http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/blog/ en ryancharlesking@gmail.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-06T22:30:54+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mars_-_4/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mars_-_4/#When:22:30:54Z Caleb sat at the table in the mess hall, relaxing for a bit before he went to wake up the rest of the crew. Yet again, everything in the room was white. Mission control must have thought that it would be soothing. And in standard NASA fashion, they went with efficient spatial design over comfort of use when creating the spacecraft…The beginning… Caleb sat at the table in the mess hall, relaxing for a bit before he went to wake up the rest of the crew. Yet again, everything in the room was white. Mission control must have thought that it would be soothing. And in standard NASA fashion, they went with efficient spatial design over comfort of use when creating the spacecraft. The mess hall was a simple corridor with a long table in the center of it. One wall was covered in lockers for storage while the other had two ovens, a microwave, sink, and counter top. It wasn’t much too look at, or even use for that matter, but it was better than no mess hall at all. “Soothing?” Caleb thought to himself. “This place isn’t soothing at all. It’s maddening. Whoever thought that color would be a commodity.” And with that final thought, he stood up and headed back to the stasis room. Once in the stasis room, Caleb walked over to the first pod. Next to it was a small control panel that showed the vitals of the occupant. Below that were a series of commands to help stabilize the hibernation of the astronaut inside. Caleb quickly scanned over the buttons until he saw the one he was looking for: Awaken Sequence. He pressed the button and then the screen changed. The words “Please place hand for proper authorization” appeared on the screen with a rectangle below them. He placed his hand up on the monitor, at which point it was scanned and the screen turned green with the words “Authorization Accepted” across it. On he went to the next pod. Five pods later, Caleb was done. In a few minutes the first person would be waking up, and the training would begin. 2010-03-06T22:30:54+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mars_-_3/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mars_-_3/#When:22:29:06Z “The time is near.” “The germination is at its end.” “There knowledge is exceeding their duties.” “Soon.” “Soon we will move into our new home.” The beginning… “The time is near.” “The germination is at its end.” “There knowledge is exceeding their duties.” “Soon.” “Soon we will move into our new home.” 2010-03-06T22:29:06+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mars_-_2/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mars_-_2/#When:22:27:37Z “He’s awake sir.” “Bring up the stasis room camera on the main screen.” A live stream of footage of the astronaut puking came up on the wall-sized monitor at the front of the room…The beginning… “He’s awake sir.” “Bring up the stasis room camera on the main screen.” A live stream of footage of the astronaut puking came up on the wall-sized monitor at the front of the room. Besides the giant monitor, the room contained several smaller televisions on the surrounding walls, each streaming footage of a different part of the spacecraft. On the floor of the room was thirty tables, each holding two sets of computer equipment that were each being monitored by a diligent scientist. At the back of the room was a glass wall, behind which was the main control room. “How are his vitals?” “His BP is low. 90 over 52, but beyond that everything looks good.” The astronaut could be seen finally standing up on the monitor. “Connect the audio link. I want to be able to talk to him.” There was a slight pause as a scientist on the floor typed some things on his keyboard and clicked around with his mouse. “You’re connected sir.” “Caleb, how are you feeling?” “Who is that?” The astronaut on the monitor said with a hoarse, raspy voice. “Caleb, it’s mission control. This is Jack speaking to you.” “Jack.” The astronaut, Caleb, suddenly coughed, “I’m a bit disoriented, nauseated, and my throat hurts. Otherwise I feel great.” “Good to hear.” Jack said. “Do you remember what your job is?” “Yeah. I need to get the ship ready for the other astronaut’s awakening.” “And do you remember what that entails?” “Um… not really. I am going to need you guys to walk me through it.” “Will do. Gretchen, walk Caleb through the awakening procedure.” “Yes sir.” 2010-03-06T22:27:37+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mars_-_1/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mars_-_1/#When:22:26:09Z His eyes slowly opened. Everything was hazy and bright. Where was he? He couldn’t quite remember. He blinked his eyes a few times and the world around him started to come into focus. It was so bright though. He squinted his eyes, but everything was still too hazy to make out effectively…His eyes slowly opened. Everything was hazy and bright. Where was he? He couldn’t quite remember. He blinked his eyes a few times and the world around him started to come into focus. It was so bright though. He squinted his eyes, but everything was still too hazy to make out effectively. He lifted his arms to give his eyes a good rub, but they ran into something. He blinked a few more times and took a look around with squinted eyes. He could just make out that he was in what seemed to be a glass-topped coffin. That’s when it all started coming back to him. He wasn’t actually in a coffin; he was standing in a stasis pod aboard the Ericksson spacecraft. He was scheduled to wake up four days before their destination was reached, so he assumed that was what was happening. He quickly found the hatch release button to his right and opened the stasis pod. He went to step out of the pod, but there was no gravity. Instead of stepping down onto the floor he floated off and hit his head on the ceiling of the room. It hurt like a bitch too, but when he tried to yell in pain, nothing came out but a hoarse moan. He laughed inside a bit thinking, “Well, that’s what 6 months of not talking will do to ya.” He floated there, rubbing his eyes for a bit and trying to get his bearings. More of the room was starting to come into focus now. The room was long and narrow with a door at one end. Everything was white, and metal. The ceiling arched across the short width of the room and had multiple support beams running along it. Six stasis pods where lined up against the wall, with each remaining pod holding a sleeping person. That’s right, it was his job to get the ship ready for everyone else’s awakening. There was a small control panel with just a monitor and keyboard on the wall opposite the stasis pods. He pushed off the ceiling and headed over to the panel. There was a large square visible on the monitor with the words “Please place hand here” written above it. So he did was he was told. His hand was then scanned and the screen changed, asking him if he wanted to initiate artificial gravity. He pressed yes. Suddenly he dropped to the floor. He stood up and tried to walk, but threw up instead. The nausea from being so quickly introduced to gravity had kicked in, so he curled up into a ball, waiting for it to pass. 2010-03-06T22:26:09+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/blogging_a_meta_post/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/blogging_a_meta_post/#When:22:25:29Z Here are some words of wisdom for people who have started or are planning to start blogging: it’s hard. Ok, let me clarify. Blogging itself is actually rather easy, but being a good blogger isn’t…Here are some words of wisdom for people who have started or are planning to start blogging: it’s hard. Ok, let me clarify. Blogging itself is actually rather easy, but being a good blogger isn’t. Very few people actually care about what happens in another person’s day-to-day life. If you want to people to visit and read your blog, you must write about interesting things. The most productive and interesting form of blogging is informative blogging. This is also the hardest. There are a lot of people out there that most likely know more about any given subject than you do, so you have to find a way to make your posts stand out. To begin with, you must only write about things that you yourself find interesting. If you are only slightly interested in a topic, then you won’t be able to bring any new or interesting material to the massive discussion that exists on the internet. You must also never force a post. Only write when you are inspired. If you must, make multiple posts at a time and simply wait to place them online. Finally, don’t force yourself to stick to one subject. It is almost impossible to be constantly giving information on a single subject without forcing posts. By varying the subjects, you keep you mind and blog fresh. A staying fresh is key to staying interesting. The other optimal form of blogging is simple story telling. Whether it is fiction or non-fiction, telling amazing stories will get readers. You can tell stories from your own life, but without colorful language and embellishment, no one will read. Oh yeah, and don’t talk about how cute the new puppy you got is or how boring work was this week. Stay away from the mundane. If you feel that your entire life is mundane (which it very well could be), then try your hand at fiction. Write short stories, poems, or better yet a long on going story that requires on going posts. In conclusion, it is hard to be a good blogger. You must stay away from the mundane, don’t force posts, and always bring part of yourself to the table. Hope this has brought some kind of insight, so good luck blogging. Oh, and by the way, I have decided try my hand at some fictitious writing. The informative stuff is just a bit too hard for me and I feel bad for neglecting my blog. So stay tuned for the first of many installments of a story that has recently formed in my head. 2010-03-06T22:25:29+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/omg_resume/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/omg_resume/#When:22:23:46Z Over the past couple of weeks I have seen quite a few resumes and even helped some people with their’s, which I did not expect since I am done with school. Every resume I looked at was set up differently. One friend asked me what she should put down as her objective statement…Over the past couple of weeks I have seen quite a few resumes and even helped some people with their’s, which I did not expect since I am done with school. Every resume I looked at was set up differently. One friend asked me what she should put down as her objective statement. That got me thinking about the concept of a resume. Resumes came about for a few purposes. Resumes give the employer a quick glance on what you have to offer their business and what kind of qualifications you have for the job. That way they don’t have to read through the entire application. Resumes also make an application look more professional. It shows that you (the prospective employee) put some time and efforts into your application to make it personal and have it stand out from other applications. On the same time it makes it easier for you to fill out your application. You just have one resume that you can print off multiple times and simply put “see resume” on areas in an application that are already covered by the resume. I have taken multiple classes where we have worked on resumes. Each class taught us to setup our resumes in a different way. My mother has always been on my case about putting a resume with my applications so that they would stand out. On the first job I added a resume I was turned down the position because I was “over qualified.” It turns out that I was the only to have a resume and that was what kept me from getting the job. Now that I am out of college I have talked to multiple employers and they all have different views on how a resume should be set up. As it is nowadays when you want to make a resume for a job you have to tailor you resume for that job. On top of that, applications now say that “see resume” is not a valid answer. This renders the idea of resumes being easier for you. It now takes more work to add a resume to an application anymore. How are you even supposed to know how your employer wants your resume to be set up. Does it have to be one page, or is two pages ok? What about an objective statement? How do you make it appealing so that it stands out from the rest? There is a lot to think about when making a resume. Any more there is no longer a standard for how a resume should be set up, yet they play such a pivotal role in whether or not you will get hired. As far as an objective goes, I would never put one down. An object can be a limiting factor in how an employer looks are you as an employee. An objective that is too broad makes an employer think that you are either indecisive or don’t really know what you are applying for (such as what the business does). At the same rate though, an objective that is too precise can cause an employer to think that you aren’t willing to look at the possibility of working in a different department than what you applied for. There is no way that you can tell if you objective is going to be too broad or too precise. The best way to understand what you need to put on your resume is to simply look at the application. In the end, the resume is basically a summary of the application. Which makes you wonder how obsolete a resume really is. If the only read the resume then why the application; if they only read the application then why the resume; if they read both, isn’t that rather redundant? I see resumes as a waste of time anymore and wish that they didn’t have to be made. That or only rely on resumes and completely get rid of applications. All applications seem to be the same, if there are differences they only deal with the amount of information that is needed. Since resumes are still apart of the application process then I just have one thing to say about them. If you want your resume to stand out from all of the others, don’t worry about water mark paper (people honestly really don’t care), instead think about making your resume look more creative. Add a little color to it and give it a unique organizational setup. A little bit of creativity in a standardly bland document can go a long way. While you are at it, think of investing in a cheap old type writer for filling in your application. It makes it easier to read and helps that stand out from the rest as well. 2010-03-06T22:23:46+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/movies_movies_movies/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/movies_movies_movies/#When:22:22:20Z To help keep myself from becoming too bored recently, I have decided to do some serious movie watching. My most recent views were Cloverfield and Revolver, both of which are worth watching…To help keep myself from becoming too bored recently, I have decided to do some serious movie watching. My most recent views were Cloverfield and Revolver, both of which are worth watching. Cloverfield takes multiple cinematic techniques and adds them to a very old story to make a new and interesting movie. Many people that I have talked to about this movie have said that they enjoy it but the ending sucks. I beg to differ. I think it is a perfect ending. If you pay attention to the movie from beginning to end then you know how it ends. It was just nice to see an overly used movie premise done and a completely different way. I also suggest checking out the special features section. It really helps fill in any missed concepts from the movie and helps create a greater storyline for the movie. Revolver is from the people that brought us Snatch and Lock, stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. I had never actually heard of this movie but it looked interesting so I grabbed it. Just like Snatch, this movie has a lot going on. There are constant scene changes happening that really keep you on your toes. The entire time you are watching it you get a sense that you know what is going on, what happened, how it happened, and what is going to happen next. The movie itself takes you on a journey into the human psyche. You pay attention to where you are going and then it drops you off in the middle of know where and you have to find your way back. When the credits finally roll out keep watching. The comments from the psychologists are very interesting and thought provoking. If you haven’t seen any of these movies I suggest checking them out. I will keep you posted on the rest of the movies that I watch as I watch them. 2010-03-06T22:22:20+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/boarding_booya/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/boarding_booya/#When:22:17:45Z I finally got out and did some long boarding today. I wasn’t out for too long but it was still a lot of fun. I am still pretty out of shape from sitting on my butt all fall and winter because of my bad back, so I couldn’t really board that long…I finally got out and did some long boarding today. I wasn’t out for too long but it was still a lot of fun. I am still pretty out of shape from sitting on my butt all fall and winter because of my bad back, so I couldn’t really board that long. I also managed to get a huge blood blister on the bottom of my foot, which is sweet. I just have to keep it up and build a callus on that spot. I went boarding with my new friend Doug Kazdban. Since I don’t own a long board yet, he was kind enough to let me use one of his. We went out to this long parking lot on the NMU campus and just rode around it. Normally we would go out to a hill, but Doug broke his collar bone awhile back and his arm is still in a sling so we have to keep it light. Right now I am really just learning how to ride a long board effectively, since I have never ridden one before. I did learn how to do this thing called pumping today. It is when you do quick turns with the front of your board that turns the potential energy in your legs into kinetic energy in the board. It is extremely helpful when you want to ride for a long time without kicking. I also got to ride some of his slalom boards.  These boards are much shorter and have looser trucks in order to make them easier to ride while dodging between cones. They aren’t as smooth as standard long boards, but they are much easier to control. When I was riding them it kinda felt like I was on a snowboard. It was really easy to do some quick carving like you do while going down a ski hill. Click here to see some slalom longboarding. 2010-03-06T22:17:45+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mortality/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/mortality/#When:22:12:09Z Early today I received a call from my father. We haven’t talked in something like six months. Initially I was confused, I just assumed that he wanted to tell me that he was moving or ask me for something. Boy was I wrong… Early today I received a call from my father. We haven’t talked in something like six months. Initially I was confused, I just assumed that he wanted to tell me that he was moving or ask me for something. Boy was I wrong. It turns out that he had a heart attack while he was at work. He was calling me from the hospital to let me know that he was having surgery tomorrow morning. He hasn’t exactly been a big part of my life, but he is my father so hearing that still hit me pretty hard. I have lost multiple family members to heart failure and I really don’t want to loose another, especially so soon. This got me to thinking about my own mortality. Heart disease runs in my family, rampantly as a matter of fact. I try to take care of myself, I eat healthy and I try to stay active as much as I can (which is hard when you don’t know anyone to due stuff with). I manage to keep my blood pressure low even though my stress level is through the roof. Despite all of this I am still worried. What if I just have a defective heart and it is just a matter of time before it stops working? I was watching this program on the Discovery Channel the other night called The Human Body: Pushing the Limits. During it they talked about how the brain works to overcome starvation. Basically what happens is that the brain releases a hormone and in conjunction with the slowing of non-essential processes puts your body into a super efficiency mode. What scientists have found out is that if a person halves their regular caloric intake, the brain can be fooled into thinking that it is starving and stay in that super efficiency state. This can elongate a person’s life expectancy and significantly improve the health of the heart. This is something I have started to honestly think about doing myself in an attempt to keep my heart strong and healthy. Now I am going to get all cliche on you, but it it is something to think about. No one knows when they are going to die until the reaper is knocking at the door. Tomorrow could be your last day to live, or even worse, you might not wake up to see tomorrow. I’m not going to say that you need to live every day to the fullest, because that is extremely hard to do. Instead I am going to say that you need to make sure that you happy and let the people that you love know you love them. 2010-03-06T22:12:09+00:00 http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/the_good_ole_days/ http://www.ryan-king.com/index.php/site/the_good_ole_days/#When:19:46:31Z A few weeks ago I rented Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. I finally managed to have enough time to watch it this weekend. I must say, nobody does it like Jim Henson… A few weeks ago I rented Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. I finally managed to have enough time to watch it this weekend. I must say, nobody does it like Jim Henson. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you must check it out. It is a solid fantasy with excellent puppetry. Not to mention the fact that David Bowie is in it. Check out his makeup. You can definitely tell that this movie was made in the ‘80s. Watching that movie real brought me back to a time long ago. I watched so many Jim Henson movies and television shows growing up. I just find it amazing that a movie I enjoyed as a child can still be as equally enjoyable for me now. In many cases I actually prefer the use of puppets in movies over CG animations. I would love to see more movies come out in the future that use puppetry like Jim Henson (but of course with better integration). 2010-03-01T19:46:31+00:00