ever respond.

Why are they here?

What do they do?

I wonder the same thing.

Yet here I am, writing a poem.

Horseman's Return

The Headless Horseman rides again.

He rides through the forest he used to know.

It is different; the years have changed it.

It seems much colder, much darker.

He meets a traveler, and practices his skill.

No response. No fear. Not even a startled jump.

The traveler moves on, unfazed.

Distressed, the Horseman leaves the woods.

He rides into the city; it is bigger than he remembers.

He meets a taxi, but its passengers see nothing.

They are busy in their own affairs.

He comes to a bridge, tired. Even the homeless man feels no fear.

He curls up under a newspaper, cold and wet; it has begun to rain.

No head.

No brain.

No heart.

Like everyone else.

Yes, I know. Some are depressing. But those cynical ideas always seem to produce the best poetry, don't they? Poe's "The Raven" was all about insanity. Go figure.

Anyway, the title promised poems and an unfinished song. So here's the song, or at least what I have of it (one verse and a chorus). I call it "Let You Go". It's kind of a rock song in the style of Nickleback and the like.

They say I'm 6 feet tall, I can stand to fall
But now I'm 6 feet underground
Thought it was you who ended it with your pretending
But that's not what I'm hearing now
'Cause the last time that I saw you I knew
That you would run to all your friends
The last time that I heard your voice
It was the day when, day when

[Chorus]
You came to me with all your problems
Wanted me to fix your soul
I gave you advice, told you what I thought was right
But you turned and let me go...
Why did you let me go?...
My turn to let you go

Well, that's all I have of it so far. I play a little piano, and I have a MIDI keyboard, so if anyone who can sing likes the song (when it's done, of course), please E-Mail me. Although I can write and play, I have a bit of an issue with singing (tone-deaf), so if I could get a singer on board I could actually get a song produced and complete.

-IMP ;) :)

First Blog Post...Ever!

     Hey, everyone (if anyone's actually reading this). This is my first time ever posting any blog (I know, *gasp!*). I'm not really into any type of social-networking sites (I don't have a MySpace, Facebook, Freindster, or any of that; I prefer actual contact with my friends :) ). However, I often have a lot of thoughts running through my mind, so instead of staying up all night thinking, I've decided a blog might help get my ideas and thoughts out.


     Good, the introduction is over. Now I'll tell you all what you can expect from this blog:

1. Day-to-day accounts, whenever I can get on. I probably won't post every day, due to being busy or else just having nothing to say. But when an idea does come, expect it here within 24 hours.
2. Poetry, stories, and songs. I'm an amateur writer, although my friends and family (and some strangers on the Internet) seem to think I have real talent. I often will churn out poems that reflect my current thoughts, songs that come to mind, or stories whose ideas intrigue me. Note that I have only ever finished one story, so don't expect a full one. Starting things I never finish is just one of my vices; hence why short poems are ideal :) .
3. Possibly some political views. I tend to avoid politics, but there are times when I need to get things off my chest. These posts will be rare, so collect them :) . They may be worth something one day.
4. Maybe some games. I develop computer games in my spare time using Game Maker (http://www.yoyogames.com), and sometimes I like to show them off. Of course, these games often fall victim to the vice previously mentioned, so these may also be rare (although my current project is one I'm trying hard to remain dedicated to).

     These are only guidelines. I may post things that don't fit into any of these categories (a funny YouTube video or something), so don't be so literal! If you hate, love, agree with, or disagree with any of my posts, let me know in a comment or shoot me an E-Mail. I'll get back to you whenever I can (although with college starting for me in August/September, I will be pretty busy soon).

And so, my journey through the Blogosphere begins!

-IMP ;) :)