Ooops....School Started

     A long time ago I promised myself I would regularly post on my blog. As you can clearly see from this post, I have failed at that. Life is great. School has started back up and the adventure has already begun. I am in my senior year at BYU and am excited to graduate, but for some reason, my desire to be a teacher keeps coming back. I began looking into the process and have found that it is possible for me to get my teaching certificate after I graduate. I have a meeting with the media and technology department tomorrow to talk about the requirements and I am extremely excited.
     I did end up purchasing my bike, and I love it. I ride as often as I can and have already had to replace a pedal because I ride so hard. Just kidding, but I did replace the pedal. I hit it on a rock after falling over on a mountainside. Not as cool as it could have been.
     I have new roommates, Matthew, Jacob and Greg. They are all fantastic. I moved into a new apartment which also means a new ward. This was a good thing for me, I needed a change of pace. The new ward is extremely active and social. I love being around the people in the ward.
     Life is good, and positive things are happening.

Selling My DVDs to Buy a New Bike...

Hey followers, I am purging all my DVDs. I want to be more active so why not sell off what keeps me inactive and buy something to make me more active! If you are interested, check out the list below, they are all between $2-$5, so not too expensive at all. Check out the cool bike I want to buy too...it's called the Raleigh Talus 3.0.  (click on the image of the movie list and it will enlarge)

In the last 28 hours...

I am unbelievably tired right now. This morning I woke up at about 7:30 to drive to Salt Lake to work an event out in West Valley followed by another one in Salt Lake, then I had to drive down to South Jordan to work an event at the Real Salt Lake soccer game. I was there until about 7 pm, drove back to Salt Lake to drop off the work vehicle, picked up my car and drove home. I got home and sat on my couch until I arrived at my second job at midnight. I now sit at work, 6 hours into my 12 hour shift, blogging in order to stay awake. I may or may not need to take it easy on working. When this shift finishes I will have worked 24 hours in the last 28 hours. I am tired!

For the love of Apple

     There aren't many products on the market that will draw a cult following, but one company has gathered a cult following for nearly everything they create.
     Apple Inc. has been able to grasp consumers with their cutting edge design, integrated products and easy to use interfaces for years, but it wasn't always like that.
     The first line of Macintosh Computers was launched January 24, 1984 and some may even be familiar with the tagline made famous by Apple Inc. in their commercial, stating that 'you'll see why 1984 wont be like "1984."'
     According to Ken Polsson, in his book titled, "Chronology of Apple Computer Personal Computers," the Macintosh line of computers launched by Apple Inc. were the first line of personal computers to use a mouse and a graphical user interface, stepping away from the previously used command-line interface.
     For some time, the computers were extremely popular, until the early 1990s when consumer demand changed to the Wintel platform, or what many people know today as MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows.
     After a few years, Apple Inc. changed the game, and created the iMac, or the all-in-one desktop that consumers loved, and profits for Apple Inc. skyrocketed.
     But what exactly is it that creates the cult following the Apple Inc. has developed for its products?
     Brett Bird, a senior from Spokane, Wash., studying Film, and an avid Mac user, said Apple challenges you to think differently.
     "Apple has shrouded their product releases in secrecy, while most companies are very public with their releases," Bird said. The aesthetics of their designs and the principles they use in engineering are completely unique. While PC's are basically a collaboration of the cheapest components, Apple has basically engineered the entire experience from purchase to recycling."
     Bird continued to say that it was Apple's rock-solid performance and aesthetic design that drove him to "convert" to becoming an Apple user in 2003, and he hasn't looked back since.
     But the feelings aren't the same across the board.
     Adrian Grow, a senior from Newport Beach, Calif. studying psychology uses a PC for his school work and psychological research.
     "Certain programs don't exist for Mac's, you have to have a PC if you work in a certain field or occupation," Grow said. "Macs cant do everything, they are limited and they aren't for everyone."
     In a recent BBC documentary, "superbrands" like Apple Inc. and Google Inc. were studied and researched to find out why these brands have such a huge following.
     An article written by Emil Protalinski on techspot.com said Apple imagery has the same reaction in a consumer's brain as a picture of their own religious deity might have.
     "UK neuroscientists have found that Apple imagery activates the same parts of the brain in Apple fanboys that religious imagery does in followers of that religion," Protalinski said. "In heated arguments on the Internet, some users sometimes say that Apple is like a cult, and it seems there might be at least some truth to that."
     According to the article by Protalinski, the phenomenon of a religious response to a brand or product has only been confirmed for the Apple Inc. brand.
     But still, the questions exists, why is this happening.
     In the LDS Church, we have a spokesperson; the prophet,  counsel; the Ensign and other various forms of church media and new information that comes out; generally every six months at General Conference.
     For Apple Inc., they too have a spokesperson; Steve Jobs, counsel; the instruction booklets with their products and new information that comes out; generally every six months at the World Wide Developers Conference.
     Certainly, this does not insinuate that Apple Inc. is following the pattern of the LDS Church but at the same time, the structure of the "brand" is the same.
     The announcement of a new product may create that same stir as something an LDS Church member looks forward to hearing at general conference.
     In no way does this trivialize religion, but Apple Inc. may have been intrigued by religion and how they have achieved so many followers in something so many have never physically seen.
     When Steve Jobs announces that something new is on the horizon, technology junkies' ears perk up, just like those of members of any given religion perk up when their spiritual leaders speak.
     It may not be a spiritual enlightenment, but something is certainly happening in the minds of Apple consumers.

I went and saw U2. It was cool.

     Having a job in the radio industry certainly has its perks. Although I do work strange hours and haven't slept in on a Saturday for more than a year, I get to go to some pretty cool concerts. This time around was a pretty big show, I have always heard of U2, and been a fan, but never a die-hard, or someone who would actually purchase their CD.
     My dad always loved U2 and I recall purchasing him numerous albums for birthdays/Christmas because he loved them so much. I didn't know what to expect going to this show. Having been to Lady Gaga, Bon Jovi, Ingrid Michaelson, John Mayer and Jack Johnson in the last year, I didn't have high expectations seeing as I am not much of a fan. My mom got to come and I brought my friends Adrian and Chris.  I can only describe this concert in one word; phenomenal. They didn't waste my time by talking about nothing or some cause that they are pushing, but they just played music and they played it in a phenomenal way. If you ever have the opportunity to see U2, don't pass it up, go.

Why I believe Harold Camping's false prophesy was good for Christians

     I am a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I fully believe that one day Jesus Christ will return to earth, but as the bible says, no man can know the hour or the day, not even the angels  in heaven, but only the Father knows.
     When Camping made his prediction, I chuckled a bit, then I wanted to know why he thought the "rapture," which I do not believe in, seeing as it is not mentioned in the scriptures nor has it been mentioned by the apostles and prophets of today who lead the church I belong to, would occur May 21, 2011. His reasoning was a bit odd, with the numbering a bit random as it appeared to me, and claiming to know exact dates of biblical events is also a bit nonsensical. I asked myself, why am I taking such an interest in this?
     I discovered that my curiosity peaked, not because a false prophet had made a prediction that failed, but because God can send his Son to return anytime, and we must always be ready.
     My roommate mentioned to me that he hoped it wasn't on May 21, 2011 because he wasn't ready, I asked him why and he said that he wanted to be as close to Christ as possible when he returns. I thought for a moment and realized that this false prophecy is simply a reminder to me that I need to always be ready for the return of Christ.
     I don't consider myself a fanatical or extremist Christian, but I do consider myself a Christian, and like the bible says, no man can know the hour or the day...and with that being said, it's important to always be ready. If you are interested in the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, check out lds.org or mormon.org.

My Newspaper Articles

A few of you, seeing as there are only about three of you who read my blog, have requested that I put up links to all the articles that I have had published so far, so, after working tirelessly to locate all the links, here they are:


Churches seeking to be eco-friendly
Jive in concert
Students excited to learn about Utah Lake
Gov. Herbert defends new immigration law

Provo, SLC mayors take sunny Rivalry Ride

Community Action Month to raise funds for fighting poverty

Politicians discovering benefits of social media 

Mayor holds Bike to Work Day for national bike month 

Salt Lake Astronomical Society to host star parties 
Impact of former al-Qaida leader's death felt in Utah
Youth petition for climate change in Utah

I will keep updating this as more come in. Thanks for reading! 

I blog, I really do...just not very often

Spring term is in full swing and I cannot believe how much work it is to write for the Daily Universe. Although I do enjoy the writing and the experience I am gaining, I have come to the realization that I am thankful that I am not going into reporting. I would love to link you to all of my articles, but at the same time, I don't want to spend the time finding the links.
     In other news, I have somehow become obsessed with re-watching all of the episodes of The Office. My roommates and I love the opening scenes and the fact that they have nothing to do with the episode. Pure genius.Although The Office is an excellent show, I must say I am a huge fan of Community, but my all time favorite show is Parks and Recreation. There is nothing better.  Below are two amazing clips. Watch Kevin's face in the first video and after you watch the Tom Haverford clip, check out this website, Tom Haverfoods, it will make your day.

Stop! Blogger Time.

     I decided to take a break from studying in order to write on the blog. I only know of a few people who read it, so I guess I just look at it as a form of procrastination from studying. This week has been quite intense. Spring term started on Tuesday and I have not been able to relax for even a minute, seriously.
     I started my internship on Monday with Intermountain Healthcare and it has been very cool. I was able to film and edit a video, which I have posted below, so feel free to check it out. I also have been working on some brochures and banners for them. It is a very cool internship with a lot of great opportunities.
     As for school, I am enrolled in seven credits, which is considered full time for spring term. I am taking an international media class as well as newswriting. I am actually a reporter for the Daily Universe at BYU and you can view my first article here. I am also in the process of writing two more articles, and it has only been about 3 days. At least spring term is only 6 weeks, so I might be able to survive.
     Other than those few things, I am still working at the LDS Motion Picture Studio and for Clear Channel Communications. I am staying busy and loving life.

No Impact Man

     Last night while I was bored at work I ventured into the documentary section of Netflix. I found some pretty interesting documentaries and with the recommendation of a friend I began to watch one titled No Impact Man. The story is of a man who decides to change the way he lives in order to have no impact on the environment. You can check out his blog here.
     I found this documentary to be extremely informative and interesting, granted I could never do what he did, or at least I don't want to. It was amazing to see that someone really could live their life with little to no electricity, eating only local foods, and not use any forms of transportation besides our feet or bicycles.
    His idea behind the no impact project was to figure out "what each of us can do to end our environmental crisis, make a better place to live for ourselves and everyone else, and hopefully come up with a happier way of life along the way." I think if the idea to "come up with a happier way of life along the way" would have been the primary purpose of the project, I wouldn't have viewed the documentary as a liberal scheme to save the planet in an Al Gore fashion, but at the same time, the documentary wasn't that at all. It was a great journey of a family in search of a way they could personally improve the planet.
     I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it inspired me to use a little less plastic, shop a little more local, and use my car less. Watch the trailer here, and if you have Netflix, it's only 90 minutes, give it a watch, and if you don't, come over to my place and watch it with me again.

My Cell Phone Hates Me

     I have this sort of love/hate relationship with my cell phone. I love it, and if anybody knows me, they know I will never ever be without it, seriously. For some reason, my cell phone doesn't feel the same way and will jump out of my hands in an attempt to commit suicide and yesterday, it succeeded (see below). I was devastated. Thus began my adventure to get a new one.
     I really wanted an iPhone, so I called my brother, an Apple employee. He attempted to help me but the price wasn't right. Then I called Sprint, to see if I could just use my insurance to get a new one, customer service said absolutely. I made him put that in his notes on my account (this was the smartest thing I could have done). The next day (today) I went to the Sprint store, with the hope of getting my phone fixed. The woman at the store told me my insurance didn't cover this and that I should call "retention" on the customer service line. I did this and he didn't understand why I called him and he sent me back to the sprint store to get my phone fixed at a cost of $35. Apparently the Sprint store doesn't fix screens anymore...who knew! So I proceeded to tell him that the man at customer service put a message in the notes that said I would not be charged for my screen replacement. This came in handy.
     The "retention" man then called my phone while at the store to see what they had done, at this point they had done nothing. He told the store manager they needed to replace my screen free of charge, and Clint, the store manager said they couldn't do it because they don't replace screens in store. Retention man then asked if they had any refurbished phones (I smiled really big at this point). Clint said no (my smile diminished). He hung up and said let me see what I can do. He informed me he would attempt to replace the screen. I assume this failed because ten minutes later he brought out a new (refurbished) Evo and transferred it into my name. Bless you Clint. Clint said it would cost me $35 and I told him that was totally fine. Retention man called me about two hours later and said they had credited my account $35. So, in the end I smashed my screen and without the "proper" insurance I left the store with a new phone, free of charge. Thank you retention man and thank you Clint.

Richter7 PR Student of the Year Competition

So check this...I never really thought I would be a finalist in this PR competition I entered but somehow after submitting some materials and an application I got selected as a finalist, 6 students out of the state of Utah, four from Brigham Young University, one from USU, and one from Westminster. After we got the campaign outline for our final presentation I left it in my email inbox for about 9 days. Then I decided, with much persuasion from my peers, that I should probably start. So I began my research on Charlie Sheen and how to improve his image at 9 PM Wednesday night. On Thursday morning around 4 AM I went to bed with a finished campaign. Way too late for me. I presented it to the Richter7 PR agency on Friday Morning and will find out tomorrow if I am the winner of an iPad and $500. Cross your fingers!

When Work Really Isn't Work

In the summer of 2010 I was a poor, shameless intern with ZHT, one of the largest radio stations in Salt Lake City, UT. After about six weeks I finished up my internship and got a call from my boss with a job offer, and I graciously accepted. After working with ZHT, MY 99.5, KNRS, KOZY 106.5 and Oldies 94.1 for the past year, I have had a few pretty cool opportunities and I look forward to more. I think it's fun that I get paid to do what most people pay to do. Below are some photos I took, yes including that Bon Jovi one, I had some pretty good seats, Miranda Cosgrove and Myself, and just a few shows i've been to.

A Little Effort

I figured it was time to re-establish my online presence for about the fifth time, but with a new philosophy, blog posts are short, sweet and to the point. This is a lot of work. Look at all those windows open at one time.

Too many windows.