Friday, March 11, 2011

...On Technology Creating Needs...

"Isandaang libong piso? Saan tayo kukuha ng ganon kalaking halaga?!" 
- From a really old, black & white movie shown in Cinema One

Sometimes I tend to wonder what those times were like, when that kind of money is actually unheard of. These days, it's a year's worth of taxable income.

In simpler times, people were able to live their lives. However, how come that these days, nothing is ever enough? Sure, it makes our lives that much easier, but doesn't it feel somehow that we're creating needs than actually needing it? 

On Modernization

Let me start off with something basic such as electricity. Ok, I can't say it's not great, but sometimes, it seems absurd that we watch a show like Survivor and be awed at how primitive they live their lives for 30 fuckin days. Some people who lived in provinces before didn't even get the chance to have electricity for the entirety of their lives.

Libraries are slowly becoming obsolete. Everything's on the internet now. And with the ever-changing world, it seems that printed material is easily outdated. Books have ebook formats now. When before, we would read entire books and consult the glossary of terms when there are words that are new to us, all we have to do now is Google something and we have what we need.  

Facebook wasn't even a concept some years back. But now, it seems everyone has one. And some can't even live without it for a week.

Our constant dependency on it created our need for it. It's not THAT bad, really. Not as bad as the others, at least.

I think this over-dependency affects our ingenuity, our ability to operate simple stuff, and basically, our need for physical activity.

Medicine and Pornography

I can't say advances in medical technology didn't help the human race, much like electricity did. But there are stuff out right now that we think we need that we didn't think we needed before. A great example would be Viagra or other "performance-enhancing" drugs or teas. People made love before, and they understood that at a certain age, they can't anymore. Now, the people who "need" these "performance enhancers" are getting younger and younger.

Also, the kids who try sex for the first time are getting younger and younger. People get curious earlier, and some get pressured if they pass a certain age because they want to be "in" the conversation. They feel that they "need" to be non-virgins by the time they reach a certain age. 

I blame the created need on pornography. With the way that it is so easily accessible nowadays, people get crazy ideas. They experiment. They become curious. And they are pressured to do the same acts because apparently, it's possible. Anal sex wasn't even thought of as a concept before porn introduced it. Now, it's a problem and a craving that's a constant question in Mo Twister's podcast. 

It somehow destroys our sense of morality, and to some extent, intimacy.

On Cellphones and Gadgets

I remember seeing ads for the iPhone 4 that says "This is going to change everything... Again". Just a couple of years back, we lived in a world without the iPhone. Now, it seems everyone must get their hands on one.

True, cellphones have made life that much easier to communicate more than pagers and air mail. But the recent surge of developments are becoming more and more absurd. Companies like Apple are creating needs for us. We didn't need apps before, now we can't get enough of it. We didn't need Facetime in as early as 2009, and now the iPhone 4 became that much of a need because of the stupid Facetime shit.

The iPad 2 comes out later this week. A couple of years ago, you never thought that such a device would even exist. Yet today, people seem to need to get their hands on these.
Kids don't run around anymore like they used to. When before you chase them around for them to have fun, or they run punch the air like there are monsters attacking, they're now sitting around with heads bowed down with their PSP's and DS devices.

I blame this created need on competition between big companies. Their constant desire to outplay other players in the market created this surge of technological advances.

To some extent, it affects how we run our lives. Savings that before were meant for basic commodities, are now also being spent on the latest gadgets, because apparently, they have become part of the "basic" needs of a person. 

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I think somehow, this is sourgraping because I'm no Steve Jobs or someone who can invent stuff that people would eventually need. But with all the convenience these new stuff gives us, it gives me this sense that it might not be long before we end up like the humans in the movie Wall-E. 

Sue me for hating on technological advancement.

Friday, March 4, 2011

...Sports Rants...

Making a Facebook status usually is enough for me to rant, but sometimes, I think I have a lot more to say. And I'm not a huge fan of the notes thing on Facebook, so I stick with Multiply for my blog, because I am too lazy to re-post on my blogspot site. 

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NBA, Heat

The Heat got somewhat of an upgrade when they got Mike Bibby off waivers before their game against the Magic. I've always seen Eddie House as a poor man's Mike Bibby, but now they got both in their lineup.

While that was supposedly a good lift (especially considering Bibby's experience), and they looked pretty good in the first half of that Magic game, they came up short by allowing the Magic to come back from 20+ points down. 

The difference? It was Chris Bosh who took a shot with 7 seconds left in the clock. Then it was LeBron who shot an errant 3-pointer with 3 seconds left. 

In the lineup are deadly shooters; 3-point king James Jones, 3-point specialists Mike Miller and Eddie House, and newly acquired sharpshooter, Mike Bibby. Also in the lineup is one time Finals MVP Dwayne Wade.

Why, o why, did Wade not even get a crack at it? Sure, he's not a 3-point specialist (although his shooting range is better compared to his championship year), but he's THE man. He's the reason why Bosh came to town. He's the reason why LeBron ditched the chance to play with D-Rose. The Heat is HIS team. Why can't Spo put the ball in HIS hands? 

They're overly depending on LeBron Fuckin James. It's good for my fantasy team, but not good for my team. 

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PBA, trades

San Miguel traded up their old warriors for new blood. While it was viewed as a fair trade by the commissioner (which, in my mind, it somehow actually is), it is again a show of power by the SMC franchise; that even their expendable players are worth starting for other teams. 

On another note, I realized how much MVP is controlling the league. Currently, he has a bit of control on almost all the teams in the league. To review:

San Miguel, B-Meg, and Ginebra are SMC-owned franchises. MVP, I learned from stock market talk with my mom, is a major stockholder of SMC, which is why the stock value of SMC rose for a while.

Talk & Text, Smart Gilas and Meralco are under his control.

Air21, which for a time was Burger King, is also partly owned by MVP.

Alaska and Rain or Shine remain the only teams in the league independent from SMC or MVP. 

With this, I anoint Alaska as my favorite team, and LA Tenorio as my 2nd favorite player, on grounds that he is an Atenean, and Cyrus Baguio as my favorite player only because he is from UST. I declare my support for Rain or Shine, as they continue to build a contender using scrap pieces from SMC and MVP-controlled teams. And finally, I re-affirm my support for Talk & Text, just because I was an indirect scholar, owing to my dad working for PLDT. 

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Football, Azkals

I am an avid listener of Magic's morning show with Mo Twister. A lot of people hate him, and he added to those people by saying the Azkals are getting way too much attention. Now, speaking as a sports fan and not in any way a Mo Twister fan, I do agree with him on this point. I mean, how many "fans" know the Azkals not named Younghusband or Etheridge?

It's great that football is garnering this much attention in a country so crazy about basketball, but really, I bet half of these fans are "fans" more because of eye candy than actual football. Sure, it may start from there, but really, to be so passionate in "defending" the Azkals without even knowing about the game is stupid. 

If they put half of their passion learning about football than drooling over the hybrids, then maybe they'd know when to cheer and when to curse at the players. We want them to win, really, not (just) look good. This is a sport, after all, not a freakin pageant.