Jake Thompson's Blog

Jake Thompson — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:45:21 +0000

You just read my mind.

Jake Thompson — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:25:23 +0000

So I was watching NOVA last night and they were putting people in MRI machines while they listened to a song then again while they thought about listening to the same song. They scanned changes is brain activity during each session. This makes me wonder, couldn’t they do multiple tests to find patterns in brain activity for specific songs, then use them as templates to “read” the mind? Like, if the top of the brain is most active during “Moonlight Sonata” and the bottom right during “Sweet Home Alabama”, then when you see that in a scan, you can guess that they are either listening to the song, or thinking about it. Could you imagine if this was used? Pretty cool, huh?

Meet ‘CLU’ – my future desktop computer project.

Jake Thompson — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 05:35:37 +0000

So my Toshiba Satellite laptop has been a noble companion in the digital realm for the past three to four years now. However, as history repeats itself, and technology advances, some things just become a little obsolete. There’s no way around it. A while ago my laptop’s battery died completely. It doesn’t even try to charge anymore. That’s expected as laptop batteries usually will only last a couple of years. Recently, I’ve noticed my power supply cord shorting out with a slight bump or jostle the wrong way. And since my battery is pretty much a paperweight, my computer just shuts off. Once I replace these parts, this will be the third power supply this laptop has used, and the second battery. So instead of continually spending time and money tracking down replacement parts, I’ve decided to start something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time now. Build my own custom desktop computer. I don’t know much about cars but I feel it’s kind of the same idea of somebody buying an old car to fix up. Only my ‘car’ will be able to stream HD video and play games like Sims 3 and Crysis with minimal to no lag, as well as hold 10x as much content as my current ‘lemon’ does. Now I’m sure at some point I’ll be looking around on other sites for better deals on certain parts and peripherals, but for right now I’m sticking with TigerDirect.com just to get a general idea of pricing. So without further ado, here is my wish list for my new desktop rig…

Internal Hardware

Case
Aerocool VX-R Gamer MidTower Case

Power Supply
Ultra X4 750-Watt Modular Power Supply

Motherboard
Biostar TA790GX A3+ Motherboard

CPU
AMD Phenom II X2 555 Dual Core Processor

Processor Cooling
Ultra U12-40602 X-Wind 120mm CPU Cooler

Memory
Kingston HyperX T1 12GB Memory Kit

Graphics
Sapphire 100314-2SR Radeon HD 6870 Video Card

Audio
Creative Labs SoundBlaster X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Pro PCIe Sound Card

Optical Drive
LG BH10LS30 Optical Media 10x Internal Blu-ray Disc Rewriter

Hard Drive
Western Digital WD20EARS Caviar Green Hard Drive – 2TB

Networking
Sabrent 802.11n Wireless PCI Controller Card

Media Bay/Reader
Ultra MD2 5.25″ 4 Port USB 2.0 and Card Reader

Peripherals

Monitor(s)
Acer S201HL bd 20″ Widescreen LED Backlit Monitor

Sound System
Logitech Z506 Surround Sound Speakers

Webcam
Creative Labs Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 Web Camera

Keyboard/Mouse
Logitech 920-002565 MK120 Keyboard and Mouse Combo
Surge Protection
Opti-UPS SBAH1210EXR Surge Buster 12-Outlet Surge Protector

So that’s pretty much it. Like I said, in time I’ll most likely be shopping around but for the most part, that’s the general setup. Based off of TigerDirect.com alone, the total cost for this machine is a whopping $1,841.51 (including shipping)!! Since I’ve got rent and bills to pay, not to mention I’m getting a kitten in a couple weeks, this computer will be bought piece by piece over at least a few month’s time. It’s definitely an investment, not just monetarily but chronologically as well. I’m pretty excited. I can’t wait to order my first couple of parts and start building my baby! I’ll be sure to track the progress of ‘CLU’ (inspired by the character from TRON: Legacy, obviously) right here on my blog. Stay tuned!

Lonely Fudge

Jake Thompson — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 04:54:30 +0000

lonely fudge

sitting there out in the cold

awaiting the hunger

oh, lonely fudge

lonely fudge

drying up, brittle and old

dying slowly upon the table

oh, lonely fudge

lonely fudge

i love you so

your misery is mine to cease

oh, lonely fudge

you shall be lonely no more

i want another piece.

The thing is…

Jake Thompson — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:05:13 +0000

I’m 20 years old going on 75… or so it seems. I’m actually turning 21 next month. I have a job, an apartment, and a decent life on my own. Something I should be more proud of I guess. I mean, I am proud of where I am in my life… but at the same time I wish I could wake up tomorrow and change everything. I always try to live by the ‘road not taken’ creed. That it is better to regret the things you do, than to regret something you didn’t. Well lately it feels as if I’m just wasting time. I’m young and if ever in my life I should throw caution to the wind, gamble with fate and blindly step foot into the great unknown, now is indeed the time to do so. Better now than later. I feel like if my life were a book, there is the beginning and end, but a vast and dull gap in between and nothing else. I want to travel, I want to write, I want to sing, I want to party, I want to be reserved, I want to be waited on, I want to wait. I want to do everything all at once. I want to do something sporadic and unexpected like buying bacon at a gas station while dressed in a pig costume. I want an escape from reality that is real. I want to be friends with many people. People who aren’t just names and faces I can ‘poke’ online, but real people who have stories to tell and souls to bear. I want, nay, I need to take action as soon as I possibly can. I feel trapped and anxious. As if my time is running thin. People have always told me not to worry about things so much as I’m young and I have my whole life ahead of me. Well if ‘my whole life’ consists of redundancies nursed by procrastination, I am not okay with this. I have some kind of desire and determination to do something amazing and bold. Trouble is, I have no clue what the hell it is exactly. I just know that this current lifestyle is not going to get me anywhere closer to satisfying that desire, whatever it may be. I don’t want to have any goals or plans. Just hopes and dreams. I want to live my life differently every single day. I guess it would be a lot easier if I was goldfish. How ironic and cruel a game played by evolution as to develop such a rich and flavorful present which longs for the simplicity of its past. But now I’m beginning to ramble.

The point of this post isn’t to really come to any conclusion or realization. Just to vent and express my current compulsion. Spring is the usual time for cleaning… I feel the intense urge to start over fresh and live my life to the fullest. That sure isn’t going to happen at $7.70/hour. :/

Nominal Fees, Vinyl Obsession, Love & Other Things

Jake Thompson — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 05:14:15 +0000

Well now it has been quite some time since I’ve posted any sort of publication. I have work at 6:30 in the morning, yet I’m still awake a little after midnight. So I figured I’d lurk around on Facebook. Once that got boring and my insomnia persistently kept me hanging ten on the wave of the web, I decided to check out WordPress for the first time in months. So now that I’m here, let me – oxymoronicaly – brief you on the length of what’s been going on in my life in the past… year or so. I got hired at Disney as part of a paid internship program, as I previously blogged about. During this program I met a wonderful friend. Upon the completion of the program, this wonderful friend had become my girlfriend. We are both currently statused as seasonal cast members at Disney… though she got hired at a local pizzeria in December. I once again attempted, yet once again failed at NaNoWriMo this past November. My girlfriend and I are anxiously awaiting the day we move in to our very own apartment together. This day is most literally right around the corner. February 10th, 2011. A year to the day of our first day of work at Disney. A complete coincidence, but perfect nonetheless. Just the other day I took the “liberty” of joining Sam’s Club… at $40/year. Based on the budgeting that both my girlfriend and I have done, it was a wise investment which will save us money in the long run. Never really spending a lot of time in a store like Sam’s or Costco before, I checked it out earlier today. The place is pretty spectacular. I certainly see myself purchase vast amounts of Mountain Dew and various breakfast cereals here.

Another new thing I’ve recently gotten myself into is the financially risqué business of Disney’s Vinylmation Collectibles. Basically if Disney Pin Trading is crack, then Vinylmations are twice the daily dose of Mickey Rooney’s Crazy Pills. I spent $30 today on these things. And that’s with a 40% discount, which is soon dropping back down to 20%. It’s just something about the gambling nature of the… well, sport really, that makes it so engaging. It’s as if because the goods you’re dealing with are little Disney figurines, that taking a little bit from savings is okay. It is so not okay, but that doesn’t matter. Especially when you’re on a hunt for a series’ “chaser” Vinylmation. eBay currently has auctions for some pretty rare “chasers” that are seeing bids of up to $400 and $500!

I suppose it’s best I end my rambling and get to bed. It felt kinda good to blog again. Perhaps I’ll make pressing words part of my weekly routine… after I’ve finished moving in to the new place and unpacking and all that. Goodnight

Idk what to call it yet…

Jake Thompson — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:06:05 +0000

Clear your mind and just imagine you’re in a room. Not a large room, maybe twice the size of your average doctor’s office. The room is lit but you cannot seem to observe any source of the light. All you know is that it’s bright and with a slight blueish/green hue. You’re sitting on the floor in a corner. Next to your right foot is a Zippo lighter with no fuel. Engraved on the lighter is a short poem.

“Live each day like it’s your last.
Don’t be held back by your past.”

You’re wearing skinny jeans, black converse high tops, and a plain white t-shirt. In the shirt pocket, you find a small charm from a bracelet. It’s a green spade. As you hold the charm closer for inspection, you’re startled by a thunderous crash which sounds like it’s coming from right outside this mysterious room. You put the charm in the pocket of your jeans, as well as the lighter upon standing up. As you cautiously explore the boundaries of your environment, you can sense the early stage of panic beginning to creep its way into your blood stream. Five laps later and you begin to sweat, more so from nerves than physical activity. Another muffled crash. With that, you quickly turn back and just then you feel the floor begin to give way under your feet. You let out a shriek as you begin to fall, and at the same time, the rooms ominous light is snuffed out. Nothing is visible anymore.

I See You

Jake Thompson — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:12:42 +0000

“In learning the art of storytelling by animation, I have discovered that language has an anatomy. ”

So here I am, trying to harness everything I’m thinking and feeling at this moment into text on a blog. I have just returned home from the movie theater. The film that I saw tonight has made quite an impact on me. I was not expecting this. That’s the first good sign right there. When a film’s hype machine fails to detract from what you take away from said film, somebody did something right. Mr. James “EPICWIN” Cameron has done a whole lotta right. AVATAR is a masterpiece. It is, in the most basic analysis, absolutely beautiful. When I had first heard about this film about two years ago, I had no idea what it was about. At the time, nothing about it really struck my interest. How quickly that all changed once I started hearing so much more about it. I had heard both praise and criticism. My expectations were tainted with negativity. Well, more like uncertainty than negativity. While I still believed I would enjoy the film, I couldn’t even begin to fathom just how much.

Avatar is a revolutionary film. So much of the story is told through visuals and cinematography. Like any good story, there is a basic structure, and multiple supporting, yet unique side stories. However, with Avatar these side stories start somewhat elusive to perception. This is what I think may unfortunately turn some people off from the film. They just don’t get it. They’re used to the same old storytelling process that’s explained right out in front of them. I’m not saying that Avatar is hard to follow, it’s not at all. Just about everybody will be able to figure out that basic story structure of absolute power corrupts absolutely. But those who don’t get the full picture, for lack of a better term, fail to pick up on Cameron’s ingenious form of storytelling. Words may help paint pictures, but pictures are worth a thousand words. This more than delightful picture was worth not only a thousand words, but $77.3 million as well.

Cameron is both monetarily, and spiritually rich. Avatar is so full of spirituality. Everything is connected, in some way. We all share something so special, and sacred. Life. Sorry to burst Parker Selfridge’s (Giovanni Ribisi) bubble, but life is indeed the greatest treasure of all. It’s the smallest things that hold the greatest influence. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you understand just what I’m talking about. If this is the case, then it is you who I highly suggest Avatar to. Sure, I think everyone should go out and see this most amazing film, and currently my favorite film of the decade. But to those of you who see the points I’m trying to get across in this review, well… I see you.

Hooray, no spam here!

Jake Thompson — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:53:12 +0000

Gmail, you know just how to amuse us. There’s no shorter a message as satisfying as this little gem. After a long while of being offline, also known as, attempting to have a life, email becomes a new beast. Spam is an ugly head of this mythical creature of malicious internet intent. No I don’t have any gold I’d like to sell, and I don’t really care for sports all that much… alright so kill me. Take heed, now is the time for the oh so handy Delete all spam messages now link. With a quick click of the oh so mighty mouse, the electronic mail center known as Gmail is now a cheerier happy place. “Hooray, no spam here!” Thank you Google, thank you

Cold

Jake Thompson — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:08:22 +0000

So I haven’t blogged in a while. I attempted NaNoWriMo this year but failed. My word count is still only a little over seven thousands words. Anyway, here I am this morning logging in to WordPress when I noticed it was snowing! In sunny Florida!!! Kind of… on WordPress. Very nice touch. Makes me kinda want to get back into blogging more frequently. Anyway, in just a little while I probably won’t have that much free time to blog… unless I end up working at Animal Kingdom, lol. Well I’ve got iTunes on shuffle. “All The Way” by Frank Sinatra just started playing. Sometimes iTunes shuffle is the greatest thing in the world. However, Pandora radio is pretty superior. I think I’ll listen to Paul Desmond Radio. Alright so I was watching How It’s Made on The Science channel last night and one of the items they were talking about was cultured marble sinks. That gave me the idea of a marble reciting Shakespeare. When I used Google to look for a picture of a marble, I got an image of Planet Earth. I thought… what marble is more cultured? So that’s when I came up with this in Photoshop.

So this has been a somewhat random post, but at least I’m writing again. I’m reading more too. I’m almost done with Walter Mosley’s Fortunate Son.