So what does memorialize even mean? My interpretation, before looking up in the dictionary would be to commemorate, or remember in a special way for an extraordinary person or act. But I like the dictionary.com definition, to preserve the memory of.

So why is it so important to preserve the memory of those who gave their lives for the beliefs and values of this country? So we can remember and be grateful for what we have, realize it is a gift, not to be taken lightly. I mean this should be a daily practice, but It may be helpful to think about this on this special day and take it into our daily thoughts.

This makes me think of a quote from George Orwell “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” all I’m saying is that without these men and women of our military we not be afforded the luxuries we have today, yeah I know we’re not perfect, but where else would you rather live? Next time you want to complain about the country that these men and women fought so hard to protect and many died to protect, be grateful you have the ability to express these ideas, I know I am.

So this memorial day, I plan to memorialize the men and women who so honorably gave their lives so we can enjoy life’s many luxuries. So thank you and for those of you with friends and family that you have lost due to a war, be proud of them on this day and everyday, as I know I am proud of these men and women. If they deserve nothing else they deserve to be remembered as honorable, respectable, and courageous.

So this memorial day, remember, it’s not just another day off of work or a day for a sale at your favorite store, it’s for the men and women that deserve much more than a day, they deserve all that we can give them, but it will never be enough. So at the very least give them a proper holiday.

Thanks for letting me rant. Let me know what your thoughts are on Memorial Day? Is there someone you are memorializing?

It’s very easy for me to speak intimately with someone one on one, but for some reason when it comes down to opening up my world, thoughts and experiences to others for their consumption and judgment I feel hesitant at times. So I day F$&@ it, you only live once, right? Although I may at times question of whether or not we do in fact only live once, I am still going to do my best to share my life and its givings and it’s misgivings. I hope you enjoy what I have to share, if not sorry, either way let me know as I always like to know how my words impact others. It helps inspire me to keep doing what I’m doing.

We’ll thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy as I speak from the heart and I encourage you to do the same.

I just started poking around, and you can find all sorts of information like the magnification of photography lenses at different focal points, to the wingspan of a  specific model airplane. You can look up information about DNA, you can enter a math function and integrate it just by typing it in. There really seems to be no limit to the amount of information available in this application, and the great part of it is all the sources are completely  reliable.

So basically if you like knowing intricate details of stuff, or you like an easy way to access information you really should check this out.

My name is Chris Nolte and I approve this message

Also here is a great video explaining some of the amazing features of the Wolfram Alpha project

Essentially you can play any song at anytime, create playlists, even upload your own music. It’s really amazing, I don’t know how the RIAA is going to feel about this, but for now I guess we can just enjoy and explore the possibilities. This is a portable playlist at it’s finest, you can create a playlist at home, and play it anywhere you have access to a connection. You can also connect with friends and share songs. It also has similar functionality as Pandora does with the way it picks similar songs to the ones that you have listened to.

Many people may now be wondering, is this a sharing site, as in can I download from this site. Currently you can download from the site through either Amazon mp3 or Itunes.

So some may think I am easily impressed, but I hope this site impresses you as much as it did for me. So I encourage you to check it out at Grooveshark.com please leave some comments of your thoughts and or discoveries. Thanks for reading.

I have recently started exploring these classes and podcasts, and now I can even watch lectures on my AppleTV. I am currently enrolled at NYIT and I often find myself looking for information to supplement what I get in my classes. Initially this was only available through podcasts which I have enjoyed for the past several years, but recently Itunes has just added a new tab called Itunes U for Itunes University. The best part about these videos and audio files is they are shared  free of charge, in the same spirit that the internet was developed.

I have watched many different videos and listened to many audio only lectures, and I have to commend the people who participate in this. So if you have not already done so definitely check it out in your Itunes store. If you like information I am sure you will not be disappointed. This makes me think of the quote from Good Will Hunting “You wasted $150,000.00 on a education that you could have got for a $1.50 worth of late fees at the public library”. Don’t  get me wrong I am not attempting to belittle those of you that attend these fine schools, I am just grateful that this information has become available to some of the underprivileged. Thanks for reading

Here is a couple of the sites with additional info or you can just open up your Itunes and click the Itunes U tab under the Itunes Store.

Stanford Itunes U

Harvard Itunes U

MIT Itunes U

Another similar application to this is called FourSquare which I use as well and it has all the same features as Gowalla I use that app as well because I really enjoy the possibilities of these apps. I hope that you find this post helpful, and I hope you enjoy these apps as much as I do. Thanks to my brother Jeff for recommending this app.

Lastly I chose an article that emphasized the possible implication of misinterpreting literature, whereas Adolf Hitler gave Nazi soldiers books of Friederich Nietzsche, as he felt that his ideas coincided with Nazism. However, Max Whyte writes in his article Nietzsche and the Nazis, “Yet today Nietzsche (1844-1900) is one of the guiding lights of modern and postmodern thought, his exploitation by the Nazis dismissed as a travesty based on ignorance and willful distortion.” (Whyte), noting that this did not harm his philosophy too much, although it definitely had an effect. This is obviously a large concern but, this is just another example of how propaganda, and rhetoric, can twist a good idea, and make it bad; there is no better example of this reality in the last hundred years then in the Holocaust. Although Nietzsche believed in creating a sort of higher race of humans, which may coincide with Nazism, he was totally against anti-Semitism. With all the black eyes his philosophy has been given through the years, thankfully it is still alive, and well, and I believe that his influence will continue to live forever; because as he said it “That what does not kill me, makes me stronger” (Nietzsche).

Plato’s dialogues were divided into three categories, the early dialogues, the middle, and late. These were separated by the time in Plato’s life when he wrote them, it seems the early dialogues would render the clearest picture of Socrates, as some of the later dialogues seemed to be infused with his own thoughts and ideas, and Socrates became a mouthpiece for them in his writings.

Among the early dialogues is Euthyphyro, in which Socrates and Euthyphyro are conversing on the porch of King Archon. During this they are speaking of piety, and what it means to be pious, and why someone would want to be pious. These dialogues, as well as many other early ones, such as Loches, Charmides, and Lysis seem to show the way that Socrates used a form of questioning to search for knowledge, or some sort of understanding. It seems like he instinctively understood what was right, but he knew he could not tell anyone what to do, they had to discover it on their own. These dialogues showed how to look at the world from another perspective; we can uncover much truth that we did not already know.

Socrates believed, and so stated that Apollo chose him to be an investigator, and to teach virtue. He told the jurors that everything he does is in accordance with what Apollo asked of him, and his death would be offense against Apollo. He stated that he was not an atheist, since he believed Apollo himself called him wise, through the mouth of the oracle. Many of these statements seemed to win much of the Juries praise as there was little difference between those for the vote of guilty. It seemed many people had faith in Socrates statements, although they may have disliked the uncomfortable thoughts, and feelings his questioning brought about.

There are several different Socratic testimonies that have survived from primary sources, two of which are Aristophanes, and Xenophon. Both of these sources paint a very different picture of who Socrates was, and what he was like.

Xenophon was a friend, disciple, and admirer of Socrates, so much of his testimony reflects these facts; beyond that he was a very simple minded person so he may not have grasped many of the concepts Socrates presented. Xenophon described Socrates as a virtuous and moral citizen that preached morality in everyday life, he believed him to be a very religious man. He also described Socrates as an advocate for self control, respecter for law, and a very good parent, and friend. Many believe that although his testimonies are truthful, they are very limited in their philosophical nature, as Xenophon was not a philosopher; he was very simple in his thoughts, and actions. He was in the military, and performed well in that sense, since he was very compliant.

Another major source of information about Socrates is Aristophanes, primarily from his comedies. Aristophanes was a comic play writer, and his depiction of Socrates was very different than what many others would describe of him, he seemed to mold Socrates to the needs of his play, rather than using the true Socrates. Socrates is one of the main characters in his play Clouds, and in this play he was depicted as a sophist who charged to teach. He was also shown as someone that did not believe in the God’s, and one who corrupts the youth of Athens. All of these allegations seem to be false as stated by Socrates in the Plato’s recollection of him. His play showed Socrates teaching a young man that the weather was not controlled by the gods, but was controlled by a chorus of clouds. Consequently the boy’s father burned down Socrates school, this act seemed to symbolize the death of Socrates, without the physical death, as that would make it a tragedy. This play seemed to be a major factor in the trial of Socrates, which ended in death. The way that Socrates proved the boy to be ignorant about the clouds, was taking place with many other people throughout Athens in different fashions, and it seemed the only way to stop this battle between light, and darkness would be to kill the light, or get rid of it. Socrates being the light of course and people seem to prefer to be in the dark, as it is usually more comfortable there. Fortunately Socrates is still alive and well, thousands of years later.