Parliament Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove (docu 2005)

K-Pop...Butt Kicking Import

      Seoul - The sprawling genre commonly known as K-Pop has operated outside the American pop lime-light.  But now, A-list producers like Kanye West, are lining up to work with South Korean artists.  K-Pop comes alongside a tide of Korean filmmaking and culinary interest in Los Angeles and the United States.  The fan scene in America has been largely centered on major immigrant hubs like Los Angeles and New York. That some K-Pop stars are American born or raised influences their personalities and deepens their connection to United States audiences.  2016 may be the year a K-Pop artist makes an American pop crossover.  See also, http://www.billboard.com/.

Silicon Valley Technology Companies Tout Healthy Websites and Healthy Bodies

     Silicon Valley - After twenty-something billionaires like Dustin Moskovitz and Mark Zuckerberg gained the Facebook 15 (15 pounds) a nutritionist was hired and health foods became the normal cuisine at its Silicon Valley headquarters.  Things like ergonomic treadmill workstations that allow you to work while exercising, a seven person bicycle that provides an alternative to piling into conference rooms  for meetings, food that implies healthiness, and tricky new gadgets that measure performance  are all helping to increase creativity and productivity in the digital fitness age at some Tech firms in Silicon Valley.  See also, www.wired.com. 

Music Therapy Puts Toys to Good Use

       New York -  Somehow elderly alzheimer, and possibly dementia patients, respond to the soul stirring vibrations of music.  The first time you see a telephone with big numbers for handicapped people to see easier, you might think, 'cool'.  Nintendo's Wii is being used in retirement homes to help seniors get exercise.  Ipods are now sprouting up in retirement homes, as medical studies say there may be benefits of music as treatment.  Whether there is a physiological reason, or a simple cultural enjoyment has yet to be determined.  However, a New York city non-profit group, called Music and Memory, that donates iPods to nursing homes is attempting to enable the program to every nursing home in the U.S.  See also, http://www.nytimes.com/.

"The Martian" Provides Entertainment and Sparks Intellectual Debate

     Washington, D.C. -  Ridley Scott's science-fiction smash hit, "The Martian", led the box office for almost a month,  presented an American can-do spirit, and brings up the topic of whether an entirely STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education is really all you need to attain success.  Some politicians in a recent presidential debate made it sound, to some viewers, as if studying liberal arts and humanities is a threat to national prosperity or national security.
     In "The Martian" astronaut Mark Watney, portrayed by Matt Damon, must survive on meager resources until the next humans arrive, possibly years away.  Some politicians and policymakers have made talking about the value of a liberal arts and humanities education versus STEM seem almost like a sport.  Throughout the movie astronaut Watney, his crewmates, and the scientists back on Earth display ingenuity, insight, and innovation to conquer seemingly impossible odds.  But Watney also has a philosophical side to his STEM side.  The astronaut begins to realize a rescue mission will cost  hundreds of millions of dollars.  He reflects on why they are going through with the rescue mission, at all.
     Most of all the movie shows, according to The Washington Post, that we need high-tech wizards that create with human values in mind, otherwise science itself will lead us off course.  "The Martian" shows us we really need high-tech workers, that are broadly educated and that have the ability to adapt their learning to a variety of jobs and occupations.  See also, www.washingtonpost.com. 

The Weekend - Can't Feel My Face

Sony Smartphone and Smartwatch

      Las Vegas - The Sony Xperia (TM) is a smartphone from the Xperia NXT series.  The Xperia S is an Android smartphone that delivers an awesome viewing experience with a high resolution screen and Sony HD with a 12 MP camera. Xperia S will be able to access the richest entertainment experiences from the Sony Entertainment Network ** Music Unlimited.  Music Unlimited offers a global catalog of 12 million songs.  According to Sony, Video Unlimited has the most recent Hollywood movie blockbusters and TV shows.  Xperia S is also Play Station Certified (TM), guaranteeing a high-quality smartphone video-gaming experience and access to the Play Station Store.  Sony's smartwatch can be paired to the smartphone so that text messages, social media updates, the ability to manage calls, do music, and much more.  See whole story,. www.sony.com.                    

Virtual Reality Coming of Age

      New York - Video-game players (gamers) love to put themselves into virtual-reality gaming worlds. Virtual-reality (VR) devices are sold mainly for video-games 3-D immersive video puts you on stage with Cirque de Soleil.  Strap on a headset and you are in three-dimensions (3-D
). Screen and graphics technologies have finally gotten good enough to give you a realistic and responsive gaming experience.  See also, www.samsung.com. 

Gwen Stefani - Rich Girl ft. Eve

Cell Phone Part Makes Good Car Part Too

       Washington, D.C. -  Traditional windshields are made of two layers of heat-treated glass,  with a plastic layer in between.  This, so-called, annealed glass, forms a spider-web pattern when it breaks, and the pieces are designed to stick to the plastic layer to prevent injury to passengers.  Now, automakers are turning to a new product that will increase vehicle fuel efficiency.  Corning Inc.'s Gorilla Glass is used in the screens on billions of mobile phones, carmakers can use the automotive version to improve fuel efficiency.  Gorilla Glass has been used by the consumer products industry since 2007.  BMW was the first automaker to use Gorilla Glass in 2014, when it used Gorilla Glass on the material forming the inner panel for its i8 Hybrid sports car.  According to Ford Motor Co., Ford will be the first car manufacturer to use Gorilla Glass for a windshield on it's pricey $400,000 Ford GT.  See also,  www.caranddriver.com. 

Adele - Hello

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts Ride - Universal Studios - Or...

Harry Potter Roller Coaster

        Orlando - Guests walk in and  out Hogsmeade Village at the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando Florida.  "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley"  has opened (June 2014).  The attraction is modeled after the London, England  shopping district for wizards, that is featured in the Harry Potter book series.  The opening of  'Dragon Alley' is expected to provide a boost to Universal Orlando's revenues, and tourism in Central Florida.  Dragon Alley is geared toward shopping and eating. Dragon Alley guests can purchase collectible souvenirs, such as interactive wands, that trigger special effects within the park.  See also, www.universalorlando.com.       

Fantasy Footbal Denied in New York

        New York - At issue is whether fantasy sports are a game of skill or gambling.  For now, a New York court, has required that daily fantasy sports companies Fan Duel and Draftkings stop operating in the state of New York.  If other states follow suit, it could be the death nail in the coffin for Fan Duel and Draftkings.  $100 million in entry fees from New York alone came in this year.  State lawmakers in California will also meet to discuss the issue of gambling, tax revenue, and protecting the consumer.  See also,  www.foxbusiness.com. 

Xbox One Voice and Motion Recognition

       Redmond, Washington - Microsoft announced that streaming content apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, Crackle, ESPN, Univision, Fox, CW, HBO, and the NFL will all be on Xbox One, some as soon as Spring 2014. Graphically, the Xbox One interface is able to switch between video games, watching live episodes of television, and viewing the channel guide. Xbox One can also, record and upload footage captured from video games and the Kinect motion sensor. Microsoft introduced the machine as an all-in-one entertainment solution for living rooms, that allows users to switch between activities on a TV screen, by just telling the machine what to do without needing to press buttons. Rather than the previous super-powered gaming console that the Xbox 360 is, Microsoft has included other audiences than just gamers. See also, www.xboxone.com.

Smart Watches Get A Little Smarter For The Holidays

      Smart phones do the heavy work such as downloading apps and loading full web pages.  But smart watches may can now act like assistants to the smart phones.  Smart watches can now stay in contact with your smart phone and serve as a representative of the telephone to the outside world,  monitoring traffic between your smart telephone and other wireless devices.  Sony's SmartWatch2 uses a bigger screen and is water resistant.  For 2013 a smart watches main function is to act as a handy second screen for your smart phone.  The premise is to allow users to dismiss useless phone notifications and allow you to only grab the handset when absolutely necessary.  Smart watches linked to operating systems, like Android for example, will receive alerts for texts, calls, and social media updates while on the wearers wrist.  Smart watches will also be able to control your phones music player, so you won't have to reach into your purse or pocket to change volume or skip to the next track.  And, ultimately at the cash register, near field communication (NFC) is a natural component that allows a relatively secure way to pay bills, by simply waving your smart watch wearing wrist at   NFC enabled cash registers, while leaving your smart phone in your purse or pocket.  See also, www.sony.com.