My Life Is Average (site review)

For those who don't know, My Life is Average (MLIA) is a basic posting website. It features people talking about their not so average lives. One recent post is as follows "Today whille skiing I was humming the batman theme song. When I was at the part where I was about to yell BATMAN a person on the ski lift yelled it. I have found my soulmate. MLIA." Sometimes, when observing others doing something "average" the MLIA message at the end will be replaced with HLIA (his/her life is average,) OLIA (our like is average,) and TLIA (their life is average.) I would recommend this site to all harry potter nerds, anti-twilight fans, and geeks. This site is not recommended for you to use if you don't have free time (because the site is addicting) and don't enjoy reading (in which case you suck.)

http://mylifeisaverage.com/

Until next time Revusters!

-A. Platypus

Revue...Gadgets-HTC Sensation 4G

The HTC Sensation 4G...one of the most anticipated Android phones of 2011.The Sensation is one of HTC's first phones with a dual-core processor, clocking in at 1.2 GHz and it comes with the new Sense 3.0, HTC's custom UI.The Sensation 4G is HTC's best multimedia phone of 2011, promising an instant sensory overload.

Spec List:

Processor	Dual core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™, 1.2 GHz
Operating System	Android™ platform (Gingerbread)
Internal Memory	768 MB RAM, 4 GB Internal Storage (1 GB user addressable)
Display	4.3” (diagonal) qHD(540x960 pixels)
Network	GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
GPS	GPS/AGPS
Camera	8 megapixel autofocus camera with Dual LED flash
Connectivity	Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi®: 802.11 b/g/n, 3.5 mm audio jack, SDHC capable microSDcard slot (8GB card inc.)
Battery	1520mAh LiIon
Dimensions	5" (L) x 2.6" (W) x 0.44" (T)
Weight	5.2 ounces

With a 1.2Ghz dual core processor primed for the nation's largest 4G network, you can multitask apps, games and gadgets, and download massive movie files without catching a single glimpse of the dreaded buffering bar.

With a streamlined unibody aluminum design, infinite ways to make it yours and an 8-megapixel camera on board, it’s got every detail covered and every detail captured.

With a massive 4.3" qHD touchscreen, everything you watch - every color, motion, movie, game and Android app - literally jumps off the screen in pixels

The HTC Sensation 4G will be available on T-Mobile for 199.99 on contract or 549.99 off contract.

UpdatR- Breaking news from Apple!

It was just announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference that Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, has unveiled upcoming updates that will be available to Apple users. Today, Jobs first announced the new OS for Macs, Lion. With Lion, users with a MacBook trackpad are open to new gestures to let us say, move to a different application.


Apple also announced that it will be launching a new cloud service, iCloud, a service letting users upload and store their music online. iCloud would give users a chance to access all the music they love from their libraries online for their iPhones, iPads and Wi-Fi-capable iPods, without having to connect them to their home PCs to transfer songs.




Stay in touch with UpdatR! 

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

"There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids’ true interests,” Amy Chua quotes. She should know, because hers is the biggest: “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” a well-packaged, readable book about the art of obsessive parenting. In truth, Mrs. Chua’s memoir is about one little narcissist’s book-length search for happiness.

You might wonder how this is possible. What kind of mother throws her 3-year-old daughter (Lulu) out in the snow? ("You can't stay in the house if you don't listen to Mommy.") Or complains that her family's pets aren't smart enough? ("They were unintelligent and not at all what they claimed to be.") Or, most memorably, makes her daughters' music lessons so tiring and intense that one daughter (Sophia) even leaves tooth marks on the piano?

Ms. Chua claims that this is the essence of tough Chinese parenting, as opposed to the lax Western kind. What does she mean by Chinese and Western? She is of Chinese descent, but she grew up in the American Midwest. She became a law professor and teaches at Yale. She and her husband, another Yale law professor, hired a Chinese nanny to speak Mandarin, though she doesn't speak it herself. Mrs. Chua grew up as a Roman Catholic, but her daughters were raised as Jews.

So she admits to using the term “Chinese mother” loosely—so loosely that even a "supersuccessful white guy from South Dakota (you’ve seen him on television)” told her his working-class father was a Chinese mom. And what she uses “Chinese mother” to mean is this: driven and hell-bent on raising certifiably Grade-A children. Ms. Chua was not about to raise slackers; she wanted prodigies, even if it meant nonstop, punishing labor. “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” chronicles Mrs. Chua's demanding, scolding and screaming. It describes endless piano and violin sessions that she supervised, while her own schedule of teaching, writing and dealing with students goes mostly unmentioned. And it enforces a guiding principle more reasonable than all her yelling suggests: “What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it.”

Personally, being the daughter of a somewhat-demanding "Chinese mother", I would have to disagree with Amy Chua's views on parenting. Sure, she raised some darn successful children, like Sophia, who was invited to Carnegie Hall at age 14 to play the piano, but there's just something so wrong about the way that her parenting methods are stuck in the ground. Mrs. Chua may have gotten very lucky with her first daughter, Sophia, a goody-two-shoes (:D), and obviously very talented and hard-working, however, her second daughter, Louisa (Lulu) was very different. Amy acknowledges from the start that Lulu is the "rebellious" daughter, and her parenting only drives Lulu into a deeper corner, where she feels that the only thing she can do is rebel. (I like to think that I have some first-hand experience with this.)

Not to mention, I know many parents that are not "Chinese parents" by Mrs. Chua's standards, yet their kids seem to be just as successful, if not more. I know one child who was allowed to attend play-dates, keep up an instrument like guitar or drums, and still play at Carnegie Hall at age 15. And I know other children, who's piano practicing was never forced onto them, and they can still learn to enjoy music without having to worry about any rabid-eyed parents hovering over their backs whenever they are practicing.

But I'm not here to criticize. Amy Chua is definitely a very successful person, I can't argue with that. And her two children and husband are also very prestigious. But there's something that bothers me about the way that she represents the cut-out, steel-willed parenting as something completely "Chinese" and completely positive. No doubt, ever since my mother read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, I've been suffering a bit more of the yelling and the "WHY CAN'T YOU BE LIKE _______", and that might be what is affecting my "objective" review of this book. (Not to mention, I began reading this book just to get a taste of the "crazy woman" that managed to convert my mother into another "crazy woman" :D).

All in all, the book was very humorously written, and very readable. I would recommend this book, and I would also recommend keeping in mind that not all "Western parents", as Amy Chua defines, are unsuccessful. In fact, if there's anything that I must disagree with this book over, it would be the way that Mrs. Chua groups everything into black-and-white, and her definition of "success". But go ahead and check out this book, it seems to have been super duper popular recently (my library bought 8 copies). Mrs. Chua's self-awareness—she knows she's not Mother-of-the-Year material—is much of what makes this book readable. Oh, and also the way she talks about her dogs is awesome:

“My dogs can’t do anything—and what a relief. I don’t make any demands of them, and I don’t try to shape them or their future. For the most part, I trust them to make the right choices for themselves. I always look forward to seeing them, and I love just watching them sleep. What a great relationship.”

(Not to mention tigers are beast.)

But then again, I might not be the most objective reviewer of this particular book.

So it goes, Revusters!

Mr. Bean!

OMG... I was looking for something worth watching on Netflix, and I saw something called Mr. Bean. I had seen it before but I never sat down and actually enjoyed it before. But I'm telling you, it is the best thing that has ever been broadcast on TV! I'm serious, when I watched it, I was laughing the whole time!
So Mr. Bean is about this guy named Mr. Bean who just goes around doing stupid things in a stupid way, like eating 10 raw oysters or knocking his dentist unconscious and then trying to drill his own teeth himself. It's just the mixture between stupidity and absurdity that makes you lol the whole time. I--I can't really describe it, it's just too epic for words. Go to Youtube or Netflix instant view and watch it. It's beyond the powers of language, that's how good it is. Plus, the acting is really good, compared to the trash they show on TV these days. Now, GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND WATCH MR. BEAN!!!
Link to a Mr. Bean skit on Youtube

Revue...Gadgets- Evo 4G vs. iPhone 4

A lot of us use smartphones for our everyday lives- checking our email, surfing the webs and in free time: playing games or using apps. In this post I will be comparing the all famous iPhone 4 and the rival, the Evo 4G.


First I'll start off with the Evo 4G. The Evo 4G is only available at Sprint and is available in either black or white. Because the Evo runs on Sprint, it uses respectable 4G WiMax speeds which is great for a phone like this. It runs Android 2.2 with HTC Sense (It will now shop with Android 2.3). Even though it doesn't run the latest version of Android, it's doable. Everything on the Evo looks great on its 4.3" screen, not only because the screen is big, but also because it uses an LED capacitive screen. The Evo 4G also includes a 1GHz Snapdraggon processor, an HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, a kickstand on the back, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, and an 8-megagpixel camera that can shoot HD-quality video. You can pick yours up at a Sprint store for $149.

Now don't get me wrong the Evo is a great device, but it also has its flaws. One flaw that the Evo has is its size. The Evo is to big to be considered a smartphone, but too small to be considered a tablet. When I use it, I'm almost afraid it might break because I'm always trying to stuff it in my pocket. But if you want to go ahead and try stuffing it in your pocket, go ahead (I won't be held liable for any damages caused by your pocket.) There's also the problem with Sprint's 4G WiMax service. Sprint's WiMax service is really limited at this time, so you will be caught in lots of dead zones. Going with the 4G, the 4G drains your battery. A lot. You could have your phone sitting there for two hours, and it could nearly be dead with the 4G. 

The iPhone 4. I could take pages and pages to review it, but I'll keep it to a minimum. Currently the most sold phone out in the market today. Made by Apple, it has a brilliant design that everyone loves.

Apple really bumped up the iPhone 4 from previous versions of the iPhone. It has a new super-fast A4 CPU, a new front facing camera, a nice looking Retina display, and running the new iOS. It also can run on AT&T or Verizon.

Once you pick up the iPhone 4, you won't go back. The new design feels great in your hands because of its sleek straightened back and the aluminum siding. It also is noticeably thinner than the iPhone 3G or 3GS. It comes in at .37 inches thick versus the .48 inches on the older iPhone models. 

On the left side of the phone, you get the new volume buttons and the silent switch. The volume buttons are now spread apart into two buttons marked with a "+" and a "-". The silent switch is now thinner and easier to use. On the right is the Micro SIM slot (yea, not much stuff on the right side :D). On the top of the phone, there's your power/sleep button, 3.5 mm headphone jack and a new noise-canceling microphone. On the back, there's the sleek glass, the 5 megapixel camera and the LED flash. The iPhone 4's cameras aren't the greatest, but they are very usable. The back camera is 5 megapixels while the front facing camera is VGA.

Alright then, the iPhone 4 runs Apple's new iOS 4 software (I have iOS 4.3.3 on mine currently) and all works great. The multitasking is phenomenal, setting the wallpaper for both the home and lockscreen is great, the new mailbox functionality makes checking my email so much faster and there are so many other things that have improved, too. The iPhone 4 has access to the largest amount of apps in the App Store. Millions of apps are free while all the other million are paid. You can find all the best games, ways to entertain yourself and almost everything else in the App Store. An awesome app that comes pre-installed on the iPhone is FaceTime- a real time video chat. It is really awesome that this is possible while on the go, so I give props to Apple for that.

The iPhone 4 has so many good things there's hard to believe there are any flaws, right? Well, there is. Really, I believe there are only 3 flaws. For these, I'll list 'em out for ya.

1. FaceTime can only work over WiFi-  This is rather annoying for someone who is always on the go. FaceTime is a great application, but you always need WiFi to use it. 

2. The price is a bit ridiculous- Yes the iPhone 4 is marvelous and can do lots of things, but is $199 for 16 gigabytes worth that? Or $299 for the 32 gigabytes in black or white for that fact?

3. Notifications aren't what they're supposed to be- Apple's notification system for the iPhone 4 just aren't what you want them to be. Annoying pop-ups appear when when you get a text or another notification from a different app. This is fairly annoying if you're in the middle of a game. I personally like the Android notification system better.

Here's an overview of specs I covered and specs I didn't to refresh your mind.

(P.S. This is NOT the updated specs of the phones)

Now, it comes down to all of this...Which is the better phone?

The iPhone 4!

Why did I choose the iPhone 4?

Well, the iPhone has great reception with wither carriers, better apps than the Android Market and a more reliable operating system. But it's not up to me of what you decide to go with. I hope this was helpful to all of you in a tight spot!

Until next time Revusters!

EDIT: I know others might be asking why I didn't include the "death grip" on the iPhone 4. I know many people who have never had the "death grip" problem so I thought that wouldn't be a flaw I had to list.

         Thanks!

Also, please make sure to comment on posts if you have any questions on conercerns.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

With summer finally here, I guess it's time to bust out some books and start reading. When I sat down to dinner on the last day of school with my family, I asked for a few book recommendations. And, obviously, I received some books that I immediately rejected--Art of War, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (which, I will admit, I have just finished reading), and the like--in other words, my parents aren't exactly the people to ask for reading suggestions. On the other hand, my sister had just picked out Ishiguro's Remains of the Day (which I had read a couple months earlier--that book is amazing) and she suggested half-heartedly, after flipping to the back of the book for a list of titles, Never Let Me Go, another book by this wonderful Kasuo Ishiguro. (:D)

So, I checked out this book. It took a while for me to get a grip on it. And since it's Ishiguro's style for his narrators to postpone a full telling of their place in the world, all we know early on is that we don't know what's going on... All we have are inklings. The 31-year-old narrator, Kathy H., announces on the first page that she has worked for 11 years as a ''carer.'' The people she assists at work are ''donors'' at a recovery center. But Kathy is our guide on this journey, and instead of telling of her life in the present (which would be ''England, late 1990's'') she likes to wander back to years spent with her closest friends, Ruth and Tommy, at boarding school--a fabled place in the countryside with the name of Hailsham. Kathy and her classmates were taught to think of themselves as lucky for having gone to Hailsham. It was the best, the most privileged of schools. The school was run by ''guardians''. Both protective and strangly distant, these guardians prevent students from leaving campus, have them screened each week by a doctor, and keep them busy with art projects that seem essential to their development, as if a child's creative output might hold a clue to her fate. ''Thinking back now,'' Kathy says, ''I can see we were just at that age when we knew a few things about ourselves--about who we were, how we were different from our guardians, from the people outside--but hadn't yet understood what any of it meant.''

We're led to see that the students are clones, kept in isolation at a special school, pampered and sheltered and encouraged to feel like children for as long as possible. The theme of cloning allows Ishiguro to push ideas he's created in earlier writing about memory and individuality; Hailsham's seclusion allows for room for his fascination with loyalty and friendship. The voice for Kathy is a feat of imaginative sympathy and technique. He works out ways of showing her naivete, her responsibility as interpreter of what she sees, but also her deductive wit, sensitivity to pain and need for affection.

Ishiguro shows how Hailsham students, cut off from outside contact, manage to fill in their world with taboos, jokes, fantasies, paranoid rumors of the unknown and unusual. The eeriest feature of this strange world is how familiar it feels. Never Let Me Go offers many questions such as: what is the value of a life? Do we have souls? And how do we assess who deserves to live and who deserves to die? What if our lives are already mapped out for us from birth? Instead of having dreams of being a doctor, lawyer, engineer, writer, how would you feel if you found out that your only purpose in life is to sacrifice yourself for the greater good of mankind?

With these questions in mind, and the way Ishiguro creates the small sense of safety through his gentle narrator, the end is quite heart-wrenching and unsatisfying. However beautifully written, and wonderfully crafted the ending is, there seems to be an unanswered inquiry that Ishiguro leaves us with when we are left alone with Kathy, back in the present and with much in the future waiting for her.

So, to end on a happier note, I would recommend this book. There are many adult themes discussed in the book, and the movie adaptation (which my sister watched and gave wonderful reviews for) is rated R, probably for these reasons (I haven't seen it, so I don't really know.) Here is the trailer for the 2010 Never Let Me Go movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXiRZhDEo8A. So, if the book recommendations that you are looking for haven't been the most satisfactory, I hope this one helped.

So it goes, Revusters! :D