Randomization at its worst...

Earlier today while watching the news, I came across an interview with a self-proclaimed food advisor. 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 Mcdonalds, 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?

Posted by Riess at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments

I remember a time in which the majority of computer users trusted Microsoft's Internet Explorer for all of their web surfing needs. Internet Explorer was a top of the line product, even though it was (and still is) filled with bugs and security loopholes that could leave the door open for viruses and trojans to nestle into your hard drive. A while back, one of my friends was attending the ITT Techincal Institute for his Bachelors degree in computer and software enginnering, when his computer's hard drive was offically wiped of all of its data, and you know what? All of the time he had spent on that data was wiped away as well.


I am not a spokesperson for Mozilla, nor am I showering Microsoft with hate. I still use Internet Explorer occasionaly, due to the fact that Firefox cannot open some pages due to plugin interference, but I do have to give it to Mozilla; they have themselves a very stable and reliable browser, more stable than Internet Explorer for sure. That gets me wondering, why is it that Microsoft, the "Superpower" of the world of tech, cannot produce a browser that you can use to surf the web without having to worry about your hard drive getting a severe infection? Microsoft has the money, people, and resources, but their Internet Browser was rated worse than Firefox and Opera at a recent tech fair here in sunny California. Perhaps Microsoft has just not had the time to work on the minor details and leaks in the browser; instead, they may be focusing all of that effort into the upcoming "Windows Vista" project, which, according to PC World and PC Magazine, looks to be shaping up into a very secure and stable OS.

Internet Explorer 7 Beta

The day that Microsoft released a beta version of Internet Explorer 7 was an exciting day indeed. I was anxious to see what improvements had been made to the software, and examine the new, streamlined look of Microsoft's surfboard for the web. Installation was a bit difficult due to the fact that registries were mixed up, placed in incorrect folders, or not installed at all, but after about three tries, I finally got the browser up and running. When the browser's GUI loaded up, I thought that someone had spilled their Firefox in my IE. For anyone who has used Firefox before, the similarties between it and IE 7 are fairly obvious, such as the ones seen here:


The image may be small, but if you squint your eyes, you'll see:

1.) Tabs, one of the most useful utilites that Firefox and a few other broswers have to offer, can be seen in IE 7.

2.) A more streamlined design, with less buttons, that are also bigger and easier to use. Also similar to Mozilla's design.

3.) A handy dandy search bar. Wonder where I've seen that before...

4.) Finally, Internet Explorer will be able to support RSS feeds. Its about time too, due to the fact that other browsers have had this ability for a while now.

Seems to me that Microsoft's software developers saw the flaws in their past products and did something about it. "If Firefox and Opera are doing well, we should do what they're doing!" It's about time too! Even if the meat and potatoes of IE are not fixed, the new look will be appreciated by many, since the old Internet Explorer is not exactly that easy on the eyes.

So, can Microsoft finally pull off the "Super Browser" that many have been hoping for? Will Internet Explorer finally get some respect? I'm uncertain, but I know one thing: The "browser wars" are going to be very close this year.

Posted by Riess at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments