Ben Greenfield

Benjamin Greenfield

[benrgreenfield]

Star Trek

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek. 50 Years ago, no one could have predicted the success of the Star Trek brand, nor could you imagine the impact it has made on a small and large scale. Let me start off by saying I grew up a Star Wars kid. I thought nothing would be cooler than being a Jedi, harnessing the power of the force and wielding a lightsaber. It was the ultimate childhood fantasy, and Star Wars provided kids and adults alike a captivating universe with star ships, aliens, and spectacular action. It wasn't until I was in high school when I was first truly exposed to Star Trek. In 2009 when the J.J. Abrams reboot hit theaters, my dad took me to go see the movie with him. He explained how when he was around my age he would chill with his friends watching reruns of Star Trek on tv, and he thought It would be cool to introduce me to it. At the time, I knew about Star Trek, but my only experience was when I saw the various movies. I loved the reboot, It was action packed, great looking and great acted movie. I had no idea that going to see the movie would send me on a path to where Star Trek shifted from a medium of entertainment, to an influence in my life. About a month after I saw the movie, I noticed BBC America played reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation during the week so I started recording them and watching them. It was TNG that really changed my perception of what Star Trek was. I no longer saw Star Trek as an action packed blockbuster, but as a Science Fiction show, intertwined with ideations of philosophy, the human condition and a glimpse of a possible bright future for the human race. Netflix wound up becoming my best friend for the good half of the year, where I went through every episode, of every series of Star Trek from Enterprise all the way through to Voyager. I could write a whole article talking about the different themes and points Star Trek has hit over the years, but in general the show brilliantly brought Political, Social, Racial and Societal problems to the forefront. Shrouded by the guise of a sci-fi show the creator of Star Trek, the late Gene Roddenberry provided commentary on real life issues, often moral and ethical. People saw this, and that Is why Star Trek has captivated so many people, including myself. Star Trek reminds you that we are all one species, and that no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation, there is a bright future where none of that matters. What I ultimately took away from Star Trek was I find myself more aware of the way I treat and look at others. It gave me hope, that one day we will reach a point, where greed, racism and sexism wont exist, and we as a people can travel the stars and meet different alien species.  Star Trek will always be around, strictly because It is a beacon, a representation of a better future for mankind, one which deep down, everyone wants.

[nerdy-integral]

My two OTPs for life <3 I just wanted to point out the similarities that exist between the two ships. Not sure how many OUAT fans are also FFX fans out there and vice versa. I love both. I didn’t think about it until recent events where Emma reunited with Killian after (once again) losing him. From the moment that Emma became the DO, Hook made it his sole mission to bring her back. When Tidus accompanied Yuna and her group on her pilgrimage, he didn’t know initially she was preparing to sacrifice her life. The moment he found out the truth, he took initiative to plot against it and find an alternative. At the end, both men sacrificed their lives. Keep in mind Yuna and Emma both have been willing to have their lives taken away for the better good. (Yuna with her defeating Sin in a never ending cycle guaranteeing a temporary calm, and Emma where she took personal fault for Killian becoming the DO.) In their minds, it was the only way to protect the ones they loved. Tidus had to learn the hard truth about his existence later on in the game. The Fayth wanted to cease dreaming, and so Tidus and Yuna meeting was fate. Earlier on in season one, Emma found out she was the savior and the only person who could break the evil curse. Both Tidus and Emma had a hard time embracing their roles. Tidus kept it from Yuna, because he didn’t know how she would take it. He told her at the very end of their journey when it was too late. Yuna confessed her love for him at that moment (realizing there was nothing she could do to save him) and watched him jump off the airship. In the end of season four, Emma risked her life to save Regina’s by embracing the darkness. Hook tried to stop her. She confessed her love for him as the darkness consumed her separating them. I also want to point out that in season five, Killian and Emma ventured into the depths of the Underworld to pass a test that could potentially save Killian. Unfortunately Killian knew it wouldn’t work and prepared himself to say his goodbyes. Emma didn’t take it well (just like Yuna) but she accepts it and parts tearfully. Another example would be at the end of the first half of season five where Killian urged Emma to take his own life to save everyone else’s. I mention this because both Tidus and Killian knew their fates were sealed.

Tidus’ father abandoned him when he was younger. He was an alcoholic (and ruined his career) and Tidus expressed hatred due to the fact that he left him and his mother alone. His mother died of a broken heart. We don’t know much about Killian’s mother, but we know that from a flashback she isn’t present (and maybe assumed dead) when Brennan Jones takes them abroad a ship. He sells his sons to servitude so that he can get away. Fast forward into the future when Killian is much older, he reunites with his father under the orders of Queen to kill him. Brennan claims he’s become a better man, and Killian softens to him. Killian does kill him later that night because he overhears Brennan telling his son the same words he told Killian before he abandoned him. Ultimately Killian didn’t believe Brennan changed. (Maybe in the future they will reunite and exchange words.) Tidus finds out Jecht gave up his life to become Sin for a decade. Jecht believed there was no way for him to ever go back home, and the journey made him more mature. Regardless, he had to die because Yu Yevon’s spirit possessed him. Both Tidus and Killian, as kids, aspired to be like their fathers. Their fathers play a huge role while growing up. Indirectly, they meet the love of their lives in going through these difficulties. (Killian ultimately becoming a pirate and living 300+ years in Neverland and Tidus having a connection to Sin.)

On a lighter note, both Killian and Tidus have prevented the love of their lives (Emma and Yuna, respectively) from getting married. Emma lost her memories following the events of Pan’s dark curse. For a year, she was living with her son in New York with false memories. She met Walsh and dated him for a good amount of time. Killian ventures into New York in hopes of helping Emma get her memories back so that she could reunite with her family. Emma is very reluctant and doesn’t trust Killian, but later is convinced some things do not make sense with her life and she gives in. Regaining her memories, she makes the decision to break it off with Walsh. Emma also learns that Walsh isn’t the man she thought he was. Zelena transformed him, prior to the curse, into a flying monkey when she overtook Oz. She sent him to New York to keep a close eye on Emma. Emma never claimed she loved Walsh, but she had feelings for him and considered marriage. Although Seymour and Yuna were far from being in love (there might have been a slight attraction at first) he asks for her hand in marriage to give the people of Spira something to celebrate. Seymour wasn’t anyone’s pet, but he was definitely very misleading. He was presented as seemingly good. Yuna hesitates at first, but decides to accept his proposal upon finding out about his crimes. (Killing his own father to become an authority figure as well as wanting to become Sin to kill everyone.) Tidus and the other guardians crash the wedding regardless. 

It takes two years for Tidus and Yuna to reunite. Killian and Emma don’t have that problem, thankfully. (It would be a very sad show lol) When Killian shows up at the gravesite, Emma is taken aback and questions how he’s physically there with her. Killian believes Zeus sent him back as a reward for defeating Hades. At the end of FFX-2, Yuna saves Spira (once again) and she tells the Fayth she wants to see Tidus again. Her wish is granted as the Fayth bring back Tidus. She even questions as well if he’s real.  Now I don’t know what the consequences are for the get-out-of-the-Underworld card for Hook. I feel Emma will be very careful with him, never letting him out of her sight. As for Yuna and Tidus: they agreed that as long as they cherish each other everything would be alright. Both couples suffered tremendous tragedies. 

Gif Credit: Here

[benrgreenfield]

Why Music Will Save Us All

Growing up as a kid I was always very picky when it came to my taste in music. My taste of music consisted of top 40 pop hits and some of the classic rock song I heard my parents listening to, such as The Eagles, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Queen. I thought that Metal music was trash and abnormal, I criticized EDM and Dubstep for being, “not real,” music. The first time I heard Skrillex’s First of the Year, was in 2011 when I was playing XBOX online and some guy I was chatting with played it through his microphone. He thought it was amazing, I’m pretty sure my reaction was something along the lines of what the hell is this crap. The irony in all this, Skrillex is now one of my favorite artists, and I never saw that coming in a million years.

Between 2011 and now, I have grown as a person in many ways. I transitioned from being a quiet, non-confident, closed minded individual to a confident, outgoing, confident and open minded person. In addition I have made the most amazing friends, and my new view on music, I owe completely to them. These friends, some of which are musicians and just into music in general, already had a pretty broad taste in music. A couple were metal heads, they were into EDM and Dubstep, Hip-Hop, and pretty much anything they would listen to at some point or another. Why this is important is because while often people will shove new music they like down your throat, my friends encouraged breaking down and analyzing the music. The focus shifted from a surface level experience with music, to a deeper, immersive interaction with music. It was this change in mentality that helped me explore the genres I thought were trash, but I now realize are brilliant. To me genres like Dubstep and Heavy Metal in particular made my ears bleed, but when I took the time to really listen, I noticed the layers of sound, the complexity and depth to the music. It’s not all about the industrial blender sounds or the satanic sounding metal growls, the music has a beat, a hook, a melody. It’s not disorganized or out of tune by any means and if you were to strip the songs down, the core of the music is not that far off from other genres.

Until I started hanging out with my current friends I also hadn’t gone to any concerts or live shows. My whole life the music I had loved was received via headphones, or the radio. It wasn’t until I started going to live shows that I discovered that music is not only about the interpretation of sound, but the way music makes you feel, and more importantly the way it can bring people together. My first metal concert I saw was Slipknot and the vibes I got were interesting to say the least. It was packed like a can of sardines and when the music started everyone went insane. Soon the mosh pits opened up and things got even crazier. All I saw was people pushing, shoving, jumping and screaming, and while the music was great, my only concern was trying to keep my balance and not lose my friends in the crowd. During the beginning of the show I saw the crowd as hostile, but as the show progressed I started noticing things that changed my perception. In the mosh pits, when people would trip or fall everyone would stop and help the person up, make sure they were okay, then continue partying. The people pushing, jumping and screaming at each other were not doing it out of anger, but because of the energy and vibes the music gave off. This experience made me realize that genres of music have cultures, the metal culture on a surface level looks nuts, but the reality is that everyone at the concert was there for the same reason, to listen to the music, have fun and party.

Like Metal, EDM and Dubstep have a culture of their own, and it’s the experience I have had at many of the shows and festivals that opened my eyes to how important music is to the world and how music has the ability to impact the masses. When the music drops you not only hear the sounds, but you feel the energy emanating from the artist and the people around you. The music makes you want to jump, dance, feel free and everyone there loses themselves in the moment. The crowds are diverse, with people from different backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities all there for one common purpose. The sight of all the different countries flags being flown by fans always moves me. It’s a reminder that while we live in a world where countries, races, and people are divided. There is at least one thing that bests religious, cultural, language and political boundaries. Music will stand the test of time, and while it is always evolving it will never stop bringing us as a species together as one global community.

[benrgreenfield]

Open-Mindedness and why it’s important

I am one of those people who has annoyingly high standards. These standards apply to pretty much everything and everyone I interact with in life. However, for the purpose of this post I will be focusing on my standards with people and more specifically one of the qualities that I seek in them, open-mindedness. To make it clear, whenever I meet a person I don’t start analyzing them to determine if they meet my standards, it doesn’t work like that. It is when a new friendship starts solidifying or after I go on a date or two with a girl that I begin to see if they have certain qualities that will ultimately lead to either a strong long lasting friendship or relationship. It is the people that share my open-mindedness that I gravitate towards both socially and professionally. Let me explain what I mean by open-mindedness and why It is a rarity, but more importantly, a recipe for success. To me open-mindedness can be broken down into multiple parts, learning, action, and thought. Someone who is truly open-minded is always open to taking in new ideas, they not only seek knowledge but are accepting of things that are both foreign and possibly stand against one's current beliefs. Each individual always has a set of core beliefs, those which guide them in everything they do or say over a course of a lifetime. These core beliefs can stem from the environment one was raised, religious practices, and personal beliefs. Where open-mindedness comes into play here is that while most people stick to their core beliefs throughout their whole life, those who are open-minded are willing to accept new ideas, and can improve and adapt their core beliefs over time. The second part of open-mindedness is action, or simply put, the things you do. I recognize most people, including myself, have certain routines, and things that you do all the time, but what interests me is one’s ability to try new things. To elaborate on this more, we can talk about conformity and having new experiences. Many of today’s successful entrepreneurs, businessmen, and entertainers have one thing in common, they not only pushed the boundaries of the field they were in, but they went against the grain of society. There’s no doubt it isn’t easy for everyone to go against what society considers normal or acceptable, but those who do not care about conformity and are willing to kick the hornets’ nest are the ones who wind up pushing the boundaries and changing the world for the better. The same idea applies on a more personal level, where people should feel comfortable trying new things. It is okay to do the things you like to do on a regular basis, but you can be afraid to test the waters of something new to you, and sometimes you need to take a leap of faith to discover something you never knew you would grow to love and appreciate. The final puzzle piece for open-mindedness is about what goes on in your own head. The human brain is a fascinating thing, capable of endless thought, creativity, and critical thinking. Essentially I believe you can open your mind to itself, by that I mean your brain has to be comfortable with itself, and by association everything your brain thinks of. If you are comfortable thinking about abstract, alien, and mad concepts, things that are new and unknown you have an open mind. I do know that there are times when thoughts might come across your mind that are odd or so out of the box you just try to kick them out, but it’s the ability to analyze those thoughts and mold something out of it that produce truly wonderful and abstract ideas. My realization of this is a culmination of 22 years of experience and observation. I have met many people, all of which have varying degrees of openness and comfort-ability but there is one common theme amongst all of them. The ones that I have witnessed to become successful, progressive, and leading are the ones who happen to have very open minds. Open-mindedness ultimately is about being comfortable to let your mind stretch and expand, and help guide you through a life where you are willing to let the world mold you, and you the world over time. Now I am not saying that if you are open-minded you have to change the world, but being open-minded provides you with the right attitude for leadership and success throughout your life.

[nicolemelodytalents-blog]

Is Microsoft going to take over Apples iPhone? Microsoft is coming up with all sorts of brilliant ideas when it comes to easier texting. A single finger keyboard will definitely come in handy for those who are on the go and busy. On top of that, Microsoft is finding new ways to make your smart phone more comfortable with swiping features.

In the article above, it shares with us “The true draw, though, is the Arc Mode feature. It bends the entire keyboard into an elbow macaroni-shaped arc and relocates it to a single corner of the screen, like a luxury corner desk for your hard-working thumb.”

Either way, Microsoft is always coming up with new ways to impress the digital world. Look out Apple, Microsoft could be the future of our noble devices!

[nicolemelodytalents-blog]

[nikeandike]

Why do we keep changing the size of phones in today’s world? We started with brick sized cellphones, then cellphones that can fit in a closed fist, then tablet sized smartphones, and now we are going back. Why not just invest in a phone where you can change the size of the screen or project on something bigger if need. Why do we need the newest gadget? Not to point anyone out when I would be the first to get the newest iPhone every time one releases. But why do we have that need? Is it a competition or do we really need these new phones to work better. I feel that as long as the phone meets the requirements of the time and I’m not at a disadvantage I am content. If that’s means buying every year a new smartphone just to keep up that is fine by me. I also feel like society makes u feel bad if ur are not up to date. Like even I will look at someone if they have a phone that is more than 3 years old and say that is weird. But why do we everyday people do this is why I thought this was so interesting that we change so much but sometimes we just go back instead of forwards.

[digitalmediahusky-blog]

this all comes down to consumerism. society dictates to us daily what is “right” and what is “wrong”, what is “in” and what is “out”. when i see people with flip phones, i personally feel envy towards them, because i wish i could go back to simpler times, but i don’t have a flip phone because it doesn’t do the things i need/want for my career/social life. 

[benrgreenfield]

What will the future bring, and does it involve a change in our “humanity”

I often wonder how many scientific marvels and societal advances i will be lucky enough to witness in my lifetime. Will I get to travel into space and visit neighboring planets, will I meet extraterrestrials? Will I be able to experience a point in society where hate and greed and diversity dissolve and we all become one united, peaceful species living on a lone planet. Will conflict consume us and plunge is into a third world war? These are things I think about probably to often, but as someone who is excited to see what the future will bring, I also cant help but wonder what it wont, or what it will take away. Will we have to make sacrifices to advance ourselves as a species. One thing is for sure, society and the way we do things has changed significantly over the past century. The invention of smart phones, and integrated technology, has certainly made our lives easier and more convenient. Where once you had to make some effort to communicate with someone, find research and data for your education, or entertain yourself, now everything is in the palm of your hand. As technology penetrates other phases of society and integrates itself into things, we will only have to do less work and get the instant gratification that we have begun to take for granted. Cars will drive themselves, robots replace workers in factories, and we no longer are forced to talk to people to get what we want. As more and more people get invested in texting, instant messaging and other methods of communication will people just do away with verbal communication. If someone wants to talk to their friend, they don’t have to get off the couch and meet them in person. Why get up and walk to their house when you can text or video chat right in the comfort of your own home. I would be a hypocrite if I I said texting and instant messaging is all bad. I text and message my friends all the time, and I probably should call them more often as opposed to texting. The problem that I do see with it is that as less and less people engage in interpersonal communication, more and more people lose interest and don’t feel comfortable face to face. What face to face communication has that texting doesnt is emotion, expression, action. All of these things though play a critical role in conversation as we have evolved to interpret communication not just based on the words coming out of someones mouth but by their body language, tone, and emotion. Texting has made communication easier, and you will have no argument from me, but it has removed all those aspects of a conversation that make it a “human” conversation. If you boil it down to text sent to one person and text sent back, is it no different from two computers communicating with each other? The ability to communicate through our technology has also given us a sense of security when talking to someone. If you say something negative you don’t have to witness the person get hurt, cry, or get angry. You don’t have to look someone in the eye and tell them you are ending your long loving relationship. Everything is just much simpler with the technology we have today. The problem is we as people grow from experience, good or bad. When you have to walk up to a persons face and tell them their loved one died or when you are nervous meeting someone for the first time and have to overcome that fear, these are all thing you must experience and confront in order to grow. Removing these emotions from the equation holds us back because we never learn how to deal with these things. I have no doubt that advancements in technology will take us to places we can only dream of, and things we thought impossible will become reality. Will we have to sacrifice a part of what makes us human, or is this just our predetermined evolutionary path?

[benrgreenfield]

Mission Manager Update: Kepler Recovered from Emergency and Stable

Mission operations engineers successfully recovered the Kepler spacecraft from Emergency Mode on April 10, 2016.

I am glad everything turned out okay with Kepler. The findings and success of Kepler not only exceeded the expectations of the scientific community but provides invaluable information to our understanding of the cosmos. 

[benrgreenfield]

A Wild Husky Appeared #pokemon #uconnhuskies

[benrgreenfield]

Let's Go Huskys #uconnhuskies #uconnbasketball #womensncaa (at University of Connecticut - Stamford Campus)

[benrgreenfield]

Great Show at Leftfield Friday Night @karelmusic Keep it Up!!

[emilyserven]

Tron and The Matrix as Tech Culture Time Capsules

Tron and The Matrix both came from pivotal times where technology was rapidly changing for the everyday person. Tron was released in 1982, a year after IBM introduced its ‘Personal Computer’ and the same year that Time Magazine’s annual “Man of the Year” was instead the “Machine of the Year”. It was the beginning of personal computing as they became more accessible and useful for the average person. The Matrix was released in 1999, nearly two decades after Tron, during which people had time to adjust to having personal computers enough so that personal devices and consumer electronics were much more present on the market (iMacs, Furbys, Grand Theft Auto, even the first GPU). Heck, I even had computer games on CD-ROMs that kept me entertained along with a GameBoy Color. During these times of rapid change, it’s not uncommon to fear the change taking place. People today in 2016 are worried about artificial intelligence and the possibility that one day, just maybe, machines will overtake humans. Interestingly, the movies Tron and Matrix both deal with that same fear even though they were made 2 and 1 decades ago respectively.

In Tron, the personification of the programs was presented to make an abstract concept (how programs worked) more relatable to a non-technical audience, especially in a time when people were less technically literate. In this early time of computing, the programs in movie had more specialized elements that the movie makers attempted to explain to the viewers. A program would directly refer to its own programming and functions, and comparisons to what a program did and what happened in the real world were very literal. (Such as the arcade game Tron using color lines and the ‘game grid’ in the virtual world using light bikes that produced color lines.) In contrast, The Matrix’s programs didn’t refer to their own code or programs, but blended in seamlessly with the rest of the human presenting world of the Matrix. This mirrors the more user friendly electronics of the era, two decades later.

Both film antagonists (Master Control Program in Torn and the Agents in The Matrix) were shown with lack of emotion, enough awareness to carry out an agenda, and actions that seemed to either operate purely on logic or with aggression. Tron even alluded to this when a program asked ‘What’s he computing!?’ instead of ‘What’s he thinking!?’ in the beginning. None of the antagonists in either movie showed compassion, while the human characters clearly showed a wide range of positive and negative emotions, thereby making them more ‘human’. The thought that computers are more technical and lacking emotion connects to early computing in which code was less evolved (closer to machine language instead of high-level languages we have today) and programs were less user-friendly. Due to programming itself being less accessible and more specialized than it is now, programmers didn’t have time to focus on user experience as much as they do today. Since more frameworks and libraries for languages are available now, all one needs to do is be able to research and implement pre-existing code in order to make a common function work instead of reinventing the wheel. The time saved by this research allows for more code optimization, and more time to implement human-friendly design and conveniences to the point that nowadays, it’s not surprising a movie (such as Ex Machina or Her) might focus on AI and the Turing Test and feel plausible.

The way Tron and The Matrix alleviated the anxieties of the audiences was showing that in the end, the humans ultimately had the most power over the machines. In Tron, the User trapped in the virtual world was able to convert and control a machine vehicle and gain a heavy advantage against the programs. In the Matrix, Neo was able to use his knowledge that the Matrix existed to gain what could be considered superhuman abilities, and ultimately was able to see the code making up the Matrix and manipulate it at will at the end of the movie (resulting in him winning against the Agents). In today’s world, when the world champion of the game Go was beat 4-1 by an AI, do we still have that feeling of empowerment? A hope that we ultimately control the machines and technology we create? No doubt, the movies of today reflect that struggle, but with movies like Tron and The Matrix, we have a time capsule into thoughts of technologies decades past.

[huskycass-blog]

long blog post

If you look back on several sci-fi movies from the past, a lot of them are ‘predicting the future.’ What I mean by that is – many directors give an idea to the public of what the future holds, or what technology may be able to do in the future in their movies. They give examples in the movies that we can relate to in the real world. The Matrix (1999) and Tron (1982) were two films that presented those ideas very clearly.

In The Matrix, Neo goes into this virtual world and his reality is completely altered. He takes the pill that will forever change his life and help him figure out ‘what’s down the rabbit hole.’ Thinking about this in a realistic sense, our world may be living in the matrix. Scientists are trying to figure out what other planets/ galaxies/ universes inhabit humans, if there is technology anywhere else, and if there is any other life besides ours on Earth in space. Just like in The Matrix, our world in 2016 is trying to figure out if there is another reality out there that we are either already in, or will be in. That’s just a thought that came to mind when thinking about this whole concept. Anyway, back to the Internet.

When Neo is faced with the matrix, he is able to have skills downloaded to his brain from the computer. During this scene, we see that he develops a skill to be amazing at Kung Fu/ Tai Kwon Do. Through all the coding being done, the wires that are connected to Neo are embedding all the skills necessary to become a pro. With this happening, it reminded me of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Nowadays, we can search the Internet and find any piece of content we want and teach it to ourselves. We can watch a video on YouTube teaching us how to knit or how to ride a bike. When we read these articles or watch these videos, it’s embedding this information into our brains and we are developing the skills to do these things. The Matrix made a clear connection between Neo suddenly being a Kung Fu pro, and humans in the present being able to go on the Internet and watch a video/ read an article and learn a new skill immediately.

In Tron, Flynn is sucked into a digital gaming world in which his enemy who stole his video game ideas has created. To prove to the world that Ed Dillinger stole Flynn’s ideas, Flynn decides to try to hack into the ENCOM system. While doing this, the MCP sucks him into the digital world into a video game in which he must play in. Flynn ultimately destroys the MCP in the end, but in the process was forced to be immersed in the game and stay connected at all times. Tron reminds me of social media/ the Internet in today’s world. Social media doesn’t REQUIRE you to stay connected at all times, but several people feel the need to HAVE to be connected at all times - posting statuses, pictures, updates, etc. I will use myself as a prime example. I am unhealthily attached to social media and the Internet. I’m always looking on Google for things I don’t know, and I’m constantly on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook checking up on who I follow. It’s kind of a sickness. I am genuinely addicted to social media. In order to be finished with my day, I need to make sure I accomplish all the tasks I need to; checking social media and connecting with people virtually. This concept relates to Tron because of how Flynn is stuck in this digital gaming world, and must connect and participate in order to get out. He is forced to play games and fight for his life. Now social media doesn’t make you fight for your life exactly… But it does make you (me) want to finish what you started in order to feel accomplished.

These two movies have played an important role in the digital and movie world. They each have their own characteristics that contribute to being connected with the Internet, and that is something not many people can do. The directors of this film have created stories that potentially were ideas that turned into the future.

[feyermusic]

Feyer - Imagine by John Lennon (Cover For Paris)

My cover of John Lennon's "Imagine." I thought it would be appropriate to pay my respects to the victims of the many terrorist attacks occurring throughout t...

Truly devastated by the attacks in Brussels. Back in November, I covered John Lennon’s “Imagine” to pay tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks. I’d like to bring that back for the victims of the Brussels attacks.

[benrgreenfield]

Uber has a new food delivery app to take on Seamless

Uber doesn't want to just get you a ride; the startup wants to deliver your next meal too.

[benrgreenfield]

The Matrix and Tron: The relationship people have to technology